Topical Bible: Temple: Solomon's: The Altar of Burnt offering

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The Altar of Burnt Offering, also known as the Bronze Altar, was a central feature in Solomon's Temple, serving as the primary location for sacrifices and offerings to Yahweh. This altar was a continuation of the sacrificial system established in the Tabernacle during the time of Moses, reflecting the continuity of worship practices from the wilderness period into the era of the monarchy.

Construction and Design

The Altar of Burnt Offering in Solomon's Temple was constructed according to divine specifications, as detailed in the biblical narrative. It was made of bronze, a durable and precious metal, symbolizing strength and endurance. According to 2 Chronicles 4:1 , "He made a bronze altar twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and ten cubits high." This substantial size indicates the importance of the altar in the religious life of Israel, as it was designed to accommodate the numerous sacrifices required by the Law.

Function and Significance

The primary function of the Altar of Burnt Offering was to facilitate the sacrificial system, which was central to the covenant relationship between God and Israel. Levitical priests used the altar to offer burnt offerings, sin offerings, and peace offerings, among others. These sacrifices were essential for atonement, thanksgiving, and maintaining the holiness of the people before God.

The altar's location in the temple courtyard made it accessible to the priests and visible to the worshipers, emphasizing the communal aspect of worship and the necessity of atonement for sin. The continual fire on the altar, as commanded in Leviticus 6:13 , "The fire must be kept burning on the altar continually; it must not be extinguished," symbolized God's perpetual presence and the ongoing need for purification and dedication.

Theological Implications

Theologically, the Altar of Burnt Offering represented the seriousness of sin and the need for a substitutionary atonement. The sacrifices offered on the altar pointed forward to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who, according to Christian belief, fulfilled the sacrificial system through His death on the cross. Hebrews 10:10 states, "And by that will, we have been sanctified through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

The altar also underscored the holiness of God and the requirement for His people to approach Him with reverence and obedience. The meticulous rituals associated with the altar highlighted the need for purity and the transformative power of worship in the life of the covenant community.

Historical Context

Solomon's Temple, including the Altar of Burnt Offering, was constructed during the reign of King Solomon, around the 10th century BC. This period was marked by political stability and prosperity, allowing Solomon to undertake such an ambitious building project. The temple served as the spiritual and cultural heart of Israel until its destruction by the Babylonians in 586 BC.

The Altar of Burnt Offering, as part of Solomon's Temple, played a crucial role in the religious life of ancient Israel, serving as a tangible reminder of God's covenant promises and the means by which His people could maintain a right relationship with Him.

Nave's Topical Index

2 Chronicles 15:8
And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar of the LORD, that was before the porch of the LORD.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Altar and Temple
... people groping amid the ruins on the Temple hill, to ... of the foundations of the old
altar of burnt ... destruction, and of the glories of Solomon's dedication, and ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/altar and temple.htm

The Temple and Its Dedication
... The brazen furniture,"the altar of burnt offering, the ... was the palatial building
which Solomon and his ... cedar and burnished gold, the temple structure, with ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 2 the temple and.htm

Solomon's Temple Spiritualized
... This, saith he, is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar of the
burnt-offering for Israel (1 ... The temple was builded by Solomon, a man ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/solomons temple spiritualized.htm

One Worker Preparing for Another
... the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of the ... God's temple was built by
"a man of rest ... his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon, and I ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 38 1892/one worker preparing for another.htm

Books of the Hebrew Canon.
... Altar of Burnt-offering (xxxviii.22"24 ... Again, whilst deals with the whole of Solomon's
public works before ... the history of the building of the Temple with the ...
/.../chapter ii books of the.htm

Hezekiah
... Upon the altar were placed sin offerings "to make ... offered at the dedication of the
temple whose services ... his associates were now restoring, Solomon had prayed ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 28 hezekiah.htm

The Return of the Exiles
... The setting up of the altar of daily burnt offerings greatly cheered the ... ruins some
of the immense stones brought to the temple site in the days of Solomon. ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 45 the return of.htm

In the House of his Heavenly, and in the Home of his Earthly ...
... along the eastern colonnade, or Solomon's Porch, we ... of Shewbread (north), and the
Golden Altar of Incense ... is often applied in Talmudic writings to the Temple. ...
/.../edersheim/the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter x in the house.htm

Book 5 Footnotes
... 46:4. In the 18th Psalm of Solomon, yet it ... the husbandman, had a much-worshipped
statue and temple, carried about ... look upon this erection of a new altar by Saul ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/book 5 footnotes.htm

The Women of the Gospel Narrative the Study of the Early Christian ...
... whom Christ eulogized cast in her "two mites." In this court also was Solomon's
Porch, where the ... For the temple being built on a mountain, the altar of burnt ...
/.../brittain/women of early christianity/i the women of the.htm