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Expanded Comments |
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| 1 And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of shittim 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 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. |
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 unto it a crown of gold round about. |
With pure gold – Representing the divine nature. T18, T20
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| 4 And 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. |
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| 5 And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. |
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| 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
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| 7 And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon 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
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| 8 And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD 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 no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon. |
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| 10 And 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. |
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 the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, |
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| 12 When 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. |
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| 13 This 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. |
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 them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the LORD. |
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| 15 The 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. |
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| 16 And 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. |
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| 17 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, |
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| 18 Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation 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*
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| 19 For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat: |
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| 20 When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the LORD: |
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| 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
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| 22 Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, |
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| 23 Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels, |
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 shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an 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 thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an 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 tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony, |
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| 27 And the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick and his vessels, and the altar of incense, |
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| 28 And the altar of burnt offering with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot. |
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| 29 And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy. |
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| 30 And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate 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
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| 31 And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be an holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations. |
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| 32 Upon man's flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any other like it, after the composition of it: 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*
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| 33 Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall even be cut off from his people. |
Even be cut off – Only the consecrated ones are ever to be anointed with the holy Spirit. T29
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| 34 And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight: |
Pure frankincense – Representing praise, heart adoration and gratitude. R3703:5
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| 35 And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and 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 very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy. |
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| 37 And as for the perfume which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves according to the composition thereof: it shall be unto thee holy for the LORD. |
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 Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from his people. |
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