Exodus 30

AND thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon Incense signifies the prayers of Gods people, Psal. 141. 2. Revel. 8. 3. which are not acceptable to God, except they be offered upon the true Altar, Christ. This incense also was useful to correct the bad smell of the sacrifices, which were offerred on another Altar, not far from it. Yea some sacrifices were offered upon this Altar, as appears from verse 10. Levit. 4. 7. But here only the principal and constant use of it is noted.: of shittim-wood shalt thou make it.

A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof (four-square shall it be) and two cubits shall be the height thereof, the horns thereof See Exod. 27. 2. Though these horns as they were for another use, so they seem to be here of another form, and for ornament more than for service. shall be of the same.

And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof This was made hollow like a grate that the ashes might fall thorough it., and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof: and thou shalt make unto it a crown A border which encompassed the Altar, that the things laid on it might not fall of. of gold round about.

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.

And thou shalt make the staves of shittimwood, and overlay them with gold.

And thou shalt put it before the vail Before the second vail, in the holy place, and near to the holy of holies, and consequently to the Ark and Mercyseat., that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercyseat, that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee.

And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense Aaron was to do this for the first time, but afterwards any Priest might do it, as appears from Luke 1. 9. This not being done in the Holy of Holies, which was the High-Priests peculiar. every morning: when he dresseth the lamps (i. e.) Cleansed them, and prepared them for the receiving of the new lights. he shall burn incense upon it.

And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even The time when all the lamps were to be lighted, 1 Sam. 3. 3. Sce Exod. 27. 20, 21. he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD, throughout your generations.

Ye shall offer no strange incense (i. e.) Of any other... ort than what I shall here appoint, verse 34, &c. thereon, nor burnt-sacrifice, nor meat-offering, neither shall ye pour drink-offering thereon.

And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year On the day of expiation, Levit. 16. 19. Numb. 29. 7.: with the bloud of the sin-offering of atonements To note, that the prayers of the Saints are acceptable to God no otherwise, but through the blood of Christ who was offered for the expiation of our., once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the LORD.

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul A certain price for the redemption of their lives: whereby they acknowledged the right and power which God had over their lives, and that they had forfeited them by their sins, and that it was Gods mercy to continue their lives to them. unto the LORD, when thou numbrest them To wit, upon any just occasion, either now in the Wilderness, or afterward: It may seem that this payment was neither to be made at this time only, as some would have it, nor yet every year, as Iosephus and others affirm, because it is not said to be a perpetual statute, as other things of constant observance are, but upon any eminent occasions, when the service of the Tabernacle (which is the end and use of this collection) or Temple required it, as may be gathered from 2 King. 12. 4. compared with 2 Chron. 24. 6. Compare Neh. 10. 32. Matth. 17. 24. And as now it was imployed in the building of the Tabernacle, so afterwards it might be laid out upon the repairs or other services of it., that there be no plague amongst them, when thou numbrest them.

This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbred half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary Which though it has been commonly conceived to be double to the common shekel, yet divers late learned men seem more truely to judge that it was no more than the common shekel consisting of half a crown of English-money, which is called the shekel of the Sanctuary because the standard by which all shekels were to be examined was kept in the Sanctuary, as afterwards the just weights and measures were kept in Christian Temples or other publick places. See Levit. 27. 25. Numb. 3. 47. Ezek. 45. 10, 11, 12. add to this, that it was a part of the Priests office to look to the weights and measures, as plainly appears from 1 Chron. 23. 29., (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the LORD Not less, least it should be contemptible, nor more, least it should be too burdensome for the poor..

Every one that passeth among them that are numbred, from twenty years old and above The time when they began to be fit for employment and capable of getting and paying mony. Women and Children are not included here, because they are reckoned in their fathers or husbands., shall give an offering unto the LORD.

The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less This was partly to teach them, that all souls are of equal worth in themselves and price with God, that there is no respect of persons with God and in Gods Worship and Service, but Gospel-graces, Ordinances and Priviledges are common and equal to all, Exod. 12. and 16. 18. Gal. 3. 28. Col. 3. 11. that all persons are alike obnoxious to divine justice, and are redeemed by one and the same price; partly to check the arrogance and vanity of the rich, who are very apt to despise the poor; and partly that by this means the number of the people might be exactly known when occasion required it. than half a shekel when they give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.

And thou shalt take the atonement-money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle For the building and furniture of it, and the maintenance of Gods worship in it. of the congregation, that it may be a memorial Either to the people who hereby profess God to be their Lord and owner, and themselves his subjects and tributaries; or to God, who hereby takes occasion to remember them and to own them for his people. unto the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.

And the LORD spake unto Moses The frequent repetition of this phrase, and the shortness of these discourses in comparison of the length of the forty days, show that God did not deliver all these Laws and Prescriptions at one time, but successively at several times, possibly upon the Sabbath-days., saying,

Thou shalt also make a laver of brass See the accomplishment Exod. 38. 8., and his foot also of brass, to wash withal Both the Priests and the parts of the sacrifices., and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar To wit, of burnt-offerings., and thou shalt put water therein.

For Aaron and his sons wash their hands and their feet To signifie their natural impurity and unworthiness either to handle holy things or to come into the holy place, and their need of washing with the blood and spirit of Christ, which was typified by this washing. thereat.

When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not For though the fault might seem small, yet the command was evident and easie, and therefore the disobedience was worse arguing presumption, rebellion, and contempt. And God is more severe in the matters of his Worship than in other cases.: or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

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.

Moreover, the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

Take thou also unto thee The words are very emphatical, and the Jews from hence do rightly infer, that this ointment was but once made, and that by Moses his own hands. principal spices See Cant. 4. 14. Ezek. 27. 22. and compare Psal. 45. 8. Amos 6. 6., of pure myrrhe Heb. myrrhe of liberty, either, 1. Free from adulteration or mixture, or rather 2. Freely dropping from the Tree, which is esteemed better than that which is forced out of it. five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus A sweet reed, of which see Isa. 43. 24. Ier. 6. 20. two hundred and fifty shekels.

And of cassia Not the common kind of Cassia, which we use in purging, but another kind of it, there being seven several kinds of it, as the learned note. five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin.

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.

And thou shalt anoint This was only an outward ceremony signifying the separation and sanctification of these things for the service of God, as the anointing of Kings and Priests noted their designation to their Offices. the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony.

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

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

And thou shalt sanctifie them, that they may be most holy; whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy.

And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons Not all of them, but only those who succeed him in the High-Priests Office, as appears from Exod. 40. 15. Levit. 4. 3, 5, 16. and 16. 32. and 21. 10. This anointing of them signified both Gods election or calling them to this office, and the inward qualifications requisite for it, to wit, the gifts and graces of the Holy Ghost, which are oft designed by this word of anointing, as Isa. 61. 1. Dan. 9. 24. 1. Iohn 2. 27. and the solemn setting a part of Christ, the true High-Priest, for the mediatorial office., and consecrate them, that they may minister unto me in the priests office.

And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be an holy anointing oil unto me (i. e.) Reserved for my service alone, not employed to any profane or civil use, as it follows. throughout your generations.

Upon mans flesh shall it not be poured Except those whom God himself, the author of this Law, excepts, to wit, the High-priests, of which see verse 30. and some of the Kings, of which see 1 King. 1. 39. Psal. 89. 20. though others think the Kings were only anointed with common oil., neither shall ye make any other like it, after the composition of it: it is holy, and it shall be holy unto you As it is unto me, verse 31. you shall account it holy, as I do.

Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger The word stranger is commonly used to note the Gentiles, or such as were not of Israels race, but sometimes it notes those that are not of the Priestly race, as Exod. 29. 33. Levit. 22. 12, 13. And so it seems to be here. And if any of the Kings were anointed with this oil, it was done by Gods special appointment, who may dispence with his own Laws., shall even be cut off from his people.

And the LORD said unto Moses, take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and Galbanum The Jews themselves are not agreed what these were, and it concerns not Christians much to know, the use of them being abolished. It is evident they were each of them sweet spices, and therefore this Galbanum was not of the common kind, which gives a very bad sent.: these sweet spices, with pure frankincense, of each shall there be a like weight Heb. Alone shall be with alone, i. e. Each of these alone shall be with another alone, to wit, in equal quantity. Or it may note, that each of these was to be taken and beaten a part, and then mixed together. Or, it shall be alone alone, i. e. absolutely and certainly alone, the doubling of the word increasing the signification, and thus it does not belong to all the ingredients, because the Hebrew verb is here of the singular number, but only to the Frankincense, and the sense may be, that whereas the other things shall be tempered together, the Frankincense should be alone, which may seem most agreeable both to the common use of Frankincense, and to its differing nature from the other things mentioned, two of them at least being confessedly liquid things..

And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together Heb. Salted, either 1. properly, for salt was to be offered with all offerings. Levit. 2. 13. And the Hebrew Doctors tell us that six eggshels full of salt were used, or, 2. Metaphorically, well mixed together, as salt was with things either offered to God or eaten by man. pure Of the best of each kind of drugs, the most perfect and uncorrupted. and holy.

And thou shalt beat some of it So much as is sufficient for the daily incense. 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.

And as for the perfume which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to your selves according to the composition thereof: it shall be unto thee holy for the LORD.

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