Exodus 30:34-38: a reflection

34The LORD said to Moses, “Take to yourself sweet spices, gum resin, onycha, and galbanum: sweet spices with pure frankincense. There shall be an equal weight of each. 35You shall make incense of it, a perfume after the art of the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy. 36You shall beat some of it very small, and put some of it before the covenant in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be to you most holy. 37You shall not make this incense, according to its composition, for yourselves: it shall be to you holy for the LORD. 38Whoever shall make any like that, to smell of it, he shall be cut off from his people.”

God gives a special recipe for the holy incense, and forbids it to be made for common use: it was to be holy to the LORD, reserved for him alone. You shall not make this incense, according to its composition, for yourselves, God says; it shall be to you holy for the LORD. The incense, made by a special formula and used before the LORD in the Tent of Meeting, was most holy, set apart wholly for God. And God forbids it to be duplicated for common or personal use: no one was to make it for himself, to enjoy its fragrance or put it to ordinary use. What was holy to the LORD was reserved for him alone, not to be turned to common or self-serving purposes. This shows that what God sets apart as holy for himself is reserved for him alone. What God sets apart as holy for himself is reserved for him alone. Do not turn to common or self-serving use what is holy to God. What is dedicated to God is not to be taken for our own ends. Honor the holiness of what is set apart wholly for God.

Notice what God commands about the holy incense. It was made by a particular formula and used in his worship, before the covenant in the Tent of Meeting; it was most holy, set apart wholly for God. And God forbids it to be made for common use: no one was to duplicate this incense for himself, to enjoy its fragrance or put it to ordinary, personal purposes. What was holy to the LORD was to be reserved for him alone, not turned to common or self-serving use. This holds a principle about what is set apart for God. What God sets apart as holy, dedicated wholly to him, is reserved for him; it is not to be taken and turned to our own common or self-serving purposes. This applies beyond incense. There is a temptation to take what is holy, what belongs to God or is dedicated to him, his worship, his name, sacred things, and use it for our own ends, our own enjoyment, our own advantage or self-serving purposes, rather than reserving it for God. But what is holy to the LORD is his, reserved for him alone; it is not for us to turn to common or self-serving use. To honor the holiness of what is set apart for God is to keep it for him, not to appropriate it for our own purposes. We do well to honor the holiness of what is set apart wholly for God, not turning it to common or self-serving use. Honor the holiness of what is set apart wholly for God, reserved for him alone. Do not turn to your own common or self-serving use what is holy to God. What belongs to God is his, not to be appropriated for your own ends. Keep what is dedicated to God for him, not for yourself.

That is worth taking to heart, for what God sets apart as holy for himself is reserved for him alone, and we do well not to turn it to common or self-serving use, as the holy incense was not to be made for personal use. We can take what is holy to God and turn it to our own ends; but the holy incense was reserved for the LORD, not to be duplicated for common use. It is his. Do not appropriate for your own common or self-serving purposes what is holy to God; honor its holiness, keeping it reserved for him. Honor the holiness of what is set apart wholly for God, not turning to your own common or self-serving use what belongs to him, as God gave a special recipe for the holy incense and forbade it to be made for common use, since it was to be holy to the LORD and reserved for him alone, saying they were not to make it for themselves but it should be holy for the LORD; for the incense, made by a special formula and used before the LORD, was most holy and set apart wholly for God, and God forbids it to be duplicated for common or personal use so that no one was to make it for himself to enjoy its fragrance or put it to ordinary use, what was holy to the LORD being reserved for him alone and not to be turned to common or self-serving purposes, which holds a principle about what is set apart for God, that what God sets apart as holy and dedicated wholly to him is reserved for him and not to be taken and turned to our own common or self-serving purposes, which applies beyond incense, since there is a temptation to take what is holy or belongs to God, his worship, his name, and sacred things, and use it for our own ends and enjoyment and advantage rather than reserving it for God, but what is holy to the LORD is his and reserved for him alone and not for us to turn to common use, so that to honor the holiness of what is set apart for God is to keep it for him and not appropriate it for our own purposes, and we do well to honor it.

Lord, you give a special recipe for the holy incense, and forbid it to be made for common use: it was to be holy to you, reserved for you alone. You shall not make this incense, according to its composition, for yourselves, you say; it shall be to you holy for the LORD. The incense, made by a special formula and used before you in the Tent of Meeting, was most holy, set apart wholly for you. And you forbid it to be duplicated for common or personal use: no one was to make it for himself, to enjoy its fragrance or put it to ordinary use. What was holy to you was reserved for you alone, not to be turned to common or self-serving purposes. Show me what you command about the holy incense. It was made by a particular formula and used in your worship; it was most holy, set apart wholly for you. And you forbid it to be made for common use: no one was to duplicate this incense for himself, to enjoy its fragrance or put it to ordinary, personal purposes. What was holy to you was to be reserved for you alone. This holds a principle about what is set apart for you. What you set apart as holy, dedicated wholly to you, is reserved for you; it is not to be taken and turned to my own common or self-serving purposes. This applies beyond incense. There is a temptation to take what is holy, what belongs to you or is dedicated to you, your worship, your name, sacred things, and use it for my own ends, my own enjoyment, my own advantage, rather than reserving it for you. But what is holy to you is yours, reserved for you alone; it is not for me to turn to common or self-serving use. To honor the holiness of what is set apart for you is to keep it for you, not to appropriate it for my own purposes. Take that to my heart. Keep me from appropriating for my own common or self-serving ends what is holy to you; help me honor the holiness of what is set apart wholly for you, Lord, reserving it for you alone and keeping what is dedicated to you for you, not for myself.