◄ Exodus 30:34 ►
The LORD also said to Moses, "Take fragrant spices--gum resin, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense--in equal measures,
Study Bible
Then the LORD said to Moses
This phrase underscores the direct communication between God and Moses, a central theme in the book of Exodus. The Hebrew word for "LORD" is "YHWH," the sacred and personal name of God, emphasizing His covenant relationship with Israel. This divine instruction highlights the importance of obedience and reverence in worship, as God Himself provides the details for the sacred incense.

Take
The Hebrew verb "laqach" implies an active and deliberate action. Moses is instructed to gather specific items, indicating the intentionality and precision required in worship. This reflects the broader biblical principle that worship is not haphazard but is to be conducted according to God's specific instructions.

fragrant spices
The Hebrew term "besamim" refers to aromatic substances used in sacred rituals. These spices were not only valuable but also symbolized the prayers of the people ascending to God. The use of fragrance in worship is a reminder of the beauty and holiness that should characterize our approach to God.

gum resin
The Hebrew word "nataf" is often translated as "stacte," a type of resin. This substance was likely derived from the myrrh tree and was prized for its aromatic properties. In the ancient Near East, such resins were used in both religious and medicinal contexts, symbolizing healing and sanctification.

onycha
The Hebrew "shecheleth" is a somewhat mysterious term, traditionally understood as a shellfish-derived spice. Its inclusion in the incense mixture suggests the diversity and richness of creation being offered back to God. Onycha's rarity and value underscore the preciousness of what is dedicated to the Lord.

galbanum
The Hebrew "chelbenah" refers to a gum resin with a strong, earthy scent. Historically, galbanum was used in both sacred and secular contexts for its preservative and aromatic qualities. Its presence in the incense mixture may symbolize the enduring nature of God's covenant with His people.

and pure frankincense
The Hebrew "lebonah" is a well-known aromatic resin, often associated with purity and holiness. Frankincense was a key component in ancient worship practices, symbolizing the divine presence and the prayers of the faithful. Its purity signifies the unblemished nature of offerings acceptable to God.

in equal measures
The phrase "bad b'bad" in Hebrew indicates a precise balance. This instruction for equal measures of each spice highlights the importance of harmony and balance in worship. It serves as a metaphor for the unity and equality that should characterize the community of believers as they come before God.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant God of Israel, who provides specific instructions for worship and the construction of the Tabernacle.

2. Moses
The leader of the Israelites, chosen by God to deliver His people from Egypt and to receive the Law on Mount Sinai.

3. Fragrant Spices
Specific ingredients (gum resin, onycha, galbanum, and frankincense) used to create a sacred incense for worship in the Tabernacle.

4. Tabernacle
The portable sanctuary where the Israelites worshiped God during their journey through the wilderness.

5. Israelites
The chosen people of God, who are being instructed on how to worship and live in a way that honors Him.
Teaching Points
The Importance of Obedience in Worship
God provides specific instructions for worship, emphasizing the need for obedience and reverence in approaching Him.

Symbolism of Incense
Incense represents the prayers of the faithful, rising to God as a pleasing aroma. Our prayers should be sincere and offered with a pure heart.

Holiness and Set-Apartness
The specific ingredients and their equal measures signify the holiness and set-apart nature of worship. Our lives should reflect this holiness in our daily walk with God.

The Role of Mediators
Moses acts as a mediator between God and the Israelites, foreshadowing Christ as our ultimate mediator who intercedes on our behalf.

The Fragrance of Christ
As believers, we are called to be the fragrance of Christ in the world, spreading the knowledge of Him through our actions and words.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the specificity of God's instructions for the incense reflect His nature and expectations for worship?

2. In what ways can our prayers be like incense, and how can we ensure they are a pleasing aroma to God?

3. How does the role of Moses as a mediator in this passage point to the work of Christ in the New Testament?

4. What does it mean to be the "fragrance of Christ" in our daily lives, and how can we practically live this out?

5. How can the concept of holiness and being set apart, as seen in the preparation of the incense, be applied to our personal and communal worship today?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Leviticus 16
The use of incense in the Day of Atonement rituals, highlighting the importance of incense in worship and atonement practices.

Revelation 8
The imagery of incense in the heavenly worship, symbolizing the prayers of the saints rising before God.

Psalm 141
The psalmist's prayer likening his prayers to incense, emphasizing the spiritual significance of incense as a symbol of prayer and worship.
Sermons
The Golden Altar and the PerfumeJ. Orr Exodus 30:1-11, 34-38
The Laver and the Anointing OilJ. Orr Exodus 30:17-34
The IncenseE. F. Willis, M. A.Exodus 30:34-38
People
Aaron, Israelites, Moses
Places
Mount Sinai
Topics
Amounts, Best, Drugs, Equal, Fragrant, Frankincense, Galbanum, Gum, Onycha, Proportions, Pure, Resin, Spices, Stacte, Sweet, Weight, Weights
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Exodus 30:34

     7768   priests, OT function

Exodus 30:33-35

     4496   perfume

Exodus 30:34-35

     4357   salt
     4466   herbs and spices

Exodus 30:34-38

     5183   smell
     7386   incense
     8270   holiness, set apart

Library
The Altar of Incense
'Thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon.' --EXODUS xxx. 1. Ceremonies are embodied thoughts. Religious ceremonies are moulded by, and seek to express, the worshipper's conception of his God, and his own relation to Him; his aspirations and his need. Of late years scholars have been busy studying the religions of the more backward races, and explaining rude and repulsive rites by pointing to the often profound and sometimes beautiful ideas underlying them. When that process is applied to Australian …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Ransom for Souls --I.
Then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul.' --EXODUS xxx. 12. This remarkable provision had a religious intention. Connect it with the tax-money which Peter found in the fish's mouth. I. Its meaning. Try to realise an Israelite's thoughts at the census. 'I am enrolled among the people and army of God: am I worthy? What am I, to serve so holy a God?' The payment was meant-- (a) To excite the sense of sin. This should be present in all approach to God, in all service; accompanying the …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Ransom for Souls --ii.
'The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel....'--EXODUS xxx. 15. This tax was exacted on numbering the people. It was a very small amount, about fifteen pence, so it was clearly symbolical in its significance. Notice-- I. The broad principle of equality of all souls in the sight of God. Contrast the reign of caste and class in heathendom with the democracy of Judaism and of Christianity. II. The universal sinfulness. Payment of the tax was a confession that …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

"Whereby we Cry, Abba, Father. "
Rom. viii. 15.--"Whereby we cry, Abba, Father." As there is a light of grace in bestowing such incomparably high dignities and excellent gifts on poor sinners, such as, to make them the sons of God who were the children of the devil, and heirs of a kingdom who were heirs of wrath; so there is a depth of wisdom in the Lord's allowance and manner of dispensing his love and grace in this life. For though the love be wonderful, that we should be called the sons of God; yet, as that apostle speaks, …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Jesus Pays the Tribute Money.
(Capernaum, Autumn, a.d. 29) ^A Matt. XVII. 24-27. ^a 24 And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received the half-shekel came to Peter, and said, Doth not your teacher pay the half-shekel? [The law of Moses required from every male of twenty years and upward the payment of a tax of half a shekel for the support of the temple (Ex. xxx. 12-16; II. Chron. xxiv. 5, 6). This tax was collected annually. We are told that a dispute existed between the Pharisees and Sadducees as to whether the payment …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

How a Private Man must Begin the Morning with Piety.
As soon as ever thou awakest in the morning, keep the door of thy heart fast shut, that no earthly thought may enter, before that God come in first; and let him, before all others, have the first place there. So all evil thoughts either will not dare to come in, or shall the easier be kept out; and the heart will more savour of piety and godliness all the day after; but if thy heart be not, at thy first waking, filled with some meditations of God and his word, and dressed, like the lamp in the tabernacle …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

The Copies of Things in the Heavens
'And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2. On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation. 3. And thou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and cover the ark with the vail. 4. And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in order the things that are to be set in order upon it; and thou shalt bring in the candlestick, and light the lamps thereof. 5. And thou shalt set the altar of gold for the incense before the ark of the testimony, and put …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Jesus Attends the First Passover of his Ministry.
(Jerusalem, April 9, a.d. 27.) Subdivision A. Jesus Cleanses the Temple. ^D John II. 13-25. ^d 13 And the passover of the Jews was at hand [We get our information as to the length of our Lord's ministry from John's Gospel. He groups his narrative around six Jewish festivals: 1, He here mentions the first passover; 2, another feast, which we take to have been also a passover (v. 1); 3, another passover (vi. 4); 4, the feast of tabernacles (vii. 2); 5, dedication (x. 22); 6, passover (xi. 55). This …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Annunciation to Zacharias of the Birth of John the Baptist.
(at Jerusalem. Probably b.c. 6.) ^C Luke I. 5-25. ^c 5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judæa [a Jewish proselyte, an Idumæan or Edomite by birth, founder of the Herodian family, king of Judæa from b.c. 40 to a.d. 4, made such by the Roman Senate on the recommendation of Mark Antony and Octavius Cæsar], a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course [David divided the priests into twenty-four bodies or courses, each course serving in rotation one week in the temple …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Last Events in Galilee - the Tribute-Money, the Dispute by the Way, the Forbidding of Him who could not Follow with the Disciples, and The
Now that the Lord's retreat in the utmost borders of the land, at Cæsarea Philippi, was known to the Scribes, and that He was again surrounded and followed by the multitude, there could be no further object in His retirement. Indeed, the time was coming that He should meet that for which He had been, and was still, preparing the minds of His disciples - His Decease at Jerusalem. Accordingly, we find Him once more with His disciples in Galilee - not to abide there, [3743] nor to traverse it …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Epistle xxviii. To Augustine, Bishop of the Angli .
To Augustine, Bishop of the Angli [136] . Gregory to Augustine, &c. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will (Luke ii. 14); because a grain of wheat, falling into the earth, has died, that it might not reign in heaven alone; even He by whose death we live, by whose weakness we are made strong, by whose suffering we are rescued from suffering, through whose love we seek in Britain for brethren whom we knew not, by whose gift we find those whom without knowing them we sought. …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Prayer
But I give myself unto prayer.' Psa 109: 4. I shall not here expatiate upon prayer, as it will be considered more fully in the Lord's prayer. It is one thing to pray, and another thing to be given to prayer: he who prays frequently, is said to be given to prayer; as he who often distributes alms, is said to be given to charity. Prayer is a glorious ordinance, it is the soul's trading with heaven. God comes down to us by his Spirit, and we go up to him by prayer. What is prayer? It is an offering …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

Exodus
The book of Exodus--so named in the Greek version from the march of Israel out of Egypt--opens upon a scene of oppression very different from the prosperity and triumph in which Genesis had closed. Israel is being cruelly crushed by the new dynasty which has arisen in Egypt (i.) and the story of the book is the story of her redemption. Ultimately it is Israel's God that is her redeemer, but He operates largely by human means; and the first step is the preparation of a deliverer, Moses, whose parentage, …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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