Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 30:26-30

26 And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony,

27 And the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick and his vessels, and the altar of incense,

28 And the altar of burnt offering with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot.

29 And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy.

30 And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

The anointing oil was to be used to anoint every element of the tabernacle. The ark, the table of shewbread, and the candlestick on the interior; the altar of burnt offering and the laver on the exterior. Not only these, but even the tabernacle itself, as well as the priests who worked there. All were to be anointed with this oil without exception.

To me this speaks of the universal permeation of God through all the world, made possible by the atoning sacrifice of Christ that brought His spirit into the heart of all creation. Just as this oil was to be sprinkled everywhere, upon the holy places, the most holy places, the altars of offering, the candlestick of light, the table of nourishing bread, the lives of the men that worked for God, so too God is found in the holy, the most holy, the offering, the light, the nourishing, and the lives of all mankind. “He is above all things, and in all things, and is through all things, and is round about all things; and all things are by him, and of him, even God, forever and ever,” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:41).

None of the work done in the tabernacle or in our lives today would be of any efficacy if God was not in it all. God is the standard to strive for, but He is also the activating agent that makes the striving possible. God reaches for God, God raises God, and we are raised with Him.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 30:22-25

22 Moreover the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

23 Take 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,

24 And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin:

25 And 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.

We already heard that the priests and their clothing would be anointed with a special anointing oil. Today we learn exactly what the recipe for that oil would be.

Olive oil would be the base, and mixed into it would be myrrh, cinnamon, calamus, and cassia. Myrrh had the dual properties of creating a pleasant scent and having medicinal properties. Cinnamon and cassia (which is another type of cinnamon), are also known for their pleasant scent as well as their flavor. Calamus was historically used as a medicine in some cultures, though modern research has not found any legitimate use for it as such, but it also has a pleasant aroma.

Thus, it was an anointing oil with culinary, medicinal, and aromatic properties. Good for the body, good for the senses, and now good for the soul!

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 30:20-21

20 When 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:

21 So 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.

These verses confirm that the laver was to be used to wash the priests as they moved from the courtyard into the tabernacle. The courtyard had no roof, and was therefore open to the world, taking on its regular dust and debris. Going into the tabernacle would separate one from the world, bringing the priest to a clean and holy place. As such, he would have to wash off the dust of the world and leave it behind him.

And so it is for us disciples. Even if we strive to live as good and decent of a life as possible, we still accrue the dust of the world. Even when we do not sin, we are depressed by the stories of cruelty in the world, we are heartbroken by the suffering of an ill family member, and we are hurt by the betrayal of another. None of these things make us guilty, but like the dust of the earth they cloud and obscure our light. They can get in the way of us feeling the love of God, dividing us from Him just the same.

Thus, from time to time, we need to wash the dust off our feet. We need to regularly go to our holy places, set down our burdens at the door, and let God renew us. This isn’t just good to do, it is necessary. If we cannot find refuge from the debris of this world it will accumulate and weigh us down until it drags us down to hell with it. God made this abundantly clear when He said that the priests must wash the dirt off “that they die not!”

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 30:17-19

17 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

18 Thou 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.

19 For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat:

One last article of the tabernacle remains to be detailed: the laver for washing the hands and feet of the priests. This item was to be placed out in the courtyard, and keeping with the pattern of everything in the courtyard it was overlaid with brass. The laver was to be placed between the altar and the entrance to the tabernacle, showing the context in which it would be used: washing the priest as he moved from the former to the latter.

It is curious why we did not hear about the incense altar and the laver for washing in the previous chapters that detailed all the other articles of the tabernacle. There is no prevailing theory that I could find for why this would be. Perhaps there was some symbolic significance that is lost on our modern culture. Perhaps there is something in the cosmic laws of consecration that deems this order to be appropriate, but which is imperceptible to us. Perhaps these details were given by God in the mountain in a different order, but a clerical wrinkle saw it transposed here. Whatever the reason, now at last we have the description for the last temple piece. Tomorrow we will hear more of how it was to be used.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 30:11-16

11 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

12 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.

13 This 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.

14 Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the Lord.

15 The 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.

16 And 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.

We have a brief aside where another offering required of the people is specified, after which we will go back to the preparation of the priests for their official duties. This new offering required every male over twenty to pay a single half shekel.

Estimates for the value of a half shekel very widely. The fact that all men were required to pay it, no matter their station in life, suggests that it was not a massive amount. And God is very explicit on this point. This was not an income tax and there was not a higher price for a rich man or a lower price for a poor man. This was a ransom for their souls, and the worth of every soul is equally precious.

This ransom would be used for “the service of the tabernacle.” Perhaps this was to hire the craftsmen for the upkeep of the structure and vessels, or to purchase the daily needs of the priests. These uses would only make sense if this was a recurring contribution, though, not just a one-time thing. While the verses here do not mention whether this half-shekel offering was recurring or not, Jewish tradition maintains that it was an annual offering, and thus would be well suited to the ongoing operation of the tabernacle.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 30:7-10

7 And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it.

8 And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations.

9 Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon.

10 And 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.

Yesterday I compared the offerings of incense upon the altar inside of the tabernacle to the silent, personal adjustments that we make each day, rejecting temptation and choosing the higher road. That comparison is further reinforced by today’s verses which say there was to be a perpetual offering upon the incense altar, constantly being replaced every morning and night, just as many the disciple has found that he must perpetually recommit himself to the Lord every morning and night.

We also learn from today’s verses that once every year the blood from an atonement offering would be applied to the horns of the incense altar. Periodic, deep sacrifice would be used to maintain the quieter, more perpetual ones. This, too, often happens in the path of discipleship, where the occasional great sacrifice renews and invigorates our smaller, daily commitments.

God also makes clear that they must not offer any “strange incense thereon,” nor any other kind of non-incense offering. Even approved animal sacrifices were forbidden from being performed upon this altar. Every offering had to be made in the correct way. Such is the rule of the rightly ordered life. For example, it is right to offer our worldly goods to sustain and improve the lives of our children, but we must never offer them the worship that is only for God.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 30:1-6

1 And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of shittim wood shalt thou make it.

2 A 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.

3 And 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.

4 And 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.

5 And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.

6 And thou shalt put it before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee.

We begin this chapter by learning of another piece of furniture for the tabernacle services, the incense altar. As the name suggests, this is where incense would be burned to provide a pleasant scent.

It is referred to as an altar, and just like the altar of sacrifice, it would be adorned with horns. Where it differs from the altar of sacrifice, however, is that would be overlaid with gold, instead of brass. Gold overlay, of course, was used for the ark of the covenant, the candlestick, and the table of shewbread. Those were all placed within the tabernacle itself, and as we see in verse 6, that was where the altar of incense was placed as well, so a matching gold overlay makes sense.

To me this suggests that the offerings made upon the altar of incense, though less dramatic, were considered more sacred. They were silent offerings, made within the holy place, out of view of the rest of the world. That sounds just like the sacrifices that are most sacred in the life of a disciple today. That isn’t to say that the public and dramatic turning of one’s life isn’t of value, it absolutely is, but lasting discipleship is defined far more by all the multitude of silent sacrifices that follow thereafter.

The incense altar represents the battles that take place only within our own heart, such as when we renounce temptation, and no one even knows we ever considered otherwise. It represents the quiet good that we do, such as leaving an anonymous gift for the family in need. It represents the giving up of our time to align with God, such as when we spend hours in secret prayer when no one to witness it. These moments define us best because they are the times we choose the right purely for our own conscience. They are moments just between us and God.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 29:45-46

45 And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God.

46 And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the Lord their God.

To conclude this chapter God makes the very special promise that He will dwell with the Israelites, a constant presence in the midst of them. God will not only be some outer concept, but their own neighbor, living in a house that the community had prepared for Him, somewhere that they could go and visit throughout the year.

God further promises that the people will know that He is, indeed, their God, even the same one that brought them out of Egypt with such tremendous power and miracles. That seems to suggest that they will see such power and wonders coming from the tabernacle that they will be able to identify the presence there as the same that had been within the pillar of smoke and fire. We will hear how this promise is fulfilled at the very end of Exodus, in chapter 40.

This brings us to the end of the preparations for the priests. There yet remains two more furnishings for use in the tabernacle, however. We will hear the details of them in the next chapter.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 29:42-44

42 This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee.

43 And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory.

44 And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar: I will sanctify also both Aaron and his sons, to minister to me in the priest’s office.

The Israelites would make a continual offering to the Lord, morning and night, and now God promises that He will respond by coming to the doorway and speaking to them directly. He states that He “will meet with the children of Israel,” and that His glory will sanctify the tabernacle, the altar, and the priests.

This is the overlap of two worlds, a special place where man and God would be in the same place at the same time. These are precious portals between heaven and earth, very rare and only ever attained by the condescension of God Almighty. We may have our spiritual experiences, but they are generally invisible and immeasurable, occurring only on a spiritual plane that resides within us. What makes these world-overlapping moments so special is that they are times where the things of Heaven are physically and tangibly perceptible by the denizens of the Earth.

Records of such special worlds-overlapping moments including Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, Moses at the burning bush, and the voice of God at Jesus’s baptism. Of course, the greatest of all the world-overlapping events was the entire life of the Lord, Jesus Christ.

As I said, these moments are very rare, and I think it is fair to say that most people live their entire lives without experiencing this sort of occasion even once. It may well be that there will not be any such large overlapping moment until the second coming. Suffice it to say, if ever such a moment does occur in your life, be sure that you attend to it!

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 29:38-41

38 Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually.

39 The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even:

40 And with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering.

41 And the other lamb thou shalt offer at even, and shalt do thereto according to the meat offering of the morning, and according to the drink offering thereof, for a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the Lord.

We have heard of the sacrifices necessary to consecrate the priests and the altar, and we will hear of many more ritualistic sacrifices that would restore the Israelites back to unity with God after all manner of dividing circumstances. Today, however, we read of a constant ritual that was ongoing in perpetuity at the tabernacle. Aside from all the other offerings, there was a perpetual sacrifice being given to the Lord every day. A lamb, a measure of flour, a measure of oil, and a measure of wine every morning. A lamb, a measure of flour, a measure of oil, and a measure of wine every evening.

Many people speak of their conversion to the Lord in terms of key, pivotal moments in their lives where a specific and great sacrifice brought them into harmony with the Lord. But underlying and between these key moments there is also the constant, daily sacrifice that we make to keep ourselves on the straight-and-narrow. A man may renounce his evil ways in one, great moment of conviction, but then he must make innumerable micro-sacrifices as he turns down every following temptation to return to his old ways.

The life of the disciple is one of constant sacrifice and work, and I believe that that is what is being symbolized in these daily sacrifices. Just each individual is expected to perpetually subjugate his will to the Lord every day, so would the nation of Israel as a whole.