| Scripture |
Expanded Comments |
| |
|
| 1 And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: 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
|
| 2 A 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 one piece with it. |
The horns – Symbols of power. T42
|
| 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 unto it a crown of gold round about. |
With pure gold – Representing the divine nature. T18, T20
|
| 4 And two golden rings shalt thou make for it under the crown thereof; upon the two ribs thereof, upon the two sides of it shalt thou make them; and they shall be for places for staves wherewith to bear it. |
|
| 5 And thou shalt make the staves of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. |
|
| 6 And thou shalt put it before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy-seat that 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
|
| 7 And Aaron shall burn thereon incense of sweet spices: every morning, when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn it. |
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
|
| 8 And when Aaron lighteth the lamps between the two evenings, he shall burn it, a perpetual 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
|
| 9 Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt-offering, nor meal-offering; and ye shall pour no drink-offering thereon. |
|
| 10 And Aaron shall make atonement upon the horns of it once in the year; with the blood of the sin-offering of atonements once in the year shall he make atonement for it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto 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
|
| 11 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, |
|
| 12 When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel, according to those that are numbered of them, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto Jehovah, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them. |
|
| 13 This they shall give, every one that passeth over unto them that are numbered: half a shekel after the shekel of the Holy (the shekel is twenty gerahs), half a shekel for an offering to Jehovah. |
This – This poll tax. R3447:6, R2367:1
Half a shekel – About 33 cents. R2367:1
|
| 14 Every one that passeth over unto them that are numbered, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the offering of Jehovah. |
|
| 15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when they give the offering of Jehovah, to make atonement for your souls. |
|
| 16 And thou shalt take the atonements money from the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tent of meeting; that it may be a memorial for the children of Israel before Jehovah, to make atonement for your souls. |
|
| 17 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, |
|
| 18 Thou shalt also make a laver of copper, and the base thereof of copper, whereat to wash. And thou shalt put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein. |
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*
|
| 19 And Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat: |
|
| 20 when they go into the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire unto Jehovah. |
|
| 21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to 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
|
| 22 Moreover Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, |
|
| 23 Take thou also unto thee the chief spices: of flowing myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred fifty, and of sweet calamus two hundred 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*
|
| 24 and of cassia five hundred, after the shekel of the Holy, 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
|
| 25 and thou shalt make it a holy anointing oil, a perfume compounded after the art of the perfumer: it shall be a 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
|
| 26 And thou shalt anoint therewith the tent of meeting, and the ark of the testimony, |
|
| 27 and the table and all the vessels thereof, and the lampstand and the vessels thereof, and the altar of incense, |
|
| 28 and the altar of burnt-offering with all the vessels thereof, and the laver and the base thereof. |
|
| 29 And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy. |
|
| 30 And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office. |
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
|
| 31 And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be a holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations. |
|
| 32 Upon the flesh of man shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any like it, according to the composition thereof: it is holy, and it shall be holy 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*
|
| 33 Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, he shall be cut off from his people. |
Even be cut off – Only the consecrated ones are ever to be anointed with the holy Spirit. T29
|
| 34 And Jehovah said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight; |
Pure frankincense – Representing praise, heart adoration and gratitude. R3703:5
|
| 35 and thou shalt make of it incense, a perfume after the art of the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy: |
A perfume – The prayers of God's people rise up before him as a sweet perfume. R5692:5
|
| 36 and thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy. |
|
| 37 And the incense which thou shalt make, according to the composition thereof ye shall not make for yourselves: it shall be unto thee holy for 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
|
| 38 Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereof, he shall be cut off from his people. |
|