Chapter 30
These verses are important later:
7 And Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it. Every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall burn it, 8 and when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it, a regular incense offering before the LORD throughout your generations. 9 You shall not offer unauthorized incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering, and you shall not pour a drink offering on it. [Exo 30:7-9 ESV]
Instructions for the altar of incense. Only incense could be burned here. Only Aaron is authorized to burn it. No other types of offering were tolerated. In fact, no other type of incense was allowed to be burnt there. It is ONLY for Aaron to burn incense upon.
2025 - Here is an interesting thing I noticed a few weeks back while reading my Sunday School Lesson: 9 You shall not offer unauthorized incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering, and you shall not pour a drink offering on it. [Exo 30:9 ESV]. Aaron's sons will be struck down by God not too very long from this time because they offered strange/unauthorized fire. God has just said the incense is to be burned morning and night when the wicks are trimmed. It is not authorized for ANY OTHER TIME. There was a specific prohibition against going in there and burning incense at any other than these two times. They were not struck down over a law they did not know, had not heard. The knew, and decided to override direct instructions from God about God's own place, His own dwelling place among the people. That's why they were killed.
Then this verse after it:
10 Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year. With the blood of the sin offering of atonement he shall make atonement for it once in the year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD." [Exo 30:10 ESV]
The altar of incense was central in the annual atonement. There would seem to be much more to this. Incense often represents prayers going up to God. God does not hear the prayers of sinners...so sins atoned for at the source of the prayers? MSB does not comment on this verse. Will need to pay extra attention to the annual atonement procedure when it is given, and try to pull out the deeper meaning here.
"When you take the census of the people of Israel, then each shall give a ransom for his life to the Lord when you number them, that there be no plague among them when you number them." Exodus 30:12 ESV
Never noticed this wording. A ransom for their lives. Rich and poor pay the same because they are the same to God. A census involved a "taxation", a payment of ransom to redeem those counted. In vs 16 it is even spoken of as an atonement for their lives.
2023 - So...did this national "head tax" apply EVERY TIME they did a census? So the people didn't really care to be counted very often? Is that part of why David's ill-advised census brought so much trouble on the country? Hmm...doesn't really seem to fit on that score...
The bronze basin, for washing.
They shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they may not die. It shall be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his offspring throughout their generations."
Exodus 30:21 ESV
Those who would serve God, those who would offer sacrifices to God, must first be washed with water. This seems like another reference to a ritual that will later be baptism. This statute was to be forever, and is perhaps the only remaining vestige of these original requirements.
2023 - Is this the source of the Pharisees "required washing" before meals? An expansion of this verse?
The "recipes" for anointing oil and for the incense to be burned are given. The recipes are ONLY for the specified holy purposes, and the people were not to make them or use them in any other way.