In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Welcome back to Purify the Heart. This is Pastor Zachary Courie. In Exodus 26, the Lord gave instructions for the tent of meeting (aka the tabernacle). In Exodus 27, the Lord instructs Moses regarding the bronze altar, the court outside of the tent of meeting, and the eternal flame inside.

Exodus 27

27 “You shall make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits broad. The altar shall be square, and its height shall be three cubits. 2 And you shall make horns for it on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it, and you shall overlay it with bronze. 3 You shall make pots for it to receive its ashes, and shovels and basins and forks and fire pans. You shall make all its utensils of bronze. 4 You shall also make for it a grating, a network of bronze, and on the net you shall make four bronze rings at its four corners. 5 And you shall set it under the ledge of the altar so that the net extends halfway down the altar. 6 And you shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze. 7 And the poles shall be put through the rings, so that the poles are on the two sides of the altar when it is carried. 8 You shall make it hollow, with boards. As it has been shown you on the mountain, so shall it be made.

9 “You shall make the court of the tabernacle. On the south side the court shall have hangings of fine twined linen a hundred cubits long for one side. 10 Its twenty pillars and their twenty bases shall be of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver. 11 And likewise for its length on the north side there shall be hangings a hundred cubits long, its pillars twenty and their bases twenty, of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver. 12 And for the breadth of the court on the west side there shall be hangings for fifty cubits, with ten pillars and ten bases. 13 The breadth of the court on the front to the east shall be fifty cubits. 14 The hangings for the one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and three bases. 15 On the other side the hangings shall be fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and three bases. 16 For the gate of the court there shall be a screen twenty cubits long, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework. It shall have four pillars and with them four bases. 17 All the pillars around the court shall be filleted with silver. Their hooks shall be of silver, and their bases of bronze. 18 The length of the court shall be a hundred cubits, the breadth fifty, and the height five cubits, with hangings of fine twined linen and bases of bronze. 19 All the utensils of the tabernacle for every use, and all its pegs and all the pegs of the court, shall be of bronze.

20 “You shall command the people of Israel that they bring to you pure beaten olive oil for the light, that a lamp may regularly be set up to burn. 21 In the tent of meeting, outside the veil that is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening to morning before the Lord. It shall be a statute forever to be observed throughout their generations by the people of Israel. (Exodus 27:1–21, ESV)

This is the Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Exodus 27 describes three things connected to the tabernacle: the bronze altar, the courtyard, and the perpetual flame. Each one reveals something essential about how the Lord dwells with His people.

The bronze altar was the first thing you’d encounter as you entered the tabernacle courtyard. This is where sacrifices were made: burnt offerings for sin and guilt, fellowship offerings, grain offerings. Leviticus will spell all that out in greater detail. This altar is central because it’s where blood is shed. The people of Israel would come no closer to the holy presence of God without the blood of a substitute standing in for them.

We shouldn’t miss the connection between this altar and the ark of the covenant, which rested behind the curtain or veil in the Most Holy Place. The ark is where the Lord speaks to Moses and where atonement is made once a year with blood onto the mercy seat. But it’s the altar where blood is shed daily. In the life of the Church, this becomes the shape of our worship. The altar now stands at the front of our sanctuaries—not just as a symbol (though it is the primary emblem of God’s presence in the building), but also because it holds the body and blood of Christ, the final and once-for-all sacrifice, which distributes to us God’s mercy. Christ then is the altar and the sacrifice and the mercy seat.

Surrounding the tabernacle was a courtyard, which created a space where the people could draw near, even if they couldn’t enter the tent itself. In a way, the Church today still has this structure. The nave—where the people gather, usually with pews—is like the outer court. The sanctuary—where the altar stands—is where the Lord dwells and gives Himself to us. It’s not to keep people out, but to show that God draws people in by means of grace, namely His Word & Sacraments for us today.

Finally, the Lord commands that the lampstand inside the tent be kept burning continually. This flame is a sign of His abiding presence. In our churches today, it’s usually a red lamp that is located in the chancel, typically close to the altar. Interestingly, the people are to provide the oil to keep the lamp burning. In other words, the Lord makes Himself present for the people, but their desiring His presence, which they demonstrate by supplying the oil, is what keeps Him there. He doesn’t just want to be present in general, He wants to be present with them. Jesus’ parable of the ten virgins includes lamps going out for for all ten, both the five wise and the five foolish virgins. The difference between them is that the five wise had flasks of oil to relight their lamps to meet and join the returning Bridegroom for the celebration of the Wedding Feast. The five foolish virgins are without any oil, and so they miss His return and thus their chance of inclusion at the Feast. Christ gives us our lamps, and by the Holy Spirit, we work to supply the oil, which is the Lord including us in His work. In other words, the Lord is the light, but He wants His people to keep His light amongst them. This is like how John’s Gospel has Jesus saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12, ESV) In Matthew 5, Jesus tells His disciples, 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:14–16, ESV)

Let us pray. Almighty God, by Your great goodness mercifully look upon Your people that we may be governed and preserved evermore in body and soul; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Let us pray. Almighty and everlasting God, You despise nothing You have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent. Create in us new and contrite hearts that lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness we may receive from You full pardon and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Thanks for joining me to Purify the Heart! Tomorrow, in Exodus 28, the Lord continues with the details of the priestly garments. Until then, grace be with you. Amen.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit purifytheheart.substack.com