Mount Sinai | Knowable Word

Moses has received his instructions for both three pieces of furniture and a tent-like structure to put them in. But that’s not everything that will go into the place where God can dwell with his people (Ex 25:8). We still need to go outside.

Observation of Exodus 27:1-19

Most repeated words: cubits (12 times), bronze (10x), make (9), pillars (9), bases (8), court (8), side (7), altar (6), hangings (6), all (5), four (5), three (5), twenty (5).

Even more than the prior two chapters, this chapter focuses on quantities and measurements.
And a striking shift takes place: For the first time in the instructions, there is no mention of gold. Everything here seems to be made instead of bronze.

The first paragraph is about “the altar.”

Looking from above, it will be a square, 5 cubits on a side. Looking from the side, it will be 3 cubits high, with horns on its top corners (Ex 27:1-2).
It has all kinds of paraphernalia, all made of bronze: pots, shovels, basins, forks, fire pans (Ex 27:3).
The inside is hollow, except for a bronze grating – possibly to hold the carcasses being burned and allow the ashes to drop through (Ex 27:4-5, 8).
It’s to be carried with poles, just like the inside furniture, except these are overlaid with bronze (Ex 27:6-7).
It shall be made just like the pattern shown on the mountain (Ex 27:8). This same statement was made about the lampstand in Ex 25:40.
By Camocon – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0

The second paragraph is about “the court.”

Clearly, this “court” functions like a fence defining the boundaries of the yard outside the tent structure.
The fence is made of linen cloth, 100 cubits along north and south borders, and 50 cubits on the west border.
The east border is also 50 cubits long, in three segments: Two 15-cubit segments of linen cloth, with a 20-cubit segment in between for the “gate.”
The gate is another curtain made of colorful yarns and cloth, just like the cloths that form the tent-structure laid over the wood frames in Ex 26.
All of these fencing curtains are hung on many bronze pillars, stuck into bronze bases, with decorative bronze bands, and functional bronze hooks.
There will also be many bronze pegs (Ex 27:19), presumably attached to ropes, to hold the court’s fence in place.

Note: Bible dictionaries help by explaining that an Old Testament “cubit” was measured as about 18 inches (a foot and a half). It was roughly measured by the distance along a forearm from a person’s elbow to the tip of the fingers.

This makes the altar 7.5 feet long by 7.5 feet wide by 4.5 feet high.
This makes the courtyard fence 150 feet long by 75 feet wide (and 7.5 feet high – Ex 27:18).

Structure:

Altar
Court
Ruk7, Creative Commons

Interpretation of Exodus 27:1-19

Some possible questions:

Why did I stop at verse 19 and exclude verses 20-21?
What is the purpose of this altar?
What is the purpose of the courtyard?
Why is everything outside the tent structure made of bronze?

My answers (numbers correspond to the questions):

At first, I was planning to cover all 21 verses. But as I studied, I noticed a jarring shift in focus in verses 20-21. It no longer talks about things to construct, but about the ongoing duties of the Israelites and of Aaron and his sons. It seems to serve as an intro for the next section about the priestly garments (Ex 28) and ordination (Ex 29). So I’ll cover verses 20-21 with the next section.
The only clue explicit in the text is in Ex 27:3: “You shall make pots for it to receive its ashes.” So clearly, something will be burned on this altar. This is why we can infer that the bronze grating (Ex 27:4-5) is the cooking surface, and the pots will go underneath. Also, these Israelites may already be familiar with the stories of their ancestors who regularly built altars (Gen 12:7, 12:8, 13:18, 26:25, etc.) and burned animals on them (Gen 8:20, 22:9-13). In addition, God has already told them altars are for burning animals (Ex 20:24-26). So though this passage doesn’t state it explicitly, we should already know that animals will be burned here as an act of worship to God to represent gifts, thanksgiving, and/or substitution.
Again, no purpose is explicit in the text. But since the altar will contain open fire, we can suppose it will be placed outside in this yard, and not inside the tent structure. The other clear inference from the text is that the fence line hangings define a clear boundary. There should be no question about whether someone happens to be standing on God’s territory or his own or someone else’s. This sounds a lot like Mount Sinai in Ex 19:12-13, where there was a clear boundary between God’s side and the people’s side. And you can’t get here by accident. There’s only one way in or out (the east-side entrance, by pushing through the gate curtains). With the clear boundary and the three zones (outside yard, inside first room, inside back room—parallel to the three mountain zones in Ex 24:1-2, 9-14), we get the picture that not only is the tabernacle’s blueprint shown on the mountain (Ex 25:40, 27:8), but also the tabernacle’s blueprint is the mountain. The tabernacle complex is a portable Mount Sinai.
Bronze demonstrates a decrease in value from the golden interior, yet with a similar shine and color. This is still God’s place, but this is the “lowest” region of it. This is parallel to the foot of the mountain where the people could make their covenant with God (Ex 24:2-8).

Train of thought:

Construct a place for sacrifice.
Establish a clear boundary and only one entrance to mark God’s property line, so we can take this mountain on the road with us.

Main point: The mountain where God meets his people—the place where heaven comes to earth—requires a place for sacrifice and has only one entrance.

Connection to Christ: Jesus is God become man. He is the heavenly one who came to earth. We honor the cross as the place where he offered himself once for all (Gal 6:14). And he remains the door, the gate (John 10:1, 7), the one through whom we must come if we are to meet God (John 14:6). God’s presence is no longer tied to a mountain, nor even to a tent or building. God’s presence goes in the hearts of God’s people (Luke 17:21), in the community of saints (1 Cor 3:16), until the end of the age (Matt 28:20).

My Application of Exodus 27:1-19

All praise be to Jesus. If I have him, I have everything, and my life is always before the presence of God. If I don’t have him, I lose everything (1 John 5:12).

Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.

Moses has now received the Ten Words (Ex 20:1-17) and the many rules to apply them (Ex 20:22-23:33). The goal of obeying these words and these rules is to make these rescued people into Yahweh’s treasured possession among all peoples, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Ex 19:5-6). To this end, Yahweh wishes to make a covenant (a binding agreement, a treaty) with them (Ex 19:5). When the people heard this plan, they quickly promised to do all Yahweh would say to them (Ex 19:7-8). Will they feel the same way now that they hear the full extent of the words and rules?

Observation of Exodus 24:1-18

Most repeated words: Moses (14 times), Lord (11x), mountain (8), people (8), all (7), Israel (7), up (7), said (6), come (5)

A glance at the repeated words show the focus landing back on the characters of the story: Moses, the Lord, and the people of Israel.
The mountain itself takes special prominence
I’ll watch for a broad scope (frequent use of “all”)

The genre shifts from instructional monologue back to narrative. Looking ahead, I see this is the last narrative until we get to chapter 32. Many more instructional monologues (seven, to be exact) are on the way in chapters 25-31.

With a shift back to narrative, we shouldn’t be surprised by a renewed focus on elements like characters, plot, setting, climax, and resolution.

The instructions of chapters 20-23 are called “The Book of the Covenant” (Ex 24:7), divided into two main sections: the “words” and the “rules” (Ex 24:3).

Apparently, this book represents the covenant between God and Israel.
This book defines the treaty between them.
As they did earlier (Ex 19:8), the people promise to obey (Ex 24:3)—apparently seeking to become God’s treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation (Ex 19:5-6).

The chapter’s structure wraps around the mountain itself:

God delineates 3 zones for the mountain – Ex 24:1-2
- The people must stay at the bottom (Ex 24:2).
- The elders will “come up” with Moses (Ex 24:1).
- Moses alone will “come near” (Ex 24:2).
At the mountain’s foot, Moses and the people establish the covenant with sacrificial blood – Ex 24:3-8
At the mountain’s mid-point, Moses and the elders experience the covenant with a meal – Ex 24:9-11
At the mountain’s peak, Moses enters the cloud of Yahweh’s glory – Ex 24:12-18
Tony Heyward (2014), Creative Commons

Interpretation of Exodus 24:1-18

Some possible questions:

Why is the covenant-making ceremony so gruesome?
What do the elders experience on the mountain once the covenant is made?
What does Moses experience on top of the mountain?
Why is the mountain divided into three zones with differing degrees of access?
So what ought we to understand about God’s covenant with us?

My answers (numbers correspond to the questions):

The use of ritual sacrifices when making a covenant doesn’t begin here. We see it clearly in Genesis 15:7-21, where God makes a covenant with Abram after Abram cuts a few animals in half. Jer 34:18-20 provides historical background on the practice: symbolizing the curse pronounced on those who might violate the treaty. The practice also possibly goes back to Gen 3:21, though the word covenant isn’t used there. A substitute must shed blood to threaten the people of what happens if they violate their agreement. Therefore, the Israelites are covered with the blood of the covenant (Ex 24:8), being united with the sacrifice, along with with the altar, the place of sacrifice (Ex 24:6).
The elders “saw” God (Ex 24:10) and “beheld” him (Ex 24:11). But who knows what he actually looked like? All they saw of him was but the pavement under his feet (Ex 24:10). That’s the closest they could get. But they also enjoyed a meal in his presence, and he did not lift his hand to destroy them (Ex 24:11). Great deal!
The glory of Yahweh, appearing as a cloud (Ex 24:16). A devouring fire that all could see (Ex 24:17). Here is a more terrifying version of the burning bush from Ex 3:2, which burns but does not consume Moses.
This mountain is now the place where heaven and earth meet; God and men are meeting together. The three zones may allude to the 3 zones of the created cosmos (heaven, earth, waters under the earth – Ex 20:4, 11), and to the three decks of Noah’s ark (Gen 6:16), which was a miniature cosmos, preserved for a new creation. Perhaps at Sinai, God is making another new creation, as he makes this nation into his people and sets them on a path to expand his rule on earth. We’ll see plenty more creation imagery in the next few chapters to confirm this connection.
God’s covenant is not something to take for granted. It cannot be made without blood, but it draws us into God’s presence to eat and drink with him. God is all-glorious in himself; yet, astonishingly, he gets even more glory when he includes people in his purposes. God’s covenant is gracious; we do not deserve to enter into it with him. And yet he still expects something of us; he is not indifferent to our life choices. God’s presence is something to be terrified of without a proper bloody substitution.

Train of thought:

Yahweh’s man comes down to establish the covenant with the people.
Yahweh’s man comes up to experience the covenant with the elders.
Yahweh’s man come higher to enter into God’s glory alone.

Main point: It costs both personal sacrifice and substitutionary death to draw near to God in covenant.

Connection to Christ: Jesus’ blood of the covenant was shed once for all (Heb 9:17-26, and we proclaim this Lamb’s death every time we eat and drink with him (1 Cor 11:28). God’s covenant with us through Christ is only by his grace (Heb 13:20-21, 25). Yet it requires great personal sacrifice (Mark 1:15), and we must never take it for granted by going on sinning deliberately (Heb 10:26-30).

My Application of Exodus 24:1-18

Oh, how much I take for granted. Grace is so abundant and so free, and I forget all about it. I drift into self-sufficiency, which requires me to compare myself to others and do better than them. Then I get petty and demanding when I’m unable to keep up. And the bitterness sets in when I see others doing better than me. It doesn’t take long for me to start biting and devouring.

But the blood of the new covenant was shed for me, once for all. I need to “remember Jesus Christ” (2 Tim 2:8) daily—not just so I can teach others about him, but so I can see him more clearly, worship at his feet, and rely only on his righteousness and not my own.

The heavenly Mount Zion has no zones. We’re all granted equal access. I have nothing to be ashamed of, and I have nothing to hold over another person. Ever.