Continuing a Bible study in a chronological order set forth by Skip Andrews here:
(Exodus 31:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (2) “See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah."
In the previous chapters, God had been telling Moses how to build a tabernacle, how to make the various altars and utensils that would be used in the tabernacle, and how to clothe and anoint the priests. He now told him that he had called a specific craftsman by the name of Bezaleel to do some of the work. Bezaleel was from the tribe of Judah, the grandson of Hur, who was probably the same Hur that was with Moses and Aaron and helped support Moses's hands during the battle with Amalek (Exodus 17:10-12), and who was left in charge with Aaron while Moses was on the mountain (Exodus 24:14).
(3) "And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in
understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, (4) To
devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, (5)
And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work
in all manner of workmanship."
God said He had filled Bezaleel with His own Spirit in wisdom, understanding, and knowledge in all sorts of workmanship, to be able to create and construct designs in gold, silver, brass, as well as the cutting and setting of jewels, and wood carving. This shows how the "natural talents" of a person are gifts from God. We all have seen the difference between someone who reads and studies to do something, and one who seems to have been born with a natural talent to do the same thing. That "natural" talent is God-given and God-inspired by His own spirit, and we should be ever thankful to Him for the talents we possess.
(6) “And I, behold I, have appointed with him Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have put wisdom in the hearts of all who are wise hearted, that they may make all that I have commanded you:"
God also called Aholiab, who was from a different tribe, to work with Bezaleel. The commentaries that I study suggest in so many words that this was to keep one tribe from getting too prideful. All parts of the body of Christ are needed and have honor (1 Corinthians, chapter 12). God once again said that He was the One who put wisdom in all who are wise, and He had put the talents in these two men to carry out all He had commanded Moses to make.
(7) "The tabernacle of the congregation, the ark of the Testimony and the mercy seat that is on it, and all the furniture of the tabernacle, (8) And the table and its utensils, the pure gold candlestick with all its utensils, the altar of incense, (9) And the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the laver and its base, (10) And the cloths of service, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest's office, (11) And the anointing oil, and sweet incense for the holy place; according to all that I have commanded you they shall do.”
God then gave Moses a recap of all that He had commanded him that these two men should make--the tabernacle itself, the ark with its mercy seat, all the furnishings and utensils of the tabernacle, the candlestick, the altars, the wash basin, the holy garments to be worn by the priests, the incense, and the anointing oil. All the instructions that God had given Moses in the previous several chapters, He now instructed to be carried out by Bezaleel and Aholiab.
(12) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (13) “Speak also to the children of Israel, saying, ‘Verily My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you. (14) You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you; everyone who defiles it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. (15) Six days may work be done, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD; whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.'"
In their work on the tabernacle and its furnishings, God told Moses to warn the people that they were to observe the Sabbaths of the Lord. That was a sign between God and His people that He had given them as one of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20, that was to be observed throughout their generations, and was not to be skipped even in their zeal to do God's work on the tabernacle. It was Albert Barnes, in his Notes on the Bible, who pointed out in the last chapter that here was where there was a distinction between being put to death and being cut off from his people. If you read verse 14 alone, you might assume there was a difference between defiling the Sabbath and working on the Sabbath. Perhaps defiling it was to do evil on the day or to worship idols on the day set aside for God. It was Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, who referred to Isaiah 56:2, where God said that the man was blessed who kept his hand from doing any evil on the Sabbath. Defiling, doing evil, on the Sabbath was punishable by death, but perhaps disobeying in one's zeal for God and neglecting the Sabbath, was still disobedience and punishable by excommunication, but perhaps was distinguished from the evil act deserving of death. However, when you read the verse in context along with verse 15, scripture clearly states that doing work on the Sabbath does defile it, and that act alone was punishable by death. The Sabbath was a holy day set aside for rest and devoted entirely to God. Ignoring it was defiling that holy day and was punishable by death.
(16) "‘Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. (17) It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’”
The children of Israel were admonished to always observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as an everlasting covenant between them and God, at least as long as the Mosaic law continued until the coming of the Messiah. It was a sign between God and His children, patterned after His creation week when the Lord made heaven and earth in six days, and then rested on the seventh. Not only did He rest, but He was refreshed. That is a remarkable statement regarding the God of the universe! Albert Barnes, in his Notes on the Bible, pointed out that this word "refreshed" was not applied to God anywhere else in the Bible. Indeed, I found it in only two other verses, one in Exodus 23:12 where it referred to the people being refreshed on the Sabbath day, and one in 2nd Samuel 16:14, where the king and the people refreshed themselves. Obviously, God did not have need of a rest to be refreshed, but wanted His people to imitate His example because mere humans indeed did need rest. Jesus Himself said in Mark 2:27 that the Sabbath was made for man, and not man made for the Sabbath. God made the Sabbath to be a rest and refreshment for man, and He patterned it after His creation week. In observing the Sabbath, the children of Israel declared to the world that they worshiped the one true God who created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. It was a sign that they were His people, and He was their Lord.
(18) And He gave to Moses, when He had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, two tablets of testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.
At the end of God's conversation with Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses two stone tablets, incredibly written with His own finger, a lasting record of testimony that represented the covenant between God and His people. Some theologians have suggested that God didn't actually write the tablets Himself; "with the finger of God" meant it was done instantaneously, by His will and power immediately, without the use of any instrument. Others, like Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, citing Dr. Henry Winder in his History of Knowledge, believed that not only did God write the tablets Himself, but that until He did, there had been no writing in alphabetical characters, but only marks or symbols or hieroglyphics. I don't see that that is confirmed by scripture. Back in Exodus 17:14, God told Moses to write a memorial in a book. True, it could have been written with symbols, but I see no need to prove that God invented the alphabet. I do believe it is confirmed in scripture that God Himself wrote the tablets. In Exodus 24:12, God told Moses to come up to Him on the mountain where He would give him tablets of stone which He had written. A little later in Exodus 32:16, it will refer to the writing on the tablets being the writing of God. As He always does to surely establish a fact (Deu. 19:15, Matt 18:16, 2 Cor 13:1), this was confirmed at least three times in scripture, so I believe that God did indeed write the tablets. Whether He took the time to painstakingly chisel them into stone, or spoke them and they were instantly written, I don't see that it makes a difference. God wrote the tablets so that His people would have a permanent record of His Testimony, that is, the written laws of His will concerning His people. This permanent record written by their Lord Himself emphasized the supreme importance His law was to play in their lives. I believe the stone tablets "written with the finger of God" is illustrative and representative of the fact that these laws were to be ultimately and even more permanently written on our hearts (2 Corinthians 3:3).
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Sunday, August 16, 2015
The Altar of Incense and the Ransom of Souls
Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(Exodus 30:1) "And you shall make an altar to burn incense on; you shall make it of acacia wood."
For the past several chapters, Moses has been up on the mount with the Lord who was giving him instructions on how to build a tabernacle. In the last chapter He told him how to consecrate Aaron and his sons as priests, and in this chapter we continue with instructions on how to build an incense altar. It was to be made of the same wood as the altar of burnt offering. I would imagine that where so many sacrifices were offered, it was necessary to have some incense to remove the bad smells that must have come from the slaughter of so many animals, the burning of flesh, and the sprinkling of the blood.
(2) “A cubit shall be its length and a cubit its width; it shall be square; and two cubits shall be its height; its horns shall be of the same."
The cubit being about 18 inches, this altar would be 18 inches square and about three feet high. It was to have horns of the same wood, probably of the same piece, like the horns on the altar of burnt offering.
(3) “And you shall overlay its top, its sides all around, and its horns with pure gold; and you shall make for it a crown of gold all around."
The altar was to be overlaid with pure gold on its top and sides, and even the horns were to be covered in gold. Additionally, there was to be a crown molding of gold all around. This altar would later be referred to as the golden altar.
(4) "And two golden rings you shall make for it, under the crown molding on both its sides; upon the two sides of it you shall make them, and they shall be for places for the staves to bear it all. (5) And you shall make the staves of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold."
Two golden rings were made for the altar under the crown molding on each side, into which poles or bars would be placed in order to carry the altar. The poles were also to be made of acacia wood like the altar itself, and overlaid with gold.
(6) “And you shall put it before the veil that is before the ark of the Testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the Testimony, where I will meet with you."
The incense altar was to be placed outside the veil that divided the holy place from the most holy place where the ark of the Testimony with its mercy seat was kept. Above the mercy seat, between the two cherubim, is where God had said He would meet man in Exodus 25:22.
(7) "And Aaron shall burn on it sweet incense every morning; when he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it. (8) And when Aaron lights the lamps at evening, he shall burn incense on it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations."
As Aaron was expected to tend the candle lamps every morning and every evening, so also at that time he was to burn sweet incense on the golden incense altar. Just as there was to be continual light, there was to be continual sweet incense burning throughout the generations. Once again, I would imagine that was a necessity because of the smells that must have occurred because of so many slaughtered animals, blood, and burning flesh. It made for a perpetual sweet perfume which honored God.
(9) “You shall not offer strange incense on it, nor burnt sacrifice, nor grain offering; nor shall you pour a drink offering on it."
The golden incense altar was only to have the incense specifically made for it burned on it; there were to be no other types of incense. It was not to be used for any sacrificial burning or any other types of offerings. Nothing was to be offered on it but incense, and only the incense appointed for it.
(10) “And Aaron shall make atonement upon the horns of it once a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonement; once a year he shall make atonement upon it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD.”
Once a year this altar was to be purified by the sprinkling of blood on the horns of the altar, by what was called a sin offering of atonement. This was to be done yearly throughout their generations. I'm not sure which was the most holy to the Lord, the annual atonement itself, or this altar which was most holy and must be annually purified. Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, did a beautiful job of explaining why everything was done the way it was done with regard to this altar, including many other scripture references to back up his opinion:
"This incense-altar typified, 1. The mediation of Christ. The brazen altar in the court was a type of Christ dying on earth; the golden altar in the sanctuary was a type of Christ interceding in heaven, in virtue of his satisfaction. This altar was before the mercy-seat; for Christ always appears in the presence of God for us; he is our advocate with the father (1 Jo 2:1), and his intercession is unto God of a sweet-smelling savour. This altar had a crown fixed to it; for Christ intercedes as king. 'Father, I will...' (Joh 17:24). 2. The devotions of the saints, whose prayers are said to be set forth before God as incense (Psa 141:2). As the smoke of the incense ascended, so much our desires towards God rise in prayer, being kindled with the fire of holy love and other pious affections. When the priest was burning incense the people were praying (Luk 1:10), to signify that prayer is the true incense. This incense was offered daily, it was a perpetual incense (Exo 30:8); for we must pray always, that is, we must keep up stated times for prayer every day, morning and evening, at least, and never omit it, but thus pray without ceasing. The lamps were dressed or lighted at the same time that the incense was burnt, to teach us that the reading of the scriptures (which are our light and lamp) is a part of our daily work, and should ordinarily accompany our prayers and praises. When we speak to God we must hear what God says to us, and thus the communion is complete. The devotions of sanctified souls are well-pleasing to God, of a sweet-smelling savour; the prayers of saints are compared to sweet odours (Rev 5:8), but it is the incense which Christ adds to them that makes them acceptable (Rev 8:3), and his blood that atones for the guilt which cleaves to our best services. And, if the heart and life be not holy, even incense is an abomination (Isa 1:13), and he that offers it is as if he blessed an idol (Isa 66:3)."
This really had me pondering why there had to be a blood sacrifice. Actually the more precise question I had was which came first, a necessary blood sacrifice that Christ came to fulfill, or the plan for Christ with a blood sacrifice that was a foreshadowing of Him? I don't have to know the exact answer as to why God required a blood sacrifice. He is God and is bound (I don't like that word as God is not really bound by anything) by truth and His God-like character. There are things in God's nature I cannot and don't really want to understand. If I could totally understand the mind of God, then He wouldn't be a very powerful and almighty God. So I am okay with that. However, I have never thought until now about the possibility that Christ came first and then the blood sacrifice. I know Christ came first; He has been there since the beginning (John 1:1), but I mean the plan for His sacrificial death for our sins. I did find an article here at gotquestions.org that I thought gave a satisfactory answer for this:
"The whole of the Old Testament, every book, points toward the Great Sacrifice that was to come—that of Jesus’ sacrificial giving of His own life on our behalf. Leviticus 17:11 is the Old Testament’s central statement about the significance of blood in the sacrificial system. God, speaking to Moses, declares: 'For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.'
"A 'sacrifice' is defined as the offering up of something precious for a cause or a reason. Making atonement is satisfying someone or something for an offense committed. The Leviticus verse can be read more clearly now: God said, 'I have given it to you (the creature’s life, which is in its blood) to make atonement for yourselves (covering the offense you have committed against Me).' In other words, those who are covered by the blood sacrifice are set free from the consequences of sin.
"Of course, the Israelites did not know of Jesus per se, or how He would die on their behalf and then rise again, but they did believe God would be sending them a Savior. All of the many, many blood sacrifices seen throughout the Old Testament were foreshadowing the true, once-for-all-time sacrifice to come so that the Israelites would never forget that, without the blood, there is no forgiveness. This shedding of blood is a substitutionary act. Therefore, the last clause of Leviticus 17:11 could be read either 'the blood "makes atonement" at the cost of the life' (i.e., the animal’s life) or 'makes atonement in the place of the life' (i.e., the sinner’s life, with Jesus Christ being the One giving life through His shed blood).
"Hebrews 9:11-18 confirms the symbolism of blood as life and applies Leviticus 17:11 to the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 12 states clearly that the Old Testament blood sacrifices were temporary and only atoned for sin partially and for a short time, hence the need to repeat the sacrifices yearly. But when Christ entered the Most Holy Place, He did so to offer His own blood once for all time, making future sacrifices unnecessary. This is what Jesus meant by His dying words on the cross: 'It is finished' (John 19:30). Never again would the blood of bulls and goats cleanse men from their sin. Only by accepting Jesus’ blood, shed on the cross for the remission of sins, can we stand before God covered in the righteousness of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21)."
(11) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (12) “When you take the sum of the children of Israel for their number, then every man shall give a ransom for his soul to the LORD, when you number them, that there may be no plague among them when you number them."
The Lord continued instructing Moses. He was to take literally a head count of the number of the children of Israel, and every man was to pay a ransom, or a tribute or tax. This tax or ransom was the redemption price each man paid to the Lord for redeeming his soul and bringing him into the covenant with Him. They were to pay this ransom at the time of the count so that there would be no plague among them. It appears they might incur punishment if they did not honor and pay this important ransom for their souls. The original word for "plague" was "negeph", and although it was most often used to mean "plague", the first and most literal definition indicated by Strong's is "a trip of the foot". Once again this was a picture of the coming Christ who would preserve them from the fall by sin into eternal death and destruction. Before Jesus Christ came and paid the ransom for all, the children of Israel were required to pay their own ransoms. Just as one must accept Christ's sacrifice for himself by believing in Him to cover his sins and thereby be saved from eternal death, the children of Israel had to actively participate by paying their own ransoms to avoid plague.
(13) “This is what everyone among those who are numbered shall give, half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (a shekel is twenty gerahs); a half shekel shall be the offering to the Lord."
At the time of the numbering of the children of Israel, each who was numbered was to give half a shekel. "According to the shekel of the sanctuary" probably just meant that they were to use the standard of the shekel kept in the sanctuary, as "shekel" referred to a weight in silver. A shekel, or twenty gerahs, looks to be a little more than a third of an ounce in our current weights and measures, and they were to give half of that. Thus silver was used to redeem souls in the Old Testament. This is obviously what Peter spoke of in one of my memory verses when he said in 1 Peter 1:18-19, "Forasmuch as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."
(14) “Everyone included among those who are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering to the LORD. (15) The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when you give an offering to the LORD, to make atonement for your souls."
Only the ones twenty years and older were to give this half shekel offering to the Lord. I believe we will find out later that it was only the men, and not women and children, who had to pay this ransom. That makes sense since it was silver and that might necessarily have to come from the head of the household. It also makes me ponder about how the father is to be the spiritual head of his household, and through his payment of the ransom, his family might be saved, but that is not really addressed here. Notice that the rich were not to give more than half a shekel, nor were the poor to give less than half a shekel. The price of the ransom of a soul was the same to all, as it is now in Jesus Christ. No sin or sinner requires greater payment than another; one price is paid for all, as in the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
(16) “And you shall take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shall appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, that it may be a memorial to the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls."
This ransom tax was considered atonement money as it was paid for the redemption of the souls of the children of Israel, and it was to be appointed for the service of the tabernacle. It would serve as a reminder to the children of Israel that they were sinners and deserving of death, but that a ransom price was given to and accepted by God, for the atonement of their souls, and in this they should be ever grateful of His mercy and favor.
(17) And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, (18) “You shall also make a laver of brass, and its foot also of brass, to wash; and you shall put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and you shall put water in it. (19) For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet at it."
The Lord continued to instruct Moses. He was to make a brass laver, which was a large basin or bowl, on a foot or pedestal of brass, to be placed between the tabernacle and the altar of burnt offering which was by the door of the tabernacle. It was to hold water where Aaron and his sons were to wash their hands and feet.
(20) “When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to the LORD, they shall wash with water, that they die not. (21) So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not; and it shall be a statute forever to them, to him and to his descendants throughout their generations.”
Every time Aaron and his sons went into the tabernacle or when they went near the altar to make a burnt offering to the Lord, they were to wash their hands and feet. Although cleanliness was important before entering the tabernacle and ministering to the Lord, I imagine it was symbolic of the purifying of their doings and their goings, before entering the tabernacle or ministering to the Lord. The Lord told Moses, and then repeated it, that Aaron and his sons must wash with water so that they not die. Dr. John Gill wrote, in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, about how this act was a picture of sin which exposes one to eternal death and must be washed away by the blood of the Lamb of God. It also sounds like an immediate hand of God would cause death if they neglected this command "by how much easier it was to perform it, by so much the more were they inexcusable, and to be treated with greater severity; and this is repeated, that they might carefully observe it, lest they perish". Similarly, accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior to wash away one's sins is easy on our parts, requiring no special works, and likewise should it be inexcusable if we should reject and neglect it?
(22) Moreover the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (23) "Take also for yourself principal spices, five hundred shekels of pure myrrh, half as much sweet cinnamon (two hundred and fifty shekels), two hundred and fifty shekels of sweet cane, (24) five hundred shekels of cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil. (25) And you shall make from these a holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary; it shall be an holy anointing oil."
Additionally, the Lord told Moses to take the best spices, with which He gave him the formula to make a holy ointment. First he was to take 500 shekels of pure myrrh, which would be about 12 1/2 pounds of liquid oil, with a shekel being about .4 of an ounce. He was to take half as much each of cinnamon and sweet cane, and 500 shekels of cassia, and mix them with a hin of olive oil, which would be almost a gallon of oil. He was to make of the ingredients, a holy anointing oil, after the art of the apothecary, who pounded and mixed drugs and perfumes. It was to be considered a holy anointing oil.
(26) "And you shall anoint the tabernacle of the congregation with it, and the ark of the Testimony, (27) And the table and all its utensils, the candlestick and its utensils, and the altar of incense, (28) And the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the laver and its base. (29) And you shall sanctify them, that they may be most holy; whatever touches them shall be holy."
Moses was to use the holy anointing oil to anoint the tabernacle, including the ark of the Testimony, the table, candlestick, altar of incense, altar of burnt offering, wash basin, and all the utensils pertaining to them. By this anointing, they would be sanctified and considered most holy, set apart for sacred use. Whatever touched these anointed and holy objects "shall be holy". The question might be must they be holy before they were allowed to touch, or were they made holy because they touched...? Interestingly, the NKJV made it sound as if whatever touched these things must be first holy. But what made things first holy, but being sanctified by God in the way He instructed? I believe, as in Exodus 29:37, with regard to whatever touched the holy altar, that once these items were properly sanctified, that they themselves sanctified the things that touched them, just as the altar sanctified the gifts on it. This is based on what Jesus said about the altar sanctifying gifts upon it (Matthew 23:19).
(30) “And you shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister to Me in the priest's office."
Likewise, the anointing oil was to be used in the consecration of Aaron and his sons as priests.
(31) “And you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations. (32) It shall not be poured on man’s flesh; neither shall you make any other like it, according to its composition; it is holy, and it shall be holy to you. (33) Whoever compounds any like it, or whoever puts any of it on a stranger, shall be cut off from his people.’”
Moses was instructed by God to tell the children of Israel that this holy anointing oil was to be for the Lord and to be used continually as instructed throughout their generations. They were forbidden to pour it on themselves as was the case with personal anointing oil. Nor were they allowed to make for themselves an anointing oil made with the same ingredients, because it was to be considered a holy oil to them, set apart for sacred use by and for the Lord. Whoever made a similar compound for personal use, or whoever put it on a stranger, which I believe in this case meant anyone not of the line of Aaron who were the appointed priests, would be cut off from his people. Whether this meant excommunication from the congregation of Israel, or immediate death and therefore excommunication from the living, I am not certain. Albert Barnes, in his Notes on the Bible, pointed out in a later verse, Exodus 31:14, that the Lord distinguished in the same verse about those who would be put to death and those who would be cut off from his people. Therefore, it seems reasonable to assume that this cutting off meant excommunication from the congregation of the children of Israel.
(34) And the LORD said to Moses: “Take sweet spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, and pure frankincense with these sweet spices; there shall be equal amounts of each. (35) And you shall make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy. (36) And you shall beat some of it very fine, and put some of it before the Testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with you; it shall be most holy to you."
The Lord told Moses also to take some other specific aromatic spices of equal proportions and make a perfume, again after the art of the apothecary, who pounded and mixed drugs and perfumes. Some of it was to be beaten very finely, and placed before the ark of the Testimony, which was probably on the golden incense altar (v. 6 above), where the Lord had previously promised to meet with them. It was to be considered most holy to the children of Israel.
(37) "And as for the perfume which you shall make, you shall not make any for yourselves, according to its composition; it shall be to you holy for the LORD. (38) Whoever makes any like it, to smell it, he shall be cut off from his people.”
Once again, if anyone made a perfume according to this formula for personal use, he would be excommunicated from his people. Thus God instilled in His people a reverence for the things of Him, and taught them not to abuse or profane anything by which God made Himself known to His people.
(Exodus 30:1) "And you shall make an altar to burn incense on; you shall make it of acacia wood."
For the past several chapters, Moses has been up on the mount with the Lord who was giving him instructions on how to build a tabernacle. In the last chapter He told him how to consecrate Aaron and his sons as priests, and in this chapter we continue with instructions on how to build an incense altar. It was to be made of the same wood as the altar of burnt offering. I would imagine that where so many sacrifices were offered, it was necessary to have some incense to remove the bad smells that must have come from the slaughter of so many animals, the burning of flesh, and the sprinkling of the blood.
(2) “A cubit shall be its length and a cubit its width; it shall be square; and two cubits shall be its height; its horns shall be of the same."
The cubit being about 18 inches, this altar would be 18 inches square and about three feet high. It was to have horns of the same wood, probably of the same piece, like the horns on the altar of burnt offering.
(3) “And you shall overlay its top, its sides all around, and its horns with pure gold; and you shall make for it a crown of gold all around."
The altar was to be overlaid with pure gold on its top and sides, and even the horns were to be covered in gold. Additionally, there was to be a crown molding of gold all around. This altar would later be referred to as the golden altar.
(4) "And two golden rings you shall make for it, under the crown molding on both its sides; upon the two sides of it you shall make them, and they shall be for places for the staves to bear it all. (5) And you shall make the staves of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold."
Two golden rings were made for the altar under the crown molding on each side, into which poles or bars would be placed in order to carry the altar. The poles were also to be made of acacia wood like the altar itself, and overlaid with gold.
(6) “And you shall put it before the veil that is before the ark of the Testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the Testimony, where I will meet with you."
The incense altar was to be placed outside the veil that divided the holy place from the most holy place where the ark of the Testimony with its mercy seat was kept. Above the mercy seat, between the two cherubim, is where God had said He would meet man in Exodus 25:22.
(7) "And Aaron shall burn on it sweet incense every morning; when he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it. (8) And when Aaron lights the lamps at evening, he shall burn incense on it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations."
As Aaron was expected to tend the candle lamps every morning and every evening, so also at that time he was to burn sweet incense on the golden incense altar. Just as there was to be continual light, there was to be continual sweet incense burning throughout the generations. Once again, I would imagine that was a necessity because of the smells that must have occurred because of so many slaughtered animals, blood, and burning flesh. It made for a perpetual sweet perfume which honored God.
(9) “You shall not offer strange incense on it, nor burnt sacrifice, nor grain offering; nor shall you pour a drink offering on it."
The golden incense altar was only to have the incense specifically made for it burned on it; there were to be no other types of incense. It was not to be used for any sacrificial burning or any other types of offerings. Nothing was to be offered on it but incense, and only the incense appointed for it.
(10) “And Aaron shall make atonement upon the horns of it once a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonement; once a year he shall make atonement upon it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD.”
Once a year this altar was to be purified by the sprinkling of blood on the horns of the altar, by what was called a sin offering of atonement. This was to be done yearly throughout their generations. I'm not sure which was the most holy to the Lord, the annual atonement itself, or this altar which was most holy and must be annually purified. Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, did a beautiful job of explaining why everything was done the way it was done with regard to this altar, including many other scripture references to back up his opinion:
"This incense-altar typified, 1. The mediation of Christ. The brazen altar in the court was a type of Christ dying on earth; the golden altar in the sanctuary was a type of Christ interceding in heaven, in virtue of his satisfaction. This altar was before the mercy-seat; for Christ always appears in the presence of God for us; he is our advocate with the father (1 Jo 2:1), and his intercession is unto God of a sweet-smelling savour. This altar had a crown fixed to it; for Christ intercedes as king. 'Father, I will...' (Joh 17:24). 2. The devotions of the saints, whose prayers are said to be set forth before God as incense (Psa 141:2). As the smoke of the incense ascended, so much our desires towards God rise in prayer, being kindled with the fire of holy love and other pious affections. When the priest was burning incense the people were praying (Luk 1:10), to signify that prayer is the true incense. This incense was offered daily, it was a perpetual incense (Exo 30:8); for we must pray always, that is, we must keep up stated times for prayer every day, morning and evening, at least, and never omit it, but thus pray without ceasing. The lamps were dressed or lighted at the same time that the incense was burnt, to teach us that the reading of the scriptures (which are our light and lamp) is a part of our daily work, and should ordinarily accompany our prayers and praises. When we speak to God we must hear what God says to us, and thus the communion is complete. The devotions of sanctified souls are well-pleasing to God, of a sweet-smelling savour; the prayers of saints are compared to sweet odours (Rev 5:8), but it is the incense which Christ adds to them that makes them acceptable (Rev 8:3), and his blood that atones for the guilt which cleaves to our best services. And, if the heart and life be not holy, even incense is an abomination (Isa 1:13), and he that offers it is as if he blessed an idol (Isa 66:3)."
This really had me pondering why there had to be a blood sacrifice. Actually the more precise question I had was which came first, a necessary blood sacrifice that Christ came to fulfill, or the plan for Christ with a blood sacrifice that was a foreshadowing of Him? I don't have to know the exact answer as to why God required a blood sacrifice. He is God and is bound (I don't like that word as God is not really bound by anything) by truth and His God-like character. There are things in God's nature I cannot and don't really want to understand. If I could totally understand the mind of God, then He wouldn't be a very powerful and almighty God. So I am okay with that. However, I have never thought until now about the possibility that Christ came first and then the blood sacrifice. I know Christ came first; He has been there since the beginning (John 1:1), but I mean the plan for His sacrificial death for our sins. I did find an article here at gotquestions.org that I thought gave a satisfactory answer for this:
"The whole of the Old Testament, every book, points toward the Great Sacrifice that was to come—that of Jesus’ sacrificial giving of His own life on our behalf. Leviticus 17:11 is the Old Testament’s central statement about the significance of blood in the sacrificial system. God, speaking to Moses, declares: 'For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.'
"A 'sacrifice' is defined as the offering up of something precious for a cause or a reason. Making atonement is satisfying someone or something for an offense committed. The Leviticus verse can be read more clearly now: God said, 'I have given it to you (the creature’s life, which is in its blood) to make atonement for yourselves (covering the offense you have committed against Me).' In other words, those who are covered by the blood sacrifice are set free from the consequences of sin.
"Of course, the Israelites did not know of Jesus per se, or how He would die on their behalf and then rise again, but they did believe God would be sending them a Savior. All of the many, many blood sacrifices seen throughout the Old Testament were foreshadowing the true, once-for-all-time sacrifice to come so that the Israelites would never forget that, without the blood, there is no forgiveness. This shedding of blood is a substitutionary act. Therefore, the last clause of Leviticus 17:11 could be read either 'the blood "makes atonement" at the cost of the life' (i.e., the animal’s life) or 'makes atonement in the place of the life' (i.e., the sinner’s life, with Jesus Christ being the One giving life through His shed blood).
"Hebrews 9:11-18 confirms the symbolism of blood as life and applies Leviticus 17:11 to the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 12 states clearly that the Old Testament blood sacrifices were temporary and only atoned for sin partially and for a short time, hence the need to repeat the sacrifices yearly. But when Christ entered the Most Holy Place, He did so to offer His own blood once for all time, making future sacrifices unnecessary. This is what Jesus meant by His dying words on the cross: 'It is finished' (John 19:30). Never again would the blood of bulls and goats cleanse men from their sin. Only by accepting Jesus’ blood, shed on the cross for the remission of sins, can we stand before God covered in the righteousness of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21)."
(11) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (12) “When you take the sum of the children of Israel for their number, then every man shall give a ransom for his soul to the LORD, when you number them, that there may be no plague among them when you number them."
The Lord continued instructing Moses. He was to take literally a head count of the number of the children of Israel, and every man was to pay a ransom, or a tribute or tax. This tax or ransom was the redemption price each man paid to the Lord for redeeming his soul and bringing him into the covenant with Him. They were to pay this ransom at the time of the count so that there would be no plague among them. It appears they might incur punishment if they did not honor and pay this important ransom for their souls. The original word for "plague" was "negeph", and although it was most often used to mean "plague", the first and most literal definition indicated by Strong's is "a trip of the foot". Once again this was a picture of the coming Christ who would preserve them from the fall by sin into eternal death and destruction. Before Jesus Christ came and paid the ransom for all, the children of Israel were required to pay their own ransoms. Just as one must accept Christ's sacrifice for himself by believing in Him to cover his sins and thereby be saved from eternal death, the children of Israel had to actively participate by paying their own ransoms to avoid plague.
(13) “This is what everyone among those who are numbered shall give, half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (a shekel is twenty gerahs); a half shekel shall be the offering to the Lord."
At the time of the numbering of the children of Israel, each who was numbered was to give half a shekel. "According to the shekel of the sanctuary" probably just meant that they were to use the standard of the shekel kept in the sanctuary, as "shekel" referred to a weight in silver. A shekel, or twenty gerahs, looks to be a little more than a third of an ounce in our current weights and measures, and they were to give half of that. Thus silver was used to redeem souls in the Old Testament. This is obviously what Peter spoke of in one of my memory verses when he said in 1 Peter 1:18-19, "Forasmuch as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."
(14) “Everyone included among those who are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering to the LORD. (15) The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when you give an offering to the LORD, to make atonement for your souls."
Only the ones twenty years and older were to give this half shekel offering to the Lord. I believe we will find out later that it was only the men, and not women and children, who had to pay this ransom. That makes sense since it was silver and that might necessarily have to come from the head of the household. It also makes me ponder about how the father is to be the spiritual head of his household, and through his payment of the ransom, his family might be saved, but that is not really addressed here. Notice that the rich were not to give more than half a shekel, nor were the poor to give less than half a shekel. The price of the ransom of a soul was the same to all, as it is now in Jesus Christ. No sin or sinner requires greater payment than another; one price is paid for all, as in the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
(16) “And you shall take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shall appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, that it may be a memorial to the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls."
This ransom tax was considered atonement money as it was paid for the redemption of the souls of the children of Israel, and it was to be appointed for the service of the tabernacle. It would serve as a reminder to the children of Israel that they were sinners and deserving of death, but that a ransom price was given to and accepted by God, for the atonement of their souls, and in this they should be ever grateful of His mercy and favor.
(17) And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, (18) “You shall also make a laver of brass, and its foot also of brass, to wash; and you shall put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and you shall put water in it. (19) For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet at it."
The Lord continued to instruct Moses. He was to make a brass laver, which was a large basin or bowl, on a foot or pedestal of brass, to be placed between the tabernacle and the altar of burnt offering which was by the door of the tabernacle. It was to hold water where Aaron and his sons were to wash their hands and feet.
(20) “When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to the LORD, they shall wash with water, that they die not. (21) So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not; and it shall be a statute forever to them, to him and to his descendants throughout their generations.”
Every time Aaron and his sons went into the tabernacle or when they went near the altar to make a burnt offering to the Lord, they were to wash their hands and feet. Although cleanliness was important before entering the tabernacle and ministering to the Lord, I imagine it was symbolic of the purifying of their doings and their goings, before entering the tabernacle or ministering to the Lord. The Lord told Moses, and then repeated it, that Aaron and his sons must wash with water so that they not die. Dr. John Gill wrote, in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, about how this act was a picture of sin which exposes one to eternal death and must be washed away by the blood of the Lamb of God. It also sounds like an immediate hand of God would cause death if they neglected this command "by how much easier it was to perform it, by so much the more were they inexcusable, and to be treated with greater severity; and this is repeated, that they might carefully observe it, lest they perish". Similarly, accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior to wash away one's sins is easy on our parts, requiring no special works, and likewise should it be inexcusable if we should reject and neglect it?
(22) Moreover the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (23) "Take also for yourself principal spices, five hundred shekels of pure myrrh, half as much sweet cinnamon (two hundred and fifty shekels), two hundred and fifty shekels of sweet cane, (24) five hundred shekels of cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil. (25) And you shall make from these a holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary; it shall be an holy anointing oil."
Additionally, the Lord told Moses to take the best spices, with which He gave him the formula to make a holy ointment. First he was to take 500 shekels of pure myrrh, which would be about 12 1/2 pounds of liquid oil, with a shekel being about .4 of an ounce. He was to take half as much each of cinnamon and sweet cane, and 500 shekels of cassia, and mix them with a hin of olive oil, which would be almost a gallon of oil. He was to make of the ingredients, a holy anointing oil, after the art of the apothecary, who pounded and mixed drugs and perfumes. It was to be considered a holy anointing oil.
(26) "And you shall anoint the tabernacle of the congregation with it, and the ark of the Testimony, (27) And the table and all its utensils, the candlestick and its utensils, and the altar of incense, (28) And the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the laver and its base. (29) And you shall sanctify them, that they may be most holy; whatever touches them shall be holy."
Moses was to use the holy anointing oil to anoint the tabernacle, including the ark of the Testimony, the table, candlestick, altar of incense, altar of burnt offering, wash basin, and all the utensils pertaining to them. By this anointing, they would be sanctified and considered most holy, set apart for sacred use. Whatever touched these anointed and holy objects "shall be holy". The question might be must they be holy before they were allowed to touch, or were they made holy because they touched...? Interestingly, the NKJV made it sound as if whatever touched these things must be first holy. But what made things first holy, but being sanctified by God in the way He instructed? I believe, as in Exodus 29:37, with regard to whatever touched the holy altar, that once these items were properly sanctified, that they themselves sanctified the things that touched them, just as the altar sanctified the gifts on it. This is based on what Jesus said about the altar sanctifying gifts upon it (Matthew 23:19).
(30) “And you shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister to Me in the priest's office."
Likewise, the anointing oil was to be used in the consecration of Aaron and his sons as priests.
(31) “And you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations. (32) It shall not be poured on man’s flesh; neither shall you make any other like it, according to its composition; it is holy, and it shall be holy to you. (33) Whoever compounds any like it, or whoever puts any of it on a stranger, shall be cut off from his people.’”
Moses was instructed by God to tell the children of Israel that this holy anointing oil was to be for the Lord and to be used continually as instructed throughout their generations. They were forbidden to pour it on themselves as was the case with personal anointing oil. Nor were they allowed to make for themselves an anointing oil made with the same ingredients, because it was to be considered a holy oil to them, set apart for sacred use by and for the Lord. Whoever made a similar compound for personal use, or whoever put it on a stranger, which I believe in this case meant anyone not of the line of Aaron who were the appointed priests, would be cut off from his people. Whether this meant excommunication from the congregation of Israel, or immediate death and therefore excommunication from the living, I am not certain. Albert Barnes, in his Notes on the Bible, pointed out in a later verse, Exodus 31:14, that the Lord distinguished in the same verse about those who would be put to death and those who would be cut off from his people. Therefore, it seems reasonable to assume that this cutting off meant excommunication from the congregation of the children of Israel.
(34) And the LORD said to Moses: “Take sweet spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, and pure frankincense with these sweet spices; there shall be equal amounts of each. (35) And you shall make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy. (36) And you shall beat some of it very fine, and put some of it before the Testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with you; it shall be most holy to you."
The Lord told Moses also to take some other specific aromatic spices of equal proportions and make a perfume, again after the art of the apothecary, who pounded and mixed drugs and perfumes. Some of it was to be beaten very finely, and placed before the ark of the Testimony, which was probably on the golden incense altar (v. 6 above), where the Lord had previously promised to meet with them. It was to be considered most holy to the children of Israel.
(37) "And as for the perfume which you shall make, you shall not make any for yourselves, according to its composition; it shall be to you holy for the LORD. (38) Whoever makes any like it, to smell it, he shall be cut off from his people.”
Once again, if anyone made a perfume according to this formula for personal use, he would be excommunicated from his people. Thus God instilled in His people a reverence for the things of Him, and taught them not to abuse or profane anything by which God made Himself known to His people.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)