Exodus Chapter 30
The Altar of Incense (Exodus 30:1–10)
“You shall make an altar to burn incense on; you shall make it of acacia wood. A cubit shall be its length and a cubit its width, it shall be square, and two cubits shall be its height. Its horns shall be of one piece with it. And you shall overlay its top, its sides all around, and its horns with pure gold; and you shall make for it a molding of gold all around. Two gold rings you shall make for it, under the molding on both its sides. You shall place them on its two sides, and they will be holders for the poles with which to bear it. You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold.” (Exodus 30:1–5, NKJV)
The altar of incense was made of acacia wood overlaid with pure gold, demonstrating both its earthly substance and its heavenly significance. It was one cubit in length and width, making it perfectly square, and two cubits in height, emphasizing its uprightness and accessibility to the priest. Its horns were of one piece with it, symbolizing power, unity, and divine authority. The entire altar was crowned with a golden molding that set it apart as holy unto the LORD. Like the other sacred furnishings—the Ark of the Covenant, the table of showbread, and the bronze altar—it was fitted with gold rings and poles for carrying, showing that God’s presence and the ministry of prayer were not confined to one place but moved with His people.
“And you shall put it before the veil that is before the ark of the Testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the Testimony, where I will meet with you. Aaron shall burn on it sweet incense every morning; when he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it. And when Aaron lights the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense on it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations. You shall not offer strange incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering, nor shall you pour a drink offering on it. And Aaron shall make atonement upon its horns once a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonement; once a year he shall make atonement upon it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD.” (Exodus 30:6–10, NKJV)
The altar of incense was placed directly before the veil that separated the holy place from the most holy place, standing just outside the presence of the mercy seat where God met with His people. Although it was near the Ark of the Covenant, it was not within the Holy of Holies, signifying that communion with God through prayer was available daily, though full access awaited the atonement of Christ. Within the holy place, the altar of incense stood alongside the golden lampstand and the table of showbread. The table symbolized fellowship and communion with God, the lampstand represented the believer’s testimony before the world, and the altar of incense represented worship and prayer ascending to the Lord.
The purpose of the altar was for Aaron, and later all priests, to burn sweet incense before the LORD every morning and evening when tending to the lamps. The fragrance represented the prayers and adoration of God’s people continually rising before Him. Revelation 5:8 affirms this symbolism: “Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” Likewise, Revelation 8:3–4 declares, “Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand.” The imagery reveals the deep connection between worship and prayer, where true intercession is a sweet aroma to God, rising continually from the hearts of His people.
God gave strict instructions that no “strange incense” be offered upon this altar, meaning that the priests could not use any composition or mixture other than that which God had commanded. This restriction demonstrated that worship must always be approached on God’s terms, never man’s invention or preference. Furthermore, no burnt offering, grain offering, or drink offering was to be placed on this altar, for it was not an altar of atonement but one of intercession. This teaches that prayer does not produce salvation but rather proceeds from it. Through prayer, believers enjoy the benefits of atonement already made, but they do not achieve it by their prayers.
Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, Aaron was to anoint the horns of the altar with blood from the sin offering. Though the altar was not the place of sacrifice, it was touched by sacrificial blood to remind the priests that their ministry of intercession depended upon atonement. The horns, symbolizing strength and power, were thus sanctified by blood, showing that prayer gains its strength and authority through the finished work of Christ. Each day, as incense was offered, the priests would see the blood-stained horns—a perpetual reminder that prayer stands upon the foundation of atoning grace.
This altar, therefore, typified the believer’s access to God through the intercessory ministry of Christ. Just as the incense was perpetual, so the prayers of God’s people are to be continual, “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:18, NKJV). The golden altar stood as a symbol of communion, intercession, and unbroken fellowship with the Lord, declaring that every prayer, when offered in the name of Jesus and through His blood, ascends as a pleasing aroma before the throne of God.
The Ransom Money for a Census (Exodus 30:11–16)
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: “When you take the census of the children of Israel for their number, then every man shall give a ransom for himself to the LORD, when you number them, that there may be no plague among them when you number them.” (Exodus 30:11–12, NKJV)
The LORD gave Moses a command concerning how the nation of Israel was to conduct a census. A census, or numbering of the people, was not forbidden, but it carried a spiritual implication that could invite divine judgment if done improperly. The people of Israel were God’s possession, not their own, and numbering them suggested ownership. To number what belonged to God without His sanction was presumptuous. Therefore, when a census was taken, each man was to offer a ransom for himself to acknowledge that his life ultimately belonged to the LORD. This ransom served as a recognition of divine ownership and atonement, protecting Israel from a plague that might otherwise result from treating the people as though they were merely the property of a human ruler.
The LORD explained that this ransom prevented a plague because numbering the people could easily be misinterpreted as a human king asserting dominion over them. In the ancient world, to count something was to declare ownership of it. Therefore, only God had the right to number His people, as He alone was their sovereign Redeemer. To number them without God’s instruction would symbolically transfer their allegiance to another ruler. This very principle was violated by King David in 2 Samuel 24:1–25, when he ordered a census of Israel without the ransom offering. As a result, God sent a devastating plague upon the nation, from which seventy thousand men died. The ransom requirement in Exodus 30 was thus designed to prevent such presumption, reminding every man that he stood before God as one redeemed by His mercy and belonging to His covenant people.
“This is what everyone among those who are numbered shall give: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (a shekel is twenty gerahs). The half-shekel shall be an offering to the LORD. Everyone included among those who are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering to the LORD. The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when you give an offering to the LORD, to make atonement for yourselves. And you shall take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shall appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of meeting, that it may be a memorial for the children of Israel before the LORD, to make atonement for yourselves.” (Exodus 30:13–16, NKJV)
The LORD specified that every man aged twenty years and older was to give half a shekel as a ransom offering. This amount was fixed and equal for all, regardless of wealth or social status. The age of twenty represented the threshold of full adulthood and military service in Israel, as noted later in Numbers 1:3. Each man’s payment symbolized his personal accountability before God and his inclusion among those redeemed by Him. This offering was not a voluntary gift or a tithe based on income; it was a divinely mandated ransom that acknowledged one’s dependence upon God’s mercy.
Charles Spurgeon observed, “The Lord commanded that every male over twenty years of age should pay half a shekel as redemption money, confessing that he deserved to die, owning that he was in debt to God, and bringing the sum demanded as a type of a great redemption which would by-and-by be paid for the souls of the sons of men.” This interpretation connects the ransom to the greater redemptive work of Christ, who paid the ultimate price to redeem humanity from sin and death. The half-shekel was symbolic, pointing to the coming Savior who would provide full and final atonement.
Later, during the Second Temple period, this same half-shekel became an annual temple tax, as referenced in Matthew 17:24: “When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, ‘Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?’” This demonstrates how the practice of giving a half-shekel as a memorial of atonement continued throughout Israel’s history, even into the New Testament era.
The equality of the payment is deeply significant: “The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less.” This emphasized that all stood on equal footing before God. No amount of wealth could buy greater favor, nor could poverty exclude anyone from redemption. As Adam Clarke commented, “The rich were not to give more, the poor not to give less; to signify that all souls were equally precious in the sight of God, and that no difference of outward circumstances could affect the state of the soul; all had sinned, and all must be redeemed by the same price.” This equality before God foreshadowed the truth of the gospel, that salvation is not earned by status or works but received equally by all through faith in Christ.
G. Campbell Morgan likewise noted, “The half-shekel was not a gift in the sense of a free-will offering. It was a recognition of redemption, a sign of atonement, made and received. Here the rich and the poor stood upon a perfect equality.” This flat requirement also reinforced personal responsibility; no man could pay on behalf of another, nor could a tribal or family payment suffice. Each man’s ransom symbolized his own individual standing before God, emphasizing that redemption is a personal matter.
The ransom money was to be appointed “for the service of the tabernacle of meeting.” It was used to fund the construction and maintenance of the tabernacle, including the silver sockets that supported its boards and structure. Spurgeon estimated that the total weight of the collected silver exceeded four tons, all of which was dedicated to the LORD’s dwelling place. Thus, the ransom offering not only acknowledged divine ownership and atonement but also materially supported the very house of God, connecting redemption to worship and service.
The ransom money for the census therefore served several purposes: it reminded Israel that they belonged wholly to God, it provided for the tabernacle’s ministry, and it prefigured the greater redemption to come through Christ. The equality of the half-shekel reflected the equality of all souls before God—each equally in need of atonement, each equally loved, and each equally redeemed by the same precious blood.
Other Needs for the Tabernacle (Exodus 30:17–38)
The Bronze Laver (Exodus 30:17–21)
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: “You shall also make a laver of bronze, with its base also of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar. And you shall put water in it, for Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet in water from it. When they go into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to the LORD, they shall wash with water, lest they die. So they shall wash their hands and their feet, lest they die. And it shall be a statute forever to them — to him and his descendants throughout their generations.” (Exodus 30:17–21, NKJV)
The bronze laver stood as a critical component between the altar of burnt offering and the tabernacle itself. It had no assigned measurements, emphasizing that the need for cleansing before God cannot be quantified. Constructed of bronze, both the laver and its base symbolized judgment, for bronze is a metal purified through fire. The priests were to wash their hands and feet in its waters before entering the holy place or ministering at the altar, under penalty of death if they neglected this sacred act. This strict requirement illustrated the holiness of God and the necessity of continual cleansing before serving in His presence.
When it was later made, the bronze for the laver was provided by the women of Israel, who gave up their polished mirrors for its construction (Exodus 38:8). This offering was deeply symbolic—these women relinquished the instruments of self-reflection, surrendering their concern for outward beauty in exchange for God’s cleansing work. The laver, therefore, stood as a testimony of humility and devotion, signifying that spiritual purity is far more valuable than physical appearance.
Positioned between the altar and the tabernacle, the laver occupied the space between sacrifice and service. As Cole notes, “The laver then was to stand in the great courtyard, before men entered the Tent itself… Priests must certainly have needed to wash after sacrifice and blood ritual, so it had practical value as well.” Beyond its practicality, however, it represented the ongoing need for sanctification. Though the priest was already consecrated through blood sacrifice, he could not serve without being continually cleansed from daily defilement.
The bronze laver therefore typifies the sanctifying work of the Word of God and the ongoing cleansing necessary for fellowship with the Lord. Psalm 24:3–4 asks, “Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart.” Jesus reinforced this truth when He said to His disciples, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean” (John 13:10, NKJV). Believers are cleansed at salvation but must continually be washed from the defilement of the world through confession and the renewing work of Scripture. Ephesians 5:26 says that Christ sanctifies and cleanses the church “with the washing of water by the word.” Thus, the laver symbolized the believer’s continual sanctification—standing clean before a holy God, fit for service and fellowship.
The Holy Anointing Oil (Exodus 30:22–33)
Moreover the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: “Also take for yourself quality spices — five hundred shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much sweet-smelling cinnamon (two hundred and fifty shekels), two hundred and fifty shekels of sweet-smelling cane, five hundred shekels of cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil. And you shall make from these a holy anointing oil, an ointment compounded according to the art of the perfumer. It shall be a holy anointing oil. With it you shall anoint the tabernacle of meeting and the ark of the Testimony; the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense; the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the laver and its base. You shall consecrate them, that they may be most holy; whatever touches them must be holy. And you shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister to Me as priests. And you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations. It shall not be poured on man’s flesh; nor shall you make any other like it, according to its composition. It is holy, and it shall be holy to you. Whoever compounds any like it, or whoever puts any of it on an outsider, shall be cut off from his people.’” (Exodus 30:22–33, NKJV)
The holy anointing oil was a sacred compound, made according to the art of the perfumer, consisting of myrrh, cinnamon, sweet cane, cassia, and olive oil. Each ingredient carried symbolic meaning: myrrh spoke of suffering and sacrifice, cinnamon of warmth and zeal, sweet cane of sweetness and uprightness, cassia of cleansing, and olive oil of the Holy Spirit’s presence. Together, they formed a fragrant oil used exclusively to consecrate the tabernacle, its furnishings, and the priesthood.
This anointing signified that both the place of worship and the ministers within it were set apart unto God. The application of oil to the tabernacle and its articles marked them as “most holy,” meaning they were devoted solely to God’s use. Anything that touched them became holy, for contact with what is consecrated demands separation from the common. Likewise, Aaron and his sons were anointed with this oil, symbolizing that their ministry depended upon the empowering and sanctifying presence of the Holy Spirit.
God explicitly forbade this oil from being poured upon ordinary human flesh or replicated for personal use. “It shall not be poured on man’s flesh,” He said, for the anointing is not given to glorify the natural man but to consecrate the spiritual service of God. The Holy Spirit does not come to enhance the works of the flesh but to mortify them. Likewise, the command “Nor shall you make any other like it” reveals that the anointing of the Holy Spirit cannot be imitated. To attempt to counterfeit His power or gifts through human means is to profane what is holy. As Morgan aptly stated, “Very solemn are the injunctions that neither the sacred oil nor the holy incense was to be used in any way for personal gratification.”
The holy anointing oil thus prefigured the work of the Holy Spirit in sanctifying, empowering, and sealing believers for service. Just as the oil was poured on the priests, so the Spirit is poured upon every believer in Christ. However, this anointing remains sacred, not for worldly display or fleshly use, but to glorify God alone.
The Holy Incense (Exodus 30:34–38)
And the LORD said to Moses: “Take sweet spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, and pure frankincense with these sweet spices; there shall be equal amounts of each. You shall make of these an incense, a compound according to the art of the perfumer, salted, pure, and holy. And you shall beat some of it very fine, and put some of it before the Testimony in the tabernacle of meeting where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you. But as for the incense which you shall make, you shall not make any for yourselves, according to its composition. It shall be to you holy for the LORD. Whoever makes any like it, to smell it, he shall be cut off from his people.” (Exodus 30:34–38, NKJV)
The holy incense was a carefully crafted mixture of spices—stacte, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense—made by the skill of the perfumer. Each ingredient carried fragrant beauty, but their true value lay in their combined purpose: to symbolize the prayers and worship of God’s people ascending before Him as a pleasing aroma. The incense was to be “salted, pure, and holy.” Salt, known for its preserving quality, likely ensured that the incense burned evenly and effectively. Symbolically, salt represented purity, permanence, and covenant faithfulness, as seen in Leviticus 2:13, where the LORD commanded, “With all your offerings you shall offer salt.”
In a practical sense, this incense was essential to counteract the odor of sacrifices and burnt offerings within the tabernacle courtyard. As Adam Clarke observed, “Where so many sacrifices were offered it was essentially necessary to have some pleasing perfume to counteract the disagreeable smells that must have arisen from the slaughter of so many animals, the sprinkling of so much blood, and the burning of so much flesh.” Yet beyond this practical purpose, the incense represented the spiritual reality of intercessory prayer, sanctified worship, and continual communion with God.
No one was permitted to reproduce this incense for personal enjoyment. To do so was to treat as common what God had declared holy. Any person who imitated its composition for private use was to be “cut off from his people,” meaning excommunicated or executed for profaning that which belonged exclusively to God. The fragrance of worship, therefore, is sacred—it is not to be used for self-gratification or personal gain.
The holy incense beautifully portrays the worshiper’s offering of prayer and adoration. Just as its fragrance filled the tabernacle and rose toward heaven, so the prayers of the saints ascend to God. Revelation 8:4 echoes this image: “And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand.” The sweetness of this incense reminds believers that true worship, born of purity and reverence, is most pleasing to the LORD.
