Verses 1-2 And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits. 2 And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass.
Using the temple measurement of a cubit equaling 18 inches, the altar top was to be square, 90 inches by 90 inches, and then it was to be 54 inches tall. Looking at the numbers represented here, the 5 plus the 4 equals 9, and the 9 in the 90 inches all represent the Biblical number of judgement. If just two sides of the altar are added together they equal 18, which is three sixes or the number of mankind. If three sides are added together (9+9+9) it equals 27, which when added together (2+7) equals 9. If the four sides are added together (9+9+9+9) the resulting number of 36 can be added together (3+6) to again equal the number 9. The number 36 represents two 18s or 6 sixes. So clearly, the size and shape of the altar where innocent animals were killed and burned up to pay for the sins of sinful men all numerically represented mankind and judgement. Coincidence? You decide.
Verses 3-5 And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, and his basons, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass. 4 And thou shalt make for it a grate of network of brass; and upon the net shalt thou make four brasen rings in the four corners thereof. 5 And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar.
Brass is stronger than gold and silver when heated and so it was the metal of choice for the instruments and for the altar that would be heated by fire.
Verses 6-8 And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with brass. 7 And the staves shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it. 8 Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was shewed thee in the mount, so shall they make it.
Again the rings were put in place so that the entire altar could be carried by the Levites through the wilderness to the land promised to Abraham, Issac and Jacob.
Application: Everything about the tabernacle and the altar was temporary. It was to be moved from place to place and to be in the midst of the people of God. But it was temporary. God had a plan to send His son, Jesus, as the final sacrificial lamb for the purpose of taking away the sins of mankind. The temporary status of the first house of God pointed to the day people would no longer need a tabernacle and altar of sacrifice as the Holy Spirit would dwell inside believers and they would form the tabernacle of God. We are living in that day now. Think about it.
Verses 9-18 And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen of an hundred cubits long for one side: 10 And the twenty pillars thereof and their twenty sockets shall be of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver. 11 And likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings of an hundred cubits long, and his twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver. 12 And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits: their pillars ten, and their sockets ten. 13 And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits. 14 The hangings of one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three. 15 And on the other side shall be hangings fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three. 16 And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework: and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four. 17 All the pillars round about the court shall be filleted with silver; their hooks shall be of silver, and their sockets of brass. 18 The length of the court shall be an hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the height five cubits of fine twined linen, and their sockets of brass.
The outside court would have been 1,800 inches or 150 feet long by 900 inches or 75 feet wide. The height of the draperies would have been approximately 71/2 feet. All of these curtains or hangings would have been made by hand and they must have been extremely beautiful in their craftsmanship and coloring.
Verse 19 All the vessels of the tabernacle in all the service thereof, and all the pins thereof, and all the pins of the court, shall be of brass.
Again, the stronger metal of brass was used for anything that would be used for performing tasks in the tabernacle or that would be supporting something of weight.
Verses 20-21 And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always. 21 In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.
Olive oil was the oil of choice for the lamps. It was also used for healing purposes. The lamp was not to go out at any time and the priests were to make sure the lamp had plenty of oil to sustain the flame. This lamp lighted the entrance to the holy place where the ark was kept and where the LORD would meet with Moses. It was very special.
Application: Jesus is the light of the world. He is describes as a consuming fire. In Genesis 1:3 the first thing put into place during the week of creations was light. Psalms 27:1 states, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” Jesus told His followers in Matthew 5:14, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid” and then in verse 16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” So just as the lamp of the tabernacle lighted the way to the presence of Almighty God, believers today are to be like Christ Jesus and light the way for unbelievers to find the presence of the same Almighty God that Moses and the Hebrew people knew in the wilderness.