EXODUS – GOD’s MIRACULOUS DELIVERANCE of ISRAEL FROM EGYPT – Chapter TWENTY NINE & THIRTY

Contributing commentaries by pastors Sonny Islas, Albert Lopez and James Fire

Complete Study of Exodus by pastor Chuck Smith 

EXODUS 29 & 30: “Holiness is Golden” – by James Fire, watch Facebook video here.

INTRODUCTION: In the second half of the book of Exodus, in Chapter 20 and forward, we have seen the giving of the 10 Commandments, and Chapter 21-24 got into the specific details of the Law. From Chapter 25 to 27 GOD gave His instructions for the materials and construction of the Tabernacle. Chapter 28 deals with the office of the High Priest which was appointed to Aaron, and here in Chapter 29 GOD gives more instruction regarding the priesthood under Aaron and in Chapter 30, the building of the various furnishings for the Tabernacle, and in the next chapter GOD continues His instruction on these furnishings and implements and reminds His people to keep the sabbath. 

Then Moses makes his way down from Mt. Sinai where he received all of this from GOD and witnesses the people’s corruption through idolatry.
But without further delay, let’s get into these two chapters:

EXODUS 29:

EXODUS 29:1-3
And this is what you shall do to them to hallow them for ministering to Me as priests: Take one young bull and two rams without blemish, 2 and unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil (you shall make them of wheat flour). 3 You shall put them in one basket and bring them in the basket, with the bull and the two rams.

These are the sacrifices to be offered on behalf of hallowing – or sanctifying the Levitical priesthood under the High Priest, Aaron.

The young bull and two rams were to be without blemish – pure of any blight or deformities. Likewise the bread, the cakes and the wafers were to be without leaven and also anointed with oil.

We as the children of GOD are also to offer up ourselves to the LORD as living sacrifices – acceptable to GOD, as our reasonable service (ROM 12:1). The sacrifice that the LORD made as our High Priest was as perfect and as unblemished as He is Himself.

Spiritual Principle: No sacrifice we make is any better than our lives before the LORD. We can make a sacrifice that others could look upon, as we sacrifice our time, our efforts, our resources, and we can make a good impression, but if our hearts are not right before the LORD, those sacrifices are blemished and of no value.

It’s only as we allow the Holy Spirit Who anoints us (as these baked goods were anointed with the oil (a symbol for the Holy Spirit; ZECH 4:6,14; LUKE 4:18)) and works sanctification in our lives, out of a renewed mind and a heart of genuine love and thankfulness to the LORD that we can offer up acceptable sacrifices.

The same goes for the bread, cakes, and wafers – they are to be without any leaven: leaven is a type for sin, pride, and false doctrine. Nothing that we sacrifice in our service to the LORD is to be given when we keep these things in our lives, otherwise, they too are unacceptable. That’s why we are to pray and confess and turn from our sin to the LORD, most especially before we engage in ministry. We want to be used of the LORD, so we must be clean vessels for His honor (2 TIM 2:21)!

The fact that these baked goods are to be carried in one basket together, speaks of how we are one body in Christ (EPH 4:3-6). 

EXODUS 29:4-9
4 And Aaron and his sons you shall bring to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and you shall wash them with water. 5 Then you shall take the garments, put the tunic on Aaron, and the robe of the ephod, the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the intricately woven band of the ephod. 6 You shall put the turban on his head and put the holy crown on the turban. 7 And you shall take the anointing oil, pour it on his head, and anoint him. 8 Then you shall bring his sons and put tunics on them. 9 And you shall gird them with sashes, Aaron and his sons, and put the hats on them. The priesthood shall be theirs for a perpetual statute. So you shall consecrate Aaron and his sons.

ISAIAH 66:1 
Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?

The Tabernacle, and the Temple that came after it, was not for a house for GOD to live in; they were built so that GOD could meet with His people; thus the term “Tabernacle of meeting”. Yet GOD DOES live where He has always longed to live: in the Temple of the Holy Spirit – all of us who are saved!

To this place Aaron and sons were brought and washed these priests with water. So too, we the church as a priesthood to GOD (1 PET 2:9) are to wash spiritually in the Word of GOD, that has a cleansing, purifying effect on our hearts and minds (EPH 5:26).

Just as the priests were to dress in clothing that was very different from the common Hebrew people, we are dressed spiritually in very different clothes than the common people of this world – dressed in the garment of salvation and the robe of righteousness (ISAIAH 61:10).

ROMANS 3:22-24
Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

The Levitical priesthood was for a perpetual statute. In other words it was to last a long time! Yet in HEB 7:24 it states that Christ has an “unchangeable priesthood” – truly perpetual because the New Covenant surpasses the Old Covenant. The Old Covenant would last only until the New was established (HEB 8:6-13).

EXODUS 29:10-14
10 You shall also have the bull brought before the tabernacle of meeting, and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands on the head of the bull. 11 Then you shall kill the bull before the Lord, by the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 12 You shall take some of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger and pour all the blood beside the base of the altar. 13 And you shall take all the fat that covers the entrails, the fatty lobe attached to the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them and burn them on the altar. 14 But the flesh of the bull, with its skin and its offal, you shall burn with fire outside the camp. It is a sin offering.

Horns in Scripture can speak of authority, as in the authority of kings (PSALM 92:10), or in this case the authority of ministry for the priesthood as the horns on the altar signifies. The blood of the sacrificed bull, slain for the sins of the priests (this is a “sin offering”), and is applied to the horns of the altar.

We are not worthy to serve the Holy GOD of all creation because of our sin; but because of the blood of Jesus, sacrificed for us, our sins are washed away, and we’re made worthy, and have the GOD given authority to minister in the Kingdom of GOD.

EXODUS 29:15-18
15 You shall also take one ram, and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands on the head of the ram; 16 and you shall kill the ram, and you shall take its blood and sprinkle it all around on the altar. 17 Then you shall cut the ram in pieces, wash its entrails and its legs, and put them with its pieces and with its head. 18 And you shall burn the whole ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the Lord; it is a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord.

Here we have the first of the two rams slain in the same way as the bull, but instead of a sin offering, this is a burnt offering. The following are the various Levitical sacrifices made by the priests in the Tabernacle: 

1. Burnt Offering
For general atonement of sin and expression of devotion to God. Instructions for the Burnt Offering are given in LEVITITCUS 1. It could only be a bull, or a sheep or goat, or dove or pigeon. The animal was to be burnt whole overnight, though its skin was given to the priest. It was likely the earliest type of atonement offering in the Old Testament (JOB 1:5, GEN 8:20). 

2. Grain Offering
Meal (KJV “meat”). It was a voluntary expression of devotion to God, recognizing His goodness and providence. The instructions for the grain offerings are given in LEVITICUS 2. Generally it was bread – prepared in various ways, always seasoned, unsweetened, and unleavened (no honey or leaven allowed in these as both of these ingredients eventually corrupt the grain). Unlike the whole Burnt Offering, only a portion of the offering was to be burnt. The remainder went to the priests for their meal (LEV 2:10).

3. Peace Offering
First mentioned in LEV 3, included Thanksgiving Offerings, Freewill Offerings, and Wave Offerings (mentioned in LEV 7) The offering could be cattle, sheep, or a goat all without defect. If it was a Thanksgiving Offering, it could also include a variety of breads. This offering was to consecrate and share a meal between two or more parties before God in fellowship of peace. 

4. Sin Offering
This offering is sometimes seen as an offering of atonement for unintentional sin, removing the consequences for lack of perfection. Conversely, some of the “sins” for which one needed atonement were not moral sins but rather matters of ritual impurity (LEV 5:1-5). The primary purpose of this offering is not to atone for sins but rather to purify oneself for re-entering into fellowship in the presence of God.

5. Trespass Offering
Often translated “Guilt Offering.” Unlike the English word “guilt” this does not refer to a matter of one’s conscience but rather to something one owes on account of a specific “sin”, to make restitution for one’s sin.
The sacrificial system of the Old Testament was a means of grace by which the relationship between God and humanity begins to be restored. Ultimately, the sacrificial system was inadequate, and none could repay the debt of life that was owed until Christ defeated death once and for all (HEB 10:10). In the age of the Church, we live in light of Christ’s propitiatory (satisfactory) sacrifice for us while also offering our own lives as a living and holy sacrifice (ROM 12:1; 1 PET 2:5). 

EXODUS 29:19-21
19 You shall also take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands on the head of the ram. 20 Then you shall kill the ram and take some of its blood and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron and on the tip of the right ear of his sons, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot and sprinkle the blood all around on the altar. 21 And you shall take some of the blood that is on the altar, and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and on his garments, on his sons and on the garments of his sons with him; and he and his garments shall be hallowed, and his sons and his sons’ garments with him.

The blood is applied to the right ear, the right hand, and the right foot – being on the right, is a sign of approval and blessing from GOD:

PSALM 16:11
Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

HEBREWS 12:2
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Because blood is applied to the priests, this speaks of consecration (that which makes one holy, set apart for special purpose and relationship) of their spiritual hearing and understanding (“the right ear”), of spiritual labor (“the thumb of the right hand”) and of one’s spiritual walk of life (“the big toe of the right foot”).

For Aaron and his sons, blood from the altar and anointing oil is mixed and then sprinkled on their garments which “shall be hallowed”. Remember that ‘garments’ in Scripture speaks of one’s life; so by the blood there is atonement (the forgiveness of sins) and anointing by the oil (the blessing of GOD’s Spirit to empower them to minister to the LORD).

This is why only those who are truly GOD’s children may minister in the body of Christ. Those who haven’t repented of sin, who don’t have Jesus as LORD and Savior, who are not born again by faith in the Gospel, can’t take part in ministry, they can’t partake of the LORD’s Supper, they can’t get baptized – these are reserved only for the priests of the LORD Jesus Christ – that is, all who are repentant, born again, and have GOD as their Father, those who have been ‘sprinkled by the blood’ of the Lamb.

Since ministry can only be effective by the empowerment of GOD’s Spirit, it’s those who are ‘sprinkled with the ‘anointing oil’ of the Spirit of GOD. None other than those so anointed are capable of true ministry in the church.

EXODUS 29:22-25
22 Also you shall take the fat of the ram, the fat tail, the fat that covers the entrails, the fatty lobe attached to the liver, the two kidneys and the fat on them, the right thigh (for it is a ram of consecration), 23 one loaf of bread, one cake made with oil, and one wafer from the basket of the unleavened bread that is before the Lord; 24 and you shall put all these in the hands of Aaron and in the hands of his sons, and you shall wave them as a wave offering before the Lord. 25 You shall receive them back from their hands and burn them on the altar as a burnt offering, as a sweet aroma before the Lord. It is an offering made by fire to the Lord.

Notice that these innards as well as one loaf, one cake and one wafer are all used as a burnt offering. They are offered up as a wave offering first however – then they are burned up completely.

EXODUS 29:26-28
26 Then you shall take the breast of the ram of Aaron’s consecration and wave it as a wave offering before the Lord; and it shall be your portion. 27 And from the ram of the consecration you shall consecrate the breast of the wave offering which is waved, and the thigh of the heave offering which is raised, of that which is for Aaron and of that which is for his sons. 28 It shall be from the children of Israel for Aaron and his sons by a statute forever. For it is a heave offering; it shall be a heave offering from the children of Israel from the sacrifices of their peace offerings, that is, their heave offering to the Lord.

Aaron was entitled to take the breast meat of the ram, the thigh meat given to Aaron and his sons. These “heave offerings” were actually just a part of the wave offering (that of thanksgiving).

EXODUS 29:29-30
29 And the holy garments of Aaron shall be his sons’ after him, to be anointed in them and to be consecrated in them. 30 That son who becomes priest in his place shall put them on for seven days, when he enters the tabernacle of meeting to minister in the holy place.

In NUM 20:22-26 we see the death of Aaron on Mount Hor and the high priestly garments are transferred from Aaron to his eldest son Eleazar. It would be at that time that Eleazar would wear these holy garments for seven days as he entered into the tabernacle to minister.

This should be the goal of every Christian parent; to pass on the heritage of a godly life to their children who can carry on where the parents leave off. In fact, the desire of godly parents is that the children exceed their own godliness and ministry – so children are seen in PSALM 127:4-5 as “arrows” that parents propel further and farther than they can go themselves.

EXODUS 29:31-37
31 And you shall take the ram of the consecration and boil its flesh in the holy place. 32 Then Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket, by the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 33 They shall eat those things with which the atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them; but an outsider shall not eat them, because they are holy. 34 And if any of the flesh of the consecration offerings, or of the bread, remains until the morning, then you shall burn the remainder with fire. It shall not be eaten, because it is holy. 35 Thus you shall do to Aaron and his sons, according to all that I have commanded you. Seven days you shall consecrate them. 36 And you shall offer a bull every day as a sin offering for atonement. You shall cleanse the altar when you make atonement for it, and you shall anoint it to sanctify it. 37 Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and sanctify it. And the altar shall be most holy. Whatever touches the altar must be holy.

These bulls are sacrificed daily for the priests themselves. This is the conduct GOD prescribed for the Levitical priesthood – very different than the Melchizedekian priesthood, that is to say, the priesthood of which Jesus Christ is the high priest.
The priests of Levi had to offer up sacrifices for themselves first, for their own sins before they could officiate as priests and make sacrifices for the sins of the people.

Not so with Christ Jesus: He needed no such sacrifices for His own sins, because He never had any!

HEBREWS 7:26-27
For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people's, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.

Even the altar where sacrifices were made constantly, daily, almost around the clock – not quite, but almost! – had to be atoned for and sanctified, that is purified so that it can be considered “most holy” which is how GOD saw it. No one but the sanctified could even touch this altar.

Again, this speaks of how only the children of GOD have the right to anything pertaining to the service of GOD in His Holy Kingdom. Those who are not born of GOD’s Spirit, who are foreigners to the Kingdom of GOD can have absolutely nothing to do with service to the LORD, they have no right:

PSALM 50:16-17
16 But unto the wicked God says, What have you to do, to declare My statutes, or that you should take My covenant in your mouth? 17 Seeing how you hate instruction and cast My words behind you.

EXODUS 29:38-46
38 “Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two lambs of the first year, day by day continually. 39 One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight. 40 With the one lamb shall be one-tenth of an ephah [just under 1 pint] of flour mixed with one-fourth of a hin [48 oz.] of pressed oil, and one-fourth of a hin of wine as a drink offering. 41 And the other lamb you shall offer at twilight; and you shall offer with it the grain offering and the drink offering, as in the morning, for a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord. 42 This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the Lord, where I will meet you to speak with you. 43 And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by My glory. 44 So I will consecrate the tabernacle of meeting and the altar. I will also consecrate both Aaron and his sons to minister to Me as priests. 45 I will dwell among the children of Israel and will be their God. 46 And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them up out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.

So GOD instituted the morning and evening sacrifices, offered upon the altar, daily, every day, all year long, forever.
Likewise the Lamb of GOD was slain, once, in the fulness of time, for our sins – and then having completed His mission, sat down at the right hand of GOD:

HEBREWS 10:12
But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God;

CHAPTER 30: 

Here in Chapter 30, the LORD gives Moses instructions on some of the furnishings that go into the Tabernacle, the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. Remember that the Tabernacle – as well as the Temple that Solomon built comprised of three different compartments or sections:

There was the outer court section that was the outer most area; the only furnishings in the outer court were the brazen altar that was located between ‘the tabernacle of meeting’ and the entrance of the outer court, and then the laver of washing located just inside the entrance where the priests ceremonially washed themselves.

Then there was the actual structure of what was called the temple nous (the tabernacle of meeting); the inner building that composed the Holy Place where only the priests were allowed to go into; in the Holy Place there were three pieces of furniture: The menorah along the left wall (7 branched lampstand that was to remain full of olive oil and constantly burning; this was the only source of light in the temple nous), and the table of shewbread along the right wall that was to have daily fresh baked bread placed on it, in the form of twelve loaves, representing the 12 tribes of Israel.

After these two, nearest to the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies and centered at the middle of the veil was the altar of incense.

Past the veil was the Holy of Holies where the ark of the covenant was located, and this actually comprised two pieces of furniture: the ark of the covenant which was a box that contained the tablets of stone where the 10 Commandments were written, a jar containing the shewbread and Aaron’s rod that budded. The second piece of furniture was the mercy seat that had the forms of two angels sitting on top. This was the lid that covered the ark of the covenant, and even though these two pieces fit together, they were considered separate. No one was allowed to go into the Holy of Holies except for the High Priest and then only once a year, in the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur).

All of these furnishings in the temple nous were made out of acacia wood overlaid with gold, except for the menorah, and the mercy seat; these last two items were made of solid gold. In the outer court, the laver of washing and the brazen altar were made completely out of bronze.

Altar of Incense – 

EXODUS 30:1-6
You shall make an altar to burn incense on; you shall make it of acacia wood. 2 A cubit shall be its length and a cubit its width [18 inches] —it shall be square—and two cubits shall be its height [36 inches]. Its horns shall be of one piece with it. 3 And you shall overlay its top, its sides all around, and its horns with pure gold; and you shall make for it a molding of gold all around. 4 Two gold rings you shall make for it, under the molding on both its sides. You shall place them on its two sides, and they will be holders for the poles with which to bear it. 5 You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 6 And you shall put it before the veil that is before the ark of the Testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the Testimony, where I will meet with you.

Notice where this altar of incense is located: nearest to the ark of the covenant where the Presence of GOD in the form of the shekinah glory would appear; it’s just on the other side of the veil from the ark. What does this tell us?

That this altar of incense, whose incense burns with its smoke ascending upwards represents our prayers that go up to the LORD and that He is intimate with our prayers. When we pray, we are nearest to the throne of GOD where He the King and Master of all the universe attends to our prayers! Tell me that this isn’t awesome!? 

In order for incense to burn, it requires intense heat, and this speaks of how our prayers should be: fervent, zealous, with a love that burns hot for our LORD!

JAMES 5:16b
…The effectual [effective] fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Just as the Brazen altar had horns at each of its corners, this altar of incense does as well. Remember that horns in the Bible speaks of power, strength, authority, kingship, etc.
We as saints have the authority and ability to pray effectively to the LORD; we are granted this right by the LORD Jesus Christ Who told us to pray to the Father in His Name (that is, according to His authority, His nature, His character, His will; see JOHN 15:16; 16:23-26). The church of the LORD Jesus Christ, just like the nation of Israel, is a royal, that is a kingly priesthood (1 PET 2:9). 

Think about the billions of people in this world devoted to one religion or another, and most of these pray to what they believe to be ‘God’, but the LORD hears only those prayers of His children and we are confident that He answers those prayers, in His time, according to His will; 1 JOHN 5:14)!

EXODUS 30:7-10
7 Aaron shall burn on it sweet incense every morning; when he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it. 8 And when Aaron lights the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense on it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations. 9 You shall not offer strange incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering; nor shall you pour a drink offering on it. 10 And Aaron shall make atonement upon its horns once a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonement; once a year he shall make atonement upon it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.

Aaron was to attend to the altar of incense at the time when he tends to the menorah, the seven branch lampstand that gave light to the entire Holy Place. So too, we as Christians are to pray in accordance with the understanding of GOD’s will, according to the light of GOD’s Word.

The altar was to be constantly burning with the kind of incense only as commanded by GOD, no ‘strange incense’. This speaks of how we are to be “continuing instant in prayer” as it says in ROM 12:12, always in a state of prayer, even as we go about our day. No strange incense shows that we are as Christians to pray only according to GOD’s will. To pray something contrary to GOD’s will is offering strange incense.

Just as this altar was atoned by sacrificial blood, our right to approach the throne of GOD with our prayers was paid for by the blood of the Lamb!

EXODUS 30:11-16
11 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 12 “When you take the census of the children of Israel for their number, then every man shall give a ransom for himself to the Lord, when you number them, that there may be no plague among them when you number them. 13 This is what everyone among those who are numbered shall give: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (a shekel is twenty gerahs). The half-shekel shall be an offering to the Lord. 14 Everyone included among those who are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering to the Lord. 15 The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when you give an offering to the Lord, to make atonement for yourselves. 16 And you shall take the atonement money of the children of Israel and shall appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of meeting, that it may be a memorial for the children of Israel before the Lord, to make atonement for yourselves.

Is this payment for salvation?? No, this half-shekel offering is a payment (in silver, speaking of redemption) made for the sake of the up-keep (“for the service”) of the tabernacle and was expected of every adult age 20 and over, whether they were rich or poor.
It represents the truth that just as the same payment for sin has been made equally for us, so too, all Hebrews were to make the same payment to the LORD.

The Bronze Laver –

EXODUS 30:17-21
17 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 18 “You shall also make a laver of bronze, with its base also of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar. And you shall put water in it, 19 for Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet in water from it. 20 When they go into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to the Lord, they shall wash with water, lest they die. 21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, lest they die. And it shall be a statute forever to them—to him and his descendants throughout their generations.

Ceremonial washing of the priests at the laver of washing happened before entering into the tabernacle of meeting (the nous) and was followed after or before the offering up of animal sacrifices at the brazen altar. This speaks of what flowed from Christ’s side: blood and water.
Likewise we are washed by the blood of the Lamb (REV 7:14) as well as washed in the water of the Word of GOD (EPH 5:26).

The Holy Anointing Oil –

EXODUS 30:22-30
22 Moreover the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 23 “Also take for yourself quality spices—five hundred shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much sweet-smelling cinnamon (two hundred and fifty shekels), two hundred and fifty shekels of sweet-smelling cane, 24 five hundred shekels of cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil. 25 And you shall make from these a holy anointing oil, an ointment compounded according to the art of the perfumer. It shall be a holy anointing oil. 26 With it you shall anoint the tabernacle of meeting and the ark of the Testimony; 27 the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense; 28 the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the laver and its base. 29 You shall consecrate them, that they may be most holy; whatever touches them must be holy. 30 And you shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister to Me as priests.

This Tabernacle was very greasy indeed! Everything got anointed with this precious and sweet oil. This tells us that everything we do as the Temple of the Holy Spirit, all that is in our bodies (represented by the outer court), our minds (represented by the Holy Place) and our hearts (represented by the Holy of holies) must be empowered by the Holy Spirit, and that our love for the LORD with all our heart, and soul and mind and strength (MARK 12:30) should be very sweet indeed, as sweet as His love is for us. Everything we touch, everything we say and do, ought to have the sweet influence of the Holy Spirit. This sweet aroma of GOD’s Spirit should be detectible by those around us!

ROMANS 8:9
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his:

EXODUS 30:31-33
31 And you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations. 32 It shall not be poured on man’s flesh; nor shall you make any other like it, according to its composition. It is holy, and it shall be holy to you. 33 Whoever compounds any like it, or whoever puts any of it on an outsider, shall be cut off from his people.’ 

As with the anointing oil, so too with the incense that’s to be burned ONLY at the altar of incense, and not duplicated for use other than by the priests and in the Tabernacle of Meeting.

The Incense –

EXODUS 30:34-37
34 And the Lord said to Moses: “Take sweet spices, stacte [similar to myrrh, it’s a resinous and aromatic gum known as Mecca myrrh] and onycha and galbanum, and pure frankincense with these sweet spices [these are from various plants and sap from trees]; there shall be equal amounts of each. 35 You shall make of these an incense, a compound according to the art of the perfumer, salted, pure, and holy. 36 And you shall beat some of it very fine and put some of it before the Testimony in the tabernacle of meeting where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you. 37 But as for the incense which you shall make, you shall not make any for yourselves, according to its composition. It shall be to you holy for the Lord. 38 Whoever makes any like it, to smell it, he shall be cut off from his people.