— by Victor Fawole
I welcome everyone to Exodus 30 – where God gave instructions for the Israelites’ worship practices and the construction of the Tabernacle. Let’s get into it right away.
1. THE AROMATIC ALTAR
Exo. 30:1,7 “You shall make an altar to burn incense on; you shall make it of acacia wood… “Aaron shall burn on it sweet incense every morning; when he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it.
The altar had one purpose – to burn incense unto God. No sacrifices are to be offered on this altar. The incense altar was smaller in size and made from richer material than the altar of burnt offering.
The Bible regularly uses incense to symbolize prayers (Psa. 141:2, Rev. 5:8, Rev. 8:3-4). The ministry at the altar of incense speaks of how God’s people should continually come to Him in prayer. If the priests could burn incense every day and night, I encourage us all to have our Personal Spiritual Devotion every morning and night (2Tim. 1:3, 1Kgs. 8:29, Neh. 1:6). In fact, the clear instruction we have is to pray without ceasing (1Thess. 5:17), just as God commanded them to offer a “perpetual incense” throughout the generations (Exo. 30:8). There’s a sweetness that our prayers carry when they ascend to God.
2. THE TABERNACLE TAX
Exo. 30:11-12 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “When you take the census of the children of Israel for their number, then every man shall give a ransom for himself to the Lord, when you number them, that there may be no plague among them when you number them.
Census is a serious matter in Israel. The idea of census signifies ownership. A person has the right to count or number only what belongs to him.The nation of Israel didn’t belong to Israel or their leaders; Israel belonged to God. Only God had the exclusive right to command a census to be done. And whenever this was done, every man that is counted (20 years old and above) must pay half a shekel (Exo. 38:25-28). This sanctuary tax is sometimes called the “poll tax” or the “half-shekel tax”, and later became the yearly “Temple tax”.
This tax (ransom) is another reminder that God is the source of their lives. God purchased them out of slavery and they now belonged to God. Also, whenever they carry out a census for the purpose of war, the ransom paid signifies God generously giving them back their lives so that they could enjoy His protection. Many Bible scholars believe that this was David’s problem in 2Sam. 24, when he took a census without the ransom money and God plagued Israel.
It’s interesting to note the following about the tabernacle tax:
- a. The Tribute
…every man shall give a ransom for himself to the Lord…
Every adult male under the covenant must give a ransom for his life to avoid plagues and death. None of them is left out. Salvation is a personal and individual matter. No one can redeem his brother (Psa. 49:7). Same thing about humanity. All have sinned, regardless of birth, wealth, position, education, civilization, etc. God’s Word is clear. We must be ransomed in order to be saved. Thank You Jesus, my Perfect Ransom from sin, death, and hell (Mark 10:45, 1Tim. 2:6).
- b. The Tally
…The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel…
The ransom is the same for all, whether rich or poor. All are equal and all need redemption. According to templeinstitute.org, The current value of the biblical half shekel is $10. A man was not accepted because he was rich or poor, literate or illiterate, good or bad, but because he presented the ransom. There is only one valid ransom for all of humanity. The cost of redemption is equal for all. God has only one price for souls – the precious blood of JESUS. Nothing less, nothing more. Jesus minus nothing. Jesus plus nothing. Jesus only!
- c. The Tone
…when you give an offering to the Lord, to make atonement for yourselves…
The offering ensures protection and atonement. Ransom is connected with atonement.
- d. The Trust
…shall appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of meeting…
The ransom money supports the sanctuary as a memorial for the ransomed. The money is to take care of the tabernacle. These contributions were needed for the maintenance, upkeep and general expenses related to proper worship in the temple.
The remaining parts of this chapter are instructions on the bronze laver and anointing oil. The bronze laver points to the importance of purity in God’s presence (Psa. 24:3-4, Matt. 5:8). Any priest that enters the Holy of Holies without washing his hands and feet would die (Exo. 30:20). The laver for washing was made of bronze (Exo. 30:18) – symbolizing God’s judgment of sin. When we come to Jesus we are initially cleansed (1Cor. 6:11, John 13:10) but we must also be continually washed from the dust and dirt of the world by having our feet washed by Jesus. This continuous washing takes place through God’s Word (Eph. 5:26).
The anointing oil was used for anointing the priests and the articles pertaining to temple service. It was to be made of the finest spices – the very best and highest valued spices. It is used to anoint the Ark of Testimony. Remember we learnt how the Ark of the Testimony was a picture of Jesus (especially the Mercy Seat). Jesus Himself was anointed (Luke 4:18-19, Acts 10:38), and He also anointed us. Hallelujah!
Dear Gogolights, let us give praises to God for the ransom Jesus paid for us. He redeemed us. He purchased us unto Himself. Now, we belong to Him. We need not pay any money for our ransom. Oh, hallelujah!
Tag five people and tell them: JESUS PAID THE RANSOM FOR ME!
God bless you for reading. Till next time when we continue our bible reading.
Grace to you, Church!
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