Exodus

Exodus 30: God appoints cleansing and atonement

Begin in prayer

Before the incense rises and the priests wash at the basin, let us ask God for reverent hearts. Pray that we will see our need for cleansing and trust the atonement Christ has made.

Let my prayer be set before you like incense; the lifting up of my hands like the evening sacrifice.

Psalm 141:2

Father in heaven, please open our eyes as we read Your Word. Help us honor the holiness of Your presence. Show us the cleansing of Jesus and keep us from treating Your commands lightly. Make us more like Jesus. And please bless our family as we worship You together. In Jesus' name, Amen.

See where we're going

God commands a gold-covered incense altar before the veil, with daily incense and yearly atonement on its horns. Each man counted in the census must give the same half shekel, whether rich or poor, for the tent’s service. A brass basin supplies water for the priests to wash before they enter or approach the altar, lest they die. God gives the recipe for holy anointing oil to set apart the tent, its furnishings and the priests. The oil must not be copied or placed on an unauthorized person. A holy incense mixture is also reserved for God, and making it for personal enjoyment brings exclusion from His people.

As you read Exodus 30, look for the answers:

Reflect together

Key truth

God appoints holy cleansing and atonement for those who approach Him.

The incense altar stands before the veil, with morning and evening incense accompanying the tending of the lamps. Even this altar needs the blood of atonement once a year, keeping sin’s seriousness within the sanctuary’s daily service. The census ransom brings every counted man, rich or poor, under the same half-shekel requirement to avert plague. The money serves the tent and remains a memorial before God, rather than a price by which sinners buy eternal life. Priests must wash hands and feet at the basin before entering or ministering, with death threatened for disobedience. The anointing oil sets the dwelling, its vessels and its priests apart for God’s service. Neither the oil nor the incense may be copied for private enjoyment, and misuse brings exclusion from the people. Holiness means that what God appoints must be received in the way He commands. Christ fulfils the cleansing and atonement these repeated duties announce, bringing His people near through His own blood.

How does Exodus 30 show us that God appoints holy cleansing and atonement for those who approach Him?

God’s sanctuary needs atonement as well as daily incense.

Aaron burns incense morning and evening before the veil. Blood from the sin offering makes atonement on the altar once a year. The daily approach depends on the sacrifice God appoints, leading toward Christ’s sufficient offering.

Every counted man comes under God’s ransom requirement.

Men aged twenty and upward must give half a shekel when counted, so no plague comes. Wealth cannot raise or reduce the required payment. The money serves the tent and reminds Israel that life belongs to God.

God requires cleansing and forbids treating holy things as common.

Priests must wash their hands and feet before service, lest they die. The special oil and incense belong to God’s appointed use. Making the oil or incense for unauthorized use, or putting the oil on an unauthorized person, brings exclusion.

Memorise

The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when they give the offering of Yahweh, to make atonement for your souls.

Exodus 30:15

Looking to Jesus in my life

Ask yourself in your heart, what uncleanness in my heart am I refusing to bring to Jesus?

God commands the priests to wash “that they not die.” Even the incense altar needs yearly atonement. The LORD’s presence is holy, and the people who come near must receive the cleansing He appoints.

We cannot cleanse our guilty hearts with water or buy peace through a payment. Christ paid His people’s debt by suffering for their sins at the cross. He rose from the dead, and His completed sacrifice is enough to give them a clean conscience before God. His saving blood needs no yearly renewal.

Turn from your sin and put your trust in Jesus. Those who receive His cleansing find forgiveness and peace with God. Come with reverence, leaving behind the hope of making yourself acceptable. The holy Lord has provided the Savior whose atonement fully answers His people’s guilt.

Parent's note

Tell your children that priests needed cleansing before service, and that Jesus died and rose to cleanse His people’s hearts. Please do not tell them they are saved just because they grew up in a Christian home. Call each child to turn from sin and trust Jesus, and pray that God would give them a new heart.

Pray together

Now please close your time together in prayer. Thank God for holy cleansing and the atonement He provides for His people, and bring the heart question to Him. Every child can pray, so let each one say a short prayer if they want to.

Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I don’t wash you, you have no part with me.”

John 13:8

Holy Lord, thank You for teaching the weight of coming near to You. Forgive our careless treatment of Your commands. Please bring us to repent and trust Jesus for cleansing. Make our family reverent in worship and honest about the sins we need Him to forgive. Amen.