Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Exodus
Book: Exodus
Chapter: 30
Overview:
The
Altar of
Incense.
(1-10) The
Ransom of souls.
(11-16) The
brazen
Laver.
(17-21) The holy anointing
Oil, The perfume.
(22-38)
1-10 The
Altar of
Incense represented the
Son of God in his
human nature, and the
Incense burned thereon typified his
pleading for his people. The continual
Intercession of Christ
was represented
By the daily burning of
Incense thereon, morning
and
Evening. Once every
Year the
Blood of the
Atonement was to
be applied to it, denoting that the
Intercession of Christ has
all its virtue from his sufferings
On Earth, and that we need
No
other
Sacrifice or intercessor but
Christ alone.
11-16 The
Tribute was half a
Shekel, about fifteen pence of our
Money. The rich were not to give more, nor the
Poor less; the
souls of the rich and
Poor are alike precious, and
God is
No
respecter of persons, Ac 10:34;
Job 34:19. In other offerings
men were to give according to their worldly ability; but this,
which was the
Ransom of the soul, must be alike for all. The
souls of all are of equal value, equally in danger, and all
equally need a
Ransom. The
Money raised was to be used in the
service of the
Tabernacle. Those who have the benefit, must not
grudge the necessary charges of
God's public
Worship.
Money
cannot make
Atonement for the soul, but it may be used for the
honour of Him who has made the
Atonement, and for the
maintenance of the
Gospel By which the
Atonement is applied.
17-21 A large vessel of
Brass, holding water, was to be set
near the door of the
Tabernacle.
Aaron and his sons must wash
their hands and feet at this
Laver, every time they went in to
Minister. This was to teach them purity in all their services,
and to dread the pollution of
Sin. They must not only wash and
be made
Clean, when first made priests, but must wash and be
kept
Clean, whenever they went to
Minister. It teaches us daily
to attend upon
God, daily to renew our
Repentance for
Sin, and
our looking to the
Blood of
Christ for remission; for in many
things we daily offend.
22-38 Directions are here given for making the holy anointing
Oil, and the
Incense to be used in the service of the
Tabernacle. To show the excellency of
Holiness, there was this
spiced
Oil in the
Tabernacle, which was grateful to the sight
and to the smell.
Christ's name is as
Ointment poured forth,
So
1:3, and the good name of Christians is like precious
Ointment,
Ec 7:1. The
Incense burned upon the golden
Altar was prepared
of sweet
Spices. When it was used, it was to be beaten very
small; thus it pleased the
Lord to bruise the
Redeemer, when he
offered himself for a
Sacrifice of a sweet-smelling savour. The
like should not be made for any common use. Thus
God would keep
in the people's minds reverence for his own services, and teach
us not to profane or abuse any thing whereby
God makes himself
known. It is a great affront to
God to jest with sacred things,
and to make sport with his
Word and ordinances. It is most
dangerous and fatal to use professions of the
Gospel of
Christ
to forward worldly interests.