Commentary - Exodus 20:22-26

Bird's-eye view

Following the awesome and terrifying display of God's presence at Sinai and the delivery of the Ten Commandments, the Lord now provides Moses with a set of foundational rules for worship. This section, often called the beginning of the Book of the Covenant, immediately addresses the central issue of how a sinful people can approach a holy God. The memory of the fire, smoke, and thunder was still fresh, and the first thing God does is establish the proper ground rules for fellowship. He has just spoken the Ten Words, and the first two commandments dealt with the what and how of worship, prohibiting other gods and graven images. Now He provides the concrete application. The principles are simple: worship must be based on God's direct revelation, it must be free of man-made invention and idolatrous value, and it must be conducted with humility and decency. This is God setting the terms for His own worship, and those terms are designed to keep it pure, simple, and centered on Him, not on the cleverness or wealth of the worshipers.

These instructions for building an altar serve as a paradigm for all true worship. It is not to be ornate, ostentatious, or reliant on human ingenuity. Instead, it is to be earthy, natural, and unadorned. This stands in stark contrast to the pagan religions surrounding Israel, which were all about elaborate temples, expensive idols, and a priestly class that flaunted its status. God is building a different kind of nation, and it starts with a different kind of worship. The altar is where heaven and earth meet, and God is making it clear that this meeting will be on His terms, by His grace, and not through any attempt by man to climb up to Him through his own efforts or achievements.

Outline

Context In Exodus

This passage comes immediately after the giving of the Decalogue (Ex. 20:1-17) and the people's terrified response to God's presence (Ex. 20:18-21). The connection is crucial. The law has been given, and the first response to that law must be the establishment of right worship. Before God gives the civil statutes (the judicial laws that begin in chapter 21), He first anchors the entire life of the nation in the proper approach to Him. The covenant is being established, and the heart of that covenant relationship is worship. The fear of the people was a right and proper fear, but it could lead to them keeping their distance entirely. God's response is not to say, "You're right, stay away." Instead, He says, "Here is how you may draw near." These instructions for the altar are therefore a profound act of grace. They are the gospel embedded in the law, providing a way for a holy God to dwell with His people.

Clause-by-Clause Commentary

v. 22 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘You yourselves have seen that I have spoken to you from heaven.

The basis for everything that follows is direct, unmediated revelation. God is not giving them a philosophy or a set of good ideas; He is giving them a word from heaven. And He begins by reminding them of their own experience. This is not secondhand information. "You yourselves have seen." They saw the mountain ablaze, they heard the trumpet, and they heard the voice. God's authority is grounded in His self-disclosure. Worship is not man's search for God; it is our response to God's gracious condescension to speak to us. He spoke "from heaven," establishing the vast gulf between Creator and creature, and yet He spoke "to you," establishing the possibility of covenant relationship. All true religion begins here, with a God who speaks and a people who have heard Him.

v. 23 You shall not make other gods besides Me; gods of silver or gods of gold, you shall not make for yourselves.

This is a direct and practical application of the first two commandments. The prohibition is doubled for emphasis. First, the general principle: no other gods "besides Me." The Hebrew can be rendered "with me." God will not be one among a pantheon. He will not be the chief deity with a few lesser deities on the side. He is God alone. Then, the specific application: no gods of silver or gold. Why this specific prohibition? Because this is the primary way men attempt to create gods they can control. We cannot fashion a god out of nothing, so we take a valuable created thing, silver or gold, and we shape it and call it a god. This makes the god dependent on our craftsmanship and our wealth. It is a god we make "for yourselves." An idol is always a self-serving enterprise. It is a god that reflects our values, our aesthetics, and our priorities. A god of gold is a god who values gold. The true God, who spoke from heaven, values holiness, not metal.

v. 24 You shall make an altar of earth for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen; in every place where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you.

The contrast with the gods of silver and gold could not be more stark. Their altar is not to be a monument of human wealth, but rather a simple "altar of earth." The most basic, common, and humble material is what God requires. This puts true worship within reach of every Israelite, rich or poor. God is democratizing access to His presence. The altar is for Him, and the sacrifices, burnt offerings for atonement and peace offerings for fellowship, are the means of covenant renewal. Then comes the glorious promise. "In every place where I cause My name to be remembered." This is not a license for them to set up altars wherever they please. The location is determined by God's initiative. Where God reveals Himself, where He acts in history, where He places His name, that is where worship is to occur. And in that place, God promises two things: "I will come to you and bless you." This is the heart of the covenant: God's presence and God's favor. He comes to us; we do not ascend to Him. And His presence is always a blessing.

v. 25 And if you make an altar of stone for Me, you shall not build it of cut stones, for if you wield your tool on it, you will profane it.

God allows for a more permanent altar, one of stone, but the central principle of simplicity remains. The stones must be natural, unhewn. As soon as a man takes his tool to the stone, he "profanes" it. To profane something is to make it common or polluted. How does shaping a stone pollute it? It introduces human pride and ingenuity into the place of worship. A fancy, carved altar draws attention to the skill of the mason. It becomes a work of art, a monument to human achievement. God's altar is to be a monument only to Him. The rough, natural stones declare that our worship is not about what we can build for God, but about what God has done for us. Any attempt to "improve" on the raw materials of creation is to defile the worship. This is a foundational principle for all liturgy. True worship is not about our cleverness, our creativity, or our polish. It is about simple obedience to the God who speaks from heaven.

v. 26 And you shall not go up by steps to My altar, so that your nakedness will not be exposed on it.’

This final regulation addresses the issue of priestly modesty and, by extension, the holiness of God's presence. The priests in that culture wore tunic-like garments, and ascending steps would easily lead to indecent exposure. This command is practical, but the theology behind it is profound. The pagan religions of Canaan were rife with sexual immorality and ritual prostitution. Their worship was often an orgiastic and debased affair. Yahweh is establishing a radical distinction. His worship is to be characterized by holiness, modesty, and decency. There is to be no hint of the sensuality and exhibitionism of the pagan cults. The exposure of human "nakedness", a common biblical theme for shame, sin, and vulnerability since the Fall, has no place at the altar of a holy God. Our sin and shame are to be covered by the sacrifice on the altar, not displayed by the priest ministering at it. This is about reverence. We approach a holy God with our shame covered, not flaunted.

Application

The principles laid down here for the construction of an altar are perpetually relevant for the church. We live in an age that, like the ancient pagans, loves to worship at the altar of human ingenuity. We are tempted to make our worship services into slick productions, measured by their professionalism and polish. We are tempted to build with "cut stones," to rely on our tools, our technology, and our talents to make worship impressive.

God's word here cuts straight through all of that. True worship is an "altar of earth." It is simple, humble, and grounded in God's revelation, not our innovation. It is about what God has commanded, not what we think will be effective or attractive. We are not to make gods of silver and gold, which includes the temptation to make our worship appealing to the wealthy or the culturally sophisticated. The gospel is for all, and our worship should reflect that beautiful simplicity.

Furthermore, the prohibition of steps guards against the exposure of our nakedness. This is a call for holiness and reverence in the presence of God. We are not to bring the casual, irreverent, or sensual attitudes of the world into the sanctuary. Our worship should be set apart. It is a holy convocation, a meeting with the King of heaven. We come to have our shame covered by the blood of the Lamb, not to put our talents, our personalities, or anything else on display. The central promise remains for us today: where God causes His name to be remembered, in the preaching of the Word and the administration of the sacraments, He will come to us and bless us.