Tabernacle Lectures (54) 5 cubits

God said to make the altar with a width of 5 cubits, a length of 5 cubits, and a height of 3 cubits. We can discover the heart of God from the dimensions of the altar. God is telling us something else through the 5 cubits. Numbers have meaning in the Bible. 3 represents God, 4 represents hardship, 6 is the number of man, and 7 is used to show perfection. God uses the number 5 to reveal his grace.

The story of the disciples receiving the Holy Spirit freely by grace during the Pentecost (Feast of 50 Days) is recorded in Acts. In Luke 7, it talks about the man who owed 500 denarii and the man who owed 50 denarii getting their debts cancelled. Jesus uses the number 5 when he talks about cancelling the debt in this story, because he wants to show that God freely cancelled our debts by his grace. At the pool of Bethesda in John 5, it says there are five porches. God’s grace is hidden in these five porches as well.

God always used the number 5 to show his grace. The length of the four sides of the altar is 5 cubits, and this means God wants to pour his grace on mankind through the altar. Whether you look at it from the east, or from the west, no matter what side you look at it, it is clearly showing us that we can receive the God’s grace. This altar represents the cross of Jesus Christ and it means that God wants to pour his grace upon us through the cross.