Context No. 3946 of 4322 · Exodus

Exodus 30:1-10: in context

1“You shall make an altar to burn incense on. You shall make it of acacia wood. 2Its length shall be a cubit, and its width a cubit. It shall be square, and its height shall be two cubits. Its horns shall be of one piece with it. 3You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top, its sides around it, and its horns; and you shall make a gold molding around it. 4You shall make two golden rings for it under its molding; on its two ribs, on its two sides you shall make them; and they shall be for places for poles with which to bear it. 5You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. 6You shall put it before the veil that is by the ark of the covenant, before the mercy seat that is over the covenant, where I will meet with you. 7Aaron shall burn incense of sweet spices on it every morning. When he tends the lamps, he shall burn it. 8When Aaron lights the lamps at evening, he shall burn it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations. 9You shall offer no strange incense on it, nor burnt offering, nor meal offering; and you shall pour no drink offering on it. 10Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once in the year; with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once in the year he shall make atonement for it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD.”

God instructs Moses to make an altar of incense, to stand before the veil, close to the ark, and on it Aaron is to burn fragrant incense every morning and every evening, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout the generations. Twice a day, without fail, the sweet smoke was to rise before God.

Scripture itself gives us the meaning of this rising incense: it is a picture of the prayers of God's people ascending to him. Just as the incense rose continually before the LORD, so our prayers are meant to rise to him, morning and evening, a steady, unbroken offering. And the incense was sweet, a pleasing aroma; so too the prayers of the faithful are pleasing to God, rising to him like fragrance. There is a pattern here worth taking to heart. The altar of incense calls us to a life of continual prayer, not just in crises but regularly, faithfully, morning and evening, our petitions and praise rising to God like sweet smoke. And it assures us that such prayer is welcome to him, a pleasing aroma before his throne.

Are my prayers rising to God continually, morning and evening, like the perpetual incense before his throne, and do I trust that such faithful prayer is a pleasing aroma welcomed by him?

Sources

Exodus 30:7-8: "Aaron shall burn incense of sweet spices on it every morning... a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations."
Exodus 30:1: "You shall make an altar to burn incense on. You shall make it of acacia wood."
Revelation 8:4: "The smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel's hand."