Beyond the Brazen Altar
Devotions for Growing Christians
Beyond the Brazen Altar
Exodus 30:17-21 - The Lord said to Moses, "Make a bronze basin, with its bronze stand, for washing. Place it between the Tent of Meeting and the [brazen] altar, and put water in it. Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and their feet with water from it. Whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting, they shall wash with water so that they will not die. When they approach the [brazen] altar to minister by presenting an offering made to the Lord by fire, they shall wash their hands and feet so that they will not die. This is to be a lasting ordinance for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come.
Hebrews 9:24 - Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; He entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence.
Hebrews 10:19-22 - Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, His body, and since we have a great Priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
Have you ever longed to worship the Lord but just couldn't seem to generate an attitude of worship?
It wasn't that you didn't know the fantastic truth of Hebrews 10:19-22, that we can "boldly enter the holy of holies"! No, you recognize your righteous position and your wonderful place of privilege before God. And it wasn't that you thought you needed more liturgical structure, because you know that God is worshiped in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). And you can give a decent theological definition of worship! (You know it's not a "warm fuzzy feeling"!)
Worship is acknowledging who God is and what He has done, is doing and will do - acknowledging that to God Himself, with an attitude of genuine thanksgiving. But even though you know all this, the experience and joy of worship often seems to escape you. What's the problem?
Feelings versus Attitude
Maybe nothing! It could be that you truly are worshiping - more than you realize - during those "no feelings" times! Don't confuse the attitude of worship with a feeling of worship. The attitude of worship is a matter of the will. Our feelings are associated with our emotions, and can vary with circumstances. Although we may know with our minds that worship is not defined by feelings, and is not dependent on feelings, yet it is hard in practice. It’s hard, even for mature believers, not to expect good feelings to "prove" that worship is taking place. So even when you don't experience a "feeling of worship," if you're thanking and praising Him for His Person and His activities, you are worshiping the Lord.
But what if our problem with worship is not confusion about feelings vs. attitudes? Suppose the root of the problem actually is our attitude of worship! What if our wills are "sluggish," and what if our thanksgivings and praises are mechanical? What if our attitudes are influenced by cold hearts rather than "hearts of fire"? If this is the case, then maybe our problem is that we have not progressed "beyond the brazen altar"!
Now what does that mean? Wasn't the bronze altar (the ”brazen altar” in older translations) a part of the Old Testament system of worship? What does "beyond the brazen altar" have to do with our worship as Christians? Quite a bit, as a matter of fact!
According to Hebrews 9:23-24, the design of the Old Testament Tabernacle was a copy of the true holy place in the heavens. No, there's not a giant literal Tabernacle beyond the sky somewhere! These verses mean that God designed the earthly tabernacle to portray the divine pattern of approach into His presence. In fact, everything about the Old Testament Tabernacle paints a spiritual picture of God's way of worship. Let's examine the divine pattern of the Tabernacle, particularly as it relates to the attitude of worship.
The Divine Pattern
One Gate
First of all, the Tabernacle and its surrounding courtyard were enclosed by a "fence" of heavy curtains. According to Exodus 38:18, the curtain fence around the center of worship was 7 1/2 feet high - too high for the natural man to climb (or even to see) over. There was only one gate. There’s no doubt that this barrier and its height emphasize the truth that God can only be approached through the one gate. As God's pattern of the Tabernacle provided an opening through which sinful man might approach a holy God, so God has provided Jesus Christ - the only Gate through which we may approach Him. (See John 14:6 and Acts 4:12.) Tragically, most people choose not to enter through that one Gate. (See Matthew 7:13-14.)
The Brazen Altar
The bronze (brazen) altar was immediately inside the entrance into the courtyard of the Tabernacle. The various animal sacrifices of the Old Testament were offered on this altar. Although those sacrifices could never take away sin (Hebrews 10:11-12), they pictured the future Great Sacrifice who would take away sin. As John the Baptist said about the Lord Jesus, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29).
It’s significant that the bronze altar was close to the gate. There was no getting around or avoiding the bronze altar when approaching and entering the Tabernacle! In the same way, we cannot bypass the sacrifice of Christ if we want to approach God. People who say they honor Christ as the greatest moral teacher who ever lived, but do not accept His sacrifice as the means of their salvation cannot possibly approach and worship the true God.
The location of the brazen altar leaves no doubt that if we approach God in God's way, we must not only acknowledge Christ's moral perfections, but we must also recognize and accept the sacrifice of Christ for our sins. In Old Testament times, there was no such thing as entering the Tabernacle (the Tent of God's Presence) apart from an encounter with the brazen altar. Today, regardless of race or religious background or region on earth, there is no approach to God that bypasses the cross of Christ.
But the Tabernacle consisted of more than the gate and the bronze altar. There were features that were "beyond the brazen altar." The gate and the brazen altar speak of Christ as the way of salvation. "Beyond the brazen altar" speaks of sanctification.
Sanctification is the process by which a believer is made more holy, or more like Christ, in this life. As God sanctifies us, we begin to see things through God's eyes, and our thoughts align more and more with His mind. Our hearts become more sensitive to what sin really is, and we recognize the many ways we have rationalized and adapted to the values and attitudes of this world. And as we do something about the sin we have recognized, our thought patterns, attitudes and daily activities begin to resemble the focused mind and unselfish lifestyle of Jesus Christ. Sanctification should be progressive, and itt should be continual in the believer's life. It is an essential part of the attitude of worship.
The Laver
The laver was a large bronze basin full of water, located between the bronze altar and the door of the tabernacle. Before entering officiating at the altar or entering the Tabernacle the priests were to wash their hands and their feet with water from the laver. If they did not wash, they were considered ceremonially unclean and unfit for the service and worship of God. It didn't matter whether the priests felt defiled or not! Washing at the laver was required before worshiping a holy God. Every time they approached God, the priests were to wash again!
What’s the lesson for us? Although our sins are forever forgiven as a result of the sacrificial work of Christ (pictured in the sacrifice on the brazen altar), we need daily cleansing (pictured by the laver) from the defiling effects of sin. In our everyday lives, the dust and dirt of this ungodly world "rubs off" on us. Every day we become defiled by sin - sometimes without realizing it, because we have become so desensitized to what sin really is. Think about it. Do I recognize it's sin when my rushed lifestyle makes me angry at a slow driver, or impatient with my family? Do I recognize that it's my worldly values that make me jealous of my friends' homes or gardens or cars or vacations or sports equipment? Am I discontented (a sin!) with where God has placed me? Do I selfishly insist on "doing it my way" in my family or church life? Is there unrecognized spiritual pride in my life? Has Satan subtly convinced me that I'm slightly superior to other believers in my doctrine or my church or my lifestyle?!
As priests, we have the great privilege of entering God’s presence to offer prayers and praises to Him, but we also have the responsibility - in fact, the requirement - to wash at the laver. The dust and dirt of our daily lives must be washed away if we are to properly enter the presence of our Heavenly Father. In Hebrews 10:22 we are invited and exhorted to "draw near to God with faith" - but notice that it is with "hearts that are sprinkled...and bodies washed with pure water"! This sprinkling and washing takes place at the laver. Again, it’s not a spiritual picture of our salvation - it’s a picture of our sanctification, portrayed by the placement of the laver.
How do we wash? We constantly apply the Word of God to our hearts and minds and lives. Ephesians 5:26 says that Lord sanctifies His church by “the washing of water by the Word.” Worship is limited - if not impossible - for the believer who tries to bypass the laver! Is it possible that the much-desired attitude of worship escapes us because our spiritual sensitivity is covered by a heavy film of dirt? Are you meeting God's requirement to wash at the laver?
The Menorah and the Bread
When the priests entered the Holy Place, the first room of the sanctuary, they could see the incense altar at the far end of room. It was right next to the heavy curtain (the veil) that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. But in order to reach the altar of incense, the priests had to pass between the seven-branched Menorah on the left, and the multi-tiered table with the “Bread of the Presence” on the right. Both of these Tabernacle items speak of the Lord Jesus Christ, and they contribute to our worship.
The menorah pictures Christ as the only source of light for the believer. There were no windows or source of natural light in the Tabernacle. The priests needed the lamps of the menorah for light, and their function of worship was entirely dependent on this light. What a picture of the place Christ must have in the believer's life! Is your attitude of worship lacking because you are not recognizing Christ as the only source of light for your life? Reading questionable "How To" books or striving to become "more enlightened" by various "spiritual" techniques is not the key to true worship of God. Indeed, it can be just the opposite! "Aids to worship" are no substitution for the light of Christ. Getting to know the Lord Jesus Christ better through Scripture, prayer and obedience clarifies our spiritual vision and illuminates the pathway to true worship.
The “Bread of the Presence” was food for the priests. Like the manna, that was the perfectly sufficient nourishment for Israel in the wilderness, this bread also pictures Christ as the perfect source of nourishment for the believer. The manna pictures the Person of Christ and His all-sufficient perfection. He is the "Bread of life come down from heaven" (John 6:22f). The Bread had gone through the fire of baking, and this speaks of Christ as having gone through the fiery crucible of the cross.
As God’s New Testament priests, we gain strength from Christ through meditating on His perfect life (the manna) and in His finished work (the Bread of the Presence). Our thoughts about God should never stray from the focal point of the Person and work of Christ. Gaining spiritual nourishment from the Bread is essential to our worship. Is it possible that our attitude of worship is not what it could be because we're “feeding on” all kinds of other "foods" rather than the Bread that God has given to His priests? We can't maintain spiritual vitality if we're filling up on "junk food" - even Christian junk food”! What are we eating these days?
The Altar of Incense
Finally, we come to the golden Altar of Incense. This altar marked the way into the Most Holy Place, the very presence of God. Although the altar of incense was located just outside the Most Holy Place, it was very closely associated with entrance into the most holy sanctuary. (See Hebrews 9:3-4.) The altar of incense pictures Jesus Christ as the means by which our prayers and praises ascend up to God (Hebrews 13:15-16).
In Old Testament times, the Holy of Holies was off limits to all but the high priest - and he could enter through the heavy dividing curtain only once a year. Today we have the great privilege of entering the Holy of Holies - the very presence of God - at any time! But from the layout of the Tabernacle, notice that our entrance into that inner sanctuary is intrinsically linked to our prayers and praises at the altar of incense. Is it possible that our attitude of worship is lacking because we have rushed past the Laver and hurried through the Holy Place, and thus we arrive at the Altar if Incense with nothing to offer? Can we expect to offer up Christ-exalting "incense" to God if our thoughts are dulled by unconfessed - or even unrecognized! - sin in our lives? Can we expect to bring prayers of thanksgiving if our spiritual vision is clouded and our hearts are filled by worldly attractions? Can we expect to approach the altar with eager hearts, overflowing with praises, if our strength is sapped by a diet of lightweight "spiritual junk food" rather than the Bread of Life?
Jesus death has torn away the curtain that divided us from God, and entrance into the Most Holy Place is now open! Do we eagerly approach our Heavenly Father? Or are we reluctant? Are we unable to enter? Maybe our attitude of worship is a problem because we have not taken advantage of all that God has provided for us - daily cleansing, nourishment for our souls, and spiritual enlightenment - "beyond the brazen altar."
- Dave Reid