Exodus Chapter 30, Verses 7-10  

:7 “And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it. 8 And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations. 9 Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon. 10 And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the LORD.” 

The picture presented here is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ just like the other furniture in the tabernacle.  The picture points us to the intercessory work of Jesus Christ which is presented to us in the book of Revelation: 8:3 “And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand. 5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.”   

Rev. 8:3 "And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand. 5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake." 

This passage points us back to the Old Testament tabernacle service in which the High Priest interceded on behalf of the people.  In the Old Testament service there was a golden altar, a golden censer, a brazen altar with fire, and incense that was burned in the golden censer upon the golden altar.  Also the throne in the Old Testament tabernacle service was a mercy seat that set upon the Ark of the Covenant.  This service took place in the Most Holy Place. 

While all the priests (the sons of Aaron) had censers with which to burn incense only the High Priest was to burn incense on the golden altar: Ex. 30:7 "And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it. 8 And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations."  This represented the intercessory work of the Lord Jesus Christ:  

    1.  Rom. 8:34 "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." 

    2.  Heb. 7:25 "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." 

Next this incense was burned with fire from off the altar.  God warned the children of Israel that they were not to burn strange fire: 

    1.  Ex. 30:9 "Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon." 

    2.  Lev. 10:1 "And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. 2 And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD."

The fire that was to be used to burn incense was fire from off the brazen altar.  It was upon the brazen altar that the sacrifice was burned.  This represented the sacrificial atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is on the basis of his sacrificial atonement as the Lamb of God on the cross of Calvary that Jesus Christ, our High Priest, intercedes on behalf of his elect. 

This intercession of the High Priest came with the prayers of the saints: Luke 1:10 "And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense."  Our prayers gain acceptance with God because of Christ's sacrificial atonement and because of his intercession on our behalf. 

Thus the angel that stood at the altar having a golden censer is the Lord Jesus Christ in his High Priestly office interceding on behalf of the saints.  Here he offered up much incense upon the golden altar with the prayers of the saints.  The sacrifice on the brazen altar is frequently said to be a sweet savour unto God.  The incense that was burnt on the golden altar was sweet incense.  Thus God is pleased with the sacrificial atonement of Jesus Christ and he is pleased that his people pray unto him because of the intercessory work of our High Priest Jesus Christ. 

It is important to remember that the smoke of the incense comes with the prayers of the saints and ascends up before God.  Thus our prayers are fragranced with Christ's intercessory work.  It is his intercessory work that gives the sweet odour to our prayers that God receives. 

"And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth."  When a person is born of the Spirit he is sprinkled with the blood of Jesus (fire of the altar) and the Holy Spirit takes up His abode in his heart making intercessions that cannot be uttered: 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."  


Verses 11-16 

:11 “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 12 When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them. 13 This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the LORD. 14 Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the LORD. 15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls. 16 And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.”   

“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them.”  The numbering of the children of Israel was at the direction of the Lord.  Much later David took upon himself to number the children of Israel to satisfy his own pride and there was a great plague that destroyed many because of this.  This initial numbering of the children of Israel was designed to provide for the service of the tabernacle.  Without the ransom money there would have been a plague upon the children of Israel.  The requirement for the ransom money was upon all that were numbered without exception.  This was a ransom to save the souls of those numbered from the plague that would have been poured out upon them without the ransom money.   

“This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the LORD. 14 Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the LORD. 15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.”  The price of the ransom money like the price of our redemption from sin was the same for every one that was ransomed.  The ransom for our redemption from sin was the shed blood and suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ and it was the same regardless of the individual ransomed.  Since the shekel is equivalent to 20 gerahs, then the half shekel is 10 gerahs.  The number 10 is associated in the scriptures with law and commandment.  Thus the ransom money was a legal requirement placed upon them by the Lord.   

“And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.”  In the service of the tabernacle the High Priests was to make an atonement for the children of Israel.  The ransom or atonement money was appointed to support those who performed the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.