Exodus 38:7
And he put the staves into the rings on the sides of the altar, to bear it withal; he made the altar hollow with boards. And he put the staves into the rings on the sides of the altar, to bear it withal; he made the altar hollow with boards.
The verse describes the altar of burnt offering as a hollow structure of boards overlaid with brass, fitted with rings on its sides and carrying poles put through them so it could be borne from place to place, and set apart for offering sacrifices to God. It belongs to the minute account in Exodus 25 to 40 of the movable sanctuary built in the wilderness exactly according to the pattern shown to Moses in the mount, that God might dwell among men. Given by God in every detail, that sanctuary and its fitting up were an object lesson of His plan of salvation, crowned when the finished work was met with His blessing and glory. Though answering every purpose for which it was made for its time, the altar was typical and shadowy, pointing to the coming Messiah and to the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man, which superseded it entirely and forever at the death of Christ when the temple veil was rent.
Sanctuary Context and Construction
Exodus 38:7 belongs to the very minute description in Exodus 25 to 40 of the sanctuary built in the days of Moses, which Moses was instructed to make exactly according to the pattern shown him in the mount. The altar of burnt offering described in Exodus 38:1-7 was a sanctuary vessel made according to that pattern, overlaid with brass, used for offering sacrifices to God, and made hollow with boards, with rings and staves by which it could be carried. The Lord's directions for building the sanctuary were carried out explicitly. It belongs to the final section of Exodus, which relates the preparation and fitting of the tabernacle. That building and setting up of the sanctuary in Exodus 33-40 stands in chronological order after the events of Exodus 19-32 and immediately follows the instruction concerning the sanctuary God gave to Moses in the mount in Exodus 25-31.
It stands in the worship division of Exodus, chapters 25 to 40, in the book meaning going out for the departure of Israel from Egypt. Exodus relates in detail their great deliverance and how they became a nation with thorough organization, efficient leadership, a complete code of laws, and an established form of worship. It belongs to the account of the inner tabernacle that Israel erected in the wilderness at God's command. That tabernacle was the earthly center of worship, which revolved around the holy of holies, where God's law rested beneath the mercy seat.
The sanctuary with its furnishings was built as a movable dwelling-place made so that God might dwell with men and live among them to reveal His love more fully. The altar is described as hollow and made of boards, with carrying poles fitted through rings on its sides so it could be borne and transported. It was made exactly according to the explicit directions given to Moses in the mount. Its design was given by God to Moses, and its construction according to His detailed instructions served as an object lesson of God's plan of salvation. The completed work was followed by God's blessing and glory upon the congregation and the building.
Altar's Form and Meaning
The altar of burnt offering was hollow and made with boards, overlaid with brass, and fitted with rings on its sides into which staves or carrying poles were inserted so that it could be borne and transported. It was a sanctuary vessel made according to the pattern shown to Moses, belonging to the account of building the sanctuary and its furnishings, and it was used for offering sacrifices to God. The description in Exodus 38:1-7 sets forth its hollow board construction together with its rings and staves as provision for carrying it.
It belongs to the Mosaic law material concerning offerings, sacrifices, and types, in which the old dispensation stands as a shadow from which the substance of the new dispensation can be traced.
As part of the worldly sanctuary built in the wilderness after Israel came out of Egypt, that movable dwelling-place made so that God might dwell with men, the altar was made exactly according to the explicit directions given to Moses in the mount. For its time it answered every purpose for which it was constructed, yet it was always typical and shadowy, an object lesson pointing to the coming Messiah and His power to forgive sin, transform character, and deliver from burdens. It foreshadowed the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man, which superseded it entirely and forever at the death of Christ when the temple veil was rent.