Message 105
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Scripture Reading: Exo. 27:1-8; 38:1-7; 40:6, 29; Heb. 13:10
In the foregoing message I pointed out that it is not easy to understand the record in Exodus concerning the altar. Certain aspects of this record are very puzzling. Exodus 27:5 speaks of “the ledge of the altar beneath.” It is difficult to decide how to translate the Hebrew word for ledge. The King James Version says compass, another version says border, and still other versions speak of a margin or rim. A ledge serves to hold something and is a protection. Some students of the Bible think that the ledge was outside the altar. According to their understanding, the ministering priests stood on the ledge which went around the altar. Those who hold to this view appeal to Leviticus 9:22, a verse which says that Aaron “came down from offering of the sin offering.” They also refer to 2 Chronicles 30:16, saying that the priests stood in “their place,” that is, on the ledge. Therefore, with these two verses as their basis, they understand the border or ledge to be outside the altar and to be a place where the ministering priests could stand.
What was the ledge, and where was it located? These questions are not easily answered. I am quite sure, however, that the ledge was inside the altar. Verse 4 says, “And you shall make for it a grating, a network of bronze; and you shall make upon the net four rings of bronze upon its four ends.” According to verse 5, the network was to reach “unto the half of the altar.” The altar was three cubits high, five cubits long, and five cubits wide. The grating, the network of bronze, inside the altar stretched horizontally from side to side at the middle of the height of the altar. The wood was placed upon this grating, and the sacrifices were put upon the wood. As the wood and the sacrifices burned, the ashes fell through the grating to the bottom of the altar. Furthermore, verse 5 tells us clearly that the grating was put under the ledge of the altar beneath. The composition of this verse is rather unusual, but the Hebrew does say “under the ledge of the altar beneath.” The fact that the grating was under the ledge indicates that the ledge could not have been outside the altar. The grating was not only under the ledge; it was beneath the ledge. If the ledge had been outside, how could the grating inside the altar have been beneath the ledge? Therefore, I believe definitely that the ledge was inside the altar.
The altar was made with acacia wood overlaid with bronze. The fire on the altar was to burn without ceasing. Does it not seem that the heat of the fire would pass through the bronze covering and cause the acacia wood inside to become charred? To be sure, this would have been the situation. For this reason, I believe that the ledge protected the four walls of the altar from the heat of the fire on the grating.
The Bible does not tell us of what material the ledge was made. I believe, however, that it must have been made of bronze. Therefore, I believe that above the grating and around the four walls there was a ledge of bronze protecting the walls from the heat of the fire. This may be the reason verse 5 says that the grating was not only under the ledge, but also beneath the ledge.
One writer has suggested that the network was actually at the bottom of the altar and reached halfway up the sides of the walls. Moreover, this writer supposes that when the altar was set up, it was placed on two heaps of dirt to allow air to reach the fire. However, such an interpretation involves too much guesswork. But if you would ask me how the air could get in, I would have to answer that I do not know, for the Scripture does not give us this detail.
The very fact that the altar has certain puzzling elements has a spiritual significance. The altar should actually be very easy to describe, easier to describe than the other items of furniture. But as we have pointed out, the record concerning the altar is rather puzzling. Although it is simple, it is nevertheless hard to understand. The significance of this is that it is not possible for us to understand thoroughly the mystery of the cross of Christ. Yes, in the New Testament the cross is revealed. We are told clearly that Christ was crucified, and in 1 Corinthians 1 Paul uses the expression “the word of the cross,” telling us that the word of the cross is the power of God (v. 18). But we are unable to apprehend the mystery of Christ’s redemption thoroughly. When I first came into the ministry fifty years ago, I tried many times to give messages on the cross. However, each time I rose up to speak, I did not have much utterance. The reason was that it is very difficult to speak about the cross of Christ.
Are you able to speak about the cross of Christ in an adequate way? Of course, you can declare that the cross was the place where Christ was put to death. You can also say that on the cross Christ bore our sins, that we were crucified with Him, and that even the Devil was destroyed on the cross. But how about the mystery of Christ’s death? Even those who have been teaching the Scriptures for years will find it difficult to speak concerning the mystery of Christ’s all-inclusive death. Christians may place a cross on top of their places of worship, and some may even wear a cross. However, they cannot speak about the cross adequately. We can read the verses in the New Testament which refer either to the cross or to Christ’s crucifixion. Nevertheless, after reading these verses, we still are not able to apprehend the mystery of Christ’s death thoroughly. The death of Christ is a great mystery. Because it is such a mystery, we do not have a way to describe it adequately.
Another puzzling matter is related to the grating, or the network, within the altar. The grating has four rings at its four ends. However, these rings are also for the poles used in carrying the altar (38:5). The grating is on the inside, but the rings are on the outside. How, then, could the rings be attached to the grating? We are told clearly that the rings are upon the four ends of the network, and the rings must be outside the altar. Otherwise, the poles could not be put into the rings. It is puzzling how the rings could be attached to the network and yet be outside the altar.
If there were only the four walls of the altar without the grating inside the altar, the altar would be empty. The significance of the altar depends completely on the grating, the network, with the four rings. Yes, the rings are for the move of the altar, but they are connected to the grating inside the altar. Without the grating, there would be no rings, and without the rings, the altar could not move. This brings us to a very important matter: Without the grating there would be no way to have the fire used in burning the sacrifices. Thus, both for the burning of the sacrifices and for the move of the altar, the grating with the four rings is necessary.
We may compare the grating and the rings to the inward parts of our physical body. Our inward parts are more vital than our skin and hair. In the same principle, the grating is the important part of the altar. If the grating were removed, the altar would become an empty box, not useful for anything. The content of the altar is the grating with the rings.
It is important to find out the significance of the grating. The grating was made of bronze. In typology, bronze signifies the righteous judgment of God. This should also be the significance of the grating being made of bronze. In the foregoing message we pointed out that the altar should be related to a person, for it was made of acacia wood overlaid with bronze. This signifies that Christ became a man to die on the cross to bear the judgment of God for us. The cross is not merely a thing; it is related to a person, as indicated by the fact that the altar, a type of the cross, was made of acacia wood, which signifies the humanity of the Lord Jesus. Therefore, the cross is related to a person, and this person is Christ.
The bronze grating within the altar signifies that God’s judgment reached the inward parts of Christ. God’s judgment upon Christ as our Substitute was not merely outward. The holy fire of God’s judgment was not just outside of Christ, but also burned within Him. This is indicated in Psalm 22, a psalm concerning the sufferings of Christ on the cross. Verse 14 says, “I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.” This indicates that when Christ bore God’s judgment, that judgment reached His heart, His inward parts. His bones were out of joint, but His heart melted in His inward parts. This means that God’s judgment upon Christ was experienced more inwardly than it was outwardly.
Not many Christian preachers have given messages concerning the inward aspect of Christ’s sufferings on the cross. Most of those who preach about the sufferings of Christ speak about the outward aspect of His sufferings. To repeat, Christ bore God’s judgment not only outwardly, but also inwardly. In fact, He suffered more inwardly than He did outwardly. The grating was not outside of Him; it was in Him. Therefore, the place where the holy fire of God’s judgment burned was in the inward parts of the Lord Jesus.
We have pointed out that at the four ends of the grating, the network, there were four bronze rings. In typology these rings refer to the eternal Spirit spoken of in Hebrews 9:14: “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” Christ’s blood is effective because He offered Himself to God through the eternal Spirit. The eternal Spirit, typified by the rings on the network, is the source of the efficacy of Christ’s cross. The eternal Spirit is the power, the strength, of the cross of Christ. Apart from the eternal Spirit, the redemption of Christ could not be effective; it could not be powerful and full of strength. Again I say, the eternal Spirit is the power, the strength, the efficacy, of Christ’s redemption.
If the four bronze rings had been taken away from the grating, the grating would have fallen down. It was held to the altar by the four rings. This is full of spiritual significance. We may talk about the cross, about the death of Christ on the cross, and about the fact that we have been crucified with Christ. But without the Spirit, all this talk would be vain. Apart from the eternal Spirit, the death of Christ is not effective. It is very crucial that we realize that the efficacy and power of Christ’s redemption depend upon the eternal Spirit.
If the altar did not have the four rings, the grating could not stay in place. Then the altar would not have any content. Furthermore, there would be no way for the altar to move. Thus the four rings are very crucial. Because of the four rings, the grating could be held in place at half the height of the altar. Because of the four rings, there was a way for the altar to be carried. But although the rings were so important to the altar, they were not the sacrifice. Christ Himself is the sacrifice, but the saving and moving power of this sacrifice is in the Spirit. Without the rings, the grating would lose its effectiveness. There would be no power in the cross to save, and there would be no strength for the move of the altar.
The death of Christ is far beyond our understanding. Christ’s death is a mystery. We should not think that we can comprehend it in full, for we have no way to do so.
Although we cannot fully understand the mystery of Christ’s death on the cross, we do know that redemption was accomplished through the eternal Spirit. Do you know why the preaching of Christ’s death today is often powerless? It is because in this preaching there is a lack of the eternal Spirit. Christ offered Himself as the sin offering through the eternal Spirit. Therefore, because of the Spirit, what He accomplished on the cross is powerful and effective. But if we preach the cross of Christ without the Spirit, we shall not have the power to move others, to touch their heart and their spirit. This must be the work of the eternal Spirit.
In Exodus 27 the ledge is not spoken of in detail. But the four rings are clearly described. Nevertheless, it is somewhat mysterious how these rings could be connected to the grating inside the altar and yet themselves be outside the altar. This signifies that although the Spirit is truly manifest, it is also mysterious. The Spirit is manifested outwardly, but it is connected to something inside the altar. The rings were outside the altar, yet they were connected to the grating inside the altar.
The death of Christ cannot be fully understood by us. On the one hand, the Spirit is manifest; on the other hand, it is mysterious, for the Spirit is connected to Christ’s redemption. The four rings signifying the eternal Spirit are connected to the grating, which signifies the inner content of Christ’s redemption. This indicates that the Holy Spirit is connected to the inner content of Christ’s redemption. If we have the redemption of Christ in reality, then we also have the Spirit. The Spirit is connected to this reality. In other words, if we have the four rings, we have the grating. If we have the eternal Spirit, we also have the full redemption of Christ.
I am very thankful for the picture in Exodus 27. Through this picture we can see that the eternal Spirit is linked to the full redemption of Christ. What is the grating? The grating is the inner content of Christ’s redemption. What are the four rings? The four rings are the type of the eternal Spirit, who makes Christ’s redemption effective and who is the power for the move of the cross of Christ. The word of the cross is powerful because it is joined to the eternal Spirit. When we preach the cross with the redemption of Christ, this preaching must be connected to the eternal Spirit. Then in our experience we shall have a grating with four rings, the redemption of Christ connected to the eternal Spirit.
For more than thirty-eight years, the altar traveled with the children of Israel through the wilderness. While the altar was being carried, the fire inside it was still burning. The fire on the altar never ceased. That fire did not come as a result of human initiative. The Bible tells us that it came from the Lord (Lev. 9:24). Thus, it was a heavenly fire that burned continually as the altar was carried in the wilderness. While the altar was moving, the fire was burning. This indicates that while the redemption of Christ on the cross is being preached, the fire burns. Wherever the altar goes, there the fire burns.
The move of the altar does not depend on the fire; it depends on the four rings. This means that the move of the altar is by the eternal Spirit. The burning, however, is by the fire, not by the Spirit. We need to see that two things take place simultaneously: the burning of the fire and the moving of the Spirit. The four rings on the altar are related both to the burning and to the moving. We have seen that if it were not for the rings, the grating could not be held in place at half the height of the altar. If there is to be a burning on the altar, the four rings are necessary to hold the grating in place. Furthermore, in order for the altar to move, the four rings are also necessary. Both the burning and the moving are dependent on the four rings.
Concerning the ledge, we may also say that the ledge signifies the strengthening power upholding Christ under God’s judgment. Christ was upheld by this strengthening power while He was on the cross suffering the judgment of God. The acacia wood overlaid with bronze signifies Christ in His humanity under God’s judgment. No doubt, at the time of the crucifixion, the Lord Jesus needed strengthening, upholding, covering, and protection. I believe that the ledge in the altar served this purpose.
We have seen that the ledge probably protected the acacia wood inside the bronze covering from the heat of the fire. Without some kind of protection, the acacia wood certainly would have been charred by the heat transmitted through the bronze. The fire in the altar was burning continually, week after week and month after month. It would be impossible for the heat not to damage the acacia wood unless the wood was protected in some way. Therefore, I believe that the ledge also served the purpose of protecting the acacia wood. This may be the reason that in Exodus 27 we are told that the grating was under the ledge of the altar. The fact that the acacia wood could withstand the burning indicates that it was possible for Christ in His humanity to bear the judgment of God.
Exodus 27:6 and 7 say, “And you shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood; and you shall overlay them with bronze. And its poles shall be put into the rings, and the poles shall be upon the two sides of the altar when it is carried.” The poles were for the move of the altar. They were made of acacia wood overlaid with bronze, signifying Christ as a man under God’s judgment. These poles were put into the rings, signifying the move of the cross by the power of the Spirit. Moreover, the poles upon the two sides of the altar were to be carried by men. This signifies the move of the cross by the coordination of the believers as a testimony.
The poles in the rings are a strong evidence that the altar was to be carried by men. It was not to be placed on a wagon or carried by animals. The altar was to be borne on men’s shoulders. Today the preaching of the cross must be done by human beings. But those who preach the cross must do so in coordination as a testimony. This was the reason the Lord Jesus sent out His disciples to preach two by two. Two is the number of testimony. In coordination and as a testimony, the believers are to carry the redemption of Christ by the power of the Spirit to the four corners of the earth.
Verse 8 says, “You shall make it hollow with planks; as it was shown to you in the mountain, so they shall make it.” The altar was made with planks to be hollow and of a size sufficient to contain all the utensils of the tabernacle. This signifies that the cross of Christ contains all our experiences of Christ. The initial experience of the cross of Christ at the time we were regenerated is the base of all our subsequent experiences of Christ. All our experiences of Christ are based upon the principle of the cross of Christ.
The burden in this message is related to the Spirit for both burning and moving. It is very meaningful and significant that Christ bore God’s judgment inwardly even more than outwardly. Furthermore, the eternal Spirit is linked to Christ’s full redemption. This Spirit is for the burning within and also for the moving without. Today the cross must be preached in the way of burning and moving through the eternal Spirit. We who preach the cross must be living persons in coordination bearing a testimony. Then we shall be qualified to carry the altar in its journey on earth.
The altar is still being carried today. It has the burning inwardly, and it is moving outwardly. Praise the Lord for the grating, signifying the inner content of Christ’s redemption! Praise Him also that we have the grating and the rings! We have the eternal Spirit for burning and moving.
