Exodus 29 : 37
—by Jared Mortensen
“Whatever (or Whoever) Touches the Altar Becomes Holy”
Exodus 29 : 37
—Article by Jared Mortensen
1. What Moses Actually Recorded
During the seven-day consecration of the altar, the Lord declared:
“Seven days thou shalt make an atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and it shall be an altar most holy: whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy.” ¹
Holiness here is God-charged—like a live wire. Once the altar is fully “powered,” anything brought to it in covenant obedience shares that current.
2. Why Contact Matters in Bible Religion
Ancient worship moved on a simple equation:
Consecrated space + authorized contact = transferred holiness
That principle explains why Isaiah’s lips are purified by a coal from the altar (Isa. 6), and why the hem of Jesus’ robe heals a desperate woman (Mark 5). Holiness isn’t magic; it’s covenant energy that flows where the Lord authorizes.
3. The Altar Switched, Not the Principle
When the resurrected Christ announced, “Ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit,” He replaced the animal, not the altar.² In other words:
Sinai Pattern
New-Covenant Upgrade
Lamb laid on bronze altar
Heart laid on sacrament table
Blood sprinkled for seven days
Weekly renewal in a seven-day rhythm
Contact confers ritual holiness
Contact invites transforming grace
The sacrament table in your chapel is the authorized point of contact. Bread and water become emblems of Christ’s flesh and blood; your surrendered heart becomes the offering.
4. How a Broken Heart “Touches” the Modern Altar
A broken heart isn’t self-loathing; it’s the willingness to let the Lord break up stubborn soil so better things can grow. A contrite spirit is teachable, bendable—clay that doesn’t fight the potter. When you come to the sacrament:
Identify the piece you’re handing over. Pride? Resentment? Secret habit? Name it in prayer before the meeting starts. Place it on the altar mentally. During the bread prayer, picture sliding that piece onto the table with the tray. Accept the transfer. The ordinance’s promise—“that they may always have his Spirit to be with them”—is the moment holiness moves. His clean life flows into your offered weakness.
5. Why Weekly Repetition Matters
Exodus emphasizes seven days because completeness takes time. Our version is a seven-day loop called Sabbath. Each circuit:
exposes a fresh layer of the heart, restarts the flow of holiness, and inches us toward the “complete” (teleios) wholeness President Nelson keeps talking about.
Miss a week and the current drops; show up consistently and, over months and years, the altar does to your heart what it did to Isaiah’s lips—purifies purpose, speech, motives, everything.
6. A Simple Practice for This Sunday
Moment
What to Do
Why It Helps
Prelude music
Whisper, “Lord, show me today’s offering.”
Signals true intent
Bread is broken
Picture your heart fragment on the broken bread
Links your gift to His
Water cup passes
Hear Him say, “My holiness covers that.”
Allows grace to stick
Closing prayer
Commit to one action that proves the surrender
Converts holiness into living fruit
Holiness still transfers—altar to offering, Christ to covenant-keeper. All He asks is that the “offering” now be you, sincerely broken open and laid on the table. Touch the altar that way and, just as Moses recorded, whatever touches becomes holy.
Notes
Exodus 29 : 37 (see also a nearly identical law in Exodus 30 : 29). 3 Nephi 9 : 19–20; see also Russell M. Nelson, “Perfection Pending,” Oct 1995 GC; Bruce D. Porter, “A Broken Heart and a Contrite Spirit,” Oct 2007 GC.