[Exodus 30] The Incense of Prayer and Oil of the Anointing: In this chapter, Moses is instructed regarding the fashion of the Altar of Incense and the ingredients of the anointing oil. The incense speaks of the prayer life of the believer and the intercession of Christ. The oil is a type of the anointing of the Holy Ghost for which there was to be no substitute.
[Exo 30:1-38 KJV] 1 And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: [of] shittim wood shalt thou make it. 2 A cubit [shall be] the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; foursquare shall it be: and two cubits [shall be] the height thereof: the horns thereof [shall be] of the same. 3 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about. 4 And two golden rings shalt thou make to it under the crown of it, by the two corners thereof, upon the two sides of it shalt thou make [it]; and they shall be for places for the staves to bear it withal. 5 And thou shalt make the staves [of] shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. 6 And thou shalt put it before the vail that [is] by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that [is] over the testimony, where I will meet with thee. 7 And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it. 8 And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations. 9 Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon. 10 And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it [is] most holy unto the LORD. 11 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 12 When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when [thou] numberest them. 13 This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel [is] twenty gerahs:) an half shekel [shall be] the offering of the LORD. 14 Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the LORD. 15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when [they] give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls. 16 And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the Tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls. 17 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 18 Thou shalt also make a laver [of] brass, and his foot [also of] brass, to wash [withal]: and thou shalt put it between the Tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein. 19 For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat: 20 When they go into the Tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the LORD: 21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, [even] to him and to his seed throughout their generations. 22 Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 23 Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred [shekels], and of sweet cinnamon half so much, [even] two hundred and fifty [shekels], and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty [shekels], 24 And of cassia five hundred [shekels], after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin: 25 And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil. 26 And thou shalt anoint the Tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony, 27 And the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick and his vessels, and the altar of incense, 28 And the altar of burnt offering with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot. 29 And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy. 30 And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that [they] may minister unto me in the priest’s office. 31 And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be an holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations. 32 Upon man’s flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make [any other] like it, after the composition of it: it [is] holy, [and] it shall be holy unto you. 33 Whosoever compoundeth [any] like it, or whosoever putteth [any] of it upon a stranger, shall even be cut off from his people. 34 And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; [these] sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like [weight]: 35 And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure [and] holy: 36 And thou shalt beat [some] of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the Tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy. 37 And [as for] the perfume which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves according to the composition thereof: it shall be unto thee holy for the LORD. 38 Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from his people.
The chapter begins (vs. 1-6) with God instructing Moses regarding the altar of incense, which will be placed within the inner court or Holy Place of the Tabernacle. Remember now, there are three compartments in the Tabernacle (the elaborate tent that God instructs Moses to build that facilitated Israel’s worship of Jehovah). The three compartments were the outer court, the inner court, and the Holy of Holies. Throughout the Tabernacle, various artifacts were used in sacrifices and other priestly activities, including the altar of incense, described here.
When you stepped from the outer court into the inner court, the first thing you would see was the altar of incense before the veil leading to the Holy of Holies. This inner court contained three pieces of furniture: the table of showbread, the golden lampstand, and the altar of incense. The altar of incense stood in the middle directly in front of the entrance to the holy of holies and the ark of the covenant with the mercy seat thereon.
The altar of incense was acacia wood overlaid with gold. Now the first altar (in the outer court) was wood overlaid with brass. So there are two altars. Both altars speak to us about prayer. The brazen altar represents repentance to deal with sin to establish fellowship with God. The altar of incense represented consecration leading to relationship and entering into the Shekinah light of God that was the only illumination in the Holy of Holies.
The acacia wood used to construct the altar of incense represents humanity. The altar does not represent the ministry of angels or the relationship of angels but the relationship available between man and God. Throughout the Tabernacle in all three sections or compartments, you could find angels, but they were depicted in a supporting role to what the priests were doing in terms of serving before God and bringing the people before God.
In v. 2, we see that the altar of incense was foursquare (representing the four gospels; and the four primary tenets of faith (salvation, baptism in the Holy Ghost; Healing; and return of Christ). The altar was two cubits in height and one cubit in width; therefore, it was twice as high as it was wide. This speaks to us about the priorities of consecration in the kingdom. Before we reach out, we need to reach up. Our connection to God must be stronger than our connection to men. We cannot allow ourselves to become so horizontally focused on others that we lose our vertical commitment to God. Simply put, you must seek the face of God before you seek the face of man.
Like the Ark of the Covenant, and the brazen altar, the altar of incense had a crown and horns as well – this speaks to us of the power of the kingdom of God and the authority of the believer as a reminder that we are KINGS and PRIESTS.
Lastly, the altar of incense was designed with rings and staves to be mobile (v. 4). The God who never changes requires us to be willing to live our lives in a constant state of change. The enemy has worked for centuries to compel God’s people to be resistant to change, but the undeniable theme of everything God is saying to us in the Tabernacle is that of living our lives in continual anticipation of relinquishing the familiar to follow the cloud of His presence wherever He may choose to lead us.
In v. 7-10, we see instructions concerning the use of this altar. Aaron was to burn incense upon it every morning and every evening. This speaks of Jesus who intercedes for us continually before the Father:
[Heb 7:25 KJV] 25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
It also speaks of the believer’s prayer life and the fact that we are to live our lives in a continual backdrop of prayer. The apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians and elsewhere in this regard:
[Eph 6:18 KJV] 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
[1Th 5:17 KJV] 17 Pray without ceasing.
[Col 4:2 KJV] 2 Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;
In v. 9, the priests were strictly warned about offering only the incense God commanded and no other on this altar. There would be no strange incense or other sacrifice made. In other words, you cannot blend in the worship of other gods or new age philosophies, as is popular today. Also, this altar was for incense only. There was no meat or animal sacrifice made on this altar.
That was provided for on the brazen altar whose sacrifices represented the death of Jesus on the cross. What we are to learn from this is that the brazen altar represents what Jesus offers up, and the altar of incense represents what we offer up. Meat offerings reflect the substitutionary work of Christ that we cannot enter into in any way. We cannot suffer vicariously for others because suffering arises from sin, and we are born in sin. Thus any suffering that comes to us is the just penalty for the residence of the sinful nature in us even if we cannot identify specific transgression.
Thus we see that Jesus offers Himself on the Brazen Altar, and we offer up prayer on the altar of incense. When it does encourage prayer, Christian culture always tries to back it up with some sort of sacrifice. This can be anything from getting up earlier than normal to seek God, or thinking that God is moved by our fasting or even those who crawl on their knees or flagellate themselves thinking God somehow is moved by such actions. All such thoughts of what moves God’s hand in prayer reflect a lack of faith in what God did for us in Jesus. We feel that isn’t enough, so we add our piety, or religious sacrifice or self-denial to our prayers thinking that is necessary to be heard. This is inaccurate thinking on our part, and to teach so is false doctrine. We see then, shadowed in the design and placement of the altar of incense, is a clear testimony that it is CHRIST ALONE and what He did for us that moves God to act, not anything we can do or say from the perspective of religious culture to effect answered prayer.
In v. 10, we see that the basis of prayer is the atonement of Christ. Aaron would consecrate the altar of incense once a year with the blood of atonement from the sacrifice on the Brazen altar. This is a picture of our prayers made efficacious by the applying of the blood of Christ. As Aaron applied the blood of an animal to the altar of incense, so Jesus adds His intercession to our prayers offered up in type and shadow.
The wording to describe what Aaron is doing here is “atonement.” The word atonement means to “expiate or condone, to placate or cancel:— appease, make (an atonement, cleanse, disannul, forgive, be merciful, pacify, pardon, purge (away), put off, (make) reconcile.”
This tells us that there is nothing that moves God’s hand other than what Christ did for us and who He is to us. We connect to the substitutionary work of Christ through faith expressed in contrition, humility, and prayer.
In vs. 11-12, Moses is instructed that when the sum of the people is taken, every person shall give a ransom of half a shekel for their soul in order that there be no plague among them. This tells us that when David numbered the people in 2 Samuel 24:1 that while the census was taken, there was no payment of the ransom amount of half a shekel; thus, a plague broke out upon the people.
In this verse, also we see reference to God’s promises regarding our good health. God is concerned about your well being. If we can actualize what this verse speaks of, we will see an impact in the area of our physical well being.
What does the half a shekel represent? What is the ransom God accepts for us? Christ alone. Not religious works, morality, proper standing with Christian culture. Christ alone. The shekel of the sanctuary as this payment will later be called, tells us something about Christ.
In v. 13, we see that the shekel was exactly twenty gerahs. Twenty is the number of witness and testimony.
In v. 14, the ransom was gathered from every person who was twenty years old and older. Twenty was the age of maturity signifying that God expects that who Jesus is to us will bring us to maturity as Paul testifies in Ephesians 4:
[Eph 4:13-14 KJV] 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 14 That we [henceforth] be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, [and] cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
In v. 15, we see that there are no class distinctions in Christ. The same amount was due from both rich or poor. This is the basis of all legitimate social justice. Elitism, prejudice, effete attitudes, or sectarianism have no place in the economy of God.
In v. 16, we see that the money was to be used for the service of the Tabernacle. Becoming a believer is connection and selling yourself into God’s larger purpose. Jesus is not a garnishment or improvement to a self-absorbed lifestyle.
In vs. 17-21 attention turns from the altar of incense in the Holy Place (also known as the Inner Court) to another item to be placed in the Outer Court between the Brazen Altar and the Altar of Incense, specifically a laver (lavatory) of brass for hand washing which speaks to us of the word of God by which we cleanse ourselves. This laver (mentioned elsewhere) was made from hand mirrors donated by the women of Israel thus, when one would bend to wash their hands, they would see themselves reflected in it. James tells us that this represents the washing of our lives in the word of God:
[Jas 1:23 KJV] 23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
This laver again is of brass and not of gold. Brass speaks of judgment. Everything in the Outer Court represented aspects of God’s judgment that had to be satisfied in order to proceed into the deeper connection with God represented in the Inner and Inmost courts.
[1Co 11:31-32 KJV] 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
In this lavatory (v. 21), they were to wash their feet (speaking of our walk with God) and their hands (speaking of works). All of this represents the obligation we have as believers to hold ourselves accountable to the word of God that acts as a cleansing agent in our lives which Jesus spoke of in the gospel of John:
[Jhn 15:3 KJV] 3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
In Ephesians 5, Paul applied this specifically to the role of husbands in regard to ministering to their wives.
[Eph 5:25-26, 28 KJV] 25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, … 28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
This laver was positioned at the entrance to the holy place. Another important difference between the outer court and the inner court is only the priests (those active in the priesthood) could enter. So the motive for washing is to be clean, so you could connect to the higher purposes of God.
In v. 22 God gives Moses the formulary for the anointing oil that was used in Tabernacle worship and later in the Temple. How did God speak to Moses? Most think that Moses heard God’s audible voice, but Moses gave a different description. In Duet. 32:2 we read “My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:” This tells us that the voice of God was a very subtle and nuanced thing, as gentle and unassuming as the dew that appears on the grass every morning.
In v. 23, we see the specific ingredients of the sacred oil, which represents the anointing of the Holy Spirit:
Myrrh: the word used here means “to be bitter.” Jesus took the bitterness of life for us.
Cinnamon: (to be upright.) God anoints us not only for might outward acts but for inward purity and uprightness.
Calamus: (a piercing reed or spear). Jesus was pierced in our behalf. It also means to be purchased. The anointing on our lives doesn’t commend us or any quality we have but rather speaks of the purchased price of Calvary for our lives.
Cassia: (means to bend down in deference.) The anointing flows strongest when we operate in humility and deference and worship to God and not ourselves.
Olive Oil: Olive oil was obtained by beating and pressing. Jesus was stricken for us that we might receive the anointing of the Spirit.
In vs. 29-30, Moses is commanded to anoint Aaron and his sons before the people with the anointing oil. This was to make them “most holy.” What does holiness mean? The word used here means: “to consecrate, sanctify, prepare, dedicate, be hallowed, be holy, be sanctified, be separate.” The anointing of the Holy Spirit does not make us Christian celebrities. It has nothing to do with being pretty or handsome, or talented or charismatic. The anointing speaks entirely of God’s glory and not the glory of man, as v. 32 warns us, it is not to be poured out upon flesh or used in any fleshly purpose. Likewise, v. 33 says that there shall be no substitute. In today’s church, God’s people are incapable for the most part of discerning between human charisma and Holy Ghost anointing for the two have become interchangeable in the Dark Church where the lights are down low, and the atmosphere is more akin to a night club than a house of worship.
