Exodus Chapter 27 Verses 1-8  

:1 “And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits. 2 And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass. 3 And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, and his basins, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass. 4 And thou shalt make for it a grate of network of brass; and upon the net shalt thou make four brazen rings in the four corners thereof. 5 And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar. 6 And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with brass. 7 And the staves shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it. 8 Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was showed thee in the mount, so shall they make it.” 

This altar will become known as the brazen altar.  Upon this altar were placed the sin, peace, and burnt offerings that the children of Israel were called upon to make.  This altar was a shadow of the one great offering of Jesus Christ for the sins of his elect family.   

The dimensions of the altar were five cubits by five cubits.  Five is the bible number associated with death.  Of course, Christ died for the sins of his people.   

This altar was foursquare (17).  The term, "foursquare," implies precision. For something to be foursquare the four sides must all be the exact same length and the four corners must be exactly 90 degrees. The works and buildings of man are almost never that precise. The most precise instruments and machine measurements have some tolerances.  The sacrifice to redeem the sins of God’s people had to be perfect and precise and that is exactly what we find in the sacrificial atonement of Jesus Christ for his people. 

The height of the altar was three cubits.  Three (18) is the bible number associated with the Godhead.  This altar of sacrifice reveals the work of the Godhead in redeeming God’s elect family. 

The altar and all the vessels were of brass.  As we have previously shown, brass is the metal representing suffering and judgment.  Through the sufferings of Jesus Christ on the cross God has executed the judgment of the sins of the elect and has made them justified before God: 2 Cor. 5:21 “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”   

In the midst of the altar was a grate of network of brass.  It was upon this network of brass that the sacrifice was placed.   

There were four brazen rings through which two staves of shittim wood overlaid with brass were placed in which to carry the brazen altar.  As we have previously shown four is associated with the work of the Holy Spirit.  There are four gospels which among other things describe to us the work and person of Jesus Christ.  Two is associated with the subject of witness.  Shittim wood is associated with humanity.  The message of salvation through the atoning blood of Christ is delivered to us through the witness of the gospel ministry.   

“Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was showed thee in the mount, so shall they make it.”  God did not allow any room for Moses or the children of Israel to deviate from the pattern that God gave to Moses.