Exodus · chapter 30 of 40
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Exodus 30 adds four elements to the worship of the tabernacle: the altar of incense, which Aaron burns morning and evening; the half-shekel atonement money each Israelite pays when counted; the bronze basin for the priests to wash; and the anointing oil and the holy incense, which are used only for God.
After the instructions for the altar of burnt offering, the ordination of the priests and the daily offering, God completes the worship with further elements. Exodus 30 gathers the altar of incense, the census offering, the basin for washing, the oil and the incense. All of it points to the same thing: approaching God requires atonement, cleansing and consecration.
The first element is the altar of incense, of acacia wood overlaid with gold, small, one cubit by one cubit and two cubits high, with horns, rings and poles. It is placed in front of the veil, before the ark of the testimony. Aaron will burn fragrant incense on it every morning when he tends the lamps and every evening when he lights them, throughout the generations. No other incense or burnt offering may be offered on it. Once a year Aaron will make atonement on its horns with the blood of the sin offering.
When Moses takes a census of the Israelites, everyone twenty years old and over must pay half a shekel as a ransom for his life. The rich will not pay more nor the poor less. That money goes to the service of the tent of meeting and serves as a reminder before the Lord to make atonement for their lives.
A bronze basin with its stand is also to be made, so that Aaron and his sons may wash their hands and feet before entering the tent or approaching the altar, so that they do not die. The anointing oil is described, a blend of myrrh, cinnamon, fragrant cane, cassia and olive oil, with which the tent, the ark, the furniture and the priests are anointed; it may not be used for anything else or poured on ordinary people. Finally the holy incense is prepared with fragrant spices, which likewise may not be imitated for private use.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Aaron burns fragrant incense every morning and every evening on the altar. The smoke rising before the Lord is a picture of prayer that goes up continually and sustains Israel's worship.
Each Israelite must give a ransom for his life when the census is taken, so that no plague comes among them. The numbers of the people are not a matter of pride: life belongs to God and is ransomed.
The rich give no more than half a shekel and the poor no less. Before God, all are worth the same and all need atonement equally.
Aaron and his sons wash their hands and feet before entering the tent or approaching the altar, so that they do not die. Cleansing before service shows the holiness of God and the seriousness of approaching him.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: In front of the veil that stood before the ark of the testimony. — Exodus 30:6
Answer: Every morning, when he tended the lamps, and every evening, when he lit them. — Exodus 30:7-8
Answer: Half a shekel, as a ransom for his life so that there would be no plague. — Exodus 30:12-13
Answer: None: the rich gave no more and the poor no less than half a shekel. — Exodus 30:15
Answer: For Aaron and his sons to wash their hands and feet before serving. — Exodus 30:18-20
Answer: It was not to be poured on ordinary people nor imitated for ordinary use. — Exodus 30:32-33
The incense that rises each morning and evening teaches that prayer is part of the daily rhythm of one who follows God. A small group can ask how its life of constant prayer is going, and whether fellowship with God has shrunk to occasional events.
The equal half-shekel teaches that before God no one is worth more or less. The church is a place where rich and poor, leader and newcomer, receive the same grace. And the bronze basin reminds us that serving God calls for a clean heart: it is worth examining whether there is something to confess before serving in the church.
Exodus 30 completes the elements of worship with the incense, the atonement, the washing and the consecration. Chapter 31 introduces the people God filled with skill to build all this and repeats the command about the sabbath.
The text explains that the payment prevented a plague when the people were counted. Counting Israel was not to be a reason for pride or human power. The ransom reminded them that every life belongs to God and needs atonement.
In several passages it is connected with prayer rising before God, as in the Psalms and in Revelation. In this chapter the text does not explain it, but the image of smoke rising to the Lord has helped readers see that connection.
Because it was reserved as holy to the Lord. The prohibition taught that what God sets apart for his worship must not be used for common purposes, and it protected the people from treating what is sacred lightly.