Exodus 30

1 “Then make another altar of acacia wood for burning incense.

2 Make it 18 inches square and 36 inches high, with horns at the corners carved from the same piece of wood as the altar itself.

3 Overlay the top, sides, and horns of the altar with pure gold, and run a gold molding around the entire altar.

4 Make two gold rings, and attach them on opposite sides of the altar below the gold molding to hold the carrying poles.

5 Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.

6 Place the incense altar just outside the inner curtain that shields the Ark of the Covenant, in front of the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—that covers the tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant. I will meet with you there.

7 “Every morning when Aaron maintains the lamps, he must burn fragrant incense on the altar.

8 And each evening when he lights the lamps, he must again burn incense in the LORD ’s presence. This must be done from generation to generation.

9 Do not offer any unholy incense on this altar, or any burnt offerings, grain offerings, or liquid offerings.

10 “Once a year Aaron must purify the altar by smearing its horns with blood from the offering made to purify the people from their sin. This will be a regular, annual event from generation to generation, for this is the LORD ’s most holy altar.”

11 Then the LORD said to Moses,

12 “Whenever you take a census of the people of Israel, each man who is counted must pay a ransom for himself to the LORD . Then no plague will strike the people as you count them.

13 Each person who is counted must give a small piece of silver as a sacred offering to the LORD . (This payment is half a shekel, based on the sanctuary shekel, which equals twenty gerahs.)

14 All who have reached their twentieth birthday must give this sacred offering to the LORD .

15 When this offering is given to the LORD to purify your lives, making you right with him, the rich must not give more than the specified amount, and the poor must not give less.

16 Receive this ransom money from the Israelites, and use it for the care of the Tabernacle. It will bring the Israelites to the LORD ’s attention, and it will purify your lives.”

17 Then the LORD said to Moses,

18 “Make a bronze washbasin with a bronze stand. Place it between the Tabernacle and the altar, and fill it with water.

19 Aaron and his sons will wash their hands and feet there.

20 They must wash with water whenever they go into the Tabernacle to appear before the LORD and when they approach the altar to burn up their special gifts to the LORD —or they will die!

21 They must always wash their hands and feet, or they will die. This is a permanent law for Aaron and his descendants, to be observed from generation to generation.”

22 Then the LORD said to Moses,

23 “Collect choice spices—12 pounds of pure myrrh, 6 pounds of fragrant cinnamon, 6 pounds of fragrant calamus,

24 and 12 pounds of cassia —as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel. Also get one gallon of olive oil.

25 Like a skilled incense maker, blend these ingredients to make a holy anointing oil.

26 Use this sacred oil to anoint the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant,

27 the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and all its accessories, the incense altar,

28 the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the washbasin with its stand.

29 Consecrate them to make them absolutely holy. After this, whatever touches them will also become holy.

30 “Anoint Aaron and his sons also, consecrating them to serve me as priests.

31 And say to the people of Israel, ‘This holy anointing oil is reserved for me from generation to generation.

32 It must never be used to anoint anyone else, and you must never make any blend like it for yourselves. It is holy, and you must treat it as holy.

33 Anyone who makes a blend like it or anoints someone other than a priest will be cut off from the community.’”

34 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Gather fragrant spices—resin droplets, mollusk shell, and galbanum—and mix these fragrant spices with pure frankincense, weighed out in equal amounts.

35 Using the usual techniques of the incense maker, blend the spices together and sprinkle them with salt to produce a pure and holy incense.

36 Grind some of the mixture into a very fine powder and put it in front of the Ark of the Covenant, where I will meet with you in the Tabernacle. You must treat this incense as most holy.

37 Never use this formula to make this incense for yourselves. It is reserved for the LORD, and you must treat it as holy.

38 Anyone who makes incense like this for personal use will be cut off from the community.”

Exodus 30 Commentary

Chapter 30

The altar of incense. (1-10) The ransom of souls. (11-16) The brazen laver. (17-21) The holy anointing oil, The perfume. (22-38)

Verses 1-10 The altar of incense represented the Son of God in his human nature, and the incense burned thereon typified his pleading for his people. The continual intercession of Christ was represented by the daily burning of incense thereon, morning and evening. Once every year the blood of the atonement was to be applied to it, denoting that the intercession of Christ has all its virtue from his sufferings on earth, and that we need no other sacrifice or intercessor but Christ alone.

Verses 11-16 The tribute was half a shekel, about fifteen pence of our money. The rich were not to give more, nor the poor less; the souls of the rich and poor are alike precious, and God is no respecter of persons, ( Acts 10:34 , Job 34:19 ) . In other offerings men were to give according to their wordly ability; but this, which was the ransom of the soul, must be alike for all. The souls of all are of equal value, equally in danger, and all equally need a ransom. The money raised was to be used in the service of the tabernacle. Those who have the benefit, must not grudge the necessary charges of God's public worship. Money cannot make atonement for the soul, but it may be used for the honour of Him who has made the atonement, and for the maintenance of the gospel by which the atonement is applied.

Verses 17-21 A large vessel of brass, holding water, was to be set near the door of the tabernacle. Aaron and his sons must wash their hands and feet at this laver, every time they went in to minister. This was to teach them purity in all their services, and to dread the pollution of sin. They must not only wash and be made clean, when first made priests, but must wash and be kept clean, whenever they went to minister. It teaches us daily to attend upon God, daily to renew our repentance for sin, and our looking to the blood of Christ for remission; for in many things we daily offend.

Verses 22-38 Directions are here given for making the holy anointing oil, and the incense to be used in the service of the tabernacle. To show the excellency of holiness, there was this spiced oil in the tabernacle, which was grateful to the sight and to the smell. Christ's name is as ointment poured forth, So. 1:3 , and the good name of Christians is like precious ointment, ( Ecclesiastes 7:1 ) . The incense burned upon the golden altar was prepared of sweet spices. When it was used, it was to be beaten very small; thus it pleased the Lord to bruise the Redeemer, when he offered himself for a sacrifice of a sweet-smelling savour. The like should not be made for any common use. Thus God would keep in the people's minds reverence for his own services, and teach us not to profane or abuse any thing whereby God makes himself known. It is a great affront to God to jest with sacred things, and to make sport with his word and ordinances. It is most dangerous and fatal to use professions of the gospel of Christ to forward wordly interests.

Footnotes

• [a]. Hebrew 1 cubit [46 centimeters] long and 1 cubit wide, a square, and 2 cubits [92 centimeters] high.
• [b]. Or Ark of the Testimony; also in 30:26 .
• [c]. Hebrew that covers the Testimony; see note on 25:16 .
• [d]. Or make atonement for; also in 30:10b .
• [e]. Or 0.2 ounces [6 grams].
• [f]. Or to make atonement for your lives; similarly in 30:16 .
• [g]. Hebrew Tent of Meeting; also in 30:18, 20, 26, 36 .
• [h]. Hebrew 500 [shekels] [5.7 kilograms] of pure myrrh, 250 [shekels] [2.9 kilograms] of fragrant cinnamon, 250 [shekels] of fragrant calamus.
• [i]. Hebrew 500 [shekels] [5.7 kilograms] of cassia.
• [j]. Hebrew 1 hin [3.8 liters] of olive oil.
• [k]. Hebrew in front of the Testimony; see note on 25:16 .

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 30

This chapter treats of the altar of incense, its form and use, Ex 30:1-10 of the ransom of the Israelites, with the half shekel when numbered, Ex 30:11-16 of the laver for the priests to wash their hands and feet at before service, Ex 30:17-21 of the anointing oil, the ingredients of it, and what was to be done with it, Ex 30:22-33, and of the perfume, the composition and use of it, Ex 30:34-38.