An altar of earth thou shall make unto me
This was a temporary precept, and only in force until the
tabernacle was built, and respects occasional altars, erected
while on their travels, and were to be made of turfs of earth,
and so easily and quickly thrown up, as their case and
circumstances required, and as easily thrown down, as it was
proper they should, after they had no more use for them, lest
they should be abused to superstitious uses; for afterwards the
altar for burnt offerings was made of Shittim wood covered with
brass, and that in the temple was wholly a brazen one, ( Exodus 27:1 Exodus 27:2 ) (
2
Chronicles 4:1 ) this precept seems to suggest the plainness
and simplicity in which God would be worshipped, in opposition to
the pomp and gaudy show of idolaters intimated in the preceding
verse; though Tertullian F20 relates of the Romans in the times
of Numa Pomptitus, that they had neither images, nor temples, nor
capitols, only altars made of turfs of earth hastily thrown up;
and this altar of earth might be, as Ainsworth observes, a figure
of the earthly or human nature of Christ, who is the altar,
whereof believers in him have a right to eat, ( Hebrews
13:10 )
and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy
peace
offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen;
which were the creatures offered in the said sacrifices, as also
in the sin offerings and trespass offerings, which, though not
mentioned, are included:
in all places where I record my name;
or, "cause it to be mentioned", or "remembered" F21; where
he manifested himself, displayed the glory of his nature and
perfection; or, as the Targum of Jonathan expresses it, caused
his Shechinah or divine Majesty to dwell, or gave any intimations
of his presence, as at the altar now erected to him, and at the
sacrifices offered up thereon, and afterwards in the tabernacle,
between the cherubim over the mercy seat, and ark of the
testimony; which was removed to various places before the temple
was built at Jerusalem, where he took up his residence, and his
name was called upon, made mention of, and recorded for many
generations: but that being destroyed and worship there at an
end, men may now worship God in any place, so be it they do it in
spirit and in truth; and wherever the name of God is truly called
upon, and the glory of his divine perfection, as displayed in the
salvation of sinners by Christ, is set forth, and Christ and him
crucified is preached; and mention is made of his name as the
only one in which salvation is; of his glorious person and
offices, of his righteousness, blood, and sacrifice, for
justification, remission of sins, and atonement; and his
ordinances are administered, which are memorials of his love and
grace; there Jehovah grants his presence:
I will come unto thee:
not locally or by change of place, nor by his omnipresence
merely, so he is everywhere; nor in any visible way, but in a
spiritual manner, by the communications of his grace and favour,
see ( John
14:21-23 ) , and I will bless thee; with his presence, than
which nothing is more desirable and delightful; with the supplies
of his grace, with peace and pardon, with a justifying
righteousness, with a right and title to eternal life, with
enlarged views of these blessings and of interest in them.