Exodus: The Lord and His PilgrimsSample

A suitable place, equipped people and regulated life

It may help to look back quickly and see the tabernacle chapters as a whole – not just one thing after another! In 24:12 Moses ascends Sinai; in 31:18 he descends. 25:1–9, detailing the tabernacle materials, matches 31:1–11, the tabernacle makers; 25:10 – 27:21, listing the furnishings, is balanced by 30:1–38, outlining the fitness (by anointing) of the furnishings. The central 28:1 – 29:46 focuses on the priesthood. 

The anointing oil (30:22–33) is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Everything about the tabernacle is as God wishes it (25:9; 31:11), but it is not fit for his service until it is set apart in holiness. 

In 30:34 the focus turns to incense. According to Psalm 141:2 prayer is ‘as incense’, but incense as such is not a symbol of prayer; in Revelation 8:3 incense is offered ‘with the prayers’. The verb form of incense (qatar, meaning ‘to make to smoke’) is used of the sacrifices (see Ex. 30:20), and the burnt offering has, literally, a ‘sweet smell’ to God (see Gen. 8:21). Thus the smoke and scent of the incense perpetuate the influence of the sacrifices. The incense itself is kindled by fire from the bronze altar (Ex. 27:1–7), which was the place of sacrifice, so that, in a sense, its smoke is the smoke of the sacrifices. Wrapped in that smoke the High Priest brings his sin offering into the Holy of Holies, shielding him from the dangerous glory of the Lord (v. 13). ‘… we’, says Paul, ‘are to God the fragrance of Christ’ (2 Cor. 2:15) – the Christ of Calvary is the cloud of incense in which we appear in the presence of God. 

In the next section we see that not only Bezalel and Aholiab, but all the artisans are gifted by God for the work (Ex. 31:6). In the versatility of the operations of the Holy Spirit (v. 3) there is no aspect of our lives in which we cannot look for his anointing that God may be glorified. 

At the end of the chapter we may wonder why the Sabbath regulations are repeated here (cf. 35:1–3). Maybe, with the huge volume of work the tabernacle team faced, they might have felt excused from the Sabbath, or that such holy work was itself exempt? That is not so! The Sabbath is a ‘sign’ (vv. 13, 17); it is ‘holy’ and ‘a perpetual covenant’ (vv. 14, 16); and it is enforced by the severest penalty (v. 15). 

Reflection

We do not have the Sabbath regulation (Col. 2:16), but we do have the creation ordinance of the one day in seven.