Monday Meditation
May 23, 2016
From the desk of A.J. Higgins
The Grate
“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. And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar” Exodus 27:4, 5
In the last meditation on the brazen altar, no mention was made of the grate. Yet the little which is said about it in the inspired record is of great importance and carries with it a fresh appreciation for our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Placing of the Grate
Recall that the altar was to be three cubits (4 1/2 feet) high. It was to be hollow and half way down inside this hollow altar, a grate was to be set in position. This would mean that at one and a half cubits high, it would be on the same level as the ark and mercy seat. The work which enabled the sinner access as typified in the brazen altar, is the same work that secures the presence of God with all its attendant blessings.
The Problem Envisioned
But a problem immediately suggests itself when thinking of the practicality of sacrificing. Imagine bringing a bullock to the altar. In front of you would be a four-and-a-half-foot altar, over which the bullock would have to be lifted to be placed on the fire. There were to be no steps up to God’s altar (Ex 20:26). How was the bullock, or any other sacrificial victim, to be placed upon the altar? The priests were to, first of all, flay (skin) the animal and then cut it into his pieces, so that the pieces would be placed on the altar individually according to God’s directions (Lev 1:6-8). The entirety of the victim could never be carried by any one.
In like manner, no one can comprehend all there is of Christ. We are reminded of “unsearchable” riches, of an “unspeakable” gift, of a life whose history the “world could not contain.” The very best we can do is appreciate Him in “part.”
The Provision for the Priests
To enable the priests to handle the sacrifice and to play it upon the altar, there were flesh-hooks (Ex 27:3) provided by God. With these brass instruments, the priests would be able to lift the pieces of the bullock and to place them upon the altar.
The Principle Taught
In placing them down upon the grate, over the four and half foot altar wall, what was occurring on the grate would be unseen and unappreciated by most. Given the average height of men three millennia past of a little over five feet, probably no one actually saw the fire consuming the sacrifice. They could view the smoke ascending; they could appreciate the fragrance of the frankincense; they would recover the ashes left by the fire; but they may never have actually seen what was happening to the victim on the grate.
We in like manner can see the results of Calvary and draw near and appreciate something of what occurred. But we will never be able to peer down into the grate and to see the full measure of His sufferings and never know how great the fire was that burnt at Calvary.
Consider:
1. The brass or copper was the only thing that could endure the fire. The victims on the altar were consumed by the fire. How is the sacrifice of Christ different?
2. Was there a meal offering (Lev 2) which no eye could see and appreciate? Was there a death that no eye witnessed (Lev 16:22).
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