Chris Katulka: Hey everybody, thank you for joining us for The Friends of Israel Today. I'm Chris Katulka, your host and teacher. Now today we're going to continue our unique study on The Tabernacle. And if you missed the introduction of this series, you can actually go to foiradio.org. And while you're there, not only can you listen to last week's episode on The Tabernacle or how we started the series on the Tabernacle, but you'll also get more than a decade of content on our site featuring teaching and amazing interview guests. Again, that's foiradio.org. Now, today we're actually going to begin walking into the tabernacle. Last week we looked at really what was the meaning? Why did God want a tabernacle? Why did he want a temple? And we went to Exodus 25:8 that said God wanted his people to build him a sanctuary so that he could dwell with them.

Well, now what's going to happen is I want to walk you into the tabernacle step by step into these various concentric circles of holiness and where each of these aspects, these important places of worship exist in the tabernacle. And that's why today we're going to look at the altar, a very important part of the tabernacle and temple. But before we get to that, I'd like to share with you what's happening in the news. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has ruled the Islamic Republic of Iran since 1989, after serving as president in the 1980s, was killed at the age of 86 in a joint US-Israeli military strike on Tehran. It's a pivotal moment in modern history, bringing an end to the Islamic regime's brutal dictator. Well, here's my take. Khamenei spent the better part of his life terrorizing the Middle East and the world with his desire to spread the Islamic Republic's hateful ideology. He influenced the rise of Hamas and Hezbollah, terrorist organizations bent on the destruction of Israel. Well, today, his reign of terror ends with hope that it's filled with freedom for the Iranian people.

Chris Katulka: From the moment God declared in Exodus 25:8 that his desire was to dwell among his people, the story of Israel's sanctuary becomes the story of divine nearness. Holiness coming down close enough to be encountered, yet it's structured in such a way that his nearness would not consume those around him. In the first episode of this series, we saw that the tabernacle was not Israel's idea for reaching up to God, but God's idea for drawing near to his chosen people, Israel. It was the physical expression of his covenant desire to be in the midst of his people, not hovering over them in abstraction, but camping with them in the wilderness as their king and shepherd. Now, as we enter the tabernacle from the east, which is the way that the common Israelite would have entered, the way that the priest would have entered, as we enter from the east in the second episode, we're going to encounter immediately the first and most accessible symbol of that divine invitation, the altar.

If the tabernacle is the place where God dwells, the altar is the place where Israel meets with him. It's the point at which heaven touches earth, where ordinary Israelites, the farmers, the shepherds, the parents, the workers, stepped into sacred space to find that the God of Israel has made a way for them to come close. See, the altar stands just inside the eastern gate of the courtyard, intentionally placed as the initial encounter for anyone approaching God. Before the priesthood, before the tent, before the lampstand, the table of showbread, the arc comes the altar. Its position communicates a profound biblical truth. There's no approach to the holy presence of God without an offering. Not because God is unapproachable in his character, but because he is holy in his essence, in who he is. And the altar becomes the mediator of access, the ordained meeting place where God provides forgiveness, where God provides fellowship, and where God provides restored relationships.

In the ancient near Eastern world, altars were everywhere, but Israel's altar was incredibly different. It wasn't just a magical device to manipulate God or a human invention to satisfy the whims of an impulsive angry deity. It was God's gracious provision. His ordained place to meet his people in covenant faithfulness. And what makes the altar especially significant is that it's the only place in the sanctuary where common Israelites could come. They could not enter the Holy Place, let alone the Holy of holies. They couldn't trim the lamps, tend to the incense altar or approach the arc of the covenant, but they could stand before the altar. They could bring their sacrifice with their own hands. They could watch the priest present it. They could smell the aroma as it ascended to God. They could know, deep in their bones, that God welcomed them, God forgave them and God delighted in their worship.

The altar was not simply a piece of furniture. It was the beating heart of Israel's relationship with God. Every Israelite who entered the courtyard did so because God made himself approachable. Not on their terms, that's so important, but on God's terms. And that approachability was mediated through offerings. And one of the most profound offerings brought to the altar was the whole burnt offering, the ‘olah, the offering that ascended entirely to God. And unlike other offerings where portions were eaten, the whole burnt offering was completely consumed by fire. Nothing was held back. The worshiper placed their hands on the head of the animal, identifying with the animal. And as the fire consumed the offering, it symbolized a total giving of oneself to the Lord. It was the worshiper's way of saying, "Lord, all of me belongs to you. " And in a world where loyalty to God could easily become partial or compartmentalized, the whole burnt offering was the tangible expression of the worshiper's full dedication to the Lord.

And this is why it was offered every morning and every evening at the tabernacle and later on the temple. It represented the continual devotion of Israel to their covenant God. Standing before the altar, watching the fire rise into the sky, the Israelite worshiper was reminded that God desired not a part of their life, but the whole of it. And he had graciously provided a means to which they could express such wholehearted commitment to the Lord. But the altar was not merely a place of dedication for the whole burnt offering. It was also a place of delight. The fellowship offerings that we read about brought worshipers into a celebratory meal with the Lord. Unlike the whole burnt offering, the fellowship offerings that were given were shared. One portion was burned for the Lord, one portion given to the priest so they could eat, and the rest eaten by the worshiper and their family.

It's as though God invited his people to a covenant meal saying, "Come sit at my table, share in my peace." For many Israelites, the fellowship offering was perhaps the most joyful worship experience of their lives. It was offered in times of thanksgiving or fulfillment to vows or simply as an expression of gratitude for God's goodness in their life. In modern times, if the whole burnt offering was the worshiper standing at attention before their king, the fellowship offering was the worshiper sitting down at his table in joyful celebration. You could almost imagine it like an ancient version of a church potluck. Everyone bringing their best, sharing their food, giving thanks and enjoying community. But with an added depth, God himself was part of the meal. The altar thus becomes not only a place of sacrifice, but a place of shared joy, a place where peace with God was not merely declared, but experienced in tangible communal celebration.

It's actually the reason that the prophet Malachi calls the altar the “table of the Lord.” And yet the altar also served a third essential function, the maintenance of relationship through the sin offering and guilt offering. These offerings acknowledge that fellowship with a holy God requires continual restoration. Sin disrupts, offense damages, uncleanliness will mar the relationship. The sin offering though, it's called a ḥaṭṭa’t offering, addresses unintentional sins or ritual impurities that threatened Israel's holiness. The guilt offering dealt with violations requiring restitution, sins against God or a neighbor that demanded not only forgiveness, but repair. In bringing these offerings, the worshiper didn't just hide their failure. They brought it openly to the place where God promised to meet them. They confessed through sacrifice what they could not repair on their own, and God in his mercy would restore them. The altar, therefore, it stands as a reminder of both human frailty and divine grace.

That's not just something that you see in the New Testament, that's bound up in the entire scriptures going back to the Old Testament right there at the altar, because that's the place where failures were not the end of the story, but the opportunity for a renewed fellowship. No Israelite stood before the altar as a perfect person. Every Israelite stood there as a redeemed one. And what ties all of these offerings together, the whole burnt offering, the fellowship offering, the sin and guilt offerings, is that the altar is the place where God, the priest, and the Israelite meet with one another. And in that sacred triangle, God provides the means of approach. The priest mediates the ritual, the worship, and the worshiper brings the sacrifice. And without God's command, there would be no altar. Without the priesthood, there would be no proper mediation. And without the worshiper's participation, there would be no encounter.

See, the altar is a living intersection of divine holiness and human need where heaven and earth converge in covenantal relationship. It is remarkable that the same God who descended in fire on Sinai now accepts the fire of the altar as a place where his people meet with him. Not in terror, but in trust, not in distance, but in nearness. I just want to let you know we're going to talk more about the sacrifices later on this year, but we're going to take a quick break and we're going to look at how not only this altar was a fixture for the tabernacle, but also a fixture for the temple and really its meaning in the New Testament. Stick around.

Chris Katulka: I wanted to take a break and share something I really think that you're going to enjoy as we enter this Easter and Passover season. We're excited to share with you a unique devotional looking deeper into the significance of Passover and Easter called Finding Messiah in Passover. Using the traditional Jewish Passover guide, which is called the Haggadah, you'll walk a 32-day journey through the redemptive story of Jesus, the Messiah. People, just remember, Jesus celebrated Passover every year of his life. So I want you to discover how the Passover traditions foreshadow His sacrifice and experience a renewed understanding of His love and grace. This booklet and devotional is affordable and a great way to do worship individually or with your family or with your Bible study group. You can find out more or order your copy of Messiah in Passover, a 32-day devotional, today at foiradio.org. Again, that's foiradio.org.

Chris Katulka: Welcome back everybody. We are looking at the altar, one of the most significant locations in the tabernacle. And now we want to go from the tabernacle to the altar and its position in the temple as well, because understanding the altar becomes even more clear when Israel later transitions from the tabernacle to the temple. See, when Solomon built the temple, the altar remained front and center at the courtyard, larger and even more prominent than in the tabernacle, but unchanged in function. The temple increased the glory, the permanence, and the visibility of God's dwelling, and yet the first thing an Israelite encountered still when they entered into the temple was the altar. This continually shows that no matter how magnificent the architecture or how holy the inner space is, the foundational reality of approaching God remained the same. Relationship required sacrifice, forgiveness required atonement, and fellowship required the sharing of offerings.

And Israel's daily life continued to revolve around that truth. When the temple stood, Israel's worship was not merely centralized. It was intensified. The altar became the focal point of national life, morning sacrifices, afternoon sacrifices, festival offerings, Passover lambs, peace offerings, and intercessory offerings were all given right there at the altar in the temple in Jerusalem. Even on the Day of Atonement, when the high priest entered the Holy of holies, the blood he carried came inside from animals sacrificed where? On the altar. The altar remained the gateway to God's presence. Even the prophets understood the significance and often spoke about the altar as the barometer of Israel's faithfulness. See, when the people brought sacrifices with insincere hearts, the prophets warned that the altar was being profaned. And when they abandoned the altar for idols, the prophets called them back to the place where God chose to meet them.

Even think about Elijah, Elijah the prophet. In his famous contest on Mount Carmel, which centers on the what? Rebuilding of the Lord's altar and the fire that fell upon it, demonstrating that true worship happens only on God's terms. And in every revival or renewal movement in Israel's history, the altar was always restored, rededicated or rebuilt. When foreign invaders desecrated the temple, one of the first acts of purification, once again, was repairing the altar. The altar becomes not merely a physical structure, but the symbolic center of Israel's faith and identity. All of this prepares the way for understanding the deeper biblical trajectory that runs from the altar to Jesus the Messiah. See, the New Testament writers saw the altar as pointing forward to a once for all sacrifice that would come from Jesus, the greater High Priest who offered Himself, which the writer of Hebrews talks about.

But even before they drew that connection, they understood what every Israelite knew instinctively. The altar is where God deals with sin, restores relationships, and welcomes his people into fellowship. The altar shaped Israel's imagination about what it meant to meet with God. It taught them that God desires devotion, that he delights in fellowship and that he provides forgiveness. It taught them that holiness is not a barrier, but an invitation. An invitation made possible through sacrifice. So as we walk through the Eastern Gate of the tabernacle and the temple, and we stand before the altar in this second episode of our series, we're standing at the biblical crossroads of an entire story here, a biblical story. It's here that God made himself approachable at the altar. It's here that worshipers express dedication to God at the altar. It's here family celebrate fellowship with God at the altar.

It's here sinners find forgiveness and restoration at the altar. Here, the Holy God meets a redeemed people through the means he himself has provided at the altar. The altar is the first step into the tabernacle because it's a necessary step. No Israel could bypass it and no Israelite needed to. In God's gracious design, the altar is both the place of cleansing and the place of communion. It's both the place of sacrifice and the place of celebration. It's where life, forgiveness, joy, and renewal flow from God who dwells among his people. And it's in this way that the altar becomes the ongoing lived expression of the promise that God made in Exodus 25:8, where we started our series so far, and we'll keep coming back to it. God desires to dwell among his people, not theoretically, not symbolically, but relationally. And the altar ensures that this relationship remains open, dynamic, and continually renewed.

Every Israelite who stood before it from the wilderness wanderer to the Jerusalem pilgrim experienced the same truth. God is holy, yet God welcomes. God is pure, yet God provides cleansing. God is King, yet God shares his table. God is righteous, yet God forgives. And all of this happens at the altar, the ordained meeting place of God, the priest and the worshiper. By starting our journey here, as we enter into the tabernacle, standing at the altar, we step into the very heart of biblical worship. The altar is not an ancient relic. It's a biblical foundation for understanding how God draws near to his people. And it is the first space where Israel learns what it means to live with a holy God in their midst. And as we move deeper into the tabernacle, in episodes to come, everything we encounter from washing, to the bread at the table of showbread, to the light at the menorah, the incense at the incense altar, the prayers that are offered, the atonement that's provided flow from the reality established right here. The God who dwells with his people also provides a way for his people to dwell with him.

Steve Conover: Now, Apples of Gold, a dramatic reading from the life and ministry of Holocaust survivor, Zvi Kalisher.

Mike Kellogg: One day a few weeks ago my son went to his music school to be tested on the saxophone, which he had only been playing for one month. The teacher gave him the choice of what to play, and he played, “Holy, Holy, Holy.” Everyone was very surprised at this. They said it was a nice song and he had played it well, but they wanted to know how he knew it. He told them it was an English song, but that he could sing it in Hebrew for them, which he did.

After this, they asked him where he had learned such a song, and he told them his father had taught it to him. They asked how his father knew it, and he replied that his father had learned it at the Assembly. That evening his teacher came to our home. He said, “I want to tell you

that your boy is a very diligent student to be able to play even Christian songs in only one month.”

I said to him, “If you think it is a nice song, why can it not be for Jews also? Is it not true that God has forgiven our sins too, as it says in this song?” He replied, “The melody is very nice, but the words are only for Christians.” He then asked me, “Are you a Christian? You can feel free to answer me without fear.”

I answered, “I am a Jew who has accepted the Messiah promised in the Old Testament, and I believe in the promises of God and His fulfillment of them.”

He was only interested in whether or not I was a Christian. I told him, “I am a Jew, and a good Jew, because I believe what Moses and the prophets wrote. Christ came to fulfill the Bible, and if you want to know more about Him, read the Bible and you will find the answers to all your questions.”

I then asked him if he would refuse to teach my son now, because of me. “Oh no,” he said, “You can be sure of that. The only thing I want to know is how you came to have this faith.” “I came to my faith in the Lord by reading the Bible,” I replied, “and by hearing the Word of God.”

He then said, “I know now that you are a believer in God, but I think there is a big difference between God and Jesus. God is God, but Jesus was just a man who claimed to be God.” I said, “If a small child had told me this, I would not be surprised, but you are a teacher. You should know better.”

He replied, “I am still interested in knowing how you came to receive in your heart this Man whom you call your Savior.”

“Please take the Bible and read it,” I urged, “and the answers will come to you as they did to me and many others like me.” I then gave him my complete testimony about how I came to know the Lord and why I gave my heart to Him.

After this, he seemed to change his mind. He continued to ask me more and more about the Lord. In love, I continued to witness to him, revealing more things about Jesus, things which to him were unknown. I thank the Lord that he changed his mind, which before was full of hate, and now my son can continue to play Christian songs at the music school without fear.

Chris Katulka: Thanks for joining us for today's episode of The Friends of Israel Today. Hey, don't forget to go and order your copy of Messiah in Passover, a 32-day devotional today by going to foiradio.org. Again, that's foiradio.org. Join us next week as we continue our series through the parts of the tabernacle. Our mailing address here at FOI Radio is PO Box 914, Bellmawr, New Jersey, 08099. Again, that's FOI Radio, PO Box 914, Bellmawr, New Jersey, 08099. You can call our listener line, that’s 888-343-6940. Again, that's 888-343-6940. Give us a ring. Today's program was engineered by Bob Beebe. Edited by Jeremy Strong, who also composed and performs our theme music. Lisa Small is our executive producer. Sarah Fern is our associate producer. The late Mike Kellogg read Apples of Gold. Steve Conover is our executive director here at The Friends of Israel, and I'm Chris Katulka, your host and teacher.

The Friends of Israel Today is a production of the Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry. Passion for God's Word. Compassion for God's Chosen People.