Ordained to Serve: A Prepared Heart for Worship (Exodus 29; Exodus 30)

Ordained to Serve: A Prepared Heart for Worship (Exodus 29; Exodus 30)





The LORD also gave Moses the design and dimensions for the Tabernacle and its furnishings (Exodus 25:9). Those furnishings included the Ark of the Covenant and its Mercy Seat (Exodus 25:10-22), the table, and the candlestick. All were to be overlaid with gold (Exodus 25:23-40). Finally, the interior and exterior of the Tabernacle were described in detail (Exodus 26:1-30), including a room that was divided by a veil (Exodus 26:31-33) and served as the “holy place” in which the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat was to be placed (Exodus 26:33-34).







Aaron was to wash and put on the high priest's garments (Exodus 29:4-9). Moses then directed Aaron and his sons to put their hands on the bull, thereby identifying with its sacrifice as their sin offering (Exodus 29:10-14). Placing their hands on one ram that was without blemish, Moses was to slay the ram as a burnt offering to the LORD (Exodus 29:15-18). A second ram was then sacrificed, and it served as a “blood ordination,” for its blood was put on “the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and his sons (Exodus 29:19-21), dedicating them to the priesthood. The best parts of the second ram were offered to the LORD, and then Aaron and his sons were to consume the ram at the door of the Tabernacle (Exodus 29:22-34). For each of the seven days, young bulls were to be offered for the sins of the priests and as a testimony of God’s grace in providing a substitute (Exodus 29:35-37).







The LORD instructed Moses to have “an altar to burn incense,” made with wood and overlaid “with pure gold” (Exodus 30:1-5). The altar of incense was located outside the Holy Place and before the veil. There the LORD promised to meet with Moses, Aaron, and the generations that followed him. The aroma of burning incense was perpetual, burning night and day (Exodus 30:6-8). Once a year, the “blood of the sin offering” was to be applied to the corner or horns of the altar of incense and serve as a reminder that only the blood atones for sin (Exodus 30:9-10).

Tabernacle Tax (Exodus 30:11-16)

An annual census was commanded, and a special tribute described as a “ransom” (Exodus 30:12) was required of every Hebrew person twenty years old or older (Exodus 30:12). A failure to believe and obey the LORD could incur a judgment described as a “plague” (Exodus 30:12b).

The rich and poor were required to pay “half a shekel” (Exodus 30:13), reminding us that every soul is of equal value in the sight of God (Exodus 30:14-15). This “ransom” (tax or tribute) was paid for “the service [expenses] of the Tabernacle” (Exodus 30:16). Those expenses would have included purchasing sacrifices, flour, wine, oil, priestly garments, and other costs.

Additionally, a large brass laver, or fount, was to be made and filled with water where the priest would wash their hands and feet before entering the Tabernacle (Exodus 30:17-21).



A special anointing oil with ingredients and fragrances designed by the LORD was made and used for anointing the Tabernacle, its furniture, the altar, and the priests (Exodus 30:22-31). However, it was a sacred oil and forbidden for other purposes (Exodus 30:32-33). The LORD also required a unique blend of incense and perfume to be made and used before the tabernacle. The fragrance was unique to the Tabernacle and was not to be used elsewhere (Exodus 30:34-38).





What lessons should we take from the attention to detail the Scriptures have preserved for us in Israel’s worship? It is the knowledge that we should prepare our hearts for worshipping the LORD. Worship is not careless and incidental, but purposeful and done in a manner that reflects and speaks of the holiness of the LORD.

Questions to consider:

1) How did Aaron and his sons identify with the bull and ram as sacrifices for their sins? (Exodus 29:10, 19)

2) What was Aaron instructed to do with the high priest's garments when his service ended? (Exodus 29:29-30)

3) What did God promise if the people continued to bring sacrifices to the Tabernacle? (Exodus 29:45-46)

4) What was the purpose of the water basin that God commanded Moses to make? (Exodus 30:17-21)

Copyright © 2023 – Travis D. Smith

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