Divine Principle Bible

Exodus 20–30

Combined HTML edition of Exodus chapters 20 through 30 with devotional commentary in the same style as the earlier sections.

Exodus 20

20:1And God spake all these words, saying, 20:2I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 20:3Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 20:4Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 20:5Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 20:6And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. 20:7Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 20:8Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 20:9Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 20:10But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 20:11For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Comment on 20:1–11: I as God of Divine Principle say that the first commandments restore vertical order: one God, no idols, reverence for the divine name, and holy time. A restored people must first be aligned in heart, worship, and rhythm.

20:12Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. 20:13Thou shalt not kill. 20:14Thou shalt not commit adultery. 20:15Thou shalt not steal. 20:16Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. 20:17Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

Comment on 20:12–17: These commandments govern family, life, marriage, property, truth, and desire. The law guards the very realms damaged by the fall: love, lineage, trust, and right dominion.

20:18And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. 20:19And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. 20:20And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. 20:21And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was. 20:22And the LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. 20:23Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold. 20:24An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee. 20:25And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it. 20:26Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.

Comment on 20:18–26: Holy fear is meant to preserve the people from sin. The mediator draws near where the people cannot yet stand. Heaven’s altar must not be mixed with human pride or display.

God of Original Ideal Commentary

I as God of Divine Principle say that Exodus 20 is one of the great covenant chapters of the Bible because here the liberated people receive God’s law. Deliverance from Egypt was necessary, but without divine principle and commandment, freedom would easily collapse into disorder.

The Ten Commandments are not arbitrary restrictions. They protect the core areas of life damaged by the fall: worship, love, lineage, truth, property, and desire. They restrain the fallen nature and establish a minimum order by which a people can remain under heaven’s blessing.

Exodus 21

21:1Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them.21:2If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.21:3If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him.21:4If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by himself.21:5And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free:21:6Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.

Comment on 21:1–6: After the great commandments come judgments for actual social life. Heaven’s law must govern not only worship but also labor, release, and human dignity.

21:7And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do.21:8If she please not her master, who hath betrothed her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her unto a strange nation he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her.21:9And if he have betrothed her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters.21:10If he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish.21:11And if he do not these three unto her, then shall she go out free without money.21:12He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death.21:13And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee.21:14But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbour, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die.21:15And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death.21:16And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.21:17And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.

Comment on 21:12–17: Life, parent-child order, and human freedom are treated with utmost seriousness. The law reveals that heaven does not regard violence, kidnapping, or filial rebellion as light matters.

21:18And if men strive together, and one smite another with a stone, or with his fist, and he die not, but keepeth his bed:21:19If he rise again, and walk abroad upon his staff, then shall he that smote him be quit: only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall cause him to be thoroughly healed.21:20And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished.21:21Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money.21:22If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.21:23And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life,21:24Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,21:25Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.21:26And if a man smite the eye of his servant, or the eye of his maid, that it perish; he shall let him go free for his eye's sake.21:27And if he smite out his manservant's tooth, or his maidservant's tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake.21:28If an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die: then the ox shall be surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be quit.21:29But if the ox were wont to push with his horn in time past, and it hath been testified to his owner, and he hath not kept him in, but that he hath killed a man or a woman; the ox shall be stoned, and his owner also shall be put to death.21:30If there be laid on him a sum of money, then he shall give for the ransom of his life whatsoever is laid upon him.21:31Whether he have gored a son, or have gored a daughter, according to this judgment shall it be done unto him.21:32If the ox shall push a manservant or a maidservant; he shall give unto their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.21:33And if a man shall open a pit, or if a man shall dig a pit, and not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall therein;21:34The owner of the pit shall make it good, and give money unto the owner of them; and the dead beast shall be his.21:35And if one man's ox hurt another's, that he die; then they shall sell the live ox, and divide the money of it; and the dead ox also they shall divide.21:36Or if it be known that the ox hath used to push in time past, and his owner hath not kept him in; he shall surely pay ox for ox; and the dead shall be his own.

God of Original Ideal Commentary

I as God of Divine Principle say that Exodus 21 moves from commandment to case law. A restored people must learn not only lofty principles, but practical justice. God’s concern reaches servants, daughters, parents, the injured, the unborn, and even negligent owners of dangerous animals.

This chapter shows that heaven’s righteousness is concrete. Fallen life produces conflict and injury, but law restrains vengeance, defines responsibility, and protects human worth. Providence needs a people who can embody justice in daily relationships.

Exodus 22

22:1If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep.22:2If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him.22:3If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him; for he should make full restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.22:4If the theft be certainly found in his hand alive, whether it be ox, or ass, or sheep; he shall restore double.22:5If a man shall cause a field or vineyard to be eaten, and shall put in his beast, and shall feed in another man's field; of the best of his own field, and of the best of his own vineyard, shall he make restitution.22:6If fire break out, and catch in thorns, so that the stacks of corn, or the standing corn, or the field, be consumed therewith; he that kindled the fire shall surely make restitution.

Comment on 22:1–6: Theft and damage do not end with apology. Heaven requires restoration. Fallen acts produce real loss, and righteousness includes repayment.

22:7If a man shall deliver unto his neighbour money or stuff to keep, and it be stolen out of the man's house; if the thief be found, let him pay double.22:8If the thief be not found, then the master of the house shall be brought unto the judges, to see whether he have put his hand unto his neighbour's goods.22:9For all manner of trespass, whether it be for ox, for ass, for sheep, for raiment, or for any manner of lost thing, which another challengeth to be his, the cause of both parties shall come before the judges; and whom the judges shall condemn, he shall pay double unto his neighbour.22:10If a man deliver unto his neighbour an ass, or an ox, or a sheep, or any beast, to keep; and it die, or be hurt, or driven away, no man seeing it:22:11Then shall an oath of the LORD be between them both, that he hath not put his hand unto his neighbour's goods; and the owner of it shall accept thereof, and he shall not make it good.22:12And if it be stolen from him, he shall make restitution unto the owner thereof.22:13If it be torn in pieces, then let him bring it for witness, and he shall not make good that which was torn.22:14And if a man borrow ought of his neighbour, and it be hurt, or die, the owner thereof being not with it, he shall surely make it good.22:15But if the owner thereof be with it, he shall not make it good: if it be an hired thing, it came for his hire.22:16And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife.22:17If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins.22:18Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.22:19Whosoever lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death.22:20He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the LORD only, he shall be utterly destroyed.

Comment on 22:16–20: Sexual conduct, spiritual corruption, and idolatry all threaten covenant life. Heaven guards the sanctity of love and worship with severity because these strike the deepest roots of fallen disorder.

22:21Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.22:22Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child.22:23If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry;22:24And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.22:25If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury.22:26If thou at all take thy neighbour's raiment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down:22:27For that is his covering only, it is his raiment for his skin: wherein shall he sleep? and it shall come to pass, when he crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious.22:28Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler of thy people.22:29Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: the firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give unto me.22:30Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen, and with thy sheep: seven days it shall be with his dam; on the eighth day thou shalt give it me.22:31And ye shall be holy men unto me: neither shall ye eat any flesh that is torn of beasts in the field; ye shall cast it to the dogs.

God of Original Ideal Commentary

I as God of Divine Principle say that Exodus 22 joins restitution with compassion. Property rights matter, but so do strangers, widows, orphans, and the poor. The God who judges theft also hears the cry of the vulnerable.

This chapter shows that holiness is not only ritual separation. It is a social order in which power is restrained and weakness is protected. A nation cannot claim to belong to God while exploiting those whose only refuge is heaven’s hearing.

Exodus 23

23:1Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.23:2Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment:23:3Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause.23:4If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.23:5If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him.

Comment on 23:1–5: Truth must not bend to rumor, crowd pressure, partiality, or personal hatred. Heaven teaches justice that is principled even toward an enemy.

23:6Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause.23:7Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked.23:8And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.23:9Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.23:10And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof:23:11But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard.23:12Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.23:13And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth.

Comment on 23:10–13: The covenant shapes time, land, labor, speech, and memory. Rest is not laziness but holy order, and even the poor, the worker, the beast, and the stranger are included in heaven’s rhythm.

23:14Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year.23:15Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:23:16And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.23:17Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord GOD.23:18Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the fat of my sacrifice remain until the morning.23:19The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.23:20Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.23:21Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.23:22But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.23:23For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off.23:24Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.23:25And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.23:26There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil.23:27I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee.23:28And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee.23:29I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee.23:30By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.23:31And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee.23:32Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.23:33They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee.

God of Original Ideal Commentary

I as God of Divine Principle say that Exodus 23 shows covenant life at the level of public righteousness and providential movement. Truth, mercy, rest, holy festivals, and separation from idolatry are all parts of one order.

This chapter also teaches that heaven often works gradually. The land is not inherited in one instant but little by little. Restoration is progressive because the people must grow to occupy what God prepares. Speed without maturity would only create another ruin.

Exodus 24

24:1And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the LORD, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off.24:2And Moses alone shall come near the LORD: but they shall not come nigh; neither shall the people go up with him.24:3And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do.24:4And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.24:5And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD.24:6And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.24:7And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.24:8And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.

Comment on 24:1–8: Covenant is not sentiment alone. It is word, altar, offering, blood, and obedience. The people must answer heaven not merely with emotion but with commitment.

24:9Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel:24:10And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.24:11And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.24:12And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.24:13And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God.24:14And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them.24:15And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount.24:16And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.24:17And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.24:18And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.

Comment on 24:9–18: Heaven draws the mediator upward after the covenant is sealed. The people behold glory from below, but Moses enters the cloud for the sake of receiving further revelation and form for the nation.

God of Original Ideal Commentary

I as God of Divine Principle say that Exodus 24 is the chapter of covenant ratification and ascent. What was spoken in law is now sealed in ceremony, witness, and blood. Then the central figure goes higher into the mountain to receive what the people cannot yet receive directly.

This chapter reveals a crucial providential pattern: there is public covenant, but there is also deeper private reception. The mediator must enter the cloud, endure time, and return with form, instruction, and testimony for the people’s future.

Exodus 25

25:1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,25:2Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.25:3And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass,25:4And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair,25:5And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood,25:6Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense,25:7Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate.25:8And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.25:9According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.

Comment on 25:1–9: I as God of Divine Principle say that once covenant is formed, heaven seeks a dwelling. The sanctuary begins with willing offering and exact obedience to the heavenly pattern.

25:10And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.25:11And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about.25:12And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it.25:13And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.25:14And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them.25:15The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it.25:16And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee.25:17And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof.25:18And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.25:19And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.25:20And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.25:21And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.25:22And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

Comment on 25:10–22: The ark and mercy seat signify that God’s word and God’s meeting place must stand at the center. Heaven gives pattern because fallen people cannot invent holy order from themselves.

25:23Thou shalt also make a table of shittim wood: two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.25:24And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, and make thereto a crown of gold round about.25:25And thou shalt make unto it a border of an hand breadth round about, and thou shalt make a golden crown to the border thereof round about.25:26And thou shalt make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings in the four corners that are on the four feet thereof.25:27Over against the border shall the rings be for places of the staves to bear the table.25:28And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be borne with them.25:29And thou shalt make the dishes thereof, and spoons thereof, and covers thereof, and bowls thereof, to cover withal: of pure gold shalt thou make them.25:30And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me alway.25:31And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same.25:32And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side:25:33Three bowls made like unto almonds, with a knop and a flower in one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the other branch, with a knop and a flower: so in the six branches that come out of the candlestick.25:34And in the candlestick shall be four bowls made like unto almonds, with their knops and their flowers.25:35And there shall be a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches that proceed out of the candlestick.25:36Their knops and their branches shall be of the same: all it shall be one beaten work of pure gold.25:37And thou shalt make the seven lamps thereof: and they shall light the lamps thereof, that they may give light over against it.25:38And the tongs thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, shall be of pure gold.25:39Of a talent of pure gold shall he make it, with all these vessels.25:40And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount.

God of Original Ideal Commentary

I as God of Divine Principle say that Exodus 25 begins the tabernacle instructions because deliverance and law aim toward indwelling. God does not rescue a people merely to leave them at a distance. He seeks to dwell among them according to a heavenly pattern.

The offering must be willing, the pattern must be exact, and the center must be the testimony and mercy seat. This chapter teaches that restoration includes the formation of sacred space where God’s word, provision, and light are all ordered around His presence.

Exodus 26

26:1Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work shalt thou make them.26:2The length of one curtain shall be eight and twenty cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: and every one of the curtains shall have one measure.26:3The five curtains shall be coupled together one to another; and other five curtains shall be coupled one to another.26:4And thou shalt make loops of blue upon the edge of the one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling; and likewise shalt thou make in the uttermost edge of another curtain, in the coupling of the second.26:5Fifty loops shalt thou make in the one curtain, and fifty loops shalt thou make in the edge of the curtain that is in the coupling of the second; that the loops may take hold one of another.26:6And thou shalt make fifty taches of gold, and couple the curtains together with the taches: and it shall be one tabernacle.26:7And thou shalt make curtains of goats' hair to be a covering upon the tabernacle: eleven curtains shalt thou make.26:8The length of one curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: and the eleven curtains shall be all of one measure.26:9And thou shalt couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and shalt double the sixth curtain in the forefront of the tabernacle.26:10And thou shalt make fifty loops on the edge of the one curtain that is outmost in the coupling, and fifty loops in the edge of the curtain which coupleth the second.26:11And thou shalt make fifty taches of brass, and put the taches into the loops, and couple the tent together, that it may be one.26:12And the remnant that remaineth of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remaineth, shall hang over the backside of the tabernacle.26:13And a cubit on the one side, and a cubit on the other side of that which remaineth in the length of the curtains of the tent, it shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle on this side and on that side, to cover it.26:14And thou shalt make a covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red, and a covering above of badgers' skins.

Comment on 26:1–14: I as God of Divine Principle say that the dwelling of God is not casual or random. It is formed by pattern, order, measure, beauty, and careful union. What is holy must be joined together according to heaven’s design.

26:15And thou shalt make boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood standing up.26:16Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half shall be the breadth of one board.26:17Two tenons shall there be in one board, set in order one against another: thus shalt thou make for all the boards of the tabernacle.26:18And thou shalt make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards on the south side southward.26:19And thou shalt make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for his two tenons, and two sockets under another board for his two tenons.26:20And for the second side of the tabernacle on the north side there shall be twenty boards:26:21And their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board.26:22And for the sides of the tabernacle westward thou shalt make six boards.26:23And two boards shalt thou make for the corners of the tabernacle in the two sides.26:24And they shall be coupled together beneath, and they shall be coupled together above the head of it unto one ring: thus shall it be for them both; they shall be for the two corners.26:25And they shall be eight boards, and their sockets of silver, sixteen sockets; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board.26:26And thou shalt make bars of shittim wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle,26:27And five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle, for the two sides westward.26:28And the middle bar in the midst of the boards shall reach from end to end.26:29And thou shalt overlay the boards with gold, and make their rings of gold for places for the bars: and thou shalt overlay the bars with gold.26:30And thou shalt rear up the tabernacle according to the fashion thereof which was shewed thee in the mount.

Comment on 26:15–30: Heaven’s structure must stand on proper foundations and be fitted together in strength and symmetry. Restoration is not built on sentiment alone; it requires support, connection, and exact obedience to the heavenly model.

26:31And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made:26:32And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of shittim wood overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four sockets of silver.26:33And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy.26:34And thou shalt put the mercy seat upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place.26:35And thou shalt set the table without the vail, and the candlestick over against the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south: and thou shalt put the table on the north side.26:36And thou shalt make an hanging for the door of the tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework.26:37And thou shalt make for the hanging five pillars of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, and their hooks shall be of gold: and thou shalt cast five sockets of brass for them.

Comment on 26:31–37: The veil marks both nearness and separation. I as God of Divine Principle say that fallen humanity cannot yet enter the holiest realm freely. The sanctuary teaches that approach to God requires order, mediation, and eventual restoration.

God of Original Ideal Commentary

I as God of Divine Principle say that Exodus 26 gives the structural form of the tabernacle, the place where God will dwell among His people. This is not merely architecture. It is theology in material form. Every curtain, board, socket, bar, pillar, and veil teaches that heaven’s dwelling must be established according to a revealed pattern.

The tabernacle shows that restoration requires both beauty and exactness. The holy place and the most holy place are distinguished because fallen humanity cannot casually pass into the full presence of God. There must be mediation, separation from impurity, and a prepared order centered on the testimony and mercy seat. In providential terms, this chapter teaches that God’s ideal is to dwell with humanity, but because of the fall, that indwelling must first be approached through conditions, structure, and sacred boundaries.

Exodus 27

27:1And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits.27:2And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass.27:3And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, and his basons, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass.27:4And thou shalt make for it a grate of network of brass; and upon the net shalt thou make four brasen rings in the four corners thereof.27:5And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar.27:6And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with brass.27:7And the staves shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it.27:8Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was shewed thee in the mount, so shall they make it.

Comment on 27:1–8: I as God of Divine Principle say that before deeper approach there must be altar and offering. Restoration does not bypass sacrifice. The altar teaches that fallen people draw near through conditions of consecration and surrender.

27:9And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen of an hundred cubits long for one side:27:10And the twenty pillars thereof and their twenty sockets shall be of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver.27:11And likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings of an hundred cubits long, and his twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver.27:12And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits: their pillars ten, and their sockets ten.27:13And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits.27:14The hangings of one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.27:15And on the other side shall be hangings fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.27:16And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework: and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four.27:17All the pillars round about the court shall be filleted with silver; their hooks shall be of silver, and their sockets of brass.27:18The length of the court shall be an hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the height five cubits of fine twined linen, and their sockets of brass.27:19All the vessels of the tabernacle in all the service thereof, and all the pins thereof, and all the pins of the court, shall be of brass.

Comment on 27:9–19: The court sets boundaries around the holy place. Heaven is open by grace, yet not without order. A people in restoration must learn reverence, distinction, and the discipline of approach.

27:20And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.27:21In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.

Comment on 27:20–21: The lamp must not go out. I as God of Divine Principle say that providence continues by maintained devotion, not passing emotion. The holy light requires offering, attendance, and faithful stewardship through the generations.

God of Original Ideal Commentary

I as God of Divine Principle say that Exodus 27 continues the formation of sacred order by describing the altar of burnt offering, the court of the tabernacle, and the continual oil for the lamp. The altar stands at the place of approach, showing that before humanity can come further into the realm of God’s dwelling, there must be sacrifice and cleansing. Fallen people do not casually enter holiness. They must come through the ordered way that heaven provides.

The court teaches boundary and preparation. The sanctuary is not chaos; it is structured space in which each element has meaning. The outer court, the gate, the altar, and the perpetual light all show that restoration is both public and continual. The people must bring the oil, and Aaron and his sons must keep the lamp burning. Thus heaven’s presence among the people is sustained through responsibility, offering, and faithful attendance. The lamp burning from evening to morning signifies that even in darkness the testimony of God must remain alive.

Exodus 28

28:1And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons.28:2And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty.28:3And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.28:4And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.28:5And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen.28:6And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work.28:7It shall have the two shoulderpieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof; and so it shall be joined together.28:8And the curious girdle of the ephod, which is upon it, shall be of the same, according to the work thereof; even of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.28:9And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel:28:10Six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth.28:11With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel: thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold.28:12And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for stones of memorial unto the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD upon his two shoulders for a memorial.28:13And thou shalt make ouches of gold;28:14And two chains of pure gold at the ends; of wreathen work shalt thou make them, and fasten the wreathen chains to the ouches.28:15And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine twined linen, shalt thou make it.28:16Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof.28:17And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the first row.28:18And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.28:19And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst.28:20And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings.28:21And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet; every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes.28:22And thou shalt make upon the breastplate chains at the ends of wreathen work of pure gold.28:23And thou shalt make upon the breastplate two rings of gold, and shalt put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate.28:24And thou shalt put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the breastplate.28:25And the other two ends of the two wreathen chains thou shalt fasten in the two ouches, and put them on the shoulderpieces of the ephod before it.28:26And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and thou shalt put them upon the two ends of the breastplate in the border thereof, which is in the side of the ephod inward.28:27And two other rings of gold thou shalt make, and shalt put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart thereof, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod.28:28And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate be not loosed from the ephod.28:29And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually.28:30And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goeth in before the LORD: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually.28:31And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue.28:32And there shall be an hole in the top of it, in the midst thereof: it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the hole of an habergeon, that it be not rent.28:33And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof; and bells of gold between them round about:28:34A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about.28:35And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the LORD, and when he cometh out, that he die not.28:36And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD.28:37And thou shalt put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be.28:38And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD.28:39And thou shalt embroider the coat of fine linen, and thou shalt make the mitre of fine linen, and thou shalt make the girdle of needlework.28:40And for Aaron's sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and bonnets shalt thou make for them, for glory and for beauty.28:41And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office.28:42And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach:28:43And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him.

Commentary: The priestly garments show that the mediator carries the people before God with both shoulders and heart. Consecration is visible, weighty, and beautiful because it represents heavenly responsibility.

Exodus 29

29:1And this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto me in the priest's office: Take one young bullock, and two rams without blemish,29:2And unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened tempered with oil, and wafers unleavened anointed with oil: of wheaten flour shalt thou make them.29:3And thou shalt put them into one basket, and bring them in the basket, with the bullock and the two rams.29:4And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water.29:5And thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the coat, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the curious girdle of the ephod:29:6And thou shalt put the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre.29:7Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint him.29:8And thou shalt bring his sons, and put coats upon them.29:9And thou shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons, and put the bonnets on them: and the priest's office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute: and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons.29:10And thou shalt cause a bullock to be brought before the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the bullock.29:11And thou shalt kill the bullock before the LORD, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.29:12And thou shalt take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with thy finger, and pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar.29:13And thou shalt take all the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul that is above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and burn them upon the altar.29:14But the flesh of the bullock, and his skin, and his dung, shalt thou burn with fire without the camp: it is a sin offering.29:15Thou shalt also take one ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram.29:16And thou shalt slay the ram, and thou shalt take his blood, and sprinkle it round about upon the altar.29:17And thou shalt cut the ram in pieces, and wash the inwards of him, and his legs, and put them unto his pieces, and unto his head.29:18And thou shalt burn the whole ram upon the altar: it is a burnt offering unto the LORD: it is a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD.29:19And thou shalt take the other ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram.29:20Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of his blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.29:21And thou shalt take of the blood that is upon the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him.29:22Also thou shalt take of the ram the fat and the rump, and the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and the right shoulder; for it is a ram of consecration:29:23And one loaf of bread, and one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer out of the basket of the unleavened bread that is before the LORD:29:24And thou shalt put all in the hands of Aaron, and in the hands of his sons; and shalt wave them for a wave offering before the LORD.29:25And thou shalt receive them of their hands, and burn them upon the altar for a burnt offering, for a sweet savour before the LORD: it is an offering made by fire unto the LORD.29:26And thou shalt take the breast of the ram of Aaron's consecration, and wave it for a wave offering before the LORD: and it shall be thy part.29:27And thou shalt sanctify the breast of the wave offering, and the shoulder of the heave offering, which is waved, and which is heaved up, of the ram of the consecration, even of that which is for Aaron, and of that which is for his sons:29:28And it shall be Aaron's and his sons' by a statute for ever from the children of Israel: for it is an heave offering: and it shall be an heave offering from the children of Israel of the sacrifice of their peace offerings, even their heave offering unto the LORD.29:29And the holy garments of Aaron shall be his sons' after him, to be anointed therein, and to be consecrated in them.29:30And that son that is priest in his stead shall put them on seven days, when he cometh into the tabernacle of the congregation to minister in the holy place.29:31And thou shalt take the ram of the consecration, and seethe his flesh in the holy place.29:32And 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 the congregation.29:33And they shall eat those things wherewith the atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them: but a stranger shall not eat thereof, because they are holy.29:34And if ought of the flesh of the consecrations, or of the bread, remain unto the morning, then thou shalt burn the remainder with fire: it shall not be eaten, because it is holy.29:35And thus shalt thou do unto Aaron, and to his sons, according to all things which I have commanded thee: seven days shalt thou consecrate them.29:36And thou shalt offer every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement: and thou shalt cleanse the altar, when thou hast made an atonement for it, and thou shalt anoint it, to sanctify it.29:37Seven days thou shalt make an atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and it shall be an altar most holy: whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy.29:38Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually.29:39The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even:29:40And with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering.29:41And the other lamb thou shalt offer at even, and shalt do thereto according to the meat offering of the morning, and according to the drink offering thereof, for a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD.29:42This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee.29:43And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory.29:44And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar: I will sanctify also both Aaron and his sons, to minister to me in the priest's office.29:45And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God.29:46And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the LORD their God.

Commentary: Consecration is repeated, sacrificial, and total. Heaven seeks not a casual office but a purified mediator and a sanctified place where God may dwell among the people.

Exodus 30

30:1And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon: of shittim wood shalt thou make it.30:2A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; foursquare shall it be: and two cubits shall be the height thereof: the horns thereof shall be of the same.30:3And 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.30:4And 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 it; and they shall be for places for the staves to bear it withal.30:5And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.30:6And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee.30:7And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it.30:8And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.30:9Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt sacrifice, nor meat offering; neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon.30:10And 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.30:11And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,30:12When 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.30:13This 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.30:14Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the LORD.30:15The 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.30:16And 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.30:17And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,30:18Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein.30:19For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat:30:20When 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 LORD:30:21So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations.30:22Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,30:23Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels,30:24And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin:30:25And 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.30:26And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony,30:27And the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick and his vessels, and the altar of incense,30:28And the altar of burnt offering with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot.30:29And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy.30:30And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office.30:31And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be an holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations.30:32Upon man's flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any other like it, after the composition of it: it is holy, and it shall be holy unto you.30:33Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall even be cut off from his people.30:34And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall be a like weight:30:35And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy:30:36And thou shalt beat some 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.30:37And as for 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 LORD.30:38Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from his people.

Commentary: Incense, ransom, washing, and anointing all teach that holy approach requires purification and distinction. What belongs to God cannot be treated as common.