As we make our way through the Tabernacle, I am blessed as I see Jesus in everything. God wanted to dwell among His people, but how does a holy God dwell among sinful people? Before the beginning, He knew the creation that He made in His image would sin, and this would separate them, yet He still wanted to be among His people as He led them out of slavery. As we move past the courtyard gate and the fine linen fence of the Old Testament Tabernacle, the very first object we encounter inside the court is the bronze altar (also known as the Altar of Burnt Offering).
The placement of the altar was intentional: before anyone could proceed deeper toward God’s holy presence, the issue of sin had to be addressed. God told Adam and Eve in Genesis 2:17 that the result of their sin was death. In Genesis 3:19, after they ate the fruit, God told Adam about the physical result of his sin, saying, you will work for all you have and then die and return to the dirt that He had made you from. This curse was on all mankind, and therefore we all die.
Genesis 2:17 “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Genesis 3:19 “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Because of His great love for His creation, God made a way for us to be reconciled to Him. He had mercy on His mind at a time when it must have broken His heart to see what He knew would happen, happen. God knew from the beginning Adam and Eve would sin, but it was still their choice. He provided mankind a temporary way to cover their sin by allowing the blood of an animal to atone for or take away their sin. This made it possible for the worshipers to enter into God’s presence.
The Bronze Altar (also known as the Altar of Burnt Offering) was made of acacia wood overlaid with bronze; this large, elevated altar was where sacrifices were presented day after day. It symbolized judgment and justice. In Scripture, bronze often symbolizes God’s judgment against sin. As soon as they went through the gate, they came face to face with the altar. It was a stark, sobering visual reminder that sin brings death, and that holiness requires a cost. Innocence was given on behalf of the guilty. Yet, as Hebrews 10 reminds us, the blood of bulls and goats could never fully take away sins—they were a temporary shadow pointing to a permanent solution.
The Substitutionary Lamb was an undeserving recipient of a deserved punishment. Every sacrifice placed upon the bronze altar foreshadowed the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
I Peter 2:24 “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”
God wanted His people to trust His provision, so He asked that this sacrifice always be available. Because these sacrifices only temporarily covered the people’s sins, they needed to be offered regularly.
The people would bring their offering and put their hand on the head of the animal while it was being killed. This would be a painful reminder that their sins were being paid for by the death of another. This animal died in their place just as Jesus would do in the future. Jesus became our Bronze Altar and our substitutionary Lamb. On the cross, He took upon Himself the judgment and wrath that we deserved, paying our debt in full so that we could be reconciled to God once and for all.
Because Christ offered the perfect, once-for-all sacrifice, we no longer bring animal offerings to a physical altar. However, our response to His grace involves an altar of a different kind—our hearts. He is our living sacrifice.
Romans 12:1 calls us to “present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”
Surrendering our lives daily means laying down our self-will, our pride, and our personal ambitions at the feet of Jesus. When we acknowledge the immense cost paid at the cross, offering Him our daily worship and obedience is our reasonable service.
Every time we are tempted to sin, we need to remind ourselves of the extreme price that God paid by giving His Son, and the price Jesus paid by dying and taking upon Himself the sins of the world, which for a brief time separated the Father and the Son. Take time today to thank the Lord for taking your place on the altar of judgment and ask Him to help you live as a wholehearted, living sacrifice, for His glory.
