27:1 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.
27:2 And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same {ie., of shittim wood}: and thou shalt overlay it with brass.
27:3 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.
27:4 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.
27:5 And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar.
27:6 And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves [of] shittim wood, and overlay them with brass.
27:7 And the staves shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it.
27:8 Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was shewed thee in the mount, so shall they make [it].
The Brazen Altar of Sacrifice was -
made of wood overlaid with brass.
The furniture of the Holy Places was overlaid with gold. The furniture of the outer court was overlaid with brass. Both speak of Christ (cp. Rev 1:13,15). The acacia wood speaks of His human nature without corruption. The gold speaks of His deity in glorious holiness. The brass speaks of His deity in righteous judgment (cp. Num 21:9; Joh 3:14; 12:31-33).
located just inside the Gate-
In order for a man to gain access to God, sin must be dealt with.
Not on the basis of works, for there were no steps to climb. Ex 20:26
On the basis of the Law: God's righteous judgment must be satisfied.
27:9 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:
27:10 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.
27:11 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.
27:12 And [for] the breadth of the court on the west side [shall be] hangings of fifty cubits: their pillars ten, and their sockets ten.
27:13 And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward [shall be] fifty cubits.
27:14 The hangings of one side [of the gate shall be] fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.
27:15 And on the other side [shall be] hangings fifteen [cubits]: their pillars three, and their sockets three.
27:16 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.
27:17 All the pillars round about the court [shall be] filleted with silver; their hooks [shall be of] silver, and their sockets [of] brass.
27:18 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.
27:19 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.
The Court and its Gate-
Fine twined linen... brass pillars- Speaks of God's righteousness and judgment.
We cannot enter into His presence and live, because we cannot meet His righteous requirements. cp. Luk 10:25-28; Rom 7:18,19
Yet, the silver clasps, and fillets (ornamentation on the pillar tops) hint that redemption is possible. Its price is not beyond the reach of any man. 1Pet 1:18,19
The Gate-
Its colors speak of Christ. It hung upon four pillars (corresponding to the four Gospels).
- Blue - the Heavenly One, the Son of God (the theme of John's gospel).
- Purple - the Royal One, the King of Israel (the theme of Matthew's gospel).
- Scarlet - the Suffering One, the Man of Sorrows (the theme of Luke's gospel).
- Fine Linen - the Righteous One, the Faithful Servant (the theme of Mark's gospel).
Provided the one way of access. All who would enter God's presence, must come by way of the Gate. Joh 10:9; 14:6 Whoever would enter here is immediately confronted with the Brazen Altar, where sin must be confessed and judged.
27:20 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.
27:21 In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which [is] before the testimony {ie., the Ark of the Covenant}, 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.
pure olive oil beaten {or, crushed} for the light -
It is more than coincidental that this is mentioned in context with the Gate and the Altar of Sacrifice. It speaks of Gethsemane {lit., 'the olive press'} and of Jesus' agony as He prepared to make the Way for us, through offering Himself. Mat 26:36,38,39,42; Luke 22:42-44; Joh 12:27; cp. 14:1-6