Here in Exodus 30, God instructed His people in the concept of redemption. He told them when they counted the people, or took a census, “every man shall give a ransom for himself to the LORD,” and that the ransom must paid in silver. A shekel and a “gerah” were units of measurement (weight) of silver. Once the Jewish leadership had collected all the half-shekels, they simply counted them to determine the number of males 20 years and older. But this verse says that if they counted the people without ransoming them, there would be a plague. Even to this day there is a reluctance among many in Israel to count the citizens. They remember that there was a plague brought on in King David’s day for numbering the people. God’s main reason against it is that it is easy for man to trust in his own strength and his own numbers. We need to remember to always trust the Lord.<\/p>\n
This concept appears in a small but picturesque miracle found only in the ex-tax collector Matthew’s gospel, where Jesus paid His and Peter’s temple tax. It was a startling depiction for Peter (and us) of Jesus’ coming atonement on the cross for our sin. Jesus walked Peter through the logic of God the Son being free from paying the temple tax. If anyone was exempt from “temple tax,” clearly God the Son was. But then Jesus lovingly laid this picture down at Peter’s feet: “Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you” (Matt. 17:27). As God the Son, Jesus had the right to refuse to pay the tax; however, He willingly gave up that right and paid the price anyway.<\/p>\n
Even though Jesus is the sinless Son of God, even though He owed no tribute for sin, Jesus died for sin as though He Himself was a sinner. He willing paid the price for all our sin with His once-and-for-all sacrifice. As Paul wrote, “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God\u2019s” (1 Cor. 6:20).<\/p>\n
“LORD, in gratitude we seek to further Your kingdom by being obedient servants. Use us we ask in Jesus’ name.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n =============================================================<\/p>\n\n\n\n Exodus 30 KJV<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1<\/sup>\u00a0And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon:\u00a0of\u00a0<\/em>shittim wood shalt thou make it.\u00a02<\/sup>\u00a0A cubit\u00a0shall be\u00a0<\/em>the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; foursquare shall it be: and two cubits\u00a0shall be\u00a0<\/em>the height thereof: the horns thereof\u00a0shall be\u00a0<\/em>of the same.\u00a03<\/sup>\u00a0And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof; and thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about.\u00a04<\/sup>\u00a0And two golden rings shalt thou make to it under the crown of it, by the two corners thereof, upon the two sides of it shalt thou make\u00a0it;\u00a0<\/em>and they shall be for places for the staves to bear it withal.\u00a0\u00a05<\/sup>And thou shalt make the staves\u00a0of\u00a0<\/em>shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.\u00a06<\/sup>\u00a0And thou shalt put it before the vail that\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>over the testimony, where I will meet with thee.\u00a07<\/sup>\u00a0And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it.\u00a0\u00a08<\/sup>\u00a0And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the\u00a0LORD throughout your generations.\u00a09<\/sup>\u00a0Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon.\u00a010<\/sup>\u00a0And 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\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>most holy unto the\u00a0LORD. 11<\/sup>\u00a0And the\u00a0LORD\u00a0spake unto Moses, saying,\u00a012<\/sup>\u00a0When 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\u00a0LORD, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when\u00a0thou\u00a0<\/em>numberest them.\u00a0\u00a013<\/sup>\u00a0This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>twenty gerahs:) an half shekel\u00a0shall be\u00a0<\/em>the offering of the\u00a0LORD.\u00a014<\/sup>\u00a0Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the\u00a0LORD.\u00a015<\/sup>\u00a0The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when\u00a0they\u00a0<\/em>give an offering unto the\u00a0LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.\u00a0\u00a0 16<\/sup>\u00a0And 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\u00a0LORD, to make an atonement for your souls. 17<\/sup>\u00a0And the\u00a0LORD\u00a0spake unto Moses, saying,\u00a018<\/sup>\u00a0Thou shalt also make a laver\u00a0of\u00a0<\/em>brass, and his foot\u00a0also of\u00a0<\/em>brass, to wash\u00a0withal:\u00a0<\/em>and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein.\u00a019<\/sup>\u00a0For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat:\u00a020<\/sup>\u00a0When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the\u00a0LORD:\u00a021<\/sup>\u00a0So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them,\u00a0even\u00a0<\/em>to him and to his seed throughout their generations. 22<\/sup>\u00a0Moreover the\u00a0LORD\u00a0spake unto Moses, saying,\u00a023<\/sup>\u00a0Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred\u00a0shekels\u00a0<\/em>, and of sweet cinnamon half so much,\u00a0even\u00a0<\/em>two hundred and fifty\u00a0shekels\u00a0<\/em>, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty\u00a0shekels\u00a0<\/em>,\u00a024<\/sup>\u00a0And of cassia five hundred\u00a0shekels\u00a0<\/em>, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin:\u00a025<\/sup>\u00a0And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil.\u00a0\u00a026<\/sup>\u00a0And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony,\u00a027<\/sup>\u00a0And the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick and his vessels, and the altar of incense,\u00a028<\/sup>\u00a0And the altar of burnt offering with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot.\u00a029<\/sup>\u00a0And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy.\u00a030<\/sup>\u00a0And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that\u00a0they\u00a0<\/em>may minister unto me in the priest\u2019s office.\u00a031<\/sup>\u00a0And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be an holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations.\u00a032<\/sup>\u00a0Upon man\u2019s flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make\u00a0any other\u00a0<\/em>like it, after the composition of it: it\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>holy,\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>it shall be holy unto you.\u00a033<\/sup>Whosoever compoundeth\u00a0any\u00a0<\/em>like it, or whosoever putteth\u00a0any\u00a0<\/em>of it upon a stranger, shall even be cut off from his people. 34<\/sup>\u00a0And the\u00a0LORD\u00a0said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum;\u00a0these\u00a0<\/em>sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like\u00a0weight:\u00a0<\/em>35<\/sup>And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>holy:\u00a0\u00a036<\/sup>\u00a0And thou shalt beat\u00a0some\u00a0<\/em>of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy.\u00a037<\/sup>\u00a0And\u00a0as for\u00a0<\/em>the perfume which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves according to the composition thereof: it shall be unto thee holy for the\u00a0LORD.\u00a038<\/sup>Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from his people.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Here in Exodus 30, God instructed His people in the concept of redemption. He told them when they counted the people, or took a census, “every man shall give a ransom for himself to the LORD,” and that the ransom must paid in silver. 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