Chapter 30
Themes, discussion questions, Christ connections, and denomination lenses.
Just read this chapter →Scripture
KJV1And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of shittim wood shalt thou make it.
2A 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.
3And 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.
4And 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.
5And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.
6And 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.
7And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it.
8And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.
9Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon.
10And 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.
11And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
12When 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.
13This 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.
14Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the LORD.
15The 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.
16And 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.
17And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
18Thou 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.
19For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat:
20When 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:
21So 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.
22Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
23Take 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,
24And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin:
25And 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.
26And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony,
27And the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick and his vessels, and the altar of incense,
28And the altar of burnt offering with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot.
29And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy.
30And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office.
31And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be an holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations.
32Upon 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.
33Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall even be cut off from his people.
34And 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:
35And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy:
36And 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.
37And 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.
38Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from his people.
“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.”
Overview
God gives instructions for the altar of incense, made of acacia wood overlaid with gold, placed before the veil in the Holy Place. Aaron burns fragrant incense on it every morning and evening. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, he makes atonement on its horns with blood. God commands a census tax — every Israelite twenty years and older must give half a shekel as a ransom for his soul. Instructions follow for the bronze laver for priestly washing, the holy anointing oil (a unique blend of myrrh, cinnamon, calamus, cassia, and olive oil), and the sacred incense — both are declared holy and must never be duplicated for common use.
Key Themes
The Altar of Incense: The Place of Prayer
Incense rising before the veil represents the prayers of God's people ascending into His presence — prayer is central to the tabernacle's worship and to the believer's life.
The Ransom of Souls
Every Israelite must pay a half-shekel ransom — rich and poor alike — teaching that every soul needs redemption and that the price is the same for all.
The Holiness of What Belongs to God
The anointing oil and incense are reserved exclusively for sacred use — what is consecrated to God must never be profaned or replicated for common purposes.
Study Questions
How does the altar of incense, positioned just before the veil, illustrate the relationship between prayer and access to God's presence?
What does the half-shekel ransom — the same amount for rich and poor (v. 15) — teach about equality before God and the universal need for redemption?
Why must the priests wash at the bronze laver before entering the tabernacle or approaching the altar, 'that they die not' (v. 20)?
What is the significance of the anointing oil and incense being reserved exclusively for sacred purposes, with severe penalties for unauthorized replication?
How does the morning and evening burning of incense (v. 7-8) create a rhythm of prayer that structures the day around communion with God?
Connection to Christ
The altar of incense represents Christ's intercession — Revelation 8:3-4 portrays the prayers of the saints mingled with incense before God's throne. The ransom of the half-shekel points to Christ's greater ransom: 'Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold... but with the precious blood of Christ' (1 Peter 1:18-19). The unique anointing oil foreshadows the Holy Spirit's anointing on Jesus without measure (John 3:34).
Personal Reflection
Take time to journal or meditate on what God is teaching you through Exodus 30. How can these truths transform your thinking and actions today?