Journal Through the Bible: Week 15 Saturday

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Exodus chapter 30


Does God  make any promises in this chapter?

• None specified, but many implied! For instance, by making the proper oils and incense to be offered to God the implication is that God would accept the people and their offering. This is good news, indeed!

Are there any references to Jesus?

• The incense offered upon the altar was made up of certain precious spices, including some that were used in burial. Note the use of frankincense, which was one of the gifts that the wise men brought to Jesus. The burning of frankincense was one way to hold down insect infestation, something that would be very important where the slaughtering of animals was a daily activity. Scripture tells us that Jesus' body did not decay (Psalm 16:10, for instance) and that by the time the women arrived at His tomb He had already arisen from the dead which meant that His body did not need the spices that they brought for odors or preservation of the corpse. These spices that God had the Hebrews compound as an acceptable incense to be offered in His Tabernacle presence were a reminder of the coming death of the Messiah. In the New Testament two women poured precious ointments upon Jesus who said that these acts were done in preparation for His burial and would forever be a memorial to these ladies.
• The money taken for ransom was a symbol of Jesus. In Mark 10:45 Jesus said that He came to serve others and to give his life a ransom for many. In other words, He is the payment given for the atonement of His children.
• The laver is a picture of Jesus also. In this case, perhaps, as a servant washing the sinner. We cannot enter into the presence of the holy God unless we are cleansed by the blood of the Messiah. Jesus described the new birth to Nicodemus in two ways: "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (John 3:5). Paul tells us that it is the washing of water by the word that cleanses us. (Ephesians 5:26) and he also described it as the washing of regeneration (Titus 3:5). Ceremonial washing was never enough to make someone acceptable to God, whether it was the priests going about their duties in the Tabernacle or Temple or one of Jesus' disciples that was baptized by John the Baptist (that would be Judas). Jesus told Peter when He washed the disciples' feet that they - His disciples - were clean, but not all, meaning Judas.

Are there any references to eternity or future events?

• Any visions of  the pure Christ (for instance in John's vision in Rev. 1:14-18)  and even in His pre-crucifixion appearance upon the Mount of Transfiguration picture Jesus in a clean white robe that compare to the whiteness of snow or whiter than any launderer could make. David and the prophet Isaiah used snow to describe the appearance of a sinner that had been cleansed (see Psalm 51:7 and Isaiah 1:18). John tells us in First John 3:2-3 that we are the sons of God (because we are purified, or washed) and will be like Christ.
• John says in Rev. 5:8 that the twenty-four elders that he saw in his vision had harps and gold vials full of odours (incense) and that these are the prayers of the saints (those of us who are the redeemed). Say your prayers, Christian! They are incense offered to your God!

Does God issue any commands?

• God commands the Hebrews to make an altar for burning incense and gives the pattern for it and the ceremony for keeping incense offered upon it.
• God commanded a census to be taken and money to be taken for every male twenty years old and older as a ransom for the atonement of their souls. This money was to be used for the service of the Tabernacle (and later the Temple).
• God commanded a laver to be made of brass so that the priests could wash their hands and feet before entering the Tabernacle.
• God commanded anointing oil to be made according to the compounding recipe that He gave. Everything was to be anointed with this mixture as a means of sanctifying them for service. The priests were also to be anointed with this mixture. No one else was to make themselves a perfumed compound exactly like it: this was specially reserved for Tabernacle use.
• God gave the recipe for the concoction of incense that was to be burnt upon the altar of incense. No one was allowed to make this compound into their personal perfume.