Topical Bible: Sacred Anointing: Things Which Received: Brazen Altar

Bible > Topical > Sacred Anointing

◄ Sacred Anointing: Things Which Received: Brazen Altar ►

Jump to: Torrey's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

The practice of sacred anointing in the Bible is a significant ritual that symbolizes consecration, sanctification, and the setting apart of objects or individuals for divine purposes. Among the various items that received anointing, the Brazen Altar holds a prominent place in the religious life of ancient Israel.

The Brazen Altar:

The Brazen Altar, also known as the Altar of Burnt Offering, was a central fixture in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple. Constructed according to divine specifications given to Moses, the altar was made of acacia wood and overlaid with bronze (Exodus 27:1-2). It was situated in the courtyard of the Tabernacle and served as the primary location for sacrifices and offerings to God.

Anointing of the Brazen Altar:

The anointing of the Brazen Altar was a critical step in its consecration. In Exodus 40:10, God commands Moses to anoint the altar to sanctify it: "Anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils; consecrate the altar, and it will be most holy." . This act of anointing set the altar apart as a holy object, dedicated exclusively to the service and worship of God.

The anointing oil used for this purpose was a sacred blend, as described in Exodus 30:22-25. This oil was not to be used for any common purpose, underscoring the sanctity of the objects it consecrated. The anointing of the altar, along with its utensils, signified that the entire sacrificial system was under divine authority and blessing.

Symbolism and Significance:

The anointing of the Brazen Altar carried profound theological significance. It represented the altar's role as a mediator between God and His people, a place where atonement for sin was made through the shedding of blood. The sanctification of the altar through anointing underscored the holiness required in approaching God and the necessity of purification and consecration in worship.

Furthermore, the anointing of the altar prefigured the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who, as the Lamb of God, fulfilled the sacrificial system. The Brazen Altar, anointed and set apart, pointed to the greater reality of Christ's atoning work on the cross, where He offered Himself as a once-for-all sacrifice for sin.

Conclusion:

The sacred anointing of the Brazen Altar highlights the importance of holiness and consecration in the worship of God. It serves as a reminder of the divine requirements for approaching God and the provision of atonement through sacrifice. The anointing of the altar, as part of the broader system of sacred anointing, reflects the deep spiritual truths embedded in the worship practices of ancient Israel and their fulfillment in the New Covenant through Jesus Christ.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Exodus 29:36
And you shall offer every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement: and you shall cleanse the altar, when you have made an atonement for it, and you shall anoint it, to sanctify it.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Exodus 40:10
And you shall anoint the altar of the burnt offering, and all his vessels, and sanctify the altar: and it shall be an altar most holy.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Princely Service.
... His right place, and let there be the anointing of the ... to carry upon their own shoulders
sacred burdens that ... for order and method in all things which concern ...
/.../taylor/separation and service/part iii princely service.htm

Scriptural Types.
... Hence we find the sacred writers freely explaining the meaning ... 1, and the same symbol
of anointing often elsewhere ... ark of the testimony, of all things which I ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxxvii scriptural types.htm

Whether There Can be any Suitable Cause for the Sacraments of the ...
... should be consecrated with any bodily anointing, bodily sacrifices ... else because they
who handle sacred things with a ... the power of offering these things to the ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether there can be any 2.htm

A New Order of Priests and Levites
... of his own setting apart, of his own anointing. ... who are discharging regal functions
and sacred offices among ... inwrought experience: he speaks of things which he ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 17 1871/a new order of priests.htm

Solomon's Temple Spiritualized
... by God to sacred story; and since that sacred story is ... to that which was left behind;
things that naturally ... lay in those additions which they received from the ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/solomons temple spiritualized.htm

Introduction to Oration ii.
... we know even the names of the Sacred Books, before ... the things which are seen, he
thought all things little, [2703 ... and to cease for a while from anointing a king ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/introduction to oration ii.htm

Tiglath-Pileser iii. And the Organisation of the Assyrian Empire ...
... the anointing of Saul (1 Samuel 9:16; x.1 ... there, the devout prostrated themselves
before the sacred stones and ... possible and probable a state of things in which ...
/.../chapter iitiglath-pileser iii and the.htm

The Hebrews and the Philistines --Damascus
... and your flesh." This advice was well received; it flattered ... oak of the pillar" was
a sacred tree overshadowing ... This condition of things lasted for three years ...
/.../chapter iiithe hebrews and the.htm

Memoir of John Bunyan
... This solemn warning, received in the midst of his sport ... his inquiries as to the meaning
of the sacred language ... him with an inexhaustible store of things new and ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/memoir of john bunyan.htm