In Christ, our incense offering, our prayers, are always a pleasing incense aroma – a pleasing fragrance giving our heavenly Father rest and joy in his work of salvation as seen in his children. Incense is traditionally offered during festive occasions and auspicious days Traditionally offered on altars to the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma and Sangha), incense is also used to purify other offerings and even offered outdoors in large quantities. Yes, this peace was possible because of the service of atonement! Prayer helps us to understand God’s truths. It indicated that there was peace and good covenant communion. We read that, Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, contrary to his command. God wanted the right fragrance, the sweet smelling savour of a well composed incense! We may even be praying the Lord's Prayer, the perfect prayer; but if such a prayer is not accompanied with a humble and contrite heart that knows: I approach God, the holy one, who of grace has redeemed me, then the Lord despises it. And when the incense rose to heaven, it carried the prayers of the saints with it to the throne of God. Aaron shall present the bull as a sin offering for himself, and shall make atonement for himself and for his house; he shall kill the bull as a sin offering for himself. The precise nature of God's rules for the incense offering is obvious from the legislation in Exodus 30. So the incense offering was needed. For the writer of Psalm 141, the offering of incense to the Lord is spiritual reality. Moses then did the next best. Rev 6:9-10). From a rotten and decaying world there is a people who know the Lord and experience the new life. They used the same fire and their effect was felt continually. When one considers this scene in Revelation 8, one is comforted. And as Psalm 51:17 says, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.". This had to be done once a year on the great Day of Atonement when the horns of the incense altar had to be smeared with blood (Exodus 30:10; Leviticus 16:16, 18-19; Hebrews 9:22-23). Yet their truth and substance remain for us in Jesus Christ, in whom they have been fulfilled. On top of that, the fire for the incense offering had to come from the fire used in the burnt offering and this offering had to burn continually (Leviticus 6:13; 10:1; cf. Not surprisingly, being this close to God's presence, the altar of incense was a beautiful altar, all covered with gold and known therefore as the golden altar (Numbers 4:11). Think, also, for example, how King Uzziah was struck with leprosy for offering incense (2 Chronicles 26:66). This offering was performed twice a day, every morning and evening (Exodus 30:7, 8). That is the chief part of thankfulness as we confess in the Heidelberg Catechism (LD 45). For, the incense offering and its regulations remind us of the seriousness of that which it represents, prayer. Another example is found in Acts 3:1. Instead they apparently had simply taken fire from elsewhere — unholy fire, and apparently walked right into the Most Holy Place (cf. The Old Testament incense offering therefore spoke of and symbolized the prayers of God's people. He is the fulfilment of the incense sacrifice. And the Lord responded. English Revised Version Let my prayer be set forth as incense before thee; the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. God's Word exhorts us: "pray continually" (1 Thessalonians 5:17). He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. It is the sweet savour he delights in amidst all the stench of sin that hurts and irritates him. Prayer is necessary. Worship, properly understood, is made up of sacrificial ritual. and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Thunder, lightning, and earthquakes follow. (Psalm 141) Incense is prayer … This can only be accomplished if we approach God, knowing our sin and appreciating his grace and salvation. It was here at this altar of gold that the priest offered the precious offering of incense (cf. He will provide, for in Christ and because of his atonement, our prayers are acceptable! In some schools, incense may have a particular symbolic meaning. Indeed, with all sacrifices the odour is important. Notice the superlatives in verse 12. Ketoret was offered twice a … Perhaps one of the biggest dangers threatening our own prayers, our own incense offering to God, is that we can grow so accustomed to praying that the danger is real that we forget God's awesome holiness and our unworthiness and sin. It is an incense offering to him! From God's point of view, how beautiful and wonderful for him when he sees us falling down before him in prayer – what a fruit of his salvation work. For our prayers are to be as an incense offering! He will surely hear and in his own divine way, he will answer them. They lived in covenant communion! And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the Lord, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small; and he shall bring it within the veil and put the incense on the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat which is upon the testimony, lest he die; and he shall take some of the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat he shall sprinkle the blood with his finger seven times. Significance of the Incense-Offering. The sweet smell of fellowship based on his redeeming work, the sweet smell of prayer. The Ketoret (Incense Offering) is the most elevated offering from the Holy Temple. Both were therefore pure before God and the offerings, including the incense, were acceptable to him. The incense sacrifice did not function on its own as an isolated gift to God. Lines and paragraphs break automatically. Not only are our prayers made holy by Christ, but they are accompanied by Christ's prayer of intercession for forgiveness and for covenant peace. May we then not assume that this heavenly incense was the incense of Christ's intercessory work? The unauthorized fire they offered was that they apparently did not use holy fire, namely, fire from the great altar of burnt offering in the court outside the tabernacle, as God had required. How was the incense sacrifice made acceptable to God? Is Christ's intercession, based on the atonement, not what purifies or sanctifies our prayers? He is God! The ketoret consisted of a special blend of herbs and balms whose precise ingredients and manner of preparation were commanded by G‑d to Moses. Also, both sacrifices were offered at the same time (cf. For what is prayer? More was necessary. Indeed, because it is to be the sweet savour of the covenant fellowship, it must be above all a prayer of thanksgiving. Scripture teaches that there is nothing that turns the Lord off as much as seeing his people approach(ing) him with the wrong attitude. Everything was very precisely spelled out. In your faithfulness, make us faithful. In ancient times, on account of the extreme heat of the Orient, incense was used, as it is to-day, to a much greater extent in the East than in the West. What is expected of us? Prayer recognizes God’s attributes and greatness, which alters our thought processes and allows us to see our circumstances the way God sees them. Good News Translation Receive my prayer as incense, my uplifted hands as an evening sacrifice. He pleads and prays for us as our advocate and high priest (also cf. "Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour." The scent or aroma of the incense offering had to be brought close to God. ( Psalm 141:2; Revelation 5:8; Revelation 8:3-4). It was to be a continuing symbol of the beautiful bond of peace between him and Israel. Kim Myers, focusing on the significance of the altar of incense, first mentioned in Exodus 30, asserts that this altar symbolizes the prayers of the saints ascending to Jesus Christ, the High Priest and Intercessor, … Sacrifice spoke of substitution and atonement. So the smoke from both sacrifices ascended to the Lord simultaneously. The living God in the midst of his people – a reality made possible because fellowship had been restored between God and man. What are the prayers from our hearts and lips to be like? The offering of the costly incense was a recognition of the LORD'S place as God. Because our prayers are to be like the incense offering, we need to understand this sacrifice as well as possible. There is another point about incense that is crucial. We read in Leviticus 16:11-14. The Lord is holy. We believe that the ceremonies and symbols of the law have ceased with the coming of Christ, and that all shadows have been fulfilled, so that the use of them ought to be abolished among Christians. The offering of fragrant incense is said to remind us to hold any vows we have taken strongly. In later Christian typology the smoke of incense in the tabernacle typically signifies offered prayer. Indeed, in Article 25 of the Belgic Confession we confess that. In this way we live in communion with him and show our thanks. The phrase "pleasing odour" occurs quite frequently in Leviticus and in Numbers. Indeed, verse 8 literally speaks of "a constant/perpetual incense before the LORD for the generations to come.". The preposition "in" is not used. According to Scripture, the prayers of God's people are like and are to be like an incense offering. That is, he wants them offered up in the realization that we speak to God who is holy. And the Lord responded. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.” Rev. No, it functioned along with the whole burnt offering and there was a close relationship between these sacrifices and their altars. He ordered Aaron to use that symbol of prayer. Can the incense prayer be used to combat plagues? However, sinful man easily underestimated God's strict demands and so underestimated the fact that God was serious when he laid down certain rules. The offering of incense made atonement for sin (Num 16:46, 47). He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden alter which was before the throne. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne. As the incense was burned with fire from the altar of burnt offering, our prayers must be kindled with heaven’s grace. Our prayers are acceptable to God only because of the cleansing blood of the great sacrifice of atonement, the Lord Jesus Christ. A very close relationship is expressed in the "having" of the altar (cf. He fulfilled the incense offering. Sacrifice as established by God ultimately pointed to his great gift of love in Christ. He cleanses and washes away all sin remaining in them against our will. Sweet-smelling smoke from incense represented the people's prayers ascending to God. GOD'S WORD® Translation God instructed Moses to "take fragrant spices – gum resin, onycha, and galbanum – and pure frankincense, all in equal amounts, and make a fragrant blend of incense, the work of a perfumer. Our prayers may be technically flawless. Then we will better understand God's will for our prayers today. In Exodus 30 and elsewhere in the Books of Moses, it is very clear what the Lord desired with respect to the incense sacrifice. So our prayers also reach the throne of grace. It was something the Lord rejoiced in! The symbol of prayer for the peace of Zion, the high priestly incense offering, spoke of the atonement and communion with God and was therefore a sweet smelling savour in the midst of the foul odour of rebellion. It is to be the fragrant savour of a glad and happy sinner who knows he has peace with God! But in neglecting to use the fire from the great sacrifice of atonement, they despised God's grace and underestimated their sinful condition. Prayer gives wisdom, which permits repentance. The use of incense is a traditional and ubiquitous practice in almost all pujas, prayers, and other forms of worship. This altar stood in the middle, directly in front of the Most Holy Place. Otherwise even the incense, and the prayers of Israel, are not sweet smelling and good. You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. During the Divine Liturgy, incense is directed to the people several times, to the Gospel book, the icons, the altar and This was developed in medieval Christian art. Exodus 30 is discussed. He makes it possible for holy God in heaven to receive our incense offering of prayers into his glorious presence (cf. It was given to him. These elements of giving in gratitude to God a precious gift and the element of atonement are found in or associated closely with the incense offering, as we shall see shortly. He wanted peace and covenant unity with Israel in righteousness. The Lord therefore demanded what the incense offering represented, namely, prayer. The fragrance of sacrifice played an important role with other offerings as well. I believe that Daniel didn’t understand Jeremiah’s prophecy about Israel’s restoration, as well as the reason for their captivity, until he had spent time in prayer (Daniel 9). The strict regulations governing the incense offering therefore tell us that when we offer our sacrifice of incense of prayer, we need to be aware that it meets the Lord's demands for holiness and that it is truly pleasing to him. As part of the daily ritual worship within the Hindu tradition of India, incense is offered to God in His deity forms, such as Krishna and Rama. The fellowship with God had been broken. For example, it is used of the burnt offering of cattle (Leviticus 1:9), of smaller animals (Leviticus 1:13), and even of birds (Leviticus 1:17). God is then well pleased. 30:9), which shows that God is zealous to determine how He is worshiped. When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen.Isaiah 1:13a, 15a, So praying is a serious activity no matter where it is held. The fact that the incense was always burning means that we should always pray (Luke 18:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:17). Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically. In other words, let it rise all the way to God’s throne, let it please Him, let it remove the stink I carry with me. Let us beware that none of this attitude rubs off on us. So our prayers reach the throne of God and are found pleasing to him for Christ's sake. Revelation 8:3). In the time of Isaiah, the sacrifices were done in a technically correct way. Only authorized incense could be offered on the altar (Ex. Did the offering of incense not speak of the good covenant relationship between him and Israel, for was all not well between Israel and God? These features indicate something basic to sacrifice. So the Lord constantly reminded Israel that if the sacrifice of incense was to be pleasing to me, it must be kept holy! Otherwise our prayer is not acceptable to him, and it is not a sweet savour of fellowship but breathes the spirit of sin and unholiness. What does the Lord delight in and what prayer is he pleased with? We can think, for example, of the ingredients of the incense. Thus it was close to the place where God met his people (Exodus 25:22; cf. Christ sanctifies our prayers and makes them acceptable. 4 The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand.” Rev. With the assurance that God is Light and the Bread of Life, the priest approached the Altar of... Liturgical Prayer. It is said in the Bhagavad-Gitathat, "Krishna accepts the offering made to Him with love", and it is … We see this custom in the New Testament. Prayer must therefore occupy a central place in our life, for God rejoices in it and it reminds God continually of his beautiful work of redemption. But Isaiah said Israel no longer knew their God (1:3) and therefore no longer knew their true position over against God. The New Testament makes several typological references to incense, including a Christological reference to the coals from the altar of incense taken behind the veil on the Day of Atonement (Hebrews 9:3-4), and a reference to the prayers of believers as incense (Revelation 5:8). But more is involved in terms of God being brought to rest by the aroma of sacrifice. Incense affects the heart of God. This was the hour of the evening sacrifice and, therefore, also the incense sacrifice. Fire from atonement sacrifice was needed. The burning coals came "from the altar before the LORD," that is, the whole burnt altar outside in the court. And God hears and responds. Christianity is essentially and fundamentally a sinner’s religion. So, when the Lord smelled the sacrifice of Noah, or of his people Israel, then it was not the outward smell as such in which he rejoiced. After all, was this not part and parcel of the ministry of reconciliation which made it possible for him to dwell as holy God in the midst of a people which by nature was sinful? Prayer helps us to understand God’s truths. What is prayer? His example encourages us to do this on a daily basis, at least each morning and evening. Much of it was given to him. To put it differently, there is to be no unauthorized fire on the altar – no strange ingredients – lest our sacrifice of incense in prayer be not pleasing to him. When Noah sacrificed after the great flood, we read that the Lord smelled the "pleasing odour" of his sacrifices (Genesis 8:21). God wants to hear from us in prayer. In Numbers 16 we read that Israel was still grumbling and murmuring against Moses and Aaron (yes and therefore against God) even though Korah, Dathan, and Abiram had just been punished in a terrible way the day before by being swallowed up alive by the earth. Zechariah had been chosen by lot to burn incense in the temple. Because the altar of incense was immediately in front of the curtain of the Most Holy Place, the fragrance would work its way through the curtain to the throne of the LORD! This practice is still commonplace throughout modern-day India. 29:42) and is therefore described in Leviticus 16:18 as the altar "before the Lord" indicating in this way its close association with the mercy seat. Furthermore, the blood of the sin offering sacrificed on the large altar outside had to be smeared not only on the horns of the altar outside (Leviticus 16:18-19), but also had to go on the smaller golden incense altar inside. The symbol of prayer for the peace of Zion, the high priestly incense offering, spoke of the atonement and communion with God and was therefore a sweet smelling savour in the midst of the foul odour of rebellion. This close relationship is seen in the fact that both altars were similar in design. Is it not a sacrifice of our lips in which we lay everything before him as sacrifice of gratitude? The seven trumpets of God's judgments are blown (Revelation 8:9) in response to the prayers of the saints (cf. But there is more. He receives our sacrifice of incense and he will accept them and listen to them. Revelation 5:614). An aromatic substance which exhales perfume during combustion; the odor of spices and gums burned as an act of worship. And therefore, he sanctifies our prayers and makes them holy and acceptable to God. A curtain separated it from the ark of the covenant which was in the Most Holy Place. (Malachi 1:11) Let my prayer rise before you like incense O Lord. Incense has a long history of use in offerings to God. Prayer gives wisdom, which permits repentance. It is offering a sacrifice of gratitude to God. Our culture is egalitarian and we can therefore use this reminder of the holiness of God. Judges 6:22-24; 13:22; Isaiah 6:5). “Here is how prayer relates to incense: In order for incense to function properly, it requires fire. Yes and that is why it in particular is the sweet savour of incense in which God delights. Romans 8:26-27). The importance of all of this for that which the incense offering symbolized and stood for is clear. Thus, the use of incense in the Tabernacle provides for us a stirring image for our own prayer life. Our prayers ascend to God as the smoke of the incense ascended in the sanctuary. There was a relationshipbetween the use of incense and the application of blood. We are not talking with our neighbour or to ourselves when we pray, but we are addressing the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, the one whom the angels and seraphim addressed as "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of hosts." Now our gratitude to God can be shown in many ways, but it starts with prayer. He had smelled the fragrant symbol of the prayer of peace and thanksgiving based on the ministry of reconciliation with shed blood. The ketoret (incense) offering was perhaps the most prestigious service in the Mishkan (Tabernacle) and in the Holy Temple. Because of this constant sinful grumbling in spite of divine discipline, the Lord intervened and came down in glory to the tabernacle. No, he was brought to inner rest by the disposition and attitude shown by the bringing of the sacrifice – in the case of Noah by his gratitude and giving of what was available to God. 5:8 NIV, “Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. But, considering his theological concern with atonement and forgiveness and the entrance into God's presence, it is not surprising that the ark and the incense altar are brought here into a very close association, as was already done in the Old Testament. 2 Chronicles 13:10-11). He will work all things for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28), hurrying to the great day of Jesus Christ when the heavenly Most Holy Place will come on earth to be his dwelling place with man (Revelation 21:1522). This is clear, for example, from the exact directions that the Lord gave for the preparation of the mixture of incense. The incense is our going to God with Christ and as Christ in prayer for God’s enjoyment; the incense is our offering the Christ we enjoyed and experienced to God through prayer for God’s satisfaction and enjoyment. The sweet smelling savour of what the real communion of God and Israel can be like must be produced! The incense offering spoke of prayer. The priests used it daily on the incense altar, which stood directly in front of the curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Holies of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant, representing God's throne, stood. So that whatever gift we bring to you might be an offer of worship before you, as the gold, frankincense, and myrrh were before your son Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. All this is very relevant for us because God is just as insistent with the reality that the incense sacrifice represented, namely our prayers. When the New Covenant came, the new way of praying came. And therefore prayer is demanded by him. To answer that question properly we need to remember that there was a close relationship between the incense sacrifice and the burnt offering presented on the great altar outside the tabernacle and temple. We recognize that we’re experiencing the consequences of our actions. As one can imagine, in the closed surroundings of the tabernacle, the smoke and smell of this offering would always be hanging in the air and never really leave. The smoke of the incense on the Day of Atonement veiled the mercy seat from the eyes of the high priest so that he would not die from seeing God’s glory . So God sees results on his work of redemption: communion is possible between God and man. He said to Moses: "Get away from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once" (Numbers 16:45). And as they said this, they covered their faces, for great and awesome is his glory (Isaiah 6:3)! This does not mean that the author of Hebrews did not know the place of this altar. In sinful human hearts the question can easily arise: did the Lord not overreact by killing these men for this oversight? Now, if we can understand what an Old Testament incense offering involved, we will be helped in knowing what praying is all about and what it should entail. The verb used for the sacrifice of the whole burnt offering (Leviticus 1) emphasizes the fact that the sacrifice goes up in smoke and has a smell. And so John saw the mixture of the heavenly and the earthly incense reaching the throne of God. Prayer and the Incense Altar Sermon by Kim Myers. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand.Revelation 8:3-4. To answer this question properly, one must realize that the crucial element was not the smoke but the smell of the incense. English Standard Version. No wonder, then, that part of the prescribed order of worship for God’s people was the offering of strong, sweet-smelling incense. By nature we want to stand up against God. (If you're a human, don't change the following field). Leviticus 16:1, 2). There is no reference to a curtain until verse 26. Incense burns. He wants our prayers to be holy! Notice that the angel does not bring his own incense offering. 8:3-4 NIV, “Treat my prayer as sweet incense rising; my raised hands are my evening prayers.” Psalm 141:2 MSG, “Accept my prayer as incense offered to you, and my upraised hands as an evening offering.” Psalm 141:2 NLT.
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