He made the altar of incense out of acacia wood. It was square, a cubit long, a cubit wide, and two cubits high. Its horns were of one piece.
That altar stood for the prayers of saints and Christ's intercession, the very things that make our prayers rise to God's ear. Gold everywhere, because we offer God nothing less than our best; yet even our finest service here is base metal compared to the sinless perfection with which His saints will serve Him above. And mark Bezaleel: God gave him skill in the apothecary's craft from scratch, so that wisdom from Heaven makes a man complete and fit for every good work.
AI summary
Commenting on Exodus 37:25-29
He made the incense altar - See this described Exo 30:1 (note).
The ark comes first in this account not by accident but by hierarchy: it is the most holy thing, and therefore Bezalel, chief architect of the entire sanctuary, is named explicitly for its construction. The remaining vessels follow in their proper order, each built according to the measurements and patterns already given in the earlier commandments.
AI summary
Commenting on Exodus 37:1-29