“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.” Exodus 27:1
June 16, 2023
In the midst of Israel’s encampment of over two million sat a tabernacle. The book of Exodus gives an incredible amount of attention to what was a portable temple. It was God Himself who gave Moses the design and all the details of what was the center of life for the priest-nation. In a relatively small enclosure, about half of a football field (150 feet) in length stood a rectangular tent. It was in that tent that the ark of the covenant became the meeting place for God and His people. But in order to approach the symbolized throne of God the blood of an animal had to be sprinkled on the lid of the ark. There has been no greater moment of meeting with a holy God. In the courtyard outside the tent was an altar of sacrifice (a “place of slaughtering”). Sin requires a high price. That price was the death of an innocent animal. The blood of the goat or lamb was necessary to meet with God. All this was a foreshadowing of the ultimate and final sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ (Heb. 9:11-15; 13:10-13). The sacrifice of God’s Son on the cross for our sins. Praise God for the final and full sacrifice of Jesus Christ for sin. Are you trusting in the work of Christ for your entrance into God’s heavenly presence? There is no other way to have the forgiveness of sin than through faith in Christ.
H
“The cross enforces three truths: First, our sin must be extremely horrible. Secondly, God’s love must be wonderful beyond comprehension. Thirdly, Christ’s salvation must be a free gift.” John R. W. Stott