Tabernacle 1: Emmanuel on the Altar

As you enter the tabernacle, the first item that you see is the altar of burnt offering. It is there that the various sacrifices were offered, killed, and burned before the Lord. When Israel sinned, they needed to bring an animal to atone for their failure. This altar reminds us of what happened in the Garden of Eden and the experience of Abraham in offering his son Isaac as a sacrifice to the Lord. It also foreshadows the ultimate and perfect sacrifice of Jesus as the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. As we study the meaning and purpose of the altar, we rejoice in Emmanuel’s heart to reconcile and restore humanity to himself in deep and intimate relationship through the finished work of Calvary.