Day 10: Altar of Incense-a pleasing aroma

And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.
Leviticus 10:1-3

Standing in front of the curtain leading to the Holy of Holies stands the Altar of Incense. 18 inches square and 36 inches tall. It is lit from the fire of the Brazen Altar, the altar where the sacrifice is given. An exact mixture of 3 perfumes made from Stacte, onycha and galbanum. Each was mixed with frankincense. The scripture in Exodus tells us that each of these three fragrances were carefully measured, and mixed into one substance. Crushed, then burned to release it’s fragrance. It was a punishment of death to make this particular scent for any other use BUT for the Altar of Incense. It represented the prayers of the people.

For us today, Christ shows us how we, as Christians-as Priests under Him, are to approach a Holy God. For this was the only access we had before the veil was torn. And prayer is still our way of communing with God here on earth. And the first thing we notice is that-just like the incense burned by the ancient Hebrews was ONLY for the Altar of Incense before God, our prayers are only to be directed to Him. Not a ‘saint’ or ancestor or any other being, but the Triune God Himself. To do anything other than that is akin to idolatry, and as we all know God made it very clear, idolatry is punished by death and forever being separate from Him.

So as we approach our offering of prayer, we first remember to stop by the laver-to look at ourselves and remove (confess) any sin. We have already been to the altar and have had the sacrifice of Christ’s blood applied, but in our everyday life we still can get ‘dusty’. Not only was the incense kept buring all the time, but he ancient Hebrews also always had a store of the incense ready to be offered, and as such we should be ready to offer prayer at all times as well. Paul says to ‘pray without ceasing’ (I Ths. 5:17). I believe him to be telling us to be in a continual attitude of prayer throughout the day. Which also keeps a lot of the ‘incidental’ sin from creeping in, as well!

We see prayer throughout scripture offered not just at mealtimes, but in the morning, evening, night, ALL night in some cases. And not just ‘prayer by rote’. While that might be good to help a child get in the habit, we need to make sure we don’t fall into the prayer of ‘vain repetitions’ that Christ warns us about in Matt. 6:7. Because we are sending these up to the creator of all of the universe, it would be bet if we DID consider what we want to say!

And here Christ again helps us. He laid out a formula in what some say is the ‘Lord’s Prayer’. (The actual ‘Lords Prayer’ can be found in John 17). When the disciples asked Him to teach them to pray, He spoke the words we find in Luke 11:1-4. While we often use it as a ‘corporate prayer’ in our services, it is actually a lesson in How we are to approach our Holy God. FIrst by recognizing Him, then praising HIm, seeking His will in all things-including our prayers (something to think about-if our prayers aren’t answered, are we asking for answers based on HIS will, for the benefit of His kingdom, or our own?) We then ask for our needs to be met, recognizing that all things come from Him, and only by Him do we even have that! Asking for forgiveness of our sins, and making sure that we ourselves harbor any grudges, anger, hatred or unforgiveness for others. Because if we aren’t willing to forgive, how can a Holy God be asked to forgive us? Asking that He always lead us and finally-again-acknowledging His authority as the creator, ruler, judge, King and God of all things. And both the Old and New Testaments are filled with prayer, for all things at all times and by everybody. We are priests now, with Christ as our High Priest so we have a great responsibility now in offering up the prayer.

Approaching God in prayer. It is a blessing and an honor and a responsibility we have. So often we rush through it. But since God takes time out to hear us, doesn’t it make sense that we take the time to consider what we want to say to Him?

Scripture reading for today:

Psalm 141:1-2
 Lord, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee. Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

Revelation 5:8
And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.