And they shall cleanse the altar of the ashes, and spread a purple cloth thereon;
The altar of burnt offering stood in the open court, the place of sacrifice, and now it has to travel. Before each move they cleared away its ashes and spread a purple cloth over it — and commentators read both details as a picture of Christ.
The ashes were not rubbish. One writer explains this from the Hebrew word used for them.
There are two words for "ashes": one is the general term, largely used in the language of mourning... The other word is only used in connection with the sacrifices, and literally means "fat."... Ashes are the witness that the fire has done its work, the witness of an accomplished and accepted sacrifice. So an older translation's margin at Psalm 20:3 reads, "The Lord turn to ashes your burnt sacrifice." The text there says "accept," and the margin explains what that means. This witness of an accepted sacrifice is not a sign of sorrow — the other word is used for that — nor a sign of worthlessness. There is nothing worthless in the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The other holy furniture travelled under blue or scarlet. The altar alone had purple, and the reason lies in what happened on it.
With the bronze altar we see a clear difference. It was covered with "purple" instead of "blue" or "scarlet." Why was this? No doubt it is because the bronze altar pictured Christ in advance as the One who "suffered for sins," and who will therefore hold the royal sceptre. "Purple" is the royal colour. The One who suffered in this world shall reign. The One who wore the crown of thorns shall wear the crown of glory. So we can see how fitting the "purple" covering is on the bronze altar — for on that altar the victim was offered.
Purple on an altar joins two things the world keeps apart: a place of death and the colour of a king. One writer ties it to the words written over Jesus on the cross.
The bronze altar was different. Its covering was a purple cloth, the royal colour. If we suffer, we shall reign. There is a connection between the cross and the crown upon the earth and in heaven. So it was with Christ, the King of the Jews, as the inscription written on the cross said. And the very throne of God was the answer to His sufferings. He was the burnt offering, offered by the power of the eternal Spirit acting in man, and meeting the demand of the divine majesty.
Another writer sees the same altar reaching further than Israel's borders:
The ark speaks of Him whom death could not hold... the table tells of the law of the Lord going out to the nations while Israel stands before Him for His pleasure. But the altar of burnt offering, where sin was dealt with, is above all the Cross... Here we see the universal reach of the Cross. Like the three liftings up in John's Gospel, it rises from Israel and the earth to the whole creation.
Nobody marching through the desert saw the purple. The outer skins hid it, and the order of the layers carries its own message about timing.
The purple cloth went straight onto the altar. Purple is royalty, and this makes the meaning clear. It is the sufferings of Christ — as seen in the altar — and the glories that should follow, as shown by the purple. The cross first, and then the crown. But the altar was in the wilderness, and so the badgers' skins were outside, covering up the purple. The time for taking up the royal glory of Christ had not yet arrived. In the meantime only the badgers' skins were seen — the emblem of the holy watchfulness that guarded Him from evil as He passed through the wilderness in rejection, waiting for the time of His kingdom.
The censers, forks, shovels and basins were not wrapped separately. They were set down on the purple cloth itself, so that the whole apparatus of service rested on the royal colour.
So all that related to the service was placed on purple; the altar was under this covering. The badgers' skins here, as always, were spread over all.
That arrangement is applied to believers who are asked to endure now:
"If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him." Our reigning with Christ does not depend in any way on our present suffering. But suffering here is the appointed path for those who will be joined with Christ in His kingdom. Scripture pictured this in the instruction about the altar: the purple cloth was spread on it first, with its vessels, and badgers' skins covered it for the journey through the wilderness.
- Ashes — finished. The word for sacrificial ashes is not the word for mourning. The ashes prove that the fire finished its work and the offering was accepted.
- Purple — crowned. Only the altar of sacrifice travelled under the royal colour. The One who suffered for sins is the One who will reign.
- Cross — answered. The throne of God was the answer to Christ's sufferings, and the inscription over the cross named Him King.
- Skins — hidden. In the wilderness the skins hid the purple. The royal glory is real, but its time has not yet come.
- Path — shared. The cross comes first, then the crown: suffering now is the appointed road for those who will reign with Him.
and they shall put upon it all the utensils thereof, wherewith they perform service about it the firepans, the forks, and the shovels, and the bowls, -- all the utensils of the altar; and they shall spread upon it a covering of badgers' skin, and put its staves [to it].
The ashes come off the bronze altar, a purple cloth goes over it, and every tool used there goes on top for the journey. Commentators read this packing list as a portrait of Christ: suffering at the altar, royal glory to follow, and a plain covering over both for now.
Only one item of tabernacle furniture wore royal cloth. The reason lies in what happened on it.
Finally, in reference to the bronze altar, we notice a marked distinction. It was covered with "purple" instead of "blue" or "scarlet." Why was this? No doubt because the bronze altar pictured Christ as the One who "suffered for sins." He will therefore hold the sceptre of royalty. "Purple" is the royal colour. The One who suffered in this world will reign. The One who wore the crown of thorns will wear the crown of glory. So the "purple" covering fits the bronze altar morally — for on that altar the victim was offered… Thousands could read Numbers 4 again and again and never notice that the ark alone, of all the tabernacle furniture, wore no badger skin. And how many have failed to notice that the bronze altar alone put on the "purple"?
The purple went on first, and the rough outer skin went over it. Where the ESV says "covering of goatskin," the older translations quoted here say "badgers' skins."
The purple cloth was put directly on the altar. Purple is royalty, and this makes the meaning clear. It is the sufferings of Christ — seen in the altar — and the glories that would follow, shown by the purple. The cross first, and then the crown. But the altar was in the wilderness, and so the badgers' skins were outside, covering up the purple. The time for taking up the royal glory of Christ had not yet arrived. Meanwhile the badgers' skins were all that could be seen. They picture the holy watchfulness that guarded Him from evil as He passed through the wilderness in rejection, waiting for the time of His kingdom.
Purple on an altar is not a small local detail. It settles who has the right to rule everything.
How fitting also that the altar, which spoke of the sufferings and death of the Saviour, should be covered with purple under the badger skins. All will acknowledge that His universal dominion rests for its foundation on His death, as Revelation 5 shows so clearly. The "beasts" of Revelation 13 grasp at power. The only One worthy to receive it is "the Lamb who was slain." To this we all add our worshipful "Amen" even today.
The verse lists four tools by name, and all of them go on top of the purple.
So everything connected with the service was placed on purple; the altar was under this covering. The badgers' skins here, as always, were spread over all.
Two of these tools carry Hebrew names that describe their work, and all of them were made of copper.
God's judicial righteousness was at work in every act. The whole dealing, both in our Lord's death and in what followed, rested on that unbending, unyielding character. So the basins (mizrekoth, from a word meaning "to sprinkle") were of copper. They received the blood, and from them it was poured or sprinkled on the altar. The full measure of judgment had been poured out… The use of the flesh-hooks (mizlegoth, from a root meaning to "draw up") is not stated. It seems they were for handling the various parts of the sacrifice at different stages. All was in keeping with divine justice, to which the Holy One willingly submitted.
Putting in the poles was the last act before the march. It shaped how these men served, and how they walked.
It was no question of choice for them. Their service was simple obedience, yet very near to God — and, if their heart was in it, a rare delight. And notice too, they had to walk together. No vessel of the sanctuary could be carried without a bar, which means at least two bearers. Every personal consideration had to be set aside. One might be stronger than another, or able to walk faster. But neither the strong nor the weak could decide the pace or the time. That depended only on the cloud, which directed every movement of the camp.
The colours, the order, the poles — none of it was open to discussion, and that is the lasting lesson drawn from the chapter.
As we survey the whole of Numbers 4, we cannot help being struck by the way God ordered everything connected with His wilderness house, leaving nothing to man's preference or choice… We are only right as we serve under the direction of the Spirit of God. It is not for us to pick and choose.
- Cross first. The altar is where the victim was offered; everything else in the verse is stacked on that.
- Crown next. Purple is royal colour, and it goes on the altar alone — the One who suffered is the One who will reign.
- Cover meanwhile. The outer skin hides the purple, because the time for His royal glory had not yet come.
- Claim worldwide. His universal dominion rests for its foundation on His death; the Lamb who was slain is the only One worthy.
- Carry together. The poles required at least two bearers, walking at the pace the cloud set — service God orders, not service we pick.