"God gives Moses instructions on how to build an incense altar, where to place it in the tabernacle, and when to perform an incense offering before the Lord. Once a year, Aaron is to perform the purification rite on the horns of the altar. He is to use the blood of the sin offering for atonement. Atonement money for the purification of sin is to be collected from the Israelites. Both the poor and the rich are to give the same amount of money. This money is used for the service of the tent of meeting. It will serve as a reminder for the Israelites before the Lord to atone for, or ransom, their lives. The Lord tells Moses to make a bronze basin for washing and a bronze stand for it. Before entering the tent of meeting the priests must wash their hands and feet or they will die. The Lord tells Moses to prepare an anointing oil and to anoint the tent of meeting and all the things within it. Also, Aaron and his sons are to be anointed and consecrated to be able to serve God as priests. The Lord tells Moses to prepare a sacred incense and put it in front of the testimony in the tent of meeting. This is where God will meet with the Israelites."
Exodus 30 Amplified Bible (AMP)
The Altar of Incense30 “You shall make an altar upon which to burn incense; you shall make it of acacia wood. 2 It shall be a cubit long and a cubit wide. It shall be square and it shall be two cubits high. Its horns of one piece with it. 3 You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and its sides all around, and its horns; and you shall make a gold molding all around it. 4 You shall make two gold rings under its molding, make them on the two side walls—on opposite sides—they shall be holders for the poles with which to carry it. 5 You shall make the poles of acacia wood overlaid with gold. 6 You shall put the altar of incense [in the Holy Place] in front and outside of the veil that screens the ark of the [a]Testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the Testimony, where I will meet with you. 7 Aaron shall burn sweet and fragrant incense on it; he shall burn it every morning when he trims and tends the lamps. 8 When Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations. 9 You shall not offer any strange incense on this altar, or burnt offering or meal offering; you shall not pour out a drink offering on it. 10 Once a year Aaron shall make atonement [for sin] on its horns. He shall make atonement on it with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once a year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.”
- ALTAR SPECIFICALLY FOR INCENSE. Incense means "a substance that is burnt to produce a sweet smell, especially as part of a religious ceremony." Every altar was important to God, and were made of pure gold. One of our five senses was 'smelling', and if we have been made in the image and likeness of God, then God can smell too and He loves sweet and fragrant smells, like in the incense. Our lives can also figuratively smell good, or bad, before God.
Our sins make our lives smell bad. But through Lord Jesus Christ's death, and resurrection on the cross, giving us salvation and a blessed living hope-- our lives can now smell good before the Lord. When we receive and accept Jesus in our hearts, we are being "atoned". The https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/atone gives a very interesting meaning of the word "atone":
"To atone is to do something "right" to make up for doing something wrong. Religious believers are known to atone for their sins, but even students can atone for a past failure by acing a quiz or two.
The word atone came to English as a contraction of the words at and one. The verb means to make amends or reparations for an offense or wrong doing. You can remember the meaning by thinking of it as a sort of Zen concept, to be "at one" or in harmony with someone, you have to atone for your mistakes and be forgiven. In a religious sense, it means to repent for sins ("to atone for his sins")."
To be atoned by Christ, is to be AT ONE with Him.❤️ That means, we surrender to Christ. We let go and abandon our sinful nature or lifestyles, we repent, and then we receive Jesus' atonement, redemption, and restoration :)
11 Then the Lord said to Moses, 12 “When you take the census of the Israelites, each one shall give a ransom for himself to the Lord when you count them, so that no plague will come on them when you number them. 13 This is what everyone who is counted shall give [as he joins those already counted]: a half shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel (the shekel is twenty gerahs); a half shekel as a contribution to the Lord. 14 Everyone who is counted, from twenty years old and over, [as he joins those already counted], shall give this contribution to the Lord. 15 The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when you give this contribution to the Lord to make atonement for yourselves. 16 You shall take the atonement money from the Israelites and use it [exclusively] for the service of the Tent of Meeting, so that it may be a memorial for the Israelites before the Lord, to make atonement for yourselves.”
- CONTRIBUTION TO THE LORD. I wonder how long it took for Moses and the leaders to get all the census (an official count or survey of a population, typically recording various details of individuals), of all the Israelites, who were 2 or more million at that time. Anyway, God gave a commandment that the Israelites were to pay or to give a specific amount as a "ransom" for themselves. It ensured their protection (from plagues). Ransom means "a sum of money or other payment demanded or paid for the release of a prisoner." This act is very symbolic of what Christ did on the cross-- we were a prisoner/captive of our sins, and it is Jesus who paid the price in full for all of us. In the past, Moses and the Israelites, did in physical the things that was needed for "atonement" of sins. These were all foreshadowing and pointing to what Jesus will do spiritually.
"Knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot." 1 Peter 1:18-19
- ONLY JESUS CAN ATONE US. Atonement means 'reparation for a wrong or injury'. We can never repair or pay our way to 'salvation' with our own good works. Only Jesus can save us.
"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace," Ephesians 1:7
"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed." 1 Peter 2:24
"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed." 1 Peter 2:24
The Bronze Basin
17 Then the Lord said to Moses, 18 “You shall also make a basin of bronze, with a base of bronze, for washing. You shall put it [outside in the court] between the Tent of Meeting and the altar [of burnt offering], and you shall put water in it. 19 Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet. 20 When they enter the Tent of Meeting, they shall wash with water, so that they will not die. Also, when they approach the altar to minister, to burn an offering in the fire to the Lord [they shall do the same]. 21 They shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they will not die; it shall be a perpetual statute for them, for Aaron and his descendants throughout their generations.”
- SPIRITUAL CLEANLINESS. Again, this bronze basin for the washing of hands and feet of the priests seems the "physical" representation or foreshadowing of what Jesus, our "High Priest" was destined to do for us, in His death on the cross. He is the "Living Water" who will not only fill us up, but also spiritually cleanse us from all our sins.
"The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!" Hebrews 9:13-14
"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin." 1 John 1:7
The Anointing Oil
22 Moreover, the Lord said to Moses, 23 “Take for yourself the best spices: five hundred shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much—two hundred and fifty—of sweet-scented cinnamon, and two hundred and fifty of fragrant cane, 24 and five hundred shekels of cinnamon blossom according to the sanctuary shekel, and a hin of olive oil. 25 You shall make of these a holy anointing oil, a perfume mixture, the work of a perfumer; it shall be a sacred anointing oil. 26 You shall anoint the Tent of Meeting with it, and the ark of the Testimony, 27 and the table [for the bread] and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense, 28 and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin [for cleansing] and its base. 29 You shall consecrate them, that they may be most holy; whatever touches them must be holy (set apart for God). 30 You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may serve as priests to Me. 31 You shall say to the Israelites, ‘This shall be a holy and sacred anointing oil, to Me [alone] throughout your generations. 32 It shall not be poured on anyone’s body, nor shall you make any like it in the same composition. It is holy, and it shall be sacred to you. 33 Whoever prepares any like it or puts any of it on a layman shall be cut off from his people [excluding him from the atonement made for them].’”
- OIL AS SYMBOL OF GOD'S SPIRIT. Anoint means "to smear or rub with oil, typically as part of a religious ceremony" ; "to rub or sprinkle on; apply an unguent, ointment, or oily liquid to. to smear with any liquid. to consecrate or make sacred in a ceremony that includes the token applying of oil: He anointed the new high priest. to dedicate to the service of God." The task or calling as a priest or a High Priest was big deal, and it is very serious, or else it could lead to deaths. Sin separated us from God, but God made a way for us to be near Him. For the time of Moses, He made arrangements so the Israelites could be near God, or could be called His people. God made a way, and they needed to obey. But their obedience was limited, because of man's sins (in general). But through them, God will send His Son Jesus to fulfill everything that was foreshadowed from this "Tabernacle", including the oil, which He anoints (or gifted to) everyone who believe and accepted Him as their Lord and Savior.
"You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him." Acts 10:38
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” John 14:15-21
34 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take sweet and fragrant spices—stacte, onycha, and galbanum, sweet and fragrant spices with pure frankincense; there shall be an equal amount of each— 35 and make incense with it, a perfume, the work of a perfumer, salted, pure and sacred. 36 You shall crush some of it [into a] very fine [powder], and put some of it before the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you; it shall be most holy to you. 37 The incense which you shall make, you shall not make in the same proportions for yourselves; it shall be holy to you for the Lord. 38 Whoever makes any like it, to use as perfume shall be cut off from his people [excluding him from the atonement made for them].”
Footnotes: Exodus 30:6 This is a reference to the two stone tablets inscribed by God that will be given to Moses (31:18).
After reading, I always check out the Study Guide Commentary from David Guzik (very helpful!):
i. It was in the holy place of the tabernacle together with the golden lampstand and the table of showbread. “The table of showbread represented communion with God, the lampstand spoke of testimony to the world, and now the golden altar speaks of the offering of adoration.” (Morgan)
i. Incense is a picture of prayer, in the sweetness of its smell and the way it ascends to heaven (golden bowls of incense, which are the prayers of the saints, according to Revelation 5:8). The ministry at the altar of incense speaks of how God’s people should continually come to Him in prayer.
ii. Revelation 8:3-4 describes the golden altar of incense standing before Gods’ throne: Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand.
i. Prayer is not the place sacrificial atonement is made; it is the place sacrificial atonement is enjoyed. We don’t save ourselves through prayer; we pray because of Jesus’ saving work on the cross.
ii. This illustrates the principle that prayer does not atone for our sins, but must always be made in reference to Jesus’ atoning blood. The Day of Atonement was only once a year, but every day when the priests brought a morning and evening offering of incense they saw the blood stained horns of the altar. This was a constant reminder of the work of atoning blood.
b. That there may be no plague among them when you number them: A census put Israel at risk of plague because a census (a numbering) signified ownership. This spoke against God’s ownership of Israel, because in their thinking, a man only had the right to count or number what belonged to him. Israel didn’t belong to Israel; Israel belonged to God. It was up to Him to command a counting.
i. If a count was made without receiving the ransom money, a census communicated the idea that a king or a human leader owned Israel, when God alone did. This was David’s problem in 2 Samuel 24:1-25, when David took a census without the ransom money and God plagued Israel.
i. This ransom money spoke clearly: everyone owes God; everyone is obligated to Him. “The Lord commanded that every male over twenty years of age should pay half a shekel as redemption money, confessing that he deserved to die, owning that he was in debt to God, and bringing the sum demanded as a type of a great redemption which would by-and-by be paid for the souls of the sons of men.” (Spurgeon)
ii. Instead of a pattern of our own giving, this money was a picture of the cost of our own redemption. “The rich were not to give more, the poor not to give less; to signify that all souls were equally precious in the sight of God, and that no difference of outward circumstances could affect the state of the soul; all had sinned, and all must be redeemed by the same price.” (Clarke)
The bronze laver speaks of the washing that is necessary for anyone who would come into the presence God.
i. The idea was later expressed in a Psalm: Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and pure heart. (Psalm 24:3-4)
ii. When Jesus washed the disciple’s feet, He told them: He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean (John 13:10). When we come to Jesus we are initially cleansed (1 Corinthians 6:11), but must also be continually washed from the dust and dirt of the world by having our feet washed by Jesus.
iii. An important way this washing takes place is through God’s Word: the washing of water by the word. (Ephesians 5:26)
c. Nor shall you make any other like it…it is holy, and it shall be holy to you: This shows that the work of the Holy Spirit is never to be imitated. There is to be no place for encouraging a man-made imitation of the gifts or operations of the Holy Spirit. To do this denies the holiness of the Holy Spirit, regarding His work as something we can do just as well on our own.
b. Whoever makes any like it, to smell it, he shall be cut off from his people: God was so concerned to protect the unique character of the tabernacle incense that He commanded excommunication for anyone who would make these holy things common.
Reference and credits to https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/guzik_david/StudyGuide2017-Exd/Exd-30.cfm ©2013 David Guzik
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