Commentary - Ezekiel 43:13-17

Bird's-eye view

After the stunning vision of the glory of the Lord returning to the Temple, Ezekiel is given a set of blueprints. But these are not blueprints for a future stone-and-mortar building in Jerusalem. This is a vision of the reality that has come in Jesus Christ. The glory of God has filled the true temple, which is the Church, and now the prophet is given the specifications for the central point of contact between God and man, the altar. This is where sacrifice is made, where atonement happens, and where fellowship is restored. These verses are a detailed, almost tedious, description of this altar. But God is in the details. The precision of these measurements points to the precision of our salvation. God did not save us in a slapdash way; He did it according to a definite plan, and the cross of Christ is the fulfillment of what this altar pointed to. So as we walk through these cubits and handbreadths, we are not just looking at an ancient piece of furniture. We are looking at a detailed architectural drawing of the gospel.

The structure is described from the bottom up, from its foundation to its horns. This is how God builds. He lays a foundation, and everything is built upon it with perfect symmetry and proportion. The altar is a picture of stability, of divine order, and of the way God has made it possible for sinful men to approach a holy God. It is a stairway to heaven, but one of God's own design, with its steps facing east, toward the rising sun, a pointer to the resurrection. This entire vision is given so that the people of God would know the kind of worship God requires, a worship centered on the perfect and finished work of the one true sacrifice, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Outline

Context In Ezekiel

These chapters in Ezekiel, from 40 onward, are a vision of a restored temple. Many have tried to read this as a literal blueprint for a third temple to be built in Jerusalem. But this approach misses the forest for the trees. The New Testament is our inspired commentary on the Old, and it tells us plainly that the temple is no longer a building, but rather the people of God (1 Cor. 3:16) and the man Christ Jesus (John 2:21). This vision in Ezekiel is a glorious, symbolic depiction of the age of the new covenant. The glory of God, which departed from the old temple because of Israel's sin, has now returned, and this new temple is filled with His presence. The specifics of the altar, therefore, are not instructions for stonemasons, but rather theological instruction for the Church on the nature of our worship, which is centered entirely on the finished work of Christ on His cross.

Clause-by-Clause Commentary

v. 13 And these are the measurements of the altar by cubits (the cubit being a cubit and a handbreadth): the base shall be a cubit and the width a cubit, and its border on its edge round about one span; and this shall be the height of the base of the altar.

The first thing to notice is the meticulous detail. God cares about measurements. This is not some vague, mystical vision; it is precise. The standard of measurement is a "cubit and a handbreadth," a royal cubit, larger than the common one. This tells us that God's standards are not man's standards; His ways are higher than our ways. The altar, the place of atonement, is built according to a divine, not a human, metric. The foundation, or base, is solid and grounded. It has a border, a clear demarcation. This is where the world stops and the holy ground of God begins. There is no fuzziness in the gospel. The line between sin and grace, between the world and the church, is as clear as this border. This base is the foundation of our access to God, and that foundation is Christ Himself.

v. 14 And from the base on the ground to the lower ledge shall be two cubits and the width one cubit; and from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge shall be four cubits and the width one cubit.

The altar rises in stages, or ledges. This is a picture of ascent. We do not leap into the presence of God. We approach by the way He has provided. These ledges were places where the priests would walk as they ministered. It speaks of a structured, orderly approach to God. The first level is two cubits high, the next is four. There is a progression here. As we grow in our understanding of the gospel, we are drawn further up and further in. The width of each ledge is one cubit, providing a stable path. God does not ask us to walk a tightrope. The way to Him, through Christ, is a secure and established path. The numbers themselves are likely significant. Two speaks of witness and testimony. Four speaks of the earth, the four corners of the world. This altar is a testimony to the whole world.

v. 15 And the altar hearth shall be four cubits; and from the altar hearth shall extend upwards four horns.

We now arrive at the top, the "altar hearth." The Hebrew here is Harel, which means "mountain of God." This is the pinnacle, the place where the fire of God consumes the sacrifice. This is Mount Calvary. It is four cubits high, again connecting this work of salvation to the whole earth. And from this hearth, four horns extend upwards. In the Bible, horns are symbols of power, strength, and authority. The power of the gospel flows from the cross. The horns were also a place of refuge; a man could grab hold of the horns of the altar and claim sanctuary. In Christ's sacrifice, we find our ultimate refuge from the wrath of God and the accusations of the devil. His power is our salvation.

v. 16 Now the altar hearth shall be twelve cubits long by twelve wide, square in its four sides.

The place of sacrifice is a perfect square. Twelve by twelve. The number twelve in Scripture consistently represents the people of God, the twelve tribes of Israel, the twelve apostles of the Lamb. This altar is for the whole covenant community. Its perfect symmetry speaks to the perfection and completeness of Christ's work. It is not a lopsided or incomplete salvation. It is perfectly ordered, perfectly sufficient for all of God's people. The square shape, with its four equal sides, again points to its universal application, reaching to all four corners of the earth. The gospel is not a regional affair; it is a global announcement of a finished work.

v. 17 The ledge shall be fourteen cubits long by fourteen wide in its four sides; the border around it shall be half a cubit, and its base shall be a cubit round about; and its steps shall face the east.

The larger ledge below the hearth is also a perfect square, fourteen by fourteen. The number fourteen is twice seven, the number of perfection and completion. This reinforces the theme of the perfect work accomplished here. God's work of salvation is doubly perfect, doubly sure. And then we are told that its steps shall face the east. This is significant. The glory of the Lord had just entered the temple from the east (Ezek. 43:4). The priests ascend the altar facing the direction from which God's glory comes. They are walking toward the light, toward the dawn. This is a picture of hope and resurrection. We serve a risen Lord, and our worship is always oriented toward the hope of His coming, which will be like the sun rising in the east. Our entire Christian life is one of walking up these steps, facing the dawn of our full and final redemption.

Application

So what does a Christian do with a passage full of cubits and handbreadths? First, we are to marvel at the precision of our God. Our salvation is not an accident. It was planned down to the last detail before the foundation of the world. The cross was not plan B. It was the plan, and this altar in Ezekiel is one of the blueprints.

Second, we must recognize that there is only one altar, one place of sacrifice, that God accepts. That altar is the cross of Jesus Christ. We cannot build our own altars out of our good works, our religious efforts, or our sincere intentions. All our worship, all our prayers, all our lives must be brought to this one altar. It is only here that our offerings become acceptable to God, because they are offered on the basis of Christ's perfect sacrifice.

Finally, we are to live our lives with our faces toward the east. We are to be a people of the resurrection. The sacrifice has been made, the victory has been won. We are now to live as those who are ascending into the presence of God, not with fear and trembling, but with the confidence that the way has been made for us. The altar is not a place of dread, but a place of fellowship, secured by the blood of the Lamb. Our worship, therefore, should be robust, joyful, and centered squarely on the finished work of Christ.