God's Design for Worship
When God gave Moses detailed instructions for the tabernacle, He carefully described the altar of burnt offering in Exodus 27:1-8. This altar was to be made of acacia wood overlaid with bronze, measuring five cubits square and three cubits high, with horns on each corner and a bronze grating. God's specific design wasn't arbitrary—every detail pointed to His holiness and the serious nature of approaching Him.
The altar stood in the outer court of the tabernacle, the first piece of furniture encountered by worshippers. Before anyone could enter God's presence in the Holy Place, they had to pass by this altar where blood was shed for sin. As Leviticus 1:3-9 describes, burnt offerings were completely consumed by fire, representing total dedication to God and the seriousness of atonement for sin.
The Heart of Sacrificial Worship
The altar of burnt offering was central to Israel's worship life. Daily sacrifices were offered morning and evening according to God's commands, and special offerings marked holy days and personal dedications. The fire on this altar was never to go out—Leviticus 6:12-13 commands that "the fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not be put out." This perpetual flame reminded Israel that worship and atonement were not occasional activities but constant needs.
When Solomon built the temple, he made a larger bronze altar following the same principles, showing how this pattern of sacrificial worship was meant to continue. The altar represented the meeting place between holy God and sinful humanity, where justice was satisfied through the substitutionary death of innocent animals.
Christ Our Perfect Sacrifice
For Christians today, the altar of burnt offering points forward to the cross of Jesus Christ. Just as the Old Testament altar was the place where blood was shed for sin, Calvary became the ultimate altar where Christ offered Himself as the perfect, once-for-all sacrifice. Hebrews 10:10 tells us we "have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."
While we no longer need animal sacrifices, the principle of the altar calls us to offer our lives as "living sacrifices" to God (Romans 12:1). The same total dedication symbolized by the burnt offerings that were completely consumed should mark our commitment to Christ. The altar reminds us that approaching God always requires sacrifice—not of animals today, but of our own selfish desires as we surrender to His will.
And they shall make an altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits wide—the altar shall be square—and its height shall be three cubits. (Exodus 27:1)