The Ark of the Covenant Bible Study | Plans for the Altar

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EXODUS 27:1–5
Plans for the Altar

 

“You shall make an altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits wide—the altar shall be square—and three cubits high. You shall make its horns on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it. And you shall overlay it with bronze.


You shall make its pans to receive its ashes, and its shovels and basins and forks and firepans; you shall make all its utensils of bronze. You shall make a grating for it, a network of bronze; and on the net you shall make four bronze rings at its four corners. You shall put it under the rim of the altar beneath, that the net may be midway up the altar.


And you shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze. The poles shall be put in the rings, and the poles shall be on the two sides of the altar to bear it. You shall make it hollow with boards; as it was shown you on the mountain, so shall they make it.”

 

The Purpose of the Altar

 

The altar was the place where sacrifices were made. It was the first object encountered when entering the tabernacle, showing that the first step for sinful man to approach a holy God is through sacrifice.

It revealed a foundational truth: sin requires atonement.


For a sin offering, a person brought an animal—without blemish or defect—from the flock or herd to the priest at the entrance of the tabernacle.

 

Identification with the Sacrifice

 

Leviticus 1:4 — “He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.”

 

By laying his hand on the animal, the person identified with the sacrifice. 

 

Symbolically, his sin and guilt were transferred to the innocent animal. The animal then died in his place.

 

The Role of the Blood

 

The priest would:

  • Slaughter the animal
  • Sprinkle the blood
  • Burn the sacrifice on the altar
  • Pour the remaining blood at the base of the altar

 

Blood was central to the entire process of atonement and cleansing.

 

Leviticus 17:11— “For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life.”

 

Hebrews 9:22— “The law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

 

The Altar Comes First

 

Before entering deeper into the tabernacle, the altar had to be encountered first.

This teaches us:

  • We cannot approach God without dealing with sin
  • Sacrifice comes before fellowship
  • Cleansing comes before communion

 

A Picture of Substitution

 

The innocent animal died in place of the guilty person. This is one of the clearest pictures of Christ in the Old Testament.

 

Jesus Christ became our substitute—taking our sin upon Himself so that we could be made right with God.

 

From the Altar to the Cross

 

Everything that happened at the altar points forward to the cross:

👉 A spotless sacrifice

👉 Blood being shed

👉 Sin being transferred

👉 A life given in place of another

 

But unlike the repeated sacrifices of the tabernacle, Christ’s sacrifice was once and for all.

 

Connection to the Ark

 

The altar was where the sacrifice was made, but the blood did not stop there. It ultimately pointed toward the Most Holy Place—where the Ark of the Covenant rested—and where the blood would be applied to the mercy seat.

 

This shows the full journey:
Sacrifice → Blood → Presence of God


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