Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
Exodus 30:7-10
Aaron and the Altar of Incense (Exodus 30:7).
a Aaron will burn the sweet incense of spices there every morning when he dresses the lamps (Exodus 30:7).
b And when he lights the lamps in the evening he will burn it a perpetual incense before Yahweh throughout their generations (Exodus 30:8).
c No strange incense, or whole burnt offering, or grain offering, or drink offering shall be offered on it (Exodus 30:9).
c Aaron will make atonement on its horns once a year (Exodus 30:10 a).
b With the blood of the purification for sin offering of atonement he will make atonement once a year throughout their generations (Exodus 30:10 b).
a It is most holy to Yahweh (Exodus 30:10 c).
In ‘a' Aaron as the people's representative is to burn sweet incense on it when he dresses the lamps which in symbol reveal the presence of Yahweh, and in the parallel it is most holy to Yahweh for it is before His throne. In ‘b' he must burn incense perpetually throughout the generations, while in the parallel yearly atonement is to be made for it throughout the generations. In ‘c' there are to be no offerings made on it apart for the holy incense while in the parallel its reaching up to God must be atoned for once a year. Here we have vividly portrayed the best that man can offer and yet in spite of that the continual need for atonement.
“And Aaron shall burn on it incense of sweet spices. He shall burn it every morning when he dresses the lamps. And in the evening, when Aaron lights the lamps, he will burn it, a perpetual incense before Yahweh throughout your generations.”
As with the continual whole burnt offerings the incense must be offered twice a day. It would be a perpetual reminder of the worship and prayers of His people, and of their love for Him (Deuteronomy 6:5). It was the purest form of their worship. The lamps which were lit every evening, and dressed in the morning represented the life and light that came from God, the incense is the people's response in holy gratitude and worship and commitment. This too would be continual through the generations. Thus the actions were two way, light and life from God, worship towards God.
Again, as with the daily offerings, this is a continual offering, of incense. Incense would also be offered by ‘the Priest' in a censer within the Most Holy Place itself on the Day of Atonement (see Leviticus 16:12). Its importance comes out in 1 Samuel 2:28 where one of the duties of ‘the Priest' was seen as being to burn incense before Yahweh, along with the wearing of the ephod. That its use was carefully controlled comes out in that later Nadab and Abihu were slain for their casual use of it (Leviticus 10:1). As with all that took place in the Sanctuary God's instructions had to be followed to the letter. There must be no hint of the degrading of worship, which might become like the extravagant behaviour of those who worshipped Baal, known by Israel from what they had witnessed in the Baal worship common in Egypt (there were close ties between Egypt and Canaan). It was possibly because that had been in the minds of the sons of Aaron that they were so severely treated, although in Scripture the first example of an offence against a holy ordinance is always severely treated.
It is probable that we are to see here the first introduction of incense into the regular worship of Israel, which would explain why its use has to be so carefully controlled. God's punishments are always most severe at such crucial times.
There are no real grounds for denying the altar of incense to Tabernacle worship, although acute minds can always find anything. The fate of Nadab and Abihu was unlikely to be invented and the words in 1 Samuel 2:28 would not be likely from an inventor. Why put an emphasis on incense at that point if the reason was other than because all knew that it had a centrally important place in worship? Other ceremonial activity could equally well have been used. Nor would it have been introduced into the laws of purification for sin offerings in especially grave cases (Leviticus 4:7; Leviticus 4:18). It is also listed in the final lists of what was in the Tent of Meeting (30:26-29; 31:7-9; 39:33-43). These mainly almost incidental references confirm its existence from the beginning. In 37:25-29 where the making of it is described, it is placed in what critics would see as the ‘correct' place, along with the other furniture in the Holy Place. And Solomon's Temple also contained an altar of incense.
It is not surprising that Ezekiel does not mention it. He was speaking of a heavenly Temple not made by man. To him man's only access was through the altar built on earth, the only thing that man was told to construct of all that he saw. And to suggest that because the brazen altar is sometimes described as ‘the altar' (Exodus 27-29; Leviticus 1-6) that signifies that there could be no other altar which was of an expressedly different kind and which specifically excludes the offering of sacrifices on it, would be going too far even if the article was so specific in Hebrew. But as it is not, it is even more farfetched. In Hebrew the article often simply signifies ‘the one I am speaking about' and nothing more.
“You shall offer no strange incense on it, nor whole burnt offering, nor meal offering. And you shall pour no drink offering on it.”
The altar of incense was not to be used except for the morning and evening offering of the official incense. It was mainly reserved for that. ‘Strange incense' probably means incense of a different kind than that prescribed (Exodus 30:34), but it may also simply mean incense not offered at the right time. And the altar was specifically not to be seen as a sacrificial altar, or an altar for offerings. Its purpose was to be wholly different.
There is however one significant exception to this, and that is when ‘the Priest' has sinned (this probably includes his deputies and may especially have in mind unwitting sin in respect of their service in the Dwellingplace) or when the whole people have unwittingly sinned. In these grave cases, which affect the whole people, and in these alone, the blood of the necessary sin offering must be applied to the horns of this altar (Leviticus 4:7; Leviticus 4:18). This is probably because such sins are seen as having affected the worship and loyalty of the whole people, either in their representative or in themselves, and therefore as having defiled the altar and effectively cancelled their oath of loyalty. And the altar is therefore seen as in need of special atonement because of its defilement. It is a renewed oath of loyalty and expression of worship after the grave sin which affected their combined worship was now repented of and atoned for with a sin offering. It is, however, only for unwitting sin. There is no atonement for considered and deliberate sin. That would call for judgment.
“And Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once in the year. He shall make atonement with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once in the year throughout your generations. It is most holy to Yahweh.”
Being in the Holy Place, and only approached by priests who have been cleansed, it would not come in direct contact with the profane, but in spite of its holiness it still needs to be atoned for yearly, for the incense represents man's worship, and it is offered by fallible man. Nothing that involves man is seen as free from being tainted. All that is on earth outside the veil requires regular atonement. So even this holy altar does so, once a year. Yet it is so holy that common sacrifices are not holy enough for it. (The above exception in Leviticus 4:7; Leviticus 4:18 was probably to be seen as an emergency day of atonement for all the people). It is most holy. Only the once a year purification for sin offering on the Day of Atonement must be used to atone for it. It represents all the continual worship of the whole people as offered through their representative. And blood from the sin offering on the Day of Atonement must be applied to its horns, the horns which constitute its essence and its effectiveness. Some have suggested that it is not mentioned in the Day of Atonement regulations in Leviticus, and if so that is because it was to do with something other than the essential purpose of the Day of Atonement, but in our view ‘the altar before Yahweh' mentioned there can only signify this altar (Leviticus 16:12; Leviticus 16:18 compare Exodus 4:18). It refers to the altar in the Holy Place.