Exodus 38:3
And he made all the vessels of the altar, the pots, and the shovels, and the basons, and the fleshhooks, and the firepans: all the vessels thereof made he of brass. And he made all the vessels of the altar, the pots, and the shovels, and the basons, and the fleshhooks, and the firepans: all the vessels thereof made he of brass.
In its plain sense the verse describes the vessels made for the altar of burnt offering, the pots and shovels and basins and fleshhooks and firepans, all made of brass for use in offering sacrifices to God.
It belongs to the very minute and detailed account in Exodus 25 to 40 of the sanctuary Israel built in the wilderness at God's command after He brought them out of Egypt across the Red Sea.
The sanctuary and its furnishings were made exactly according to the pattern and explicit directions God showed to Moses in the mount, as a place for Him to dwell among Israel, and the completed work brought blessing and glory upon the congregation.
That sanctuary and its rites served as an object lesson of God's plan of salvation, with regulations for offerings and sacrifices revealing types that point from the old dispensation to the substance of the new.
The tabernacle so described was the worldly sanctuary afterward succeeded by the temple of Solomon, serving unto the shadow of heavenly things and pointing to the Lamb of God and the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man, until with the death of Christ the veil was rent and the earthly sanctuary passed away forever.
Sanctuary Setting and Construction
Exodus 38:3 belongs to the very minute description in Exodus 25 to 40 of the sanctuary built in the days of Moses. It is part of the account of the sanctuary that Israel built in the wilderness at God's command. That building came after God brought Israel out from Pharaoh across the Red Sea.
Within Exodus it falls in the building and setting up of the sanctuary recorded in Exodus 33-40. That section came in chronological order after the instruction concerning the sanctuary in Exodus 25-31 given to Moses in the mount and after the events of Exodus 19-32. It is part of the preparation and fitting of the Tabernacle that was set up on the first day of the first month of the second year after the Exodus.
It belongs to the worship part of Exodus, the third division of the book. It shows part of the established form of worship given to Israel after their great deliverance from Egypt when they became a nation with thorough organization, efficient leadership, and a complete code of laws. The name Exodus means the going out, referring to the departure of Israel from Egypt, and the verse stands within that story of deliverance and nation-making led by Moses from his rescue in infancy through his work as the chosen leader of Israel.
The sanctuary and its furnishings were made exactly according to the pattern and explicit directions God showed Moses in the mount. The Lord's directions were explicitly carried out, as a place for Him to dwell among Israel. The altar vessels were among the items made for its worship, including its furnishings and equipment made as directed. The completed sanctuary, with its altar vessels and equipment made as directed, brought blessing and glory upon the congregation.
In its plain sense the verse describes the vessels made for the altar of burnt offering — the pots, shovels, basins, fleshhooks, and firepans — all made of brass. The altar itself was overlaid with brass, measured about nine feet square and nearly five and a half feet high, and was used for offering sacrifices to God. The altar of burnt offering was part of the tabernacle sanctuary, made according to the pattern God showed Moses so that God might dwell among Israel. The passage gives no further explanation of the vessels named.
Worship Meaning and Foreshadowing
The sanctuary God instructed Israel to build as a place for Him to dwell among them, with its rites and detailed furnishings, served as an object lesson of His plan of salvation. It belongs to the laws given through Moses, including regulations for offerings and sacrifices, which reveal types that point from the old dispensation to the substance of the new. The earthly worship and service centered on that sanctuary built in the wilderness at God's command, especially on the holy of holies, where God's law rested beneath the mercy seat.
The tabernacle it helps describe was the worldly sanctuary first pitched in the wilderness and afterward succeeded by the magnificent temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, where the true worship of God for Israel and all nations centered until Christ's sacrifice and offering at Calvary. It was always typical of and foreshadowed the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man, serving unto the shadow of heavenly things. As an object lesson it pointed to the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world, with power to forgive sin, transform the character, and deliver from heavy burdens. With the death of Christ the veil of the temple was rent in twain and the earthly sanctuary passed away entirely and forever.