Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 31:1-5

1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

2 See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah:

3 And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,

4 To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,

5 And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.

Today’s chapter begins by introducing us to the first artisan whom God had called to fashion the parts of the tabernacle. Bezaleel’s name means “in the shadow of God,” a particularly appropriate name for one who would be “filled with the spirit of God” to know how to build according to the Lord’s design.

Specifically, we are told that Bezaleel had expertise in working with metal, cutting stones, and carving timbers. This would allow him to assemble the wooden bodies of the furniture, to overlay them in gold, silver, and brass, and to etch the stones set upon the shoulders and in the ephod of the priest.

A skill that is not mentioned for him is the working of thread and cloth, which would be necessary for the curtains and the clothing of the priests. That work, it would seem, would be assigned to another. Perhaps someone else would also be required to prepare the anointing oil and the perfume, assuming there was more to the process than just measuring the ingredients and stirring them together.

When we think about being empowered by the Spirit of the Lord, we often think of things like prophecy, healing, and the working of miracles, but the Bible also sets the precedent for divinely inspired creativity, both of the artistic and inventive variety. There are these inspired artisans that crafted the tabernacle, but also the building of Noah’s Ark, the poems of David and Solomon, and even the stories told by Jesus. The act of creation has a divine source after all, each of us inheriting it from the greatest creator in all the universe.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Already Someone New

If you do today what you weren’t willing to do yesterday,
You are already someone new

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 30:34-38

34 And 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:

35 And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy:

36 And 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.

37 And 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.

38 Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from his people.

In addition to the anointing oil, which was already quite fragrant, God also gave the recipe for a perfume. None of the ingredients for the perfume were the same as for the oil, so I would it assume it had a completely different scent profile. It is interesting to note the presence of myrrh in the anointing oil and frankincense in the perfume. Obviously, there was also gold overlaying everything in the tabernacle. Thus, all three of the gifts that the wise men would bring to Jesus thousands of years later were also present in the ancient Israelite tabernacle.

As with the anointing oil, there is a solemn command that no one else is to take the recipe and reproduce it. In fact, God goes so far as to say they are not to make anything that smells like it, even if made from different ingredients. I think there is a lesson here of not dressing up non-spiritual things with the scent of spiritualism. I live in a culture with a strong religious base, and it has always bothered me when individuals have tried to use that religion as a leverage for worldly interests. I have seen this when individuals try to market their personal business, when they advocate for a favored political party, even when justifying their sins. They try to give these things a spiritual air, but as we learn from today’s verses, things that are temporal should not be perfumed as if they were sacred.

One final note: while it is called “perfume” in these verses, the underlying Hebrew word is the same that was translated as “incense” in the verses describing what would be burned upon the incense altar. Thus, it would seem that this is the recipe for the incense that was to be burned morning and evening for a perpetual offering to the Lord.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 30:31-33

31 And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be an holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations.

32 Upon 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.

33 Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall even be cut off from his people.

The usage of the holy anointing oil was to be exclusive to the tabernacle. It wasn’t a complicated recipe, so anyone could have recreated it, but that would result in exile. And it was to never be applied to a non-Israelite.

The path to discipleship is open to all, and was so among the ancient Israelites, but these things have to be done in the proper order. Acceptance into the fold of the church and forgiveness for sin are the first steps, and they must be taken before all of the sacraments that follow. So, too, an ancient Canaanite would first have to observe the Passover, join the Israelite nation, and bring sacrifice to the tabernacle to enjoy the blessings of those anointed vessels.

This anointing oil was also not to be placed directly upon the flesh either. The priests would be anointed by it, but so far we have only heard of that being done by sprinkling it over their clothes. There is also a historical idea of anointing oil being applied to the head, but perhaps a few drops on the hair would not be considered as being applied to the flesh.

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.