The altar, the court, and the oil

27:1 “you are to make the altar of acacia wood, seven feet six inches long, and seven feet six inches wide; the altar is to be square, and its height is to be four feet six inches. 27:2 you are to make its four horns on its four corners; its horns will be part of it, and you are to overlay it with bronze. 27:3 you are to make its pots for the ashes, its shovels, its tossing bowls, its meat hooks, and its fire pans – you are to make all its utensils of bronze. 27:4 you are to make a grating for it, a network of bronze, and you are to make on the network four bronze rings on its four corners. 27:5 you are to put it under the ledge of the altar below, so that the network will come halfway up the altar. 27:6 you are to make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and you are to overlay them with bronze. 27:7 the poles are to be put into the rings so that the poles will be on two sides of the altar when carrying it. 27:8 You are to make the altar hollow, out of boards. Just as it was shown you on the mountain, so they must make it. 27:9 “you are to make the courtyard of the tabernacle. For the south side there are to be hangings for the courtyard of fine twisted linen, one hundred fifty feet long for one side, 27:10 with twenty posts and their twenty bronze bases, with the hooks of the posts and their bands of silver. 27:11 likewise for its length on the north side, there are to be hangings for one hundred fifty feet, with twenty posts and their twenty bronze bases, with silver hooks and bands on the posts. 27:12 the width of the court on the west side is to be seventy-five feet with hangings, with their ten posts and their ten bases. 27:13 the width of the court on the east side, toward the sunrise, is to be seventy-five feet. 27:14 The hangings on one side of the gate are to be twenty-two and a half feet long, with their three posts and their three bases. 27:15 on the second side there are to be hangings twenty-two and a half feet long, with their three posts and their three bases. 27:16 for the gate of the courtyard there is to be a curtain of thirty feet, of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twined linen, the work of an embroiderer, with four posts and their four bases. 27:17 All the posts around the courtyard are to have silver bands; their hooks are to be silver, and their bases bronze. 27:18 The length of the courtyard is to be one hundred fifty feet and the width seventy-five feet, and the height of the fine twisted linen hangings is to be seven and a half feet, with their bronze bases. 27:19 All the utensils of the tabernacle used in all its service, all its tent pegs, and all the tent pegs of the courtyard are to be made of bronze. 27:20 “you are to command the Israelites that they bring to you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, so that the lamps will burn regularly. 27:21 In the tent of meeting outside the curtain that is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons are to arrange it from evening to morning before the Lord. This is to be a lasting ordinance among the Israelites for generations to come.

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible®, copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

God told Israel to make the bronze altar, the courtyard, and the lamp oil for the tabernacle. These instructions set holy boundaries, make sacrifice possible, and keep the light burning before the Lord. The message is that sinful people may draw near to God only by His appointed way.

The bronze altar was the first place of sacrifice in the outer court. It was made to be carried in the wilderness, so it had poles, rings, and a hollow frame of boards. Its horns, grating, and bronze tools all fit its work of dealing with sacrifice and ash. God said it was to be made exactly as shown on the mountain.

The courtyard surrounded the tabernacle and marked off holy space. Its linen hangings, posts, bases, and single gate showed that access to God was not open in a casual way. The eastward gate made entry controlled and ordered. The measurements were given carefully, showing that God’s dwelling place was to be treated with reverence and precision.

God also commanded pure oil for the lamps. Aaron and his sons were to tend the light from evening to morning before the Lord. This was to continue for Israel’s generations. The lamp service showed steady priestly care and the ongoing witness of God’s presence among His people.

• The altar was made of acacia wood and overlaid with bronze.
• The altar was hollow and built for transport in the wilderness.
• The horns were part of the altar itself.
• The courtyard marked a holy boundary around the tabernacle.
• The gate gave controlled access into the courtyard.
• Pure olive oil was required for the lamp light.
• Aaron and his sons were to tend the lamps regularly.
• This was a lasting ordinance for Israel’s generations.

• God commanded the Israelites to make the altar, the courtyard, and the lamp provision.
• They were to bring pure oil of pressed olives for the light.
• Aaron and his sons were to arrange the lamps from evening to morning before the Lord.
• The lamp service was a lasting ordinance among the Israelites.
• The passage warns that access to God is not casual or self-chosen.

This passage belongs to the Mosaic covenant at Sinai. It shows how God dwelt among a redeemed but sinful people through sacrifice, priestly mediation, and ordered worship. The altar points to the need for atonement, and the lamp service points to continual life before the Lord. In the wider Bible, these patterns help prepare for later priestly and sacrificial fulfillment, but the passage first speaks to Israel in the wilderness.

God is to be approached on His terms, not ours. Worship should be reverent, ordered, and faithful in small daily duties as well as in public acts. The passage also reminds us that holy things require steady care, not neglect.

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