Thursday - Exodus 27 - The Court & The Christ

This chapter is full of typology (Hebrews 9:1-28). The actual items described herein are as follows: 1. The brazen altar for burnt offerings, 2. The white linen outer walls of the court surrounding the tabernacle and 3. The gate of the sacred complex.

Notice that the altar and all of the implements of service there were made of brass, not of gold. Brass was God's choice material for the furniture on the outside of the Holy Place. The courtyard was where the work of animal sacrifice was undertaken. Apparently the brass symbolized judgment and the necessity for propitiation. Gold (representing His deity) had to be used to construct the furniture on the inside, because that was the place of exalted worship. Blood would be taken into the Holy Place as a reminder of the price of entry, but the sacrifices were going to be made on the outside.  This reminds me that Jesus was sacrificed on the cross on the outside of Jerusalem. The cross of Christ was the final "once and for all" fruition of the sacrifices that had been made continually on the brazen altar.

Concerning the gate of entrance (on the eastern side the complex), notice first of all that the gate (singular) was 30 feet long and would have had 3 sections in it (divided by the support pillars). Our minds should be drawn immediately to the One God who is three persons (I John 5:7) who declares Himself to be the gate of the sheepfold (Luke 13:24}. Not only that - blue, purple and red were the colors that were used to make the gate. Blue represented spiritual heaven, red represented material blood and purple represented a royal combination of the two... a phenomenon only to be found in the incarnate Son of God (I Timothy 3:16), who was and is the only way into sanctuary of God (John 10:9).

Finally, there was an injunction given for the priests to keep the lamp of the tabernacle constantly lit. They tended it in the darkness and kept it burning by maintaining the supply of pure oil brought by the people. Truly, The Light of the world (by the Spirit which He has given to His children) stands to keep spiritual worship alive in this dark world (Hebrews 7:25 & Romans 8:9).

There is one marked difference in the activities of the old tabernacle and what we have today. Exodus 27:21 points out conspicuously that all of this went on "without the veil" - that is on the outside of the Holy of Holies where God's presence resided. We have a better arrangement (Hebrews 4:16 & 7:22). We have direct access through our perfect High priest. The barrier is gone (Mark 15:38 & Hebrews 6:19).