Horn
Not a car horn. Not a trumpet or trombone.
A horn.
Scripture says that the Lord will exalt the horn of the righteous but cut off the horns of the wicked.
Last time I checked I have no horns.
Horns on Humans?
Apparently though, horn, in the Bible, metaphorically represents a person’s strength or power.
For example, the horn of Israel represents the strength of Israel. Similarly, all the apocryphal beasts of the Bible also have horns. This means that they have strength that the Lord allows to exist for a time. Nevertheless, we are told that God will cut off the horns of the wicked and lift up the horns of the righteous (Psalm 75:10).
Even the blowing of the horn, (e.g. a ram’s horn) represents strength either in battle or celebration. We are told that the joy of the Lord is our strength. When facing battle the Ram’s horn would be blown to call the people to battle in strength. In the same way, when Moses and Joshua came down the mountain they heard the sound of the Ram’s horn. Joshua thought it meant war, but Moses recognized that it was the sound of celebration not war. The Ram’s horn means strength/joy in battle or joy/strength in celebration. The joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10).
So…a horn.
Apparently, metaphorically, I have one. You do too. Okay, I’m good with that.
Horns On Altars?
But there is another place that the Bible uses horn that seems a bit unusual. Moses was commanded to put horns on both the altar of Burnt offering in the outer court and the altar of incense in the Holy Place.
Now, if horn represents power, then what power would an altar represent? Doesn’t an altar symbolize sin, weakness and death? Where’s the power?
Well, actually horns on an altar make complete sense. We are told that in our weakness Christ is made strong (2 Cor. 12:10). Because of the power of sin, we (all humanity) have lost our power and strength.
But, God intends that the weak would say, “I am strong.”
So, the altar represents the place where our power is acknowledged as corrupted by sin and therefore weakened to the point of death; and laid down. The altar is the place where our faulty power is burned up and God’s power is received. The altar is the covenantal place of God’s strength forgiving our sins and graciously giving us new strength. We are made righteous by the blood of the sacrifice and God lifts up our horn.
It makes total sense that an altar would have horns reminding that only God’s power is truly righteous.
Because of Sin We Need Our Horns Fixed
Think about it. Sin, so often, is the use of our power to achieve selfish purposes.
Lust is the counterfeit to the power of love which ends up using others for our own satisfaction. Greed is the counterfeit to the power of giving and prosperity. Instead of using the power to help others greed uses power to protect self and buy things for self which can result in oppressing others. Lying and cursing uses the power of the tongue for selfish purposes; for death instead of life. Stealing uses power to get not give, to destroy and not build up.
The enemy comes to steal and kill and to destroy, but Christ came that we might have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10).
The altar of Burnt Offering represents our recognition that our horn or power has been used for selfish sinful purposes. Our horn is broken and weak. Therefore, we need to die to our own power, put it on the altar and get forgiveness from God.
Horns with Incense?
So, then what about the other altar; the altar of incense in the Holy Place? Again, we find that there are horns on it. There are horns on both the altars in the Tabernacle, both the altar of Burnt Offering and the altar of incense.
Well, let’s review for a second. Horns represent power. You and I have metaphorical horns representing our strength. God says he will exalt the horns of the righteous and cut off the horns of the wicked. Since you and I have been wicked, we need to take our sin to the Altar that has horns. Our power, our broken horn is put on the altar and God’s power forgives us and restores power back to us.
Now, let’s look at the altar of incense. The altar of incense also has horns. The question is this: what power do we have versus what power does God have.
The horns on the altar of incense make complete sense.
All through the book of Revelation we find incense offered before the Lamb along with the prayers of the saints. It would seem that the Altar of Incense represents the prayers of the Saints that have been saved up. The Altar of incense represented the prayers of the people of God constantly going up before God.
Prayers are a sweet aroma (incense) to God. If the Altar of Incense represents God’s house being a house of prayer for all nations, then it should have horns. Our prayers to God are powerful. The powerful and effectual prayers of a Righteous man availeth much. (James 5:16).
Remember, our prayers happen at an altar where we recognize again that our horn is not sufficient. Instead, we need God to lift up our horn. If God lifts up our horn, as he lifts up the Righteous, then our horn will be lifted up. We need God’s power not our own.
We need to pray to the one who has all power, whose horn is always exalted.
Which Horns are More Important?
Finally, a strange set of passages in Leviticus 4 talks about the need to make atonement for both the Altar of Incense and the Altar of Burnt Offering by sprinkling blood on the horns of those altars.
This is important. If horns represent strength, then atonement for those altars means the strength of what is done on those altars. If atonement was not made, the sacrifices on those altars would be weakened. God would not forgive.
However, there is a difference between atoning for the first altar as opposed to the second. The difference would seem to indicate a difference in the power that each altar represents. Follow me here. We have power (a horn) as individuals but we also have power (a horn) as a corporate body. The difference in atoning for the two altars seems to address that difference.
Let’s look at the sin offering. If there was a sin offering for a leader or member of the community then only the Altar of Burnt Offering would have blood sprinkled on its “horns”. If, on the other hand, there was a sin offering to be made for either the anointed Chief Priest or the entire community then both the horns of the Altar of Burnt Offering and the horns of the Altar of Incense needed to be sprinkled with blood.
Why the difference? Why sprinkle blood on one but not the other for a leader or member of the community? Why sprinkle blood on both for a chief priest or the entire community’s sin?
When you and I sin, our sin affects only our personal standing before God, it only affects our forgiveness and right standing personally before God. Therefore, only the Altar of Burnt Offering (that dealt with sin) would have blood sprinkled on its horns.
However, if the whole community sins or the anointed Chief Priest sins, then the prayers of the entire nation, represented by the Altar of Incense, would not be effective. Special atonement would need to be made so that the prayers of the nation would be made effective again. Blood would need to be sprinkled on the horns of the Altar of Incense as well.
Jesus’ Triumphant Approach to the Horns of the Altar
All this brings us to Psalm 118 which describes the arrival of a righteous man at the gates of Righteousness (118:19-20). It is a victorious Psalm where we are told that the stone that the builders rejected has become the capstone (119:22-23). It celebrates the arrival of that rejected victor with the phrase shouted on Palm Sunday by the crowds: Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! (118:26-27) It says that shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous (118:15-16). It proclaims that this is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it (118:24).
So, what is the day that the Lord has made where this righteous man arrives at the gates of righteousness?
It is the day that the festal procession goes up to the “horns of the altar” (118:27). It is the day when Jesus rode over the crest of the Mt. of Olives on the back of a colt to shouts of “Hosanna!” As Jesus rode west down the Mt. of Olives into Jerusalem he was facing the front of the Temple, which faced East, where the horns of the altar awaited His Blood.
The celebration of Psalm 118, its festal procession, was the one that led to the altar. In Jesus case it meant his sacrifice. In fact, the day after Palm Sunday Jesus drove the money changers out of the Temple. His house was to be a house of prayer (Altar of Incense) for all nations, not a den of robbers. The gates of righteousness had opened for the stone that the builders had rejected.
Christ arrived. His sacrifice on the altar and his blood on the Horns of the Altar made it the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. O glorious day! Let shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous. The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things for us and reigns on high (Psalm 118:15-16).
Christ’s death fulfills the meaning of the altar. The altar restores our horn and renews our strength. It is God’s power. It is cause for celebration. Despite the death of the sacrifice, Christ’s righteousness becomes our righteousness. The life we now live we live by the power of Christ. We live in the power that resurrected Christ Jesus from the dead!
The blood of the sacrifice must be sprinkled on the horns of both altars (both Altar of Incense and Altar of Burnt Offering). Each individual needs forgiveness. But, in the same way, each nation needs God’s forgiveness through Christ. Otherwise, God might not hear the prayers of the nation.
So, the Lord will lift up the horn of the righteous, but the horns of the wicked will be cut off. At the altar of Christ’s crucifixion, we let our wicked, broken horns be cut off and let the horns of God’s altar be our strength.
Sounds like a good reason to blow the Ram’s horn. The joy of the Lord is our strength (our horn). One day, Christ will return to the sound of Ram’s horns again. Maranatha! Jesus said he would not return until the Jews say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,” (Matt 23:39) which they did not do on Palm Sunday, when Jesus was first headed to the horns of the altar.
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