The Vision of the Altar Provides Hope Ezekiel 43:13-21 November 9, 2014 www.wordforlifesays.com Please Note: All lesson verses and titles are based on International Sunday School Lesson/Uniform Series 2010 by the Lesson Committee, but all content/commentary written within is original to wordforlifesays.com unless properly quoted/cited) Introduction: The altar in the Old Testament is a place of worship; it is a place of sacrifice. It is where one could find atonement for sins and wrongs committed. It was the center of reconciliation between God and man from the time of Noah when he builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar, (Gen. 8:20). That was then. That was a picture of what was to come. In the New Testament we are given a new picture of where this reconciliation and hope lies: in Christ. Hebrews 9:11-15 tells us: But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. In last week s lesson we studied God s glory returning to the temple in a future time. Before the Bible takes us to that study, we are shown in more detail of the tour of the temple Ezekiel was taken on (chapters 40-43). Ezekiel 40:1-2 tells us, In the five and twentieth year of our captivity, in the beginning of the year, in the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after that the city was smitten, in the selfsame day the hand of the LORD was upon me, and brought me thither. In the visions of God brought he me into the land of Israel, and set me upon a very high mountain, by which was as the frame of a city on the south. From then on he was met with a man who took him on a measuring expedition of things to come. At one point in the tour Ezekiel was taken to the inner court and there is where he sees the altar. Ezekiel 40:47 explains, So he measured the court, an hundred cubits long, and an hundred cubits broad, foursquare; and the altar that was before the house. Today s lesson brings us back to that spot to focus solely on the altar and the hope it brings for the future. Ezekiel 43:13-17 And these are the measure of the altar after the cubits: The cubit is a cubit and an hand breadth; even the bottom shall be a cubit, and the breadth a cubit, and the border thereof by the edge thereof round about shall be a span: and this shall be the higher place of the altar. And from the bottom upon the ground even to the lower settle shall be two cubits, and the breadth one cubit; and from the lesser settle even to the greater settle shall be four cubits, and the breadth one cubit. So the altar shall be four cubits; and from the altar and upward shall be four horns. And the altar shall be twelve cubits long, twelve broad, square in the four squares thereof. And the settle shall be fourteen cubits long and fourteen broad in the four squares thereof; and the
border about it shall be half a cubit; and the bottom thereof shall be a cubit about; and his stairs shall look toward the east. The very detailed measurements describing this massive altar of sacrifice starts at the base of the altar; it s supporting foundation. The measurements used to describe the altar are cubits. A normal cubits measurement is approximately 17.5 to 18 inches long (studies have used both numbers) or the length from a man s elbow to the top of his middle finger. Now, add a hand breadth to that and we have what is referred to as a long or royal cubit; measuring 20.5 to 21 inches long. This is the measurement used here. The base or the foundation: even the bottom shall be a cubit, and the breadth a cubit; or one cubit high and one cubit deep. This base has a border thereof by the edge thereof round about shall be a span. A span is measured as half a cubit or approximately 9 inches. Going up, the next section is described as being two cubits, and the breadth one cubit, or about 3.5 feet high with a 1.75 foot ledge. On top of this what a section that was built to the dimensions of four cubits, and the breadth one cubit, or 7 feet high with a 1.75 foot ledge. The next section dimensions are described as thus: So the altar shall be four cubits; and from the altar and upward shall be four horns, meaning another section upon the previous measuring about another 7 feet high. On top of this section are four horns, similar to those found in Exodus 27:2. So, altogether this altar is approximately 11 long cubits high, which is 231 inches high or 19.25 feet. Wow! That s tall. Then, we see that the altar shall be twelve cubits long, twelve broad, square in the four squares thereof, the measurements would be approximately 21 feet by 21 feet square. Next, the settle shall be fourteen cubits long and fourteen broad in the four squares thereof, or 24.5 feet long and broad square. Then, you have the border about it shall be half a cubit, making the total size of it even larger. Not to mention that the bottom thereof shall be a cubit about. Altogether it is
proposed, with all the cubits of the borders and breadths added up that the entire altar could have measured approximately 31.5 feet square at the base, or 18 cubits wide squared. Due to the relevant and size of this particular altar there is now a need for stairs, which was prohibited in previous building of the altars (see Exodus 20:26). Ezekiel 43:18-21 And he said unto me, Son of man, thus saith the LORD GOD; These are the ordinances of the altar in the day when they shall make it, to offer burnt offerings thereon, and to sprinkle blood thereon. And thou shalt give to the priests the Levites that be of the seed of Zadok, which approach unto me, to minister unto me, saith the LORD GOD, a young bullock for a sin offering. And thou shalt take of the blood thereof, and put it on the four horns of it, and on the four corners of the settle, and upon the border round about: thus shalt thou cleanse and purge it. Thou shalt take the bullock also of the sin offering, and he shall burn it in the appointed place of the house, without the sanctuary. After receiving instructions for the dimensions of the altar, Ezekiel now receives the ordinances for it in that day, or at the time appointed for this particular altar to be made manifest. They shall offer burnt offerings thereon, and to sprinkle blood thereon... to cleanse and purge it. This is reminiscent of what is seen in Exodus 29:36-37 where the instructions state, Thou shalt offer every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement: and thou shalt cleanse the altar, when thou hast made atonement for it, and thou shalt anoint it, to sanctify it. Seven days thou shalt make an atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and it shall be an altar most holy: whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy, (see also Exodus 40:10). Holiness is where we left off with last week s lesson stating, This is the law of the house; Upon the top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house, (Ez. 43:12), and now we see there is, and always will be a prerequisite of holiness for the altar as well (or for anything that is used as service to God for that matter). It had to be consecrated, set apart for the Master s use. Separated from the unclean and made pure for His
service. People have to be holy and things have to be holy to work with and for God. Holiness matters! Which is why Jesus became that perfect sacrifice for us, for in our introduction dealing with Hebrews we see that He offered Himself without spot to God, (Heb. 9:14; see also 1 Peter 1:19). Nothing that is blemished or impure can be brought before God (Lev. 22:20). It won t be accepted therefore the altar also had to be made pure. It must be cleansed and purged of all impurities to be right for His service. And thou shalt give to the priests the Levites that be of the seed of Zadok, which approach unto me, to minister unto me, saith the LORD GOD, a young bullock for a sin offering. As according to custom, the priests the Levites were given the task to minister unto me in the work at the altar, (compare to 2 Chronicles 29:16). These were to be of the seed of Zadok. In Ezekiel 40:46 we see another verification of these descendants working as priests, the keepers of the charge of the altar: these are the sons of Zadok among the sons of Levi, which come near to the LORD to minister unto him. Zadok was a faithful priest during the era of King David. At the time when David had to flee before Absalom, Zadok and the Levites with him took charge of the ark of the Covenant and worked with David to know what Absalom was up to (see 2 Samuel 15). Zadok was also the priest that took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon to be king in the stead of his father (1 Kings 1:39). Here, in the future, Zadok s faithfulness in remembered in the honor his descendants have in being appointed caretakers of this future altar. Note Hebrews 7:27 tells us of Jesus, Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself, (see also Hebrews 10:12). In that, Jesus satisfied for good the priestly duties as well as the sacrifice itself. For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore, (Heb. 7:28; emphasis mine).
Thou shalt take the bullock also of the sin offering, and he shall burn it in the appointed place of the house, without the sanctuary. The offering could not be burned in the sanctuary. It had to be done in an appointed place. This is reminiscent of the Old Testament requirement. In Exodus 29:14 they were to take the flesh of the bullock, and his skin, and his dung, shalt thou burn with fire without the camp: it is a sin offering, (see also Leviticus 16:27). For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate, is what Hebrews 13:11-12 teaches us, (emphasis mine). Conclusion Ezekiel s vision of the altar gave hope past the captivity. There would be a time when true worship would be restored back to God once again. This uninterrupted fellowship between Creator and creation would only happen through our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by He, whom was appointed heir of all things (Heb. 1:2) that hath by himself purged our sins, (Heb. 1:3). It is He Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works, (Titus 2:14) on the altar of the cross. Hebrews 13:10 tells us, We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. It is here on this altar, the cross, where the greatest sacrifice for the redemption of man was made. Jesus Christ became the final sacrifice. The law was just a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect, (Heb. 10:1). But, Jesus... By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ ONCE FOR ALL, (Heb. 10:10; all caps mine). He gave His body on the altar of the cross to save us from sin ONCE FOR ALL! That is where true hope is.