April 3, 2026 - Exodus 30 & Psalm 75

We walk through Exodus 30 and see how incense, washing, anointing oil, and a census offering teach Israel to approach a holy God with reverence and clarity. Psalm 75 then turns our eyes to God’s judgment, and Good Friday frames the psalm’s “cup” as a powerful picture of Christ bearing wrath for us.

For more information about Compass Bible Church South Valley, visit compassbiblesv.org. Keep reading. Keep growing. God’s Word is a lamp to your feet, and a light to your path. 

Transcript

Welcome And Date

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Welcome to the Lamp and Light Bible Reading Plan, where we are seeking to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength with God's word lighting the way. I'm Josiah Smith joined by Tyler Sanborn. Today is Friday, April 3rd, 2026. Here's a quick summary of Exodus 30. Now we continue to read of instructions given to Moses for the construction of the tabernacle and some of the individual pieces that were to be placed within it. And in Exodus 30, we have the altar of incense and the instructions there. Even in verse 7, and Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it every morning when he dresses the lamps, he shall burn it. And we also see the bronze basin which was to be used for washing. It says, You shall put it between the tent of meaning and the altar, and you shall put water in it, with which Aaron and his son shall wash their hands and their feet. They are to do this before they go into the ultimately the Holy of Holies. But it says in verse 20, when they go into the tent of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn a fruit offering to the Lord, they shall wash with water so that they may not die. They shall wash their hands and their feet so that they may not die. It shall be a statute forever to them, even to him and to his offspring throughout their generations. So we have the altar of incense, the bronze basin, the anointing oil and incense that was used to pour and kind of rub on all of the different items within the holy place, uh, to set them apart, to consecrate them to the Lord. That's what it says here in verse 29. You shall consecrate them that they may be most holy, and whatever touches them will become holy. So Exodus 30 is about the altar of incense, the bronze basin, the anointing oil, and of course we see the census tax as well, which was taken up as a means to support the ongoing work of the priest in the tabernacle.

SPEAKER_01 2:09

Listen intently to God's written word, Psalm 75. We give thanks to you, O God. We give thanks, for your name is near. We recount your wondrous deeds. At the set time that I appoint, I will judge with equity. When the earth totters and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep steady its pillars. I say to the boastful, do not boast, and to the wicked, do not lift up your horn, do not lift up your horn on high, or speak with haughty neck, for not from the east or from the west, and not from the wilderness comes lifting up, but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another. For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed, and he pours out from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs, but I will declare it forever. I will sing praises to the God of Jacob, all the horns of the wicked I will cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up.

SPEAKER_00 3:20

Now, Tyler, you and I were talking about uh just for a little bit before this podcast, um, making sure that we orient ourselves to where we are in the book of Exodus. Because I think it it can be easy to get confused because especially in a few chapters, there's gonna be the same phrases, the same words used to talk about different things. So I think it's gonna be good for us to take a step back and kind of make sure that we are all on the same page as to where we are in Exodus 30. Now, if you didn't know, if you didn't catch this, Moses uh is still on the mountain in what we are reading. So God is still directly giving instructions to Moses. So they have not, at this point in the reading, have not constructed the tabernacle. He has not come down from the mountain, so he has not found the golden calf that they have constructed and are worshiping. Um so none of that has happened yet. So these are all just the instructions. This is kind of the the training meeting, so to speak. I'm just kind of thinking of uh sometimes you you watch a training video and then you go and do it. Um, even in those uh escape rooms. I don't know if Tyler, if you've ever done an escape room. I've never been invited.

SPEAKER_01 4:36

Thanks for asking.

Two Tents Of Meeting Explained

SPEAKER_00 4:38

A lot of times they'll they'll play a video or they'll walk through verbal instructions as to like what you are to do. Uh if you know the room is not actually locked because legally they can't, whatever. And then they kind of tell you here's what you can expect. If you need help, do this, if you need that, do that. That that's kind of in a sense what's going on here, where God is telling Moses how to construct all the dimensions of the tabernacle, all the materials that are to be used, even in Exodus 30, the altar of incense, where it's to be placed, the bronze basin, where that's to be placed. Uh so uh we are still on the mountain, technically. So um when we get to the next couple of chapters, specifically in chapter 32, that's when we're gonna see Moses uh come down from the mountain and uh find, much to his surprise, the golden calf and deal with that. Um, but they actually don't start constructing the the tabernacle until let's see what chapter is it. Uh they take up the contributions necessary for it in chapter 35, and they begin the construction of it at the end of chapter 35 into chapter 36 and beyond. Now we say that because uh in just a couple chapters, there's gonna be something called the tent of meeting that Moses is going to do outside of the camp. And Tyler, you were kind of looking at that and had some questions about that. Kind of walk us through what you were thinking, what you were wondering.

SPEAKER_01 6:09

Yes, I was I was wondering like, is this this tent of meeting, is is this the holy of holies being moved back and forth, back and forth, back and forth? And um, to your help, Pastor Josiah, you you're you helped me see, these are the instructions, and I was reading ahead. Um, I was reading ahead to Exodus 32 and 33, and this uh this point in time where Moses is going to go outside of the camp of Israel to go and meet with the Lord. I'm thinking to myself, like, okay, like when you're going to meet with the Lord in the presence of the Lord, that's in the Holy of Holies. Like, are these two things the same? Are they different? And you were helping me understand um the point in time that we're reading in in uh chapter 30 is still on Mount Sinai, still receiving instructions, not not a hand has been uh been moved to to build these um to build the ark, uh, to build the the tabernacle, to do any of the craftsmanship um that will happen in later chapters.

SPEAKER_00 7:06

Yeah, and and even just it was helping me kind of iron through in my own mind and my own thinking, uh, because in chapter 30 it it says that the bronze basin is going to be put between the tent of meeting and the altar. And and then later, uh Moses is said uh in chapter 33 that to have this tent of meeting that's outside the camp. So the tabernacle is in the center of the camp, and there's this tent of meeting that's outside the camp. Are they the same? Are they different? Um, and in fact, they are different because again, the tabernacle has not been constructed. And uh, if you've been paying attention to the details of the construction of the tabernacle, this is probably gonna take a while.

SPEAKER_01 7:43

I mean, not a week-long process.

Visualizing The Tabernacle In 3D

SPEAKER_00 7:45

It's not just uh Moses comes down and then you know, in the next day there's a tabernacle that is erected. I mean, it's uh there's so many, there's the pillars that need to be laid with gold, there's all of even the poles that need to be made of acacia wood, and of course they're covered with gold, the ark of the covenant that's made with acacia wood, and that's covered with gold, uh, and all of it's to be handcrafted, uh finely hammered. It talks about uh these uh these sort of curtains that are to be handwoven, the garments of the priest that uh have the breastplate, and and all there's just so much that needs to be done. And so uh there is this separate tent of meeting uh that Moses kind of erects uh where the the cloud of uh God's glory, it says, uh that demonstrates that he's with his people uh falls down, and people see that Moses can go in there, Moses can talk to God uh on behalf of the people of Israel. So, in the in the meantime, while the tabernacle is being constructed, um, it's not as if Israel has no access to God. Uh, the tent of meeting outside of the camp is the means by which they can continue uh to experience God's dwelling with them. And then ultimately, if we skip all the way to the end in Exodus, Exodus chapter 40, how does it end? Well, it ends with the tabernacle has been constructed, and the glory of the Lord descends to the Holy of Holies. So um there's kind of this temporary tent of meeting that Moses is going into until the construction of the tabernacle and the glory of the Lord then resides within the Holy of Holies. So that's just important to keep in mind because again, none of that has happened. And uh, this tent of meeting that Moses erects outside of the camp, that is the same name given to the tent of meeting in the Holy of Holies. So that's why it can be confusing because the Holy of Holies is also called the tent of meeting. Uh, sometimes it's called the holiest place. Uh, so there's different ways of talking about the same area. So the tent of meeting in verse uh 17 of or verse 18, you shall also make a basin of bronze with its stands of bronze for washing. You shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water for their feet. So in Exodus 30, the tent of meeting is the holy of holies, but in Exodus 33, uh the tent of meeting is something different where it's outside of the camp. Uh in a sense, it sort of is uh kind of a prefiguring of what the Holy of Holies would be when God's presence dwells there. So all that just to say that we are still on Mount Sinai. Uh Moses is still receiving the instructions, uh, they have not yet constructed any of these things. The nation of Israel is still, in a sense, waiting on uh with bated breath for Moses to return, and and then they are gonna take up the offering that is necessary, that's even talked about here in chapter 30, the census tax. They are to give these contributions, both for the priestly work, but of course the construction of the tabernacle as well that we talked about earlier in Exodus. And all of that's gonna come together, they're gonna build it, and the the uh the book of Exodus ends with God's presence, his dwelling in the Holy of Holies being made obvious, and it's a glorious thing to read about. So that's where we're going and that's where we are, right? On Mount Sinai right now, Moses is kind of at the the tail end of the 40 days and 40 nights that he is up there, he's almost done, and he's gonna come down. Of course, he's gonna deal with the golden calf and and all those things, uh, but then they're gonna kind of do what God had commanded Moses to command the nation of Israel as a whole uh to do. So that's what we see here in Exodus 30. Uh, some more instructions for the altar of incense, uh, the bronze basin, the anointing oil, and things like that. And I would just encourage you something that Tyler and I did, I would go on YouTube and just look for a 3D rendering of the tabernacle. If you're having a hard time, if you've never seen one, it can be hard to kind of picture uh all of these different things, the garments, the the curtains, how all the loops, even the 50 loops on one side, the 50 on another, how they're joined together, where all the curtains go, uh, where the pillars go. You know, it can be really difficult. So I would just go on YouTube and type in 3D rendering of tabernacle and just watch that. That'll help kind of make Exodus come alive to you. And uh, I actually found it just really encouraging uh because it it's it's really uh it's it's beautiful and it's grand, and of course it points forward to Christ.

Incense Worship And Heavenly Copies

SPEAKER_01 12:13

Okay, you you might even in your study Bible have like a an aerial view of the courtyard, the tabernacle. Um, but yeah, I too found it helpful even to see the size and scale and just imagining the the work that goes in it. Um the the amount of the amount of gold just to cover the things that were described is like I cannot even imagine all that. Like, does Fort Knox have enough? I don't know. Probably not um to cover all the things, all the acacia, the altars, all the things. And I'm just thinking, all this, all this to to provide worship and to provide sacrifice and to honor and to meet with God. This is where God is going to dwell um among his people. And and Pastor Josiah, you were we were talking about uh fragrances, we were talking about the incense and the specific um directions as to not to copy, not to be wearing these certain fragrances or these uh these oils and these incenses in a way that's outside of God's design. Uh, and I I was just even thinking of the way that that we go about trying to smell pleasing to people, and God I don't like to smell bad. Um sometimes I do when I'm just you know working and sweating and when I'm having you know tie level five, that pad tie. Um but I'm thinking about all all joking aside, the the aroma that is going to be pleasing morning and evening, uh this incense is going to be burning in in the tabernacle, and just for the purpose of it it pleases the Lord, it is commanded uh for Aaron to to make an atonement um on the horns of this uh incense altar uh once a year. And we were talking about the connection between um once a year the high priest going into the Holy of Holies and just the process and procedures of what it is that God has told his people to do, whether it's burning incense, whether it's sacrificing, uh, whether it's entering the Holy of Holies, God's plan and design, um, his instructions for how to meet with him are clear for us. And we just have so much detail here in Exodus 30.

Psalm 75 On Pride And Judgment

SPEAKER_00 14:25

Yeah, and one of the things that's been encouraging to me is just with the seraphim that are stitched into the curtain of the Holy of Holies, the seraphim, of course, that are on the Ark of the Covenant, and that are on the mercy seat. It just I can't help but think of Isaiah 6, where God is seated on the throne, their seraphim flying around singing, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. And so the tabernacle, in a very real sense, uh was something on earth that reflected something uh true in heaven, right? Where uh even the altar of incense kind of mirrors the angelic praise that's being offered to God day and night uh on earth. There is this continual day and night praise, this altar of incense, this pleasing aroma to the Lord. Uh so it's just such a uh great visual. I think that's why it's important to go and look at that 3D rendering so you get that sense of uh what's going on, where everything is placed, how everything kind of looks. Uh, of course, not everything is going to be maybe exactly how it was, uh, but we can get pretty close. And it's just encouraging to see how all that works. And again, it it is a even in Hebrews, it talks about how these are copies of heavenly things. And so I think it reflects the reality of the angels and this their chorus of praise that they're offering to God. Uh that is a pleasing aroma to the to the Lord uh day and night. And that's what the altar of incense represents, and uh something that's even encouraging for us where we are to offer praise uh day and night, right? There's that song that we were kind of talking about morning and evening, everything breathing must sing. Uh oh sing. Uh, and that's the song called Sing. And the whole idea is every day with everything that I have breath, you know, praise the Lord. Um, and that's kind of what we see here in Exodus 30. And great, great encouragement, uh, just vivid imagery. And of course, all of it points forward to the new covenants and how all of those things would find their fulfillment ultimately in Christ.

Good Friday And The Cup Of Wrath

SPEAKER_01 16:21

Yeah, for a God that has chosen his people, a God that is choosing to meet with his people and to be known by his people, uh, we give thanks. We give thanks that we have the canon of scripture, we give thanks that we uh we have a God that is good. And in our psalm today, Psalm 75, the opening verse is we give thanks to you, O God. We give thanks for your name is near. We have an understanding of this God. We have a God that chooses to draw near to us, and we recount your wondrous deeds. We have a God that is just, we have a we have a God that is um that is high and holy and set apart. Uh and we see in this psalm that there is judgment. There is a um there is a a God who has established the foundations of the earth. We have a God that is um telling the the people who are boasting, who are you compared to me? Stop boasting, wicked, don't lift up your horns, don't lift up your horn on high and speak with a haughty neck. There's there is one who is uh judge over all. And if there is one supreme and final authority, this is the God who is declaring himself to us in in the scriptures. And we we have a comfort in that and and the wicked, if they have a right view, they should be terrified, they should be um trembling as a result of knowing that they are in opposition and God opposes the proud. We have a a clear image here that um that God is established, that God is eternal. We can look back and recount his wondrous deeds. We can look and see that he's drawing near to people who draw near to him, and uh as a result of his faithfulness, we could look back through the generations. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We see Jacob mentioned here in verse nine, and ultimately, God is going to uh to be lifted up. God is going to be the one who establishes the righteous, God is going to be the one who is going to cut off those who oppose him ultimately.

Closing And Next Steps

SPEAKER_00 18:33

Yeah, and made today, today's Good Friday. And if you're listening to this on Good Friday, I hope Psalm 75 kind of makes you think of the judgment of God that was ultimately poured out on Christ. Even the whole imagery of the wine that's uh foaming, it says in verse 8, for in the hand of the Lord there was a cup with foaming wine well mixed, and he pours out from it. That's a picture of God's wrath. And in the garden, uh, what does Jesus say? If it be possible, let this cup pass from me. But nevertheless, not my will, but your will be done. And of course, we we recognize that he bore the wrath of God. He he drank from that cup on behalf of those who would turn from their sin and place their faith and trust in him. And and through that it God's justice was displayed, but also his mercy at the same time, so that he could be the just and the justifier, uh, as Paul talks about in the book of Romans. So I just hope that Psalm 75 makes you reflect on the death of Christ, that he willingly headed towards the cross, as we talked on Sunday, and not only headed there, he he willingly drank the cup of God's wrath that was reserved for you and me. Uh, but we don't have to drink that. We don't have to experience that because of Jesus' sacrifice, because of his death on the cross. We instead can experience life and freedom in Him. So I hope that's an encouragement for you today as you reflect on the death of Christ. But thank you so much for joining us today on the Lamp and Light Bible reading podcast. For more information about Compass Bible Church South Valley, visit compass Bible SV.org. Keep reading, keep growing. God's word is a lamp to your feet and a light to your path.