John Calvin Commentary Exodus 27

And you shall make an altar. The altar of whole burnt offerings (holocaustorum) is described here. It was, however, called this by synecdoche, for not only were entire victims burnt there, but also only parts of them, as we shall see in Leviticus.

The burnt offerings received their name from their ascending,¹⁴⁷ by which the Israelites were reminded that they needed to be purified so that they might ascend to God. At the same time, they were instructed that whatever corruption there might be in the flesh did not prevent the sacrifices from being acceptable and a sweet savor to God.

It is clear that from the very beginning of the human race there were burnt sacrifices, suggested by the secret inspiration of God’s Spirit, since there was no written Law. Nor can we doubt that by this symbol they were taught that the flesh must be burnt by the Spirit, so that people may rightly offer themselves to God. Thus they acknowledged, under this type, that the flesh of Christ must receive this from divine power to become a perfect victim for the propitiation of God. As the Apostle testifies, he offered himself through the Spirit (Hebrews 9:14). Fuller mention of this subject will be made elsewhere.

The altar was constructed so that the sacrifices could be cast upon a grate placed within it, and thus they were covered by its external surface. The ashes were received into a pan so that they would not fall about on the ground and be trodden underfoot, but that reverence might be instilled even toward the very remnants of their holy things.¹⁴⁸

That the victims were bound to the four horns, which stood out from the four corners, is plain from the words of Psalm 118:27: “Bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.” This is also the beginning of a proper offering of spiritual sacrifices: that all the lusts of the flesh should be subdued and held captive, as it were, to the obedience of God.

Therefore, even Christ, although in Him there was nothing that was not duly regulated, was nevertheless bound to prove His obedience, as He had said, “Not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39).

The altar was carried on poles to avoid the necessity of having more than one. Otherwise, there would have been a danger of them being compelled by the sheer difficulty of carrying it to leave it behind after it was made, especially if they were embarking on a long journey. This would have been the seed or ground of superstition, as no other altar could be built that was not unauthorized.

And you shall make the court. There were two courts divided from the sanctuary: one for the priests, and the other common to all the people. To the first of these, chambers were attached in which the Levites lived, who were the keepers of the tabernacle. Thus, the courts are sometimes spoken of in the plural, especially in the Psalms (Psalms 64:4; Psalms 84:2; Psalms 92:13; Psalms 96:8).

The court referred to here is the court of the people, where they consecrated the victims, offered their prayers, and were reconciled to God. In this manner, the condition of humankind was shown to the Israelites: they were forbidden to enter the Temple, while at the same time they were reminded that people, although unworthy outcasts, are received by God if only they seek Him with simplicity and due humility, mindful of their own unworthiness.

Hence the consolation in which David gloried:¹⁴⁹ I had rather dwell in the courts of the Lord, than in the splendid tents of the ungodly.

The court was formed by four curtains. Two of these, on the north and south sides, were 100 cubits long and supported by 20 pillars, whose bases were of brass, and their capitals¹⁵⁰ and fillets of silver. On the east and west, each curtain was 50 cubits long, supported by 10 pillars. The length spoken of is not from the ground upwards, but from their opposite corners, for the court was twice as long as it was broad, as is said in Exodus 27:18.

There would appear to be a contradiction in the fact that Moses later speaks of two sides and assigns fifteen cubits to each, if he did not then mention the hanging or curtain that covered the gate of the court, which he sets at twenty cubits. Thus, the measurement will be correct, and the passage will be quite consistent. For after he has said in Exodus 27:13 that the curtain on the east side should consist of fifty cubits, he adds in explanation that there were two curtains at the sides of the door, and a third between them to cover the door, making up the total of fifty cubits.

But the door was covered by the hanging so that the Israelites might reflect, whenever they entered the sanctuary, that it was no profane or common (promiscuum) place. If they came there in purity and chastity, they could be fully assured that they were safe under God’s protection.

Finally, the majesty of holy things was also shown to them in this type, so that they would reverently approach the worship of God. They were reminded of their own unworthiness, so that they would humble themselves more before God, and that fear might produce penitence, while moderation in the desire for knowledge was recommended to them, so that they might not be unduly inquisitive.

The religion of the Gentiles also had its secret shrines with the same aim, but for very different reasons. For it was a brutal religion, for which veneration was sought through darkness and the disguise of ignorance. In contrast, God, while He kept His people in modesty and simplicity, at the same time presented them with the Law, from which they could learn whatever it was right and useful for them to know.

You shall command the children of Israel. I have transferred these two passages from elsewhere, since they relate to the service of the tabernacle. The children of Israel are commanded to contribute as much oil as is sufficient for the seven lamps.

Now, since Divine illumination and the grace of the Holy Spirit were, as we have seen, the truth of this symbol, God requires pure oil—that is, not muddy or mixed with sediment. For if it had been faulty in any respect, so much would have been detracted from the dignity of the mystery. Its purity, then, showed that nothing inferior or common was signified by it, so that the Israelites also might bring with them pure minds, duly prepared and disposed to consider the spiritual light.

He again repeats that the oil must be supplied regularly at its proper hours, so that the lamps may always be burning. In this way, the children of Israel might learn that nothing is more opposed to the worship of God than obscurity and darkness, and that this worship is not to be interrupted at intervals,¹³⁷ but that the direction of the Spirit should shine from heaven in a perpetual flow. Thus, in the second passage cited, He thrice reiterates the word “continually” to show that the true light should never be extinguished in any respect.

God assigns this office to the priests because they should be ministers of light when they are interpreting the Law, which David calls “the lamp of our feet, and the light of our paths” (Psalms 119:105).

But what is the meaning of the offering of the oil by the people, since humans have no power for the spiritual enlightening of their own minds? I reply that, in the types of the Law, the several parts are not to be so scrupulously forced to fit a rigid rule, as if there were nothing in the outward sign with which the reality did not correspond. Furthermore, although people have nothing of their own to bring, yet, so that they may more diligently apply themselves in their endeavors to serve God, they are justly required to dedicate themselves and all that they have to God.

At the end, the words “a statute for ever” are added. Understand these to mean until the real manifestation of those things of which the candlestick and its lamps were a type. This point I have discussed in Genesis.¹³⁸ It is called “a statute from the ¹³⁹ children of Israel” (a filiis Israel,) since God requires its observance from them, unless it is preferred to translate it with Jerome as “Before (coram) the children of Israel.” The exposition of others, “among (apud) the children of Israel,” or from the fathers to the children, is harsher and altogether forced.