And Jehovah said to Moses, Take fragrant drugs -- stacte, and onycha, and galbanum -- fragrant drugs and pure frankincense; in like proportions shall it be.
God gives Moses a recipe: four fragrant substances, weighed out alike and blended into incense. Commentators read the list as a portrait of Christ. They press two questions: why these four spices, and why in equal measure?
This perfume belonged in God's house. Its worth rested on His appreciation of it, not ours.
All the fragrance, the sweetness, and the perfections of Christ, in His life and ways as a lowly man, walking in grace on earth, are shown here. Burned on the altar morning and evening, their sweet savour went up before God. If you and I do not appreciate Christ, God does.
Each name carries a meaning, and the meanings point to Christ.
The instruction about the incense follows the anointing oil, and the incense speaks of worship. Its ingredients again draw attention to the Lord Jesus. The first spice is stacte, which means "to drop," as words drop from the lips. It reminds us of "the gracious words that proceeded out of His mouth" (Luke 4:22) — words that flowed out from His heart. The second spice, onycha, means "fingernail," telling us of the very details of the work of the Lord's hands. Galbanum has a double meaning, "fatness" and "lamentation." The fat of the offerings always belonged to God. It speaks of the devotedness of the Lord Jesus to His God and Father. "Lamentation" speaks of His sorrow. Because He was devoted to God without reserve, He suffered the cruel reproaches of men. "Frankincense" means "white," and speaks of the purity of the Lord Jesus in His lovely separation to God.
These ingredients are rare, and their own scent was only the beginning.
The incense held four different ingredients, three of them mentioned nowhere else. It was a perfume, pure and holy, and it seems to have had a fragrance of its own (verse 38). But its full perfume only came out when burned. This teaches us that Christ's sweet savour came out in its fullness when He bore divine judgment on the Cross. The fire on the Altar of Burnt-Offering was never to go out. It was the fire that came down from heaven on the eighth day, when Aaron was set apart as priest — a fitting picture of divine judgment.
No amount is named, only that the four match each other. The ESV reads "an equal part"; the older wording the writers quote is "a like weight."
God prescribed no quantity for the ingredients. More than that, we read, "of each there shall be a like weight." Every feature of moral excellence found its due place and proper proportion in Christ. No one quality ever displaced or interfered with another. All was "tempered together, pure and holy," and gave off a scent so fragrant that none but God could appreciate it.
Imagine the balance broken, and you see what the equal weight protects.
Each ingredient balanced the others. In man the qualities have to counteract each other; in Christ each one enhanced the fragrance and brought out its true character. So if there had been too much of the stacte — of sweetness and fragrance alone — it would have wearied the sense, even though this one came first. If the galbanum had dominated the others, there would have been lacking the "meekness and gentleness of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:1). Too much onycha would have cast too dark a gloom over all His life.
God told Moses to beat some of the mixture very small and put it before the testimony, in the tent where He met with him.
There is uncommon depth and power in the expression "very small." It teaches us this. Every little movement in the life of Christ, every tiny circumstance, every act, every word, every look, every feature, every trait, every line gives off a scent. That scent comes from an equal proportion — "a like weight" — of all the divine graces that make up His character. The smaller the perfume was beaten, the more it showed its rare and exquisite blend.
God forbade anyone to copy this recipe for private use, on pain of being cut off.
Counterfeits of the graces of Christ are an abomination before God, and so is finding satisfaction in them... But our hearts are subtle. We often deceive ourselves, and others too, accepting the sweetnesses of nature, its charm and pleasantness, as the work of the Holy Spirit, as resemblances to Christ. There can be no likeness to Christ except as the result of the work of the Holy Spirit.
- Four spices. Stacte means "to drop" — His gracious words. Onycha means "fingernail" — the work of His hands. Galbanum means "fatness" and "lamentation" — devotedness through sorrow. Frankincense means "white" — His purity.
- Equal weight. Each spice matched the others. In Christ no one quality ever crowded out another.
- Fire. The blend already had fragrance. Its full perfume came out only in the fire — Christ's fullness shown as He bore divine judgment at the cross.
- Very small. The finer the beating, the more the blend showed. Every word, look and trait of His life carries the same full proportion of grace.
- Not to be copied. God forbids copies. A likeness to Christ worked up out of natural charm is a counterfeit. Only the Holy Spirit can produce the real thing.
And thou shalt make it into incense, a perfume, after the work of the perfumer, salted, pure, holy.
God gives the recipe for the holy incense here: fragrant spices in equal weight, blended, salted, and set apart for Him. Why is God so exact about a perfume, and what does the mixture say about the One it was made for?
Commentators read this incense as a picture, not just a ritual detail. The picture is of a person.
The incense is a picture of the precious perfume of the graces of Christ. It is the fragrance of divine graces made visible, a sweet odour in the world, in man. He alone answers to it, though we may ask Him that we may walk in them.
The Hebrew piles up terms drawn from one root — fragrance. One writer traces them and points to who the real blender is. (Older translations render the phrase "a confection after the art of the apothecary.")
The general word, translated "sweet spices," comes from a root meaning "to be fragrant." It might be rendered "odours." The same passage has several other words with the same general sense. "Perfume" is literally incense — that which smokes. "A confection" means "seasoning," made after the art of the "apothecary" or "seasoner" — the same root. This piling up of words suggests a fullness in the theme — Christ — which no single word can describe. The "perfume" would suggest His fragrance, as the fire of divine holiness tested Him even to death. "Confection" might remind us of the blending of the various ingredients, according to the art of the blessed Spirit of God, who is the true "Apothecary."
Mackintosh reads the recipe's even measure as a portrait of Christ's character.
We also read that of each there was to be a like weight. Every feature of moral excellence found its due place and proper proportion in Christ. No one quality ever displaced or interfered with another. All was "tempered together, pure and holy." It gave off an odour so fragrant that none but God could appreciate it.
Ridout tests that balance spice by spice, using the four names listed just before this verse.
Each balanced the other, not by working against the rest, the way man so much needs. Instead each one enhanced the fragrance and brought out its true character. The stacte came first, but too much of it — sweetness and fragrance alone — would have wearied the senses. If the galbanum had dominated the others, the mixture would have lacked the "meekness and gentleness of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:1). Too much onycha would have cast too dark a gloom over all His life.
Writers differ over the word behind "salted." Ridout weighs both readings, and notes one thing Scripture never gives: a quantity of salt.
Some have taken this word, with fair probability, as showing that salt was also added. If so, the text says nothing about the proportions. Indeed Scripture never gives an exact quantity of salt. "Salt without prescribing how much" (Ezra 7:22). The word may, however, not refer to actual salt at all. It may mean the rubbing and tempering together of the various ingredients, which in this way seasoned or "salted" each other.
Grant takes the salt as real salt, and follows the fragrance to where it leads.
Such fragrances seen in the Lord Jesus are bound to draw out the worship of believing hearts. Indeed this is the true material for worship. It was also to be salted (v. 35). Salt crystallizes at right angles, so it speaks of righteousness — another ingredient that could not be left out.
The last two words settle who the perfume belongs to. That leaves a question for the worshipper.
It was for God, "holy to the Lord." The perfections of Christ were for God. In the anointing oil we have the perfections that are to fill the created scene — the tabernacle — in the power of the Spirit. That oil also anointed the priests, so that they might be sanctified and able to minister in the knowledge and fragrance of these perfections. The incense was for God. Still, we have the privilege of entering into the delight He has in Christ. The priests enjoyed the fragrance of the incense while offering it to God.
- Ingredients: the four spices stand for the graces of Christ — a fragrance He alone answers to, though we may ask Him for it.
- Blending: "as by the perfumer" points past any human craftsman. The true blender of these perfections is the Spirit of God.
- Balance: equal weight means no one excellence crowded out another. Too much of any one would have spoiled the whole.
- Salt: either real salt, or the spices rubbed and tempered into one another. Read as real salt, it stands for righteousness.
- Ownership: the finished perfume is "holy to the Lord." It was made for God's pleasure first, and shared with those who serve Him.
And thou shalt beat [some] of it to powder, and put [some] of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with thee it shall be unto you most holy.
The instructions for the holy incense end with a small command: crush part of the mixture to powder, and keep it in front of the ark of the testimony, where God promised to meet Moses. Why did the finest form of the perfume belong in the most sacred spot of all — and why does God call it "most holy"?
Commentators read the incense as a picture of Christ. The order to crush it very small points to the smallest details of His life.
There is uncommon depth and power in the expression "very small." It teaches us that every little movement in the life of Christ gives off a fragrance — every minute circumstance, every act, every word, every look, every feature, every trait, every line of Him. That fragrance is produced by an equal proportion — "a like weight" — of all the divine graces that make up His character. The smaller the perfume was beaten, the more its rare and exquisite quality came out.
Writers also connect the pounding of the spices with what Christ endured.
Before use it had to be beaten "very small," evidently into a powder. This of course was to release the maximum amount of fragrance. The beating very small may remind us of the way our Lord was tested in all things. He endured the hostility of sinners against Himself. All of it only served to make the fragrance of His perfection plain.
One writer takes the same thought to the cross.
On the cross He was made sin. There He faced the judgment of God's holiness — the fire. That only brought out everything most precious and fragrant to God. He was never more precious in God's eyes. His perfections were never more fully displayed than when He proved His obedience to the very end, in the place of sin.
The crushed powder had a set place: "before the testimony," in the tent of meeting.
Testimony and communion go together. The incense was burned when the lamps were trimmed and lit. And again in verse 36 the incense beaten small was placed before the testimony, where the Lord met with Moses to speak to him. The fragrance of the incense was connected with the communications made there.
One writer explains what this meant for Moses.
Moses, as the mediator, would be before God in all the acceptability of this holy perfume. So God could meet him in grace, and tell him His mind and will for His people.
The closing words of the verse set the perfume apart for God alone.
This fragrant perfume was designed only for God. Its place was "before the testimony." There is that in Jesus which only God could appreciate. True, every believing heart can draw near to His matchless Person, and more than satisfy its deepest and most intense longings. Still, God's redeemed may drink to the limit of their capacity, and angels may gaze on the unmatched glories of the man Christ Jesus. Even then, there will remain in Him what God alone can fathom and enjoy.
One writer applies this to imitations of Christ's character that come from nature, not from the Spirit.
Counterfeits of the graces of Christ, and finding satisfaction in these, are both detestable before God… There can be no likeness to Christ except as the result of the work of the Holy Spirit… Nothing can please God, and nothing should please us, unless His Spirit has worked it out for the glory of Christ.
The same principle shapes worship today.
Before it went on the fire, the incense had to be beaten small. The more searching the testings of the Lord Jesus in His earthly path, the richer the fragrance was for God. And the more we enter into the precious details of that perfect life, the richer will be our worship in the presence of God.
- Crushed: Beating the incense small points to the testing of Christ. The pressure released the fragrance.
- Fine: The finer the powder, the fuller the scent. The smallest words, looks and acts of His life carry the whole weight of His graces.
- Placed: The powder sat before the testimony, at the meeting place. God met Moses in grace where the fragrance of Christ was.
- Reserved: It was "most holy," kept for God, because there is a depth in Christ that only God can fully enjoy.
- Unrepeatable: No one could copy it. Likeness to Christ never comes from nature; only the Spirit produces it. And the more we take in the details of His life, the richer our worship becomes.
And the incense that thou shalt make, ye shall not make for yourselves according to the proportions of it; it shall be unto thee holy to Jehovah.
God closes the recipe for the holy incense with a limit: Israel could make the mixture for His tabernacle, but never for themselves. Commentators read the ban as a guard over something in Christ that belongs to God alone.
The incense had a fixed place in the tabernacle and a fixed meaning. One writer sets out what it stood for — and what it did not:
So in Exodus 30 we have the detailed composition of the holy perfume for Jehovah, which man was not to smell for his own pleasure, on pain of being cut off. Beaten small, it was placed before the testimony in the tent of meeting. It set forth the fragrant grace of Christ, the more tried so much the more abundantly sweet to God. It was what He particularly appreciated in Christ. Here the prayers of the saints are out of the question. It pictures the personal grace of Christ tried to the utmost, but even in the smallest detail agreeable to God, who alone could fully estimate it.
The verse calls the perfume "holy to the LORD" — God's own portion. One writer asks what it means that this fragrance was God's alone:
This fragrant perfume was designed exclusively for Jehovah. Its place was "before the testimony." There is that in Jesus which only God could appreciate. True, every believing heart can draw near to His matchless Person, and more than satisfy its deepest and most intense longings. Still, God's redeemed drink to the utmost of their capacity, and angels gaze on the peerless glories of the man Christ Jesus as earnestly as their sight allows. After all that, there will still be that in Him which God alone can fathom and enjoy.
The ban is on making the incense "according to its composition" — its exact proportions. One writer explains why God closed that door:
The beating very small may remind us of the way our Lord was tested in all things. He endured the hostility of sinners against Himself, and all of it only made the fragrance of His perfection clear. No man could produce anything like it. But men might have tried to copy the incense that pictured it, and so God forbade them to try.
One writer applies the ban to the human graces we pass off as the Spirit's work:
Counterfeits of the graces of Christ, and finding satisfaction in these, are both hateful to God. Earlier the Lord guarded against any imitation of the action or the power of the Holy Spirit. Here He also warns against any imitation of the fragrance and preciousness of Christ. Man can do neither — whatever his pretences. But our hearts are so subtle that we often deceive ourselves, and others too. We accept the sweetnesses of nature, its grace and pleasantness, as the work of the Holy Spirit, as resemblances to Christ. There can be no likeness to Christ except as the result of the work of the Holy Spirit.
Another writer names the form this imitation usually takes:
Christ is not to be imitated by a false humility to gratify one's own self-conceit. There may be a show of wisdom and humility by which men satisfy their own flesh, but this is like an imitation of the holy perfume, just to enjoy the smell of it.
The next verse adds the penalty. One writer names the sin it answers:
This incense was for God, therefore no one was to make for themselves anything like it. This would be the principle of seeking worship for ourselves, as many false christs do. Anyone in Israel guilty of such a perversion of the incense was to be cut off from his people in death.
The ban does not shut believers out of Christ's fragrance. One writer shows where they do come in:
The perfections of Christ were for God. The incense was for God; still, we are privileged to enter into the delight which He has in Christ. The priests enjoyed the fragrance of the incense while offering it to God.
- For the LORD. The incense pictures the fragrance of Christ, not the prayers of His people, and this verse marks it as God's portion — what He especially appreciated in His Son.
- For God alone. There is depth in Christ that saints and angels never exhaust; God alone can fully judge and enjoy it.
- Not for copying. No one could reproduce that fragrance, so God forbade even the imitation.
- Not for self. A copy made just to enjoy the smell turns worship toward self. It is a show of humility that feeds self-conceit, and the penalty was being cut off.
- Not withheld. The priests enjoyed the fragrance while offering it to God. Believers share His delight in Christ the same way — by giving it to Him, never by claiming it.
Whoever maketh like unto it, to smell it, shall be cut off from his peoples.
The chapter ends with a penalty, not a promise. Anyone who copies the sacred perfume for his own use must be cut off from his people. Why does making a pleasant scent carry a death sentence — and what does that say about the One the incense pictures?
God Himself directed how to blend the spices, and they stand for what Christ is to God. One writer traces the fragrance to the fire that drew it out:
The holy fire brought out the graces of Christ. On the cross He was made sin, and there He met the judgment of God's holiness — the fire. That judgment only brought out all that was most precious and fragrant to God. Never was He more precious in God's eyes than when He proved His obedience to the very end in the place of sin. Never were His perfections more fully shown.
The verse just before says the incense is to be "holy to the LORD." That marks out an audience of one.
This fragrant perfume was for the LORD alone. Its place was "before the testimony." There is that in Jesus which only God could appreciate. True, every believing heart can draw near to His matchless Person. There it can more than satisfy its deepest and strongest longings. Yet God's redeemed drink only to the limit of their capacity. Angels gaze at the unmatched glories of the man Christ Jesus as intently as their sight allows. After all that, something remains in Him which God alone can fathom and enjoy.
The ban is not fussiness about a recipe. Copying the formula means manufacturing a substitute for the Person it pictures.
God commands that anyone who makes an imitation of the incense be cut off from his people. The reason is plain: prophecy foresaw what experience has since seen. Nothing attracts a certain kind of mind more than this very business of composing counterfeit Christs. We can no more grasp the nature of our Lord than we can grasp what is infinite. All we can do is accept what the Scriptures set before us, and weigh it with reverence. We must not try to go beyond it with our shallow reasonings and worldly speculations.
Older translations render the offence "to smell thereto" — making the holy scent serve your own enjoyment.
God forbade the Israelites to make a perfume like it, "to enjoy its scent." No one imitates Christ by a false humility that feeds his own self-conceit. Men may put on a show of wisdom and humility that satisfies their own flesh. That is like copying the holy perfume just to enjoy the scent. If we are truly imitators of Him, we must first have been washed in His precious blood and born of God. To follow Him would mean self-crucifixion instead of self-admiration.
One writer sets this ban beside God's guard over the Holy Spirit's work, then turns to our own hearts:
Just as the Lord guards against any imitation of the Holy Spirit's action or power, so here He also warns against any imitation of the fragrance and preciousness of Christ. Man can do neither — whatever he pretends. But our hearts are so subtle that we often deceive ourselves, and others too. We accept the sweetness of nature, its grace and charm, as the work of the Holy Spirit, as a likeness to Christ. There can be no likeness to Christ except as the result of the work of the Holy Spirit. Nothing can please God, and nothing should please us, unless His Spirit has produced it for the glory of Christ.
One writer reads the offence as a bid for the honour that belongs to Christ alone:
This incense was for God, so no one was to make anything like it for themselves. This would be the principle of seeking worship for ourselves, as many false christs do. Anyone in Israel guilty of such a perversion of the incense was to be cut off from his people in death.
The ban blocks a counterfeit. It does not shut believers out of the real fragrance.
It was for God, "holy to the LORD." The perfections of Christ were for God. Even so, we are privileged to enter into the delight He has in Christ. The priests enjoyed the fragrance of the incense while they were offering it to God.
- Fragrance — The incense pictures what Christ is to God. The fire of judgment at the cross drew His perfections out most fully.
- For God — It was holy to the LORD. There is a depth in Christ that God alone can fathom — more than His people or the angels can take in.
- Forbidden — Copying the formula means composing a counterfeit Christ. Commentators warn us not to push our reasoning past what Scripture reveals.
- For self — Making it "to enjoy the scent" turns religion into self-pleasing. It dresses up false humility, or natural charm, as the Spirit's work.
- Cut off — The penalty is death. To claim that fragrance for yourself is to seek the worship that belongs to Christ. Those who offer it to God still breathe its sweetness.