Brazen Altar (Altar of Burnt Offering)

The first thing you encountered in the Tabernacle courtyard was the altar of burnt offering - massive, bronze, and perpetually burning. No one approached God without first passing through sacrifice.

The Brazen Altar, also known as the Altar of Burnt Offering, was a large bronze structure positioned in the outer court of the Tabernacle, serving as the primary site for animal sacrifices. Upon entering the sacred space, worshippers first encountered this altar, where priests offered burnt offerings and other sacrifices to atone for sins and seek reconciliation with God. This practice underscored the biblical principle that approaching a holy God required the shedding of blood as a substitute for human transgression. In Scripture, the altar symbolizes the necessity of sacrifice, ultimately pointing to the redemptive work of Christ as the perfect offering.

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Details

Significance: Represented the necessity of blood atonement for sin. Pointed to Christ's sacrifice on the cross.
Materials: Acacia wood overlaid with bronze

Key Chapters

Exodus 27 The Altar and Courtyard 4 min read God gave detailed plans for the altar to show His people the seriousness of sin ... Leviticus 9 Aaron's First Sacrifices 4 min read This event shows God powerfully accepting the altar sacrifices, filling His peop... Hebrews 13 Final Exhortations 3 min read This passage shows how Christ's sacrifice fulfills the brazen altar, offering us...

Key Passages

Instructions to Build

Exodus 27:1-8

God gave detailed plans for the altar to show His people the seriousness of sin and His loving provision for forgiveness through sacrifice.

A¹nd 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. 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. 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. ⁶ 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.

Fire from Heaven

Leviticus 9:23-24

This event shows God powerfully accepting the altar sacrifices, filling His people with awe at His holy presence.

A²³nd Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the people.

²⁴ And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.

Christ Our Sacrifice

Hebrews 13:10-12

This passage shows how Christ's sacrifice fulfills the brazen altar, offering us lasting holiness and direct access to God through His blood.

W¹⁰e have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.

¹¹ For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. ¹² Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.

Did You Know?

The bronze altar was the first thing encountered in the tabernacle courtyard. Sacrifice comes before worship.

Its fire was never to go out. It burned continuously for the entire wilderness period.

The altar had horns on its four corners. A person could grab them to claim sanctuary.

Every animal sacrificed on this altar pointed forward to Christ's once-for-all sacrifice.