Exodus 30:17-38 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Exodus 30:17-38. Let’s go!
Exodus 30:17-21 (NIV)
17 Then the LORD said to Moses,
18 “Make a bronze basin, with its bronze stand, for washing. Place it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it.
19 Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet with water from it.
20 Whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting, they shall wash with water so that they will not die. Also, when they approach the altar to minister by presenting an offering made to the LORD by fire,
21 they shall wash their hands and feet so that they will not die. This is to be a lasting ordinance for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come.”
On verses 17-21: Here the LORD instructs Moses to make a bronze basin for washing Aaron’s hands and feet and to place it in the courtyard between the altar and the Tent of Meeting. The purpose of washing was “so that they will not die” (v20). That is, on one level, the washing was to protect the physical health of Aaron and his sons as they regularly dealt with the blood of animals. On another level, the washing with water symbolized the priests’ own need to be cleansed of their sins.
What can we learn from this? (1) God cares about your physical health and thus we ought to take good care of our own physical health, in part by washing our bodies often; and (2) Jesus has washed away our sins in the water of His Word and His blood, as represented through water baptism. As 1 Corinthians 6:11 says, “…But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
Exodus 30:22-33 (NIV)
22 Then the LORD said to Moses,
23 “Take the following fine spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much (that is, 250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant cane,
24 500 shekels of cassia–all according to the sanctuary shekel–and a hin of olive oil.
25 Make these into a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer. It will be the sacred anointing oil.
26 Then use it to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony,
27 the table and all its articles, the lampstand and its accessories, the altar of incense,
28 the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand.
29 You shall consecrate them so they will be most holy, and whatever touches them will be holy.
30 “Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them so they may serve me as priests.
31 Say to the Israelites, ‘This is to be my sacred anointing oil for the generations to come.
32 Do not pour it on men’s bodies and do not make any oil with the same formula. It is sacred, and you are to consider it sacred.
33 Whoever makes perfume like it and whoever puts it on anyone other than a priest must be cut off from his people.'”
On verses 22-33: Here the LORD gives Moses a specific formula for making the anointing oil that would be used to anoint everything from the Tent of Meeting to the altar to the priests themselves. Anointing the priests with oil symbolized how God’s power was resting on the priests.
Just as Aaron and his sons would be anointed with oil, when you placed your trust in Jesus Christ, God anointed you with His Holy Spirit so that His power now rests on your life. As 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 says:
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 (NIV)
21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us,
22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
Just as the priests were the only people who could wear the anointing oil (v32-33), so God reserves His Holy Spirit to live in every person who receives Jesus as their Saviour.
Exodus 30:34-38 (NIV)
34 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Take fragrant spices–gum resin, onycha and galbanum–and pure frankincense, all in equal amounts,
35 and make a fragrant blend of incense, the work of a perfumer. It is to be salted and pure and sacred.
36 Grind some of it to powder and place it in front of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you.
37 Do not make any incense with this formula for yourselves; consider it holy to the LORD.
38 Whoever makes any like it to enjoy its fragrance must be cut off from his people.”
On verses 34-38: Here the LORD gives Moses a formula for the incense that would be burned in the Tent of Meeting. Like with the anointing oil (v31-33), this formula of incense was sacred in that it was not to be used for any other purpose. Likewise, since incense is often a symbol for prayer in the Bible, let us not pray to or worship anyone or anything other than the LORD.
Father, thank You I am washed in the blood of Your Son Jesus Christ and I am anointed by the power of Your Holy Spirit. Like sacred incense, may the things I do and say, the way I pray, the thoughts I think be pleasing in Your sight. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
