Topical Bible: The Altar of Burnt-Offering: All Its Vessels of Brass

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Topical Encyclopedia

The Altar of Burnt-Offering, also known as the Bronze Altar, was a central fixture in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple, serving as the primary location for sacrifices and offerings to Yahweh. This altar was constructed according to divine specifications given to Moses on Mount Sinai and is detailed in the Book of Exodus.

Construction and Design:

The altar was made of acacia wood and overlaid with bronze, a metal known for its durability and resistance to heat. The dimensions of the altar were specified as five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high (Exodus 27:1). It was designed with horns on its four corners, which were also overlaid with bronze. The altar was hollow, with a grating of bronze network beneath its ledge, extending halfway up the altar (Exodus 27:4-5).

Purpose and Function:

The primary function of the Altar of Burnt-Offering was to facilitate the sacrificial system instituted by God. It was here that burnt offerings, grain offerings, peace offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings were presented by the Israelites. The altar symbolized atonement and reconciliation with God, as the sacrifices made upon it were a means of seeking forgiveness and expressing devotion.

Vessels of Brass:

Accompanying the altar were various vessels, all made of bronze, which were essential for the sacrificial rites. These included:

· Pots: Used for removing ashes from the altar (Exodus 27:3).
· Shovels: Employed for handling the ashes and coals.
· Basins: Utilized for collecting the blood of the sacrifices.
· Forks: Used to arrange the pieces of the sacrifice on the altar.
· Firepans: Employed for carrying live coals from the altar.

Each of these vessels was crafted with precision and care, reflecting the sacred nature of their use in worship and sacrifice.

Symbolism and Significance:

The use of bronze for the altar and its vessels is significant. Bronze, being a strong and resilient metal, symbolizes judgment and endurance. The altar itself represents the place where divine justice and mercy meet, as the sacrifices offered upon it were a foreshadowing of the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who fulfilled the law and the prophets.

The altar and its vessels underscore the holiness and orderliness required in approaching God. They remind believers of the seriousness of sin, the necessity of atonement, and the grace provided through sacrificial offerings. The meticulous instructions for the altar's construction and the crafting of its vessels highlight the importance of obedience to God's commands and the reverence due to Him in worship.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Exodus 27:3
And you shall make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, and his basins, and his meat hooks, and his fire pans: all the vessels thereof you shall make of brass.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Exodus 38:3
And he made all the vessels of the altar, the pots, and the shovels, and the basins, and the meat hooks, and the fire pans: all the vessels thereof made he of brass.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Temple and Its Dedication
... instruments connected with the ministrations of the priests in the holy place, all
"of gold ... The brazen furniture,"the altar of burnt offering, the great ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 2 the temple and.htm

The Best of All, God is with Us
... is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel. ...
David also commanded all the princes of Israel to help Solomon his son ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 42 1896/the best of all god.htm

Appendix iv. An Abstract of Jewish History from the Reign of ...
... rites; a small heathen altar was reared on the great altar of burnt-offering - in
short ... purchase his support by a remission of all taxation for all time to ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/appendix iv an abstract of.htm

One Worker Preparing for Another
... This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for
Israel. ... Do not go to build a house for God, and think that is all that is ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 38 1892/one worker preparing for another.htm

A Discourse
... the first sense was the altar of burnt-offering, the altar ... Now must the Lord's brazen
altar be removed from its ... targets in the Bible, nor at all expressly how ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/a discourse.htm

Solomon's Temple Spiritualized
... as God he supported his humanity, in that suffering of all the pains ... was then Christ's
Godhead, not the tree, that was the altar of burnt-offering, or that ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/solomons temple spiritualized.htm

They Shall be Called the Children of God
... lamb, and offered it for a burnt-offering; and Samuel ... sacrifices shall be accepted
upon mine altar' (Isaiah 56:7 ... The deserted soul slights all other things in ...
/.../the beatitudes an exposition of matthew 51-12/19 they shall be called.htm

The Hebrews and the Philistines --Damascus
... and he built there an altar unto the Lord." To ... lamb, and offered it for a whole burnt
offering unto the ... "Now there was no smith found throughout all the land ...
/.../chapter iiithe hebrews and the.htm

The Saints' Privilege and Profit;
... great throne of ivory, that though there was not its like in any ... that he should offer
it with the prayers of all saint upon the golden altar which was ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the saints privilege and profit.htm

An Exposition on the First Ten Chapters of Genesis, and Part of ...
... sin, is, as it were, turned into brass; and the ... world, was made under the law, under
its command and ... then made capable of mortality, and all diseases, which ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/an exposition on the first.htm