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Expanded Comments |
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| 1 And thou shalt make an altar for the burning of incense: of acacia-wood shalt thou make it; |
Make an altar – The Golden altar in the Holy represents the Church in the sacrificing condition. T120
The Golden altar was only acceptable because it had been sprinkled with the atoning blood taken from the side of the Brazen altar. R101:4*
To burn incense – Representing the privileges of worship and prayer. R5418:5
Sweet incense, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ, the incense of faith, love and obedience to God. T120, T56
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| 2 a cubit the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof--square shall it be; and two cubits its height; of itself shall be its horns. |
The horns – Symbols of power. T42
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| 3 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make upon it a border of gold round about. |
With pure gold – Representing the divine nature. T18, T20
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| 4 And two rings of gold shalt thou make for it under its border; by its two corners shalt thou make them, on the two sides thereof; and they shall be for receptacles for the staves, with which to carry it. |
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| 5 And thou shalt make the staves of acacia-wood, and overlay them with gold. |
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| 6 And thou shalt put it in front of the veil which is before the ark of the testimony in front of the mercy-seat which is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee. |
Before the vail – The passing of the second veil represented the death of the human body. T21
That is by the ark – It represented the eternal purpose of God for mankind in The Christ, Head and Body. T121
The mercy seat – The Mercy Seat, glory-light and cherubim together represented Jehovah God. T124
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| 7 And Aaron shall burn thereon fragrant incense: every morning, when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn the incense. |
And Aaron – And his sons who succeeded him in office. T116
When he dresseth – Representing the trimming off the dross of the old nature, the wick through which the holy Spirit operates. T117
The lamps – Seven lamps, representing the complete Church. T115
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| 8 And when Aaron lighteth the lamps between the two evenings, he shall burn the incense--a continual incense before Jehovah throughout your generations. |
Burn incense – Offer acceptable prayer. R17:6
At even-The High Priest daily fills us with the mind of Christ and trims off the dross of the old nature. T116
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| 9 Ye shall offer up no strange incense thereon, nor burnt-offering, nor oblation; neither shall ye pour drink-offering thereon. |
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| 10 And Aaron shall make atonement for its horns once in the year: with the blood of the sin-offering of atonement shall he make atonement for it, once in the year, throughout your generations: it is most holy to Jehovah. |
And Aaron – Representing our High Priest, Christ. T36, T116; E449
Make an atonement – The offerings were presented to God, not to Satan. E449
Once in a year – On the Day of Atonement, which typified the entire Gospel age. T50
With the blood – None can fully appreciate the power of this altar without first recognizing the blood. R96:1
Unto the LORD – The sacrifices for sin, under the Law, were sin offerings unto Jehovah. R685:4
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| 11 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, |
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| 12 When thou shalt take the sum of the children of Israel according to those of them that are numbered, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul to Jehovah on their being numbered, that there be no plague among them on their being numbered. |
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| 13 This shall they give--every one that passeth among them that are numbered--half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary, --twenty gerahs the shekel; a half shekel shall be the heave-offering for Jehovah. |
This – This poll tax. R3447:6, R2367:1
Half a shekel – About 33 cents. R2367:1
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| 14 Every one that passeth among those that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give the heave-offering of Jehovah. |
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| 15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when ye give the heave-offering of Jehovah, to make atonement for your souls. |
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| 16 And thou shalt take the atonement-money of the children of Israel, and devote it to the service of the tent of meeting; and it shall be a memorial to the children of Israel before Jehovah, to make atonement for your souls. |
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| 17 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, |
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| 18 Thou shalt also make a laver of copper, and its stand of copper, for washing; and thou shalt put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and shalt put water in it. |
A laver – No dimensions given. Truth, like its author, is boundless. R243:6*
Dimensions not given; therefore, as a type, it must be considered unlimited. R118:4*
Typifying baptism. R117:1*
Typifying not baptism only, but the daily washings of the Word. R117:6*
Of brass – No wood in its construction, therefore no provision for the flesh. R117:2*
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| 19 And Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet out of it. |
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| 20 When they go into the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, that they may not die; or when they come near to the altar to serve, to burn an offering by fire to Jehovah. |
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| 21 And they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they may not die; and it shall be an everlasting statute for them, for him and for his seed throughout their generations. |
So they shall wash – Aaron had to be washed in order fitly to represent the purity of Jesus. T29
Symbolizing the putting away of filthy practices - stealing, slander, envy, strife, back-biting, etc. R1543:6, R3054:2
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| 22 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, |
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| 23 And thou, take best spices--of liquid myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon the half--two hundred and fifty, and of sweet myrtle two hundred and fifty, |
Principal spices – Representing principal things which go to make up the anointing which we receive. R4092. 3*
Of pure myrrh – Symbol of wisdom-knowing what to do. R4093:2*
Five hundred shekels – The amount of myrhh was equal to the amounts of cinnamon and calamus combined. So God, in our anointing, gives us wisdom equal to our understanding and knowledge combined. R4093:2*
Of sweet cinnamon – Symbol of the understanding which we have of all the knowledge which we receive from God. R4093:2*
Of sweet calamus – Symbol of the knowledge which we receive from God's Word. R4093:2*
250 shekels – The amounts of cinnamon and calamus were equal, so we would expect in our anointing that we would have the understanding of all the knowledge received of God. R4093:2*
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| 24 and of cassia five hundred, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin; |
And of cassia – Symbol of deputyship, described in Scripture as "workmanship" and as "counsel and might." God gives no knowledge except for a purpose. He establishes our faith by giving the understanding thereof, then gives us the wisdom to know what is expected of us, and finally blesses us with the advice and ability (counsel and might) necessary for good workmanship in the accomplishment of his purposes. All that is expected of us is full consecration to the Lord and his service. All the rest he will supply in knowledge, understanding, wisdom, counsel and might. With more than this he cannot anoint us. R4093:3*
And of oil olive – Symbol of light through the holy Spirit. D651
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| 25 and make of it an oil of holy ointment, a perfume of perfumery after the work of the perfumer: it shall be the holy anointing oil. |
Holy anointing oil – Typifying the holy Spirit. T29, T37, T116; D650; R5654:5, R72:2
Of peculiar composition-olive oil, the basis, with perfumes, etc., added. SM598:2
Poured out upon our Head, Christ Jesus. It reached the Church at Pentecost and has been f lowing down, anointing the members ever since. R2225:1
Jewish Law required that every king and every priest be anointed before serving. R5227:3
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| 26 And thou shalt anoint the tent of meeting with it, and the ark of the testimony, |
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| 27 and the table and all its utensils, and the lamp-stand and its utensils, and the altar of incense, |
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| 28 and the altar of burnt-offering and all its utensils, and the laver and its stand. |
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| 29 And thou shalt hallow them, that they may be most holy: whatever toucheth them shall be holy. |
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| 30 And Aaron and his sons thou shalt anoint, and shalt hallow them, that they may serve me as priests. |
Anoint Aaron – The anointing came upon Aaron only at first, but upon each of his sons as they succeeded to the office of chief priest. F131; Q689:3; T37
The High Priest was anointed with oil, which constituted the divine evidence of his call to priestly office. SM598:2
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| 31 And thou shalt speak to the children of Israel, saying, A holy anointing oil shall this be unto me throughout your generations. |
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| 32 Upon man's flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any like it, after the preparation of it: it is holy--holy shall it be unto you. |
Any other like it – The Israelites were not permitted to compound a similar oil, showing typically that the holy Spirit is different from everything else and that its anointing is superior to any other. SM598:2
After the composition – According to the proportion thereof. Those who mix the proportions of the spirit differently are false brethren. R4093:4*
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| 33 Whoever compoundeth any like it, or whoever putteth any of it upon any strange thing, shall be cut off from his peoples. |
Even be cut off – Only the consecrated ones are ever to be anointed with the holy Spirit. T29
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| 34 And Jehovah said to Moses, Take fragrant drugs--stacte, and onycha, and galbanum--fragrant drugs and pure frankincense; in like proportions shall it be. |
Pure frankincense – Representing praise, heart adoration and gratitude. R3703:5
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| 35 And thou shalt make it into incense, a perfume, after the work of the perfumer, salted, pure, holy. |
A perfume – The prayers of God's people rise up before him as a sweet perfume. R5692:5
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| 36 And thou shalt beat some of it to powder, and put some of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy. |
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| 37 And the incense that thou shalt make, ye shall not make for yourselves according to the proportions of it; it shall be unto thee holy to Jehovah. |
Ye shall not make – None could be made like it. We think it represents the perfection of the "man Christ Jesus." R79:2
Holy for the LORD – As nobody was allowed to make that incense except the priests, so the privilege of prayer is confined to the Royal Priesthood. R5692:5
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| 38 Whoever maketh like unto it, to smell it, shall be cut off from his peoples. |
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