What is the meaning of Exodus 27:5? Set the grate • “You are to make a grate of bronze mesh…” (Exodus 27:4) shows that God provided a sturdy, heat-resistant surface for the continual fire. • The grate held the sacrificial pieces directly over the coals, just as Leviticus 6:12-13 instructs that “the fire on the altar must be kept burning continually.” • Because Hebrews 13:10 points to “an altar from which those who serve at the tabernacle have no right to eat,” the bronze grate ultimately prefigures Christ, whose once-for-all sacrifice endures the fiery judgment our sin deserved. Beneath the ledge of the altar • Placing the grate “beneath the ledge” (about midway down) created a shelf where the burning coals rested, allowing air to circulate and ashes to fall below. • Exodus 38:7 describes the rings and poles that enabled the priests to carry the altar without removing the grate—highlighting God’s concern for orderly worship. • The positioning also ensured that blood dashed “against the sides of the altar” (Leviticus 1:5) would run downward, emphasizing cleansing that flows from the sacrifice outward to the people. So that the mesh comes halfway up the altar • Setting the grate halfway up allowed priests to place offerings without bending dangerously into the flames, illustrating God’s gracious accommodation of human frailty (Psalm 103:14). • The midway height visually joined heaven and earth—fire rising, smoke ascending, but the base still on the earth—anticipating the mediation of Christ, who bridges God and man (1 Timothy 2:5). • Numbers 16:46 shows Aaron swiftly taking fire “from the altar” to stop a plague; the halfway grate made such urgent ministry possible. summary Exodus 27:5 directs that the bronze grate be installed midway inside the altar so the sacrificial fire could burn steadily, ashes could fall below, and priests could minister safely. The practical design underscores God’s holiness, order, and mercy, while the grate itself foreshadows Jesus, the perfect sacrifice who endures judgment and unites heaven and earth for our salvation. |
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