Exodus 30:2-162A 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. 3And 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. 4And 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. 5And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. 6And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee. 7And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it. 8And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations. 9Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon. 10And 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. 11And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 12When 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. 13This 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. 14Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the Lord. 15The 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. 16And 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. (Exodus 30:2‑16)
The altar of incense was two cubits high, and two is typical of testimony. “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matt. 18:2020For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:20). Many of God’s dear children have laid hold of this precious promise, and, meeting in God’s appointed way, they remember the Lord in His death and offer up their spiritual sacrifices to God. What a privilege this is! Surely it is far more wonderful than the sweet-smelling incense which was offered on the tabernacle altar, which was only a “shadow of good things to come!”
Around this altar of incense, as around the ark and the table, there was to be a crown. of gold. How carefully God guards the glory of the Person of His Son and how important this is in worship. Our blessed Lord is the One whom “the King delighteth to honor,” and surely every true believer delights to do the same.
Every morning Aaron was to burn sweet incense upon the altar when he dressed the lamps, and again every evening when he lighted them. There was to be no strange incense offered, for only what speaks of the loveliness of Christ in His Person and work is a sweet incense.to God. The fire by which the incense was to be burned came from the brazen altar, for only that which is the fruit of the knowledge of what Christ accomplished at Calvary is the true foundation of worship. All other attempts are like strange fire, as though to present to God something of man’s efforts which cannot be accepted at all. We are told here that the altar was most holy and we should always remember this when we come into the presence of God in worship.
Aaron was to make an atonement for the altar once a year, for they must always be reminded that the blood of bulls and goats could never take away sin. Only the blood of the Perfect Sacrifice, the blessed, spotless, Lamb of God, could obtain “eternal redemption for us.” “The law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.” Hebrews 7:1919For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God. (Hebrews 7:19). May we ever rejoice in the perfection of Christ’s work!
Whenever the people were numbered everyone must give a half shekel of silver. It must be after the shekel of the sanctuary too. It must be according to God’s standard, not man’s. Moreover the rich were not to give more nor the poor less, for God is no respecter of persons. All stand on one common platform before Him as sinners, whether rich or poor, and all need redemption. Of course we know that we are “not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold.. but with the precious blood of Christ.” 1 Peter 1:18, 1918Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: (1 Peter 1:18‑19). All need this, and thank God, salvation is for “whosoever will.” Dear reader, are you redeemed? Are you resting on Christ’s finished work? There is no other ground of peace with God.
When David on one occasion numbered the people without this redemption money, God sent a plague among them, and it was not until David offered a sacrifice that the plague stopped. Nor will you ever be “numbered” among the happy throngs in heaven, dear reader, unless you learn the redemption song here. God must remind us over and over again that there is no blessing for fallen man apart from redemption.
ML 04/02/1950