The altar itself was "foursquare" in shape and burned all day, every day (Leviticus 6:12-13). Each side was 7.5 feet long. The altar's height was 4.5 feet. (You'll thank me in a moment for saving you from Googling the cubit to foot calculation!)
In Exodus 27:1-8 we can read the specific instructions God gave to Moses about the construction of the altar (all the Temple, actually) when Moses was on Mt. Sinai getting the 10 Commandments and other instructions for the people of Israel.
1“Build an altar of acacia wood, three cubitsa high; it is to be square, five cubits long and five cubits wide.b 2Make a horn at each of the four corners, so that the horns and the altar are of one piece, and overlay the altar with bronze. 3Make all its utensils of bronze—its pots to remove the ashes, and its shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks and firepans. 4Make a grating for it, a bronze network, and make a bronze ring at each of the four corners of the network. 5Put it under the ledge of the altar so that it is halfway up the altar. 6Make poles of acacia wood for the altar and overlay them with bronze. 7The poles are to be inserted into the rings so they will be on two sides of the altar when it is carried. 8Make the altar hollow, out of boards. It is to be made just as you were shown on the mountain. (NIV)
It is important to note that no matter who entered this area of the Temple, they could pass no further until confession of sin was made and the sin was pardoned. No one was "good enough" to skip this step. Furthermore, no sacrifice (of time, of money, of anything) accomplished this pardon from the Lord other than the shedding of an animal's blood. This truth is stated in Leviticus 17:11 below (again, God speaking to Moses):
For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you on the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes an atonement for the soul. (American KJV)
and by the writer of Hebrews (referring to Jesus Christ's sacrificial death):
Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
Hebrews 9:22 (ESV)
When the animal sacrifice was presented, it represented the sinner. The innocent sacrifice by laying on of hands took on the sins of the sinner. Then, the priest slit its throat in a violent manner, demonstrating that the consequences of sin are death. The animal's blood covered the sinner's sin, until the time for the next sacrifice for the sinner's sin. The animal's blood foreshadowed the "once for all" sacrifice of Messiah Jesus, the Sinless dying for the sinful... His cleansing blood is forever efficacious. It forgives all a believer's sins, forever, something the blood of the animal could never do. The fact that the Bronze Altar burned 24/7, however, did foreshadow the eternality of the Son's ultimate sacrifice.
The horns on the four corners of the altar were not merely decorative. They represented a place of safe haven for those seeking safety from pursuers. In the Old Testament the horns of an animal always signified strength and power. (See Psalm 89:17 and Lamentation 2:3.) The priests were instructed to wipe some of the animal's blood on the horns of the altar. In this, not only was God's power represented but also His mercy seen. A man falsely accused of murder could run to the altar and grab its horns. If he were innocent, his life would be spared. (See Exodus 21:12-14.) . This happened with King David's son, Adonijah, and also of King David's general, Joab.
All the utensils used in conjunction with the Altar of Bronze were .... wait for it .... made of bronze! I won't go into each of them here. Check out the link under Sources if you want more information about each. I do, however, want to mention the ashes from the sacrifices. There was a strict protocol for the disposal of them. Why? They were considered precious because they signified not only complete destruction but also God's acceptance of the sacrifice. They also symbolized purification and cleansing. You may remember that, when Jewish people were in deep mourning, they would rub ashes on their bodies. Ashes from the altar were also applied to make the unclean clean again.
For the unclean person, put some ashes from the burned purification offering into a jar and pour fresh water over them.
Numbers 19:17 (NIV)
The Bronze Altar was closely linked to another piece of Temple "furnishings" or "appointments", the Altar of Incense. Because of this, we'll examine it next in our "Temple Tour".
Source:
http://www.bible-history.com/tabernacle/TAB4The_Bronze_Altar.htm
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