Symbolic Structures In Biblical Worship

In the Bible, the primary aspect of God's character is that he is "holy," not only in the sense of being good and righteous, but in the sense of being "sacred, sacrosanct," set apart from the ordinary. The Lord's people, because they belong to him, participate in his holiness (Lev. 20:26). But not only are the Lord and his people holy; physical objects, including structures and the space they represent or enclose, can be separated to God for his exclusive use and thus serve a symbolic function as windows into sacred reality. This is true of the altar, the tent (tabernacle), and the temple. The Altar The Hebrew word mizbe,"altar," means a place of sacrifice. Except for the altar of the tabernacle and temple, which was originally a portable altar of bronze, altars erected in the Bible were of stone. The Pentateuch (Exod. 20:24-26) stipulates that altars are to be constructed of earth (that is, brick) or of stone; if made of stone, the stones must not be cut with chisels because "you …