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Verse one. and thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, five cubits broad. The altar shall be four square, and the height thereof shall be three cubits. And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof. His horns shall be the same, and thou shalt overlay it with brass. Verse And thou shalt make for it a great network of brass. Verse 6, and thou shalt make staves for the altar.
Verse eight, hollow with boards shalt thou make it, as it was showed thee in the mount, so shall they make it. Now turn with me, please, to Hebrews in chapter thirteen. Hebrews chapter thirteen and verse number ten. We have an altar whereof they have no right to eat, which serve the tabernacle. That's all we'll read, and I trust that what I've got to say at the conclusion of the meeting will be of help to us.
I suppose the most interesting of all subjects for younger believers as well as older is always the tabernacle. We always go back to that. It's basic teaching. It's very important teaching. It's very foundational teaching, and, uh, it's typology, and the anti-type of all types is Christ. And so we're going to look very simply, and I'm going to try to refrain from shouting. So, uh, that's a big job for me. I know you'll pray, and I hope you'll not go to sleep with my quieter voice. I want to look at the, the ta- you know, the tabernacle vessels, you would count six, and possibly I would include really seven.
That says if we take the ark and the mercy seat as two particular parts of the one vessel. And it's very, very important to notice that when you come to that tabernacle, that those vessels, the out- outer court is brass, inside the covers and behind the walls there are three golden and acacia wood and go- and gold. One is completely gold, and then when you go into the Holy of Holies, there alone there stands one vessel that is most important, and I think as one writer as well said, that around that one vessel everything revolves. That's the ark.
I want to point out very quickly, when you go to the, the reading of the word of God, of course, in Exodus, as to the tabernacle, you'll find it starts with the ark, ends with the laver. But when you are going literally into that tabernacle, you begin with the brazen altar, and then you would move through and you'd find the last vessel would be the Ark of the Covenant. Again, let me say that when you go to the brazen altar, I remember a dear man, he tried to help me in this. I don't know whether he did or not, because he didn't change my mind. But anyway, he, uh, he said that the brazen altar had nothing to do with redemption.
And of course, that cut out my sermon. So I still retain very clearly that the most foundational vessel is the brazen altar. The most preeminent vessel is the ark. And then you can get in between and fit in your own thinking as you go through. The first, the first vessel that you come to in the tabernacle was the brazen altar. It stood there as a cenotaph. You must pass that as you move onward in priestly function, whether to the laver or inside the five pillars, in where the golden vessels lie, and then the high priest once a year into the Holy of Holies.
Let me point out very quickly for younger believers, because you have heard this many, many times, that when you go to the brazen altar, it is redemption. When you go to the laver, it's sanctification. It's a fitness for functioning in priesthood. When you move in through the five pillars, you'll come to a table in your right hand, which is communion. That table always speaks of fellowship or communion. And when you go to the left side, you would find the, uh, golden lampstand that we pointed out last week, and that has to do with illumination. You can never find any light there but the light of that beautiful golden lampstand. And then in this, uh, in the center of that, there was, toward the veil, the beautiful golden vessel called the, the golden vessel of incense.
It stood higher than the rest, it was two cubits high, and that speaks of the intercessory work or the intercession of Christ as the great priest. And then, of course, when you went through the veil, you'd find that particular, peculiar, preeminent, uh, vessel called the Ark of the Covenant, having seven names. And in that Ark of the Covenant, there was Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the law, and the golden pot that had the manna. And the mercy seat was upon it. And I believe in that you have the great truth of propitiation and communication, because those are the two things that took place in relation to that vessel. That is, there was propitiation, the blood on the mercy seat.
There was communication, there will I meet with thee, between the cherubim, whereof I will speak with thee. Now, you will notice that when you come to the, when you, when you come to the, uh, brazen altar, or the brazen altar, you'll find of the, the thought of the, the fire. And I, I could have read, and I hope you'll look it up, and you'll see it in different writings. The fire will never be put out. That fire constantly burns. And it's an amazing thing, I'm sure you've noticed this, that on the Sabbath day, the man that gathered sticks on a Sabbath day, he was stoned to death. I used to wonder at that. I thought it was harsh treatment. I thought, my, the man that, that gathers sticks on the Sabbath day, he's actually stoned to death.
But the divine record says there were no fires to be burning, but on the Sabbath day, the only fire allowed was the fire of the prison altar. That means to say that the man that gathered those sticks on a Sabbath day, one thing he gathered them for was the light of fire. And God would not have that because nothing, nothing will, nothing will ever detract from that one great, fragrant, ascending offering from the brazen altar that speaks of Christ eternally, that will ever bring pleasure to the heart of God. And therefore, there is the, the judgment upon the man because the Buddha possess the light of fire.
Now, I want to look at this raisin altar very quickly, in ten minutes, and I'm very simple in my enjoyment of it. You will notice that they, I want to get a hold of, of something that's most important. There are four altars in our Bible, in Exodus, and I want you to get a hold of for— God is teaching his people a tremendous lesson. That under Mount Sinai, we have the introduction of the first altar. It's called the Altar of Earth. Secondly, there's another altar follows called the Altar of Stone. Then we have this recent altar called the Altar of Brass.
And then with the fourth one, and it's called the Golden Altar. You can see an ascending scale. I take it, brethren, that God is teaching his people that Shema and Siniye with its standard, its law, its fire, its thunderings, its threatenings, its lightnings, its fear, its dread, that still remains intact. That's God's standard. But God is teaching a very basic lesson in the altars, and it's this: the only approach, the only approach of communication with God is in the basis of sacrifice. There must be sacrifice. There's no other way of approach. The law thunders out its thunderings, and the law condemns, and the law expels us, and we dread, and we fear, and we cringe under the threatenings of it.
But here's a way in which we can have enjoyment, communion, satisfaction, drawing near to God, the basis of sacrifice. You will, you will follow me in this, please, that when I look at the altar of earth, it typifies our Lord Jesus in Luke's gospel. Because in Luke's gospel, he is the humble Lord, the humble Lord. Earth. You remember he was made light unto his brethren. His humanity is before us, as we think of the altar of earth. It fits in with Luke's gospel very definitely as the humble Lord. You remember when we come to the altar of stone, they weren't to make any steps up to it, lest their nakedness be seen.
They weren't to put a tool upon it because you can't, you can't, eh, embellish that which speaks of Christ and his work. It stands always unique. It will only destroy it to show the flesh or anything of ourselves. Nothing must, nothing must intrude. And therefore, when you think of the, this, the altered stone, allow me to use another word, the s- the steadfast Lord. It links with Mark's gospel. Because you must remember that Mark is the gospel of the steadfast servant. He doesn't detract, he doesn't turn aside, he's onward in his pathway. The and injunction tells us that, constantly moving onward, no detraction, he's moving steadfastly to the, to the altar to die upon that cross.
It's the steadfast Lord that we have in Mark's gospel. That's the altar of stone, and you may use it in a typical way. And then when we come to the prison altar, the prison altar, brass is always linked with one gospel, Matthew. And Matthew's gospel is not the, not the humble Lord so much, not the steadfast Lord, but the strong Lord, the sovereign Lord, the Lord, the majesty of his person, the lion of the tribe of Judah, if you want to put it. And so that brazen altar links me with Matthew. But when I go to the altar of incense, there's only one gospel fits that, and that's John's gospel.
That's the glorified God. The exalted God. John seventeen is the high priestly prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ. So those four altars are important, the brazen altar very quickly. It's just very basic, very ABC, just kindergarten, but there we. It's measurement. More measurements. You'll notice the numbers that are connected with this altar, they're most important and significant. Now I, I grant you this before I move any further, lest you get carried away, I'll, I'll, I'll guarantee this, that the brazen altar is mainly, primarily to maintain a redeemed people in touch with Jehovah.
That's basic. They've come out of Egypt, they're through the wilderness, and going through the wilderness, this establishment of testimony is set up with all these vessels, and it really is maintaining, maintaining a people in fellowship with God. That's the main, that's the main reason, but I want to apply it a little, a little beyond that for our observation. That when I look at the measurement, I find it's four square, so I get a four. I also find it's five cubits by five cubits, so I get a five. I also get a three, it's three cubits high, so I get a three. And I also get the brazen, uh, gate is half, a gate is halfway up, the brazen altar, and therefore I get a one and a half.
So I did four definite numbers that are so important, and I think, brethren, and you'll agree with me in these days, of so much, should I say, doctrine that's tainted, that you hardly know where you are. You ever get that way? You hear so much and you don't know where it is coming from, and what do we believe anyway? I suggest to you, brethren, suggest to you, when I get to the fore, it's always univer- universality that rules. Whether it be the nation and covering all the nation, which we know it does, north, south, east, and west, I also learned this very practical lesson, that that brazen altar which speaks of Christ tells us of the universality of his work, that there's enough, enough, enough, and to spare in the work of Christ to meet the need of every human being.
We do not subscribe to limited atonement. Neither do we subscribe to the idea that it's not done just for that elect company. Brethren, if all the sins of Adam's race, with perfect justice to each case, in heaven's balances were laid, they would be utterly outweighed by Jesus' blood. The value lies all in the infinite sacrifice. And that brazen altar that's four ba- uh, that's four square tells us of the universality of it. Northward, southward, eastward, and westward. Did you ever notice? The Ninevites come from the north.
I live in Nineveh. And I get in on this great work. Yeah, the Ninevites come from the north. The south, the Queen of Sheba come from the south. She get in on this work too. And the west, the Greeks come from the west. Sirs, we would see Jesus. North, south, east, north, Ninevites. They don't go to the left, come from the right. But thank God I get in on it. And the north, south, Beersheba, the west and the, the east. You remember the wise men came from the east. So you get the four corners covered just in a very simple way from those four expressions.
You know, I think it was one, uh, Robert McElwee was in this very happy in this camp where Mr. Frank Knox was preaching. And have you ever heard Frank, you know, there's only one Frank Knox. His memory's precious. But, you know, when he got warmed up, he would maybe say to you, when did you get saved? Now, I'll just give you a couple of minutes to say it. When did you get saved? And of course, and where do you come from? So we, there you go, you that. And then he would go around, and Albert McIlwain was sitting in the platform, and he was ducking, trying to get out of the road. He didn't want to be called. And he said, and when did you get, where are you from? I'm from God flesh. And when did you get saved, and how did you get saved, and where did you get saved?
Thank God, brethren. God's salvation, the very fact there's a company here, and we're all different, come on now. It's a good thing. Good thing. I think I was in one morning meeting, and I counted, I counted twelve different nationalities. Yeah. And I started to call them out. And there's a Dutch man there, and he was trying to juke in somewhere in Hay. I said, come on now, come on, Martin. Come on. You're one of, you're a nationality too, sir, but twelve. Brethren, let us never forget all the marvelous, marvelous, wonderful message of the Brazen Altar in its widest application.
It covers all messengers. And brethren, let us say another thing. Forget about Irish and Scotch and English and Canadian and, and Americans. I know we're sometimes a little choosish. God will give us for it. But brethren, the cross, the cross cuts across every nationality. The cross, my friend, brings us all on the one footing. Redemption ground, the ground of peace. Redemption ground, oh wondrous grace. Here let our praise to God abound, who saves us on redemption ground. Wonderful, brethren. When I see a black man, I love to hug him. I can never understand people.
Well, better get off on the first. Mighty grace. Wonderful redemption. Wonderful redemption. I could linger there, and the time is gone. I've only touched the first. That's all right, I don't mind. I don't mind. Rather than four square, kill five. Some writers will give you it, and I pick it up myself when I read my Bible. Five always speaks of grace. Grace displayed on the basis of redemption. Five kids, splat. You remember it was at the five porches that im- im- important man lay.
I think the New Fernando says important when he was reading it, but anyway, that's all right. He was important in the eyes of the Lord, and so he got reached and saved. So, five, divine grace met the man. You remember the woman, thou hast had five. Husbands. Divine grace met her in her moral need. Never forget it, Father. Divine grace met that man in his desperate physical need. Five. That's why we like simple texts.
Christ died for the ungodly, Five words. Doesn't take much. Divine grace can apply five speaks. You remember when David was slaying the giant? Five smooth stones. Only needed one. Five is a display of divine grace best upon redemption. On redemption. What about the three? The three speaks of that which is divine. It always speaks of the Godhead Trinity. Always speaks that which is stamped with that which is divine.
Three, three, three. I- I'm not going all into that. I want to get to the one and a half. The One and a half, well, all I can say is, that'd be the better word to use there to help you, the half of nothing toes. You know, we've only got part of redemption. The soul has been redeemed. Yeah. Of course, the Queen of Sheba said when she saw the and heard the wisdom of Solomon and saw all the glory of it and the fame and his words, there was no breath left in her. She had the half of nothing to. The one and a half, halfway up, the brazen greats, you know, I, I have the impression the priest probably did see down in there.
Of course, mind you, it was quite tall. Uh, I'm only five feet, uh, getting smaller the older I get, but anyway, I don't know what this is here, but say four and a half feet, right, you know, up to my shoulder. That's no big. If you're a six-footer, you'd be all right. Six foot one or two. Those were heavy. Those were bullocks, some of them. Strong, prime. You always like the prime, don't you?
Prime rib, the prime. Those were strong, strong animals, and when they were cut up, they had their big strong arms. But no one I get about the one and a half. Now, this is just a application. Does no one confront the depths of the infinite sufferings of the eye? There is solid flame, they led them there, but when that fire tingled, they must stand back. I believe there's a fire lit. Of course, there's the fire of God too, but I believe in that I learned this lesson, there's something of a depth about the work of Christ, the sacrifice, that only an infinite God can plumb the depths of the infinite sufferings.
See, brethren, you and I have just scratched the fringe of the fringe of the fringe of the fringe of the mighty, mighty, mighty ocean of suffering. Christ indeed. The Father only glorious claim the Son can comprehend. Infinite, infinite. But looking at the other side, one and a half, the half has not been told. We've got, we've got the, uh, the soul redeemed. That's wonderful. That's the big thing, isn't it? But sometimes this body. You ever think what it's going to be like to change in this body, come into the fullness of redemption, the other half, the other side?
You know, when you're young, I never thought of that when I was young. You know, death never even, I never thought of, somehow or other, as a young believer, it just never... Oh, I felt for people at death, you know, and you see them hobbling along and you see their problems and say it was too bad, and... But you know, the older you get, you learn this. There's another side to the story. There's a crying out and a groaning creation for a new body. One of these.