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The Tabernacle priests teaches us that only the born-again believer-priests can enter by faith, into the Holy Place, even heaven itself, there to behold the One "altogether lovely," as He min- isters for His own before "the throne of grace." "The cloth of blue," with which the priests covered the golden altar before the Levites could carry it through the wilder- ness, once more reminds us of the heavenly character of our Lord; the "covering of badgers' skins," of the fact that the world looks upon Him as only a good man. But under- neath these two coverings, hidden from the gaze of men, were the incorruptible wood and the precious gold. The priests alone could look upon this holy thing; and only the believer-priests, redeemed children of God, can know Him as the sinless Son of Man, who was ever the eternal Son of God! With this mental picture of the golden altar in mind, let us look at some of the details concerning the worship and ministry of Aaron as he stood before this place of prayer. That Christ is our Altar, and that Christ is our Priest, there can he no doubt. And this we shall see as the Holy Spirit teaches us these precious truths. The Golden Altar-The Place of Worship on the Ground of Sacrifice Without the brazen altar with its fire, there could have been no worship at the golden altar of incense. In our study of the brazen altar in the outer court, we saw that brass speaks of judgment upon sin; and that the death of the victim foreshadowed the vicarious sufferings of Jesus, the Lamb of God. Now these two altars were linked together by the command of God. Without the fire from off the brazen altar, there could be no burning of the sweet incense. Without the death of Jesus, the Lamb of God,
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The Tabernacle righteous." '!'his _altar was two cubits high, one cubit long, and one cub1t wide. Around its "foursquare" top was «a crown of gold." And at each of the four corners was a "horn," or projection, covered over with gold. Under the cro:wn, at the four corners, were rings of gold, through which the staves were passed when the altar was to be car- r_ied on the march through the wilderness. These staves, like those for the other pieces of furniture were made of acacia wood, covered over with gold. ' Coals taken from the brazen altar in the outer court were placed upon this golden altar; and upon these coals sweet incense was burned "before the Lord" morning and evening by Aaron himself. Once a year, on the Day of ~tone~ent, _some of these burning coals were taken by the high priest, m the golden censer, into the Most Holy Place where the incense was offered to God. ' When the Shekinah Glory lifted from off the taber- nacle, indicating God's will that His people should resume thefr journey through the wilderness, the priests went into the Holy Place, and covered the golden altar, first with "a clot? of blue," then with "a covering of badgers' skins," placmg the staves through the rings of gold. Then the Kohathites, one of the three families of the Levites carried it on the march. But these Kohathites were not to .:go in to see when the holy things" were "covered, lest they die" (Num. 4:20). Thus we find that much of the symbolism connected with this golden altar was like unto that which had to do with the other articles in the Holy Place--all of which f?reshadowe_d the Pers~n and work of our Lord. The pre- c10us materials of which these sacred things were made speak to us of His matchless Person, as both God and Man; whereas the fact that none could view them save the
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