THE GOLDEN ALTAR OF INCENSE

( Exodus 30:1-10 )

I. THE GOLDEN ALTAR OF INCENSE DEMONSTRATES THE NATURE OF PRAYER.

 What is prayer? God wants you to understand the nature of prayer. This descriptive word that
we have concerning the golden altar of incense and the incense that is burnt upon that altar
demonstrates for us some very important truths about the nature of prayer.
1. Prayer is spiritual.
 In the ritual of the tabernacle, the priest came twice a day and sprinkled on the fire that
was on that golden altar a collection of incense. As the incense burned there on the
altar, a little trail of smoke would be seen ascending from the altar. The little trail of
smoke would reach up as it were toward heaven. This is an indication that prayer is an
activity that originates in the spirit of man. The spirit of man is ascending toward the
eternal God who is spirit. In a real way, genuine prayer is communication between the
eternal Spirit–– God––and the finite spirit of man. As a person, God endowed you with
spirit. This spirit set you apart from the rest of creation. You have a capacity to offer
incense, to commune with God, to reach out to God, which belongs to no other part of
the creation. So, we need to learn the lesson that prayer is a spiritual activity. It is
possible for one to be engaged in an activity of prayer and it is nothing except physical
and emotional activity. If the activity is simply the movement of your lips and the
utterance of your tongue and it does not originate in the depth of your spirit, then it is
not acceptable prayer. If it originates only in your emotions and does not originate in
the depth of your spirit, then it is not authentic prayer. Authentic prayer is always the
spirit of man reaching out toward God who is spirit. This means that the physical
posture one uses in prayer is optional. The thing that matters in the prayer is your inner
spirit.

2. Prayer is in the Spirit.

 Praying "in the Spirit" is a New Testament concept. This New Testament concept is
illustrated in the activity at the golden altar of incense. The attending priest would bring
a coal of fire from the brazen altar in the courtyard. He would place this burning coal of
fire on the golden altar of incense. Then he would sprinkle the incense upon that
burning coal of fire. As the incense is consumed on that burning coal of fire, and sends
its smoke upward, it is symbolizing this important lesson about prayer. There is no
burning incense without the fire. In prayer, the fire is the Holy Spirit

3. Prayer is a delight to God.

 This is one of the lessons about prayer that is confirmed through the use of incense
throughout the scriptures. David recognized this truth and stated it clearly in the Psalms.
"May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like
the evening sacrifice" (Psalm 141:2). David recognized that like incense a prayer is set
 before the Lord. This is a reminder to us that the incense was not burned in the Holy
Place for the pleasure of the priests. Rather, it ascended up as a reminder that prayer is
moving Godward. And the sweet smell of that fragrant incense was for the pleasure of
the God who is being addressed in prayer.

II. THE GOLDEN ALTAR OF INCENSE EMPHASIZES THE PREPARATION FOR PRAYER.
As you observe the location of each piece of furniture in the tabernacle, you will learn some important
lessons about prayer. These need to be a part of the foundation upon which you build your prayer life.

1. There must be redemption, then prayer.

 When you entered the tabernacle, you stopped first at the brazen altar. We have
already learned that the brazen altar is the place of sacrifice. No priest would ever come
to the golden altar until he had stopped at the brazen altar. There the sin offering and
the burnt offering were offered to God. His approach to the golden altar was always in
the confidence that his redemption, his atonement had been established at the brazen
altar. So it must be with us. No one is prepared to approach God in prayer until their sins
have been atoned and their redemption has been established at Calvary. The cross is
our brazen altar. The writer of Hebrews tells us that it is through the blood of Jesus
Christ that this new and living way has been opened up into the presence of God. We
come to prayer as redeemed men and women.
2. There must be cleansing, then prayer.
 After passing the brazen altar, the priest came to the brazen laver, the basin. There at
the basin which was full of water, any defilement was washed away. He did not go into
the holy place to stand at the golden altar until he had washed his hands and his feet at
the 7 laver. This gives emphasis that always when we come to God we must come not
only as persons who have been redeemed, but also as persons who have known
immediate and up to date cleansing from any defilement that we may have picked up
along the way. We must be prepared to lift up to God clean hands. This is a part of the
preparation for prayer. David recognized the truth of this. He wrote: "If I regard iniquity
in my heart, the Lord will not hear me when I pray." If we come to the golden altar and
our hearts are dirty, no prayer will be heard by God. It is our lack of preparation in
cleansing from sin that keeps us from being heard when we come to the altar to burn
the incense of prayer.
3. There must be meditation, then prayer.
 In the careful instructions that Moses received for the golden altar, you will find
instructions concerning the mixing of the incense to be burned. In the last section of this
30th chapter of Exodus, the ingredients to go into the incense are spelled out. Four
different fragrant elements were to be mixed to make up the incense that would be
burned on the golden altar of incense. There are a number of lessons that we could
learn from the mixing of this incense that is to be burned. The lesson that I carry away
from it is a reminder to us that we do not rush into the presence of the Lord hastily or
without forethought. I find my most effective times of prayer are times after I have
spent considerable time reading and meditating upon the Word of God. It is out of my
reading and my meditation on the Word of God that I find my heart prepared to stand in
 the presence of the Lord. It is out of that time of meditation and study that I become
aware of the things that I need to present before the 8 Father. It is out of that time of
meditation and prayer that my heart is made aware of matters of thanksgiving and
praise that need to be offered to God. So the golden altar incense is a reminder to us of
the need for careful preparation through meditation. You collect the different elements
that are to make up your thanksgiving, worship, and prayer that you are to present to
ineffective! We spent far too little time pulling together through meditation that which
we are to present to the Father.

III. THE GOLDEN ALTAR OF INCENSE ENCOURAGES THE PRACTICE OF PRAYER.

In this, we touch on something that is very instructive and practical. The thing that was outlined for the
people with reference to the use of the golden altar of incense encouraged the practice of prayer.

1. It encourages having specific times for prayer.

 In the instruction given to Moses, we specifically learn that incense was to be burned at
special times. "Aaron must burn fragrant incense on the altar every morning when he
tends the lamps. He must burn incense again when he lights the lamps at the twilight so
incense will burn regularly before the Lord for generations to come." So it was a regular
practice, done twice a day. There must be those specifics set aside times when we turn
our face toward the Lord for meaningful prayer. It is interesting how many references
there are in Scripture to having specific times. We learned from Daniel, governmental
official in Persia and in Babylon 9 discovered that Daniel set aside three times a day. He
opened his windows toward Jerusalem in the early morning, at noon, and in the
evening. So regularly Daniel as a matter of practice offered his prayers to God, burned
his incense before the Lord. Some of us have been negligent about this. We pray from
time to time but we have no regular time for prayer. The ritual of the golden altar of
incense would encourage each believer– priest to have a time in which they approach
the Lord consistently and regularly.
2. It encourages the continual practice of prayer.
 Dr. Alexander Maclaren in his notes on this particular passage calls attention to this. It is
true that the priest laid the burning coal on the altar in the morning and then sprinkled
the incense on it. But not all of the coal and incense were burned up in that moment.
Even after the priest left the holy place, the coal on the altar would continue to smolder.
Whenever you went in to that holy place through out the day, there would still be
fragrance of the incense filling the place. So, it is to be in our prayer lives. Even though
we are to have our special, specific times when we meet with God, there will be the
over flow from those times of prayer that allow prayer to become a continual
experience in our lives. If you keep those regular vigils with God, you will find your heart
turned toward God in all kinds of circumstances throughout the day. It will just be
instinctive. You will find yourself thinking thought-prayers toward God, offering
expressions of thanksgiving without any forethought. It just seems to be the natural
thing because it has been cultivated as you laid the coal on the altar with the incense
early in the morning or late in the evening.
3. It encourages the careful practice of prayer.
 There are words of caution set forth in this passage more than once. In the instructions
to Aaron and his sons you find this word of caution, do not offer on this altar any other
incense or any burnt offering or grain offering, and do not pour a drink offering on it"
(Exodus 30:9). And then another word of caution concerning the incense, "Do not make
any incense with this formula for yourselves; considerate it holy to the Lord. Who ever
makes any like it to enjoy its fragrance must be cut off from His people" (Exodus 30:37-
38). This word of caution needs to be a reminder to us that when we are engaged in
prayer we are engaged in serious business. It is not a time for selfish indulgences or for
sinful pleasure. You are approaching the eternal holy God who is consuming fire while
He is our heavenly Father and so anxious to hear our prayers, He is also the eternally
holy God.