Exo 30:17-38  Instructions About the Bronze Basin, the Anointing Oil and Incense

[Study Aired December 26, 2022]

Exo 30:17  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Exo 30:18  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. 
Exo 30:19  For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat: 
Exo 30:20  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: 
Exo 30:21  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. 
Exo 30:22  Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Exo 30:23  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,
Exo 30:24  And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin: 
Exo 30:25  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. 
Exo 30:26  And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony, 
Exo 30:27  And the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick and his vessels, and the altar of incense, 
Exo 30:28  And the altar of burnt offering with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot. 
Exo 30:29  And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy. 
Exo 30:30  And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office. 
Exo 30:31  And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be an holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations. 
Exo 30:32  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. 
Exo 30:33  Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall even be cut off from his people. 
Exo 30:34  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: 
Exo 30:35  And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy: 
Exo 30:36  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. 
Exo 30:37  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. 
Exo 30:38  Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from his people.

Today’s study is based on the bronze basin which is filled with water for the ceremonial cleansing of priests. This session also focuses on the making of anointing oil and incense. The bronze basin or the laver is located in the courtyard of the tabernacle. It is placed between the altar and the tent of meeting. The laver of bronze was a wash basin used by priests in the tabernacle in the wilderness, as a place where they cleansed their hands and feet before they enter the Holy Place. 

The fact that the bronze basin was placed in the courtyard is significant. The courtyard depicts our lives in Babylon as Levites who do the service of the tabernacle. It is in Babylon that we begin our service to the Lord and if we are granted to become part of the royal priesthood, then we have to leave Babylon or the courtyard of the tabernacle to enter the Holy place of the Tabernacle. 

Num 3:5  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Num 3:6  Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him. 
Num 3:7  And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle. 
Num 3:8  And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle. 
Num 3:9  And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel. 

This bronze basin is the same as the six waterpots of stone at the wedding in Cana which were filled with water for the purifying of the Jews. 

Joh 2:6  And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.

These six waterpots of stone represent our stony hearts and mind while we are in Babylon, and therefore the words of the Lord (the water from the waterpots for our purification) are of no effect in our lives in terms of righteousness. In a similar manner, the water from the bronze basin, which serves as our water baptism, has no effect in our lives as our stony hearts and minds are not given to know the mysteries of the kingdom at our time in Babylon. The story of Jesus’ encounter with the Jews who believed in Him is to show us our state of spiritual poverty while in Babylon.

Eze 11:19  And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: 

Joh 8:31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 

Joh 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 

Joh 8:39  They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham. 
Joh 8:40  But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. 
Joh 8:41  Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.
Joh 8:42  Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. 
Joh 8:43  Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. 
Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

It is only when we go through fiery trials as a result of the bread (the word of the Lord) we eat as priests in the Holy place that we learn righteousness. It is therefore in the Holy place that our stony hearts and minds are changed to hearts of flesh which makes it possible for us to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God. 

Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

In today’s study, we shall look at instructions about the building of the bronze basin and how they apply to our lives. We shall also look at how anointing oil and incense were made. As we are aware, the anointing oil stands for the Holy Spirit, and incense is the prayers of the Lord’s people. We shall therefore learn how, through the Holy Spirit, we are able to pray for the will of the Lord which is a sweet-smelling fragrance to the Lord.

Rom 8:26  Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 
Rom 8:27  And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 

Psa 141:2  Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. 

Rev 5:8  And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

Exo 30:17  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Exo 30:18  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. 
Exo 30:19  For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat: 
Exo 30:20  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: 
Exo 30:21  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.

What is significant is that the laver is to be made of brass. The Hebrew word for brass is copper, which is a base metal. We know from the scriptures that the key to understanding spiritual reality is through the things that are made. This is true of base metals which are taken from the earth and are refined through fire to remove all earthen matter. 

Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

The use of brass or copper for the basin is to remind us of our carnal state in Christ. We must therefore go through the furnace of our fiery trials before we learn righteousness. The fact that the bronze basin is located in the courtyard reminds us of our carnal state in Babylon where we cannot hear the words of the Lord.

Joh 8:43  Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. 
Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

The water used for the washing of hands and feet of the priests symbolizes our water baptism in Babylon. Our hands represent our works, and our feet symbolize our walk before God. The water here is a symbol of the milk part of the word of God which we receive in Babylon which guides our works and our walk before the Lord. However, because of the great swelling words of man’s wisdom (false doctrines) we receive in Babylon, the milk of the word becomes polluted and therefore we become worse off.

1Co 3:1  And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
1Co 3:2  I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. 

2Pe 2:18  For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.
2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
2Pe 2:20  For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 
2Pe 2:21  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 
2Pe 2:22  But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. 

Being driven by false doctrines, we are denied access to the altar in the Holy place where the priests (represented by Aaron and his sons) eat.

Heb 13:9  Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein. 
Heb 13:10  We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.

The word of the Lord we receive when we are granted access to leave Babylon and to enter the Holy place is accompanied by trials and tribulations which cause us to learn righteousness. 

Lev 6:14  And this is the law of the meat offering: the sons of Aaron shall offer it before the LORD, before the altar.
Lev 6:15  And he shall take of it his handful, of the flour of the meat offering, and of the oil thereof, and all the frankincense which is upon the meat offering, and shall burn it upon the altar for a sweet savour, even the memorial of it, unto the LORD. 
Lev 6:16  And the remainder thereof shall Aaron and his sons eat: with unleavened bread shall it be eaten in the holy place; in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation they shall eat it. 

Lev 6:26  The priest that offereth it for sin shall eat it: in the holy place shall it be eaten, in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation.

Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Exo 30:22  Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Exo 30:23  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,
Exo 30:24  And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin: 
Exo 30:25  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.

These verses show us the ingredients that go into the making of anointing oil. These are myrrh, cinnamon, calamus, cassia and olive oil. The fact that they are five items is to let us know that it is grace through faith that we become anointed by the Lord.

A close examination of the species used show us that they are basically used by women as part of their purification to attract their husbands as they emanate sweet odor. A typical example is the case of Esther when she went through a purification process for one year in order to come before king Ahasuerus.  As we are aware, women represent the church and the one year for the purification represents our being united with Christ (significance of the number one). This means that it is the church of the first born who are required to go through a period of purification to be united with Christ. This is affirmed in the Songs of Solomon when the bride goes to a mountain of myrrh until the day breaks. The day breaking is the rising of Christ within us or Christ being united with us.

Est 2:12  Now when every maid’s turn was come to go in to king Ahasuerus, after that she had been twelve months, according to the manner of the women, (for so were the days of their purifications accomplished, to wit, six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odours, and with other things for the purifying of the women;)

Son 4:6  Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.

Son 5:1  I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.

Son 5:5  I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock.

Pro 7:17  I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

Son 4:14  Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices:

2Pe 1:19  We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

The anointing oil is made through a process which speaks of our fiery trials and persecutions which causes us to bear a sweet odor of oil as we ready ourselves for our union with Christ. In other words, we become anointed of the Lord through a process which is alluded to in the following scriptures as beaten oil:

Exo 29:40  And with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering.

Num 28:5  And a tenth part of an ephah of flour for a meat offering, mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil.

As stated in verse 25, this anointing oil is the work of a perfumer who is our Lord Jesus Christ. It is through Him that we are judged as the process to become anointed by the Lord.

Joh 5:22  For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
Joh 5:23  That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.

Exo 30:26  And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony, 
Exo 30:27  And the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick and his vessels, and the altar of incense, 
Exo 30:28  And the altar of burnt offering with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot. 
Exo 30:29  And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy. 
Exo 30:30  And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office. 
Exo 30:31  And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be an holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations.

This precious anointing oil was used to anoint kings and priests, and to consecrate items in the tabernacle which were meant to be most holy. The items to be consecrated include the tabernacle of congregation, the ark of the testimony, tables and vessels, candlesticks, altar of incense and the altar of burnt offering. All these items have to do with our hearts and minds which must be anointed to become Holy to the Lord. As we are aware, the anointing oil represents the Holy Spirit which was promised by the Lord Jesus Christ to the disciples. In verse 29, we are given the function of the Holy Spirit, that is, to sanctify us to make us holy.  God’s purpose in our sanctification is to transform us more and more into the likeness of Christ.

Rom 8:29  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 
Rom 8:30  Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Jesus’ prayer for His disciples, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” instructs us that God sanctifies us by His Word. What this means is that the primary instrument of sanctification is the word of the Lord. It is the anointing oil which guides us to know the truth of the word of the Lord.

Joh 17:17  Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

As we are given to know the truth about the word of the Lord through the work of the Holy Spirit, symbolized by the anointing oil, the word we have received causes us to go through fiery trials which gradually sanctify us as we learn righteousness. 

Joh 16:13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

The Holy Spirit which comes to us is described as the anointing oil on Aaron’s head that flows down his beard through the skirts of his garments. As the Holy Spirit enters our lives, we are granted the grace to have the mind of Christ. That is what unites us all as one and causes the Lord to command His blessing into our lives.

Psa 133:1  A Song of degrees of David. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! 
Psa 133:2  It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; 
Psa 133:3  As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

1Co 1:10  Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Exo 30:32  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. 
Exo 30:33  Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall even be cut off from his people. 

When we are dominated by our flesh, the Holy Spirit cannot abide in us to lead us to the truth of Christ’s word. The Holy Spirit is given only to the royal priesthood. These verses warn us against preparing the anointing oil based on the formula given for any other use apart from tabernacle service – no putting the anointing oil on strangers. The fact that we are being warned means that there are already many people who are not part of the elect but are carrying themselves as if they have the anointing oil on their head. These are false apostles or prophets masquerading as ministers of the Gospel.  That is why we are required to test the spirit to see if they are of God. 

1Jn 4:1  Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
1Jn 4:2  By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 
1Jn 4:3  and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. (ESV)

This is what Apostle Paul has to say of such false apostles and prophets.

2Co 11:13  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 
2Co 11:15  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

Exo 30:34  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: 
Exo 30:35  And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy:

In the preparation of incense, four items are used – stacte, onycha, galbanum and pure frankincense. Stacte is a kind of fragrant gum from the storax tree and is a form of very pure myrrh, which flows spontaneously from the tree once a stalk from the tree has been pierced, broken and crushed. Onycha is a sweet-smelling part of a shellfish (Purpura) that has a strong odor when burned. Galbanum is a disagreeable smelling spice that comes from the umbelliferous plant. When any part of the plant is broken, a cream-colored juice flows. Frankincense tree is bruised three times in order to cause all the resin to be released. The first and second bruising yield a lower quality resin. The third, however, yields a resin of very high quality. These four ingredients had to be mixed with salt to preserve them from corruption. 

We can see that all the items that are used for the incense must be crushed, broken or heated in the preparation of incense. We are these items that are used for the preparation of incense. As we have stated earlier, incense represents the prayer of the saints. This means that our prayer as a sweet aroma before the Lord is through the fiery trials we encounter in this life. 

Rom 5:3  And not only so, but we also rejoice in our tribulations: knowing that tribulation worketh stedfastness; 
Rom 5:4  and stedfastness, approvedness; and approvedness, hope: 
Rom 5:5  and hope putteth not to shame; because the love of God hath been shed abroad in our hearts through the Holy Spirit which was given unto us.

Through our trials, as we learn righteousness we become steadfast and approved, which makes us and our prayers like a sweet odor of incense before the Lord.

2Co 2:14  But thanks be unto God, who always leadeth us in triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest through us the savor of his knowledge in every place. 
2Co 2:15  For we are a sweet savor of Christ unto God, in them that are saved, and in them that perish; 
2Co 2:16  to the one a savor from death unto death; to the other a savor from life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?

The fact that there are four ingredients means that the whole of the elect of every generation must go through the same fiery trials in order to become righteous which is a prerequisite for effective prayer or communication with the Lord.

Ecc 9:2  All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.

Exo 30:36  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. 
Exo 30:37  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.
Exo 30:38  Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from his people.

If we are to become a sweet savor before the presence of the Lord, then the influence of the flesh has to be beaten out of our lives. In other words, we must go through trials and tribulations to refine us to make our prayers effective. The word of the Lord says that the prayer of a righteous man avails much. The righteous man here refers to the man who has gone through trials and tribulation to learn righteousness.

Jas 5:16  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Jas 5:17  Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
Jas 5:18  And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

Again, we are warned that there may be counterfeits who come as the Lord’s anointed apostles and prophets. Their long prayers and signs and wonders that follow them may seem like a sweet savor incense before the Lord, but these are false apostles and prophets. We must always test the spirits to see if they are of the Lord. The fact that many come with signs and wonders must alert us to be wary since these signs and wonders are all rudimentary as our brother Paul warned us. In his letter to the Corinthians, he told them that it is only love (obedience to the Lord’s words) that will endure. In other words, a mature person is the one who obeys or trembles at the Lord’s words. Other gifts of the spirit such as word of knowledge, prophecies, signs and wonders, are all elementary and as we mature, they become less and less significant.

1Co 13:8  Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
1Co 13:9  For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
1Co 13:10  But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
1Co 13:11  When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

May the Lord help us to continue to test the spirit as the day approaches!! Amen!!