Exodus 30:34-38

THE HOLY INCENSE

"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; and thou shalt make of it incense, a perfume after the art of the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy: and thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put it before the testimony in the tent of meeting; where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy. 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. Whosever shall make like unto that, to smell thereof, he shall be cut off from his people."

1. Stacte. "There are two kinds of stacte, one of myrrh and one of storax and a fat mixed."[34] The kind mentioned here is supposed to be myrrh.

2. Onycha. "This is a mollusk which emits a highly aromatic odor when burned. Gathered in the Near East until recently, it is used as an ingredient in perfume, and as a principal component of incense in India."[35]

3. Galbanum. "This is a gum resin with a pleasant odor and a bitter taste. It is imported from Persia. It is derived from certain umbelliferous plants."[36]

4. Frankincense. "Common frankincense is a gum derived from the ordinary fir tree, but the frankincense of the Jews is a substance now called Olibanum, a product of certain trees of the genus Boswellia. It grows in Arabia and Somaliland."[37]

It is of particular interest that the Jews were forbidden to make any of these sacred oils or incense for their own use, the death penalty being prescribed for any violators. These sacred materials were solely for use as God directed and not for the personal use of any persons whomsoever, except the ordained priests of the tabernacle.

Also, the half-shekel tax continued down through the times of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is mentioned in Matthew 17:24-27, which records the thoughtless promise of Peter that the Saviour would pay that half shekel tax. Jesus indeed paid it, not because he was justly obligated to pay it, but in order not to give offense. Also, he did not wish to make a test-case out of that trifling tax.

One other word about the significance of this chapter. Without it, it would have been impossible to structure any orderly and consistent worship for Israel in the tabernacle soon to be built. This alone denies any possibility that the chapter is a "late addition." That men would most certainly have placed this chapter somewhere else in the Pentateuch is certain; but so what? God placed it here, where it has the grace of rounding out the instructions for the tabernacle.

Before concluding this study of Exodus 30, it is appropriate to point out that it falls accurately into an oft-observed pattern of the sacred writings. It is a salient characteristic of the Pentateuch that instructions and information are frequently "split up," requiring the reading of several passages to understand the whole picture. It reminds us of the example in the case of Noah who at first was instructed to take of the animals into the ark, "two by two," but this was later expanded to include "seven each" of the clean creatures. Isaiah referred to this as "here a little and there a little"; and thus, as should have been expected, we have here the conclusion of the instructions regarding the articles of furniture in the tabernacle. The frustration of the scholars seeking to find all of these mentioned in one place is understandable, but God's ways are unlike the ways of men. Therefore, we find in Exodus 30 further evidence that what we have here is actually and truly the Word of God.