"Chapter 27 is a continuation of the construction design and specifications of God's tabernacle. Moses is told to construct more for God's sanctuary and tabernacle. The Israelites are to construct an altar for burnt offerings. Also, they are to construct pots, shovels, basins, meat forks, firepans, and utensils that are to be used at the altar. God gives Moses the design and specifications for the tabernacle courtyard. Lastly, Moses is to command the Israelites to bring pure oil from crushed olives in order to keep the lampstand burning continually. Aaron and his sons are to tend the lamp from evening until morning before the Lord. This is to be a permanent statute for the Israelites throughout their generations."
The Bronze Altar
“And you shall make the altar [for burnt offerings] of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits wide; the altar shall be square, and its height shall be three cubits. 2 Make horns (horn-shaped projections) for it on its four corners; the horns shall be of one piece with it, and you shall overlay it with bronze. 3 You shall make pots to remove its ashes, and shovels, basins [to catch the blood of the sacrificed animal], meat-forks, and firepans [to store live coals]. You shall make all its utensils of bronze. 4 Also make a grate for it, a network of bronze; and on the grid you are to make four bronze rings at its four corners. 5 And you shall put it under the ledge of the altar, so that the grid will extend halfway up the altar. 6 You shall make [carrying] poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, overlaid with bronze. 7 The poles shall be inserted through the rings on the two sides of the altar so that it may be carried. 8 You are to make the altar hollow with planks; as you were shown on the mountain [of Sinai], so shall it be made.
- WHY BRONZE? For the 'Altar of Burnt Offerings', the Israelites were to use bronze. Bronze is a brown metal made of copper and tin (alloy). According to https://biblestudentsdaily.com/tag/what-does-bronze-represent-in-the-bible/, "Bronze, (chiefly copper) representing human nature which is noted in the bronze serpent (Numbers 21:9) — representing the justified human nature of Jesus that was sacrificed for us to remove our sins.", "It is interesting to note that there was no bronze inside the Tabernacle, showing that the calling of the saints is away from the flesh, into the spirit."
- It is interesting to know and learn more, again and again, that everything has a purpose, and everything symbolizes something, with God. The whole Bible points to Jesus, God's only Son, the Messiah that was given (offered, sacrificed) for the forgiveness and redemption of our sins. The Bible points out our sins, but it also points us to our Savior.
Court of the Tabernacle
9 “You shall make the court of the tabernacle. The south side of the court is to have curtains of fine twisted linen, a hundred cubits long for one side; 10 it shall have twenty pillars and twenty bronze sockets; but the hooks of the pillars and their fasteners shall be silver; 11 likewise for the north side there shall be curtains, a hundred cubits long, and its twenty pillars and twenty bronze sockets; but the hooks of the pillars and their fasteners shall be silver. 12 For the width of the court on the west side there shall be curtains of fifty cubits, with ten pillars (support poles) and ten sockets. 13 The width of the court [to the front], on the east side shall be fifty cubits. 14 The curtains for one side [of the gate] shall be fifteen cubits with three pillars and three sockets. 15 On the other side [of the gate] the curtains shall be fifteen cubits with three pillars and three sockets. 16 For the gate of the court there shall be a screen [to provide a covering] of twenty cubits, of blue, purple, and scarlet fabric and finely woven [embroidered] linen, the work of an embroiderer, with four pillars and four [base] sockets. 17 All the pillars (support poles) around the court shall be joined together with silver rods; their hooks shall be of silver and their sockets of bronze. 18 The length of the court shall be a hundred cubits, and the width fifty [cubits] throughout, and the height five cubits of fine twisted linen, and their sockets of bronze. 19 All the tabernacle’s utensils and instruments used in all its service, and all its stakes, and all the stakes for the court, shall be of bronze.
20 “You shall command the Israelites to provide you with clear oil of beaten olives for the light, to make a lamp burn continually [every night]. 21 In the Tent of Meeting [of God with His people], outside the veil which is in front of the [ark of the] Testimony [and sets it apart], Aaron [the high priest] and his sons shall keep the lamp burning from evening to morning before the Lord. It shall be a perpetual statute [to be observed] throughout their generations on behalf of the Israelites.
- KEEP THE LAMP BURNING. Beaten olive oil (which was in abundance in the area), were to use to keep the lamp light burning from evening to morning. I found out in this resource (Israeli website, https://kad-esh.org/the-oil-of-the-beaten-olives/) that beaten "OLIVES" represent and foreshadow Lord Jesus, too, wowwwwww!😍😍😍
And in His anguish, He was praying fervently; and His sweat was like drops of blood falling down on the ground. Luke 22:44 TLV
This was the place where He could have turned back and quit, then angels would have come to assist Him. But NO! He allowed Himself to be crushed until His Father could obtain the most Precious Oil of the Beaten Olive.
Yeshua was now established as the Light of the World, the ever-burning Menorah for all generations!
He also left us an example to follow. If you feel crushed like a beaten olive, you also have a choice to make. You can escape to “safety” or cry out as an agonizing Yeshua cried the following words,
And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” Matthew 26:39 NASB
We are alive today in Him because Yeshua chose to become a beaten olive to keep the Light of the Kingdom of Heaven burning for eternity!"
Jesus is our light in the dark! Jesus is our only hope. He is the 'Light of the World'.
After reading, I always check out the Study Guide Commentary from David Guzik (very helpful!):
a. You shall make an altar: The idea behind the Hebrew word for altar is essentially, “killing-place.” It was a place of death and sacrifice, where atonement for sin was made and consecration unto God was marked.
ii. Under the new covenant, we also have an altar: We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat (Hebrews 13:10). Our altar – our “killing-place” – is the cross, where Jesus died for our sins and we follow by dying unto self and living for Jesus.
iii. We lay down our lives on that same altar: I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me….But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. (Galatians 2:20 and 6:14)
c. Make its horns on its four corners: There were to be horns on the altar, so the altar would “reach out” to all directions. Horns were also thought of a display of strength and power. In sacrifice, atoning blood was applied to each horn.
i. The horns were “To bind the beasts unto, that were to be slain in sacrifice (Psalm 118:27). And to signify the power of Christ’s priesthood (Habakkuk 3:4).” (Trapp)
i. Silver (a metal illustrating redemption) was the foundation for the tent of meeting. It was also the top – the most visible part – of the pillars surrounding the courtyard. But the courtyard fence hung on a foundation of refined bronze, a metal associated with judgment because it is forged in the fire. One could say that the tabernacle court was based on, founded upon the judgment Jesus took in our place.
c. All the pillars around the court: The court of the tabernacle or the temple is an important theme throughout the rest of the Old Testament. This is mainly because the temple itself was inaccessible except to a few priests. All others in Israel met God in the court. We can say by application that God also invites us to come into His courts to praise Him.
· Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. (Psalm 100:4)
i. Under the New Covenant we appreciate this longing for the court of God’s house, but we don’t need to stop there. Because of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus and His finished work on our behalf, we can come – not only to the courts, but also right on into the holy presence of God. We thank God for the right to come into his courts, but we don’t have to stop there.
i. The entire tabernacle was a tent – a moveable structure. God wanted Israel to know He was with them wherever they went. It wasn’t a case of “You come to Me,” but the idea was “I have come to You”.
a. That they bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light: The oil for the lamps on the lampstand – the only light in the tabernacle – came from pressed olives, not beaten olives.
ii. God uses a pressing work in the life of His people. We, like Paul, may be hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed (2 Corinthians 4:8) – and God uses our times of pressing for His glory.
iv. “Oil is uniformly the symbol of the Holy Spirit of God. Here, then, is the true value and meaning of this sacred oil. The elect light-bearers of the world are only able to fulfill their function by the Holy Spirit.” (Morgan)
b. Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening until morning: The priests were to tend the lamps, making sure that the lamps had oil to burn and that their wicks were trimmed, so that the lamps would never go out – especially during the night.
i. God never wanted the lamps to lose their fire. Only by a continual supply of oil and trimming of the wicks could keep them burning. We can only continue to be on fire for God if we are continually supplied with the oil of the Holy Spirit, and are “trimmed” by God to bear more light.
ii. In dark days there is all the more reason to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to be “trimmed wicks” for the Lord. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6) For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (Ephesians 5:8).
Reference and credits to https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/guzik_david/StudyGuide2017-Exd/Exd-27.cfm ©2013 David Guzik
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