What is the meaning of Exodus 38:4? He made a grate - Bezalel, working “according to all that the LORD had commanded” (Exodus 38:22), fashions this grate exactly as God specified earlier in Exodus 27:4–5. - Obedient craftsmanship matters. Just as Noah built the ark “as God commanded him” (Genesis 6:22), here too the people show that true worship begins with responding to God’s precise word. - The grate reminds us that worship is never a human invention; it is divinely revealed and faithfully carried out. of bronze mesh - Bronze resists heat, perfectly suited for continual fire (compare Numbers 16:35). - Throughout Scripture, bronze often pictures judgment: the bronze serpent lifted in the wilderness (Numbers 21:8–9) or the Son of Man whose “feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace” (Revelation 1:15). - The mesh allows ashes to fall through while supporting the sacrifice, hinting that God’s judgment consumes sin yet spares the sinner who trusts His provision. for the altar - This altar, first described in Exodus 27:1–8, is where every burnt offering is presented (Leviticus 1:3–9). - Hebrews 10:10 affirms that these sacrifices foreshadowed the once-for-all offering of Christ: “By this will, we have been sanctified through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” - The grate therefore anticipates the cross—where the perfect Lamb endured God’s fiery judgment so that we might draw near. under its ledge - Exodus 27:5 notes that the grate sat “beneath, under the ledge of the altar”. - Practically, the ledge protected priests from the intense heat and provided a platform for placing utensils (compare 1 Samuel 2:13–14 for priestly tools). - Spiritually, the separation of grate and ledge portrays how God’s holiness both judges sin and provides a place of service for those He calls. halfway up from the bottom - Positioning the grate midway balanced airflow: oxygen below, sacrifice above, ensuring complete combustion (Leviticus 6:12–13). - This “lifting up” language echoes John 3:14: “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up.” - At the same time, the grate’s midpoint location puts the offering at eye level, inviting every worshiper to behold the cost of atonement (Psalm 66:16). summary Exodus 38:4 records meticulous obedience: a bronze mesh grate, precisely placed beneath the altar’s ledge, halfway up from the base. Every detail—material, design, and position—serves both practical worship and prophetic purpose. The altar’s grate withstands holy fire, points to righteous judgment, and prefigures Christ’s lifted-up sacrifice that fully satisfies God’s justice and invites us into His presence. |
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