In the first blog about the Altar of Incense, we investigated the description of the materials used to build the Altar. We learned the meaning of the measurements and the purpose of the Altar. Now, we are going to go over the protocol God gave to Moses about the care of the Golden Altar. We will begin here.

Exodus 30:7-8 “Aaron (the High Priest) shall burn on it sweet incense every morning; when he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it. 8 And when Aaron lights the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense on it, a perpetual  incense before the Lord throughout your generations. 

David revealed his pattern of prayer in Psalm 55:17. Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice.

This pattern is still in effect today. “Jewish Law makes it our duty to pray three times daily. We call these prayers, morning prayer ( shacharit ), afternoon prayer (minchah), and evening prayer ( arvith or maariv).” Chabad.org.

Evening and morning sacrifices were a part of everyday life among the Israelites. And God commanded the High Priest to tend to the Lampstand/Candlestick and the Altar of Incense during these times of sacrifice. It was then that he also offered prayers at the Altar. He wore the breastplate with precious stones representing each of the tribes. He went before God for all Israel.

Only the High Priest and the priests (sons of Aaron) could minister at the Altar of Incense.

Numbers 4:16 “The appointed duty of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest is the oil for the light, the sweet incense, the daily grain offering, the anointing oil, the oversight of all the tabernacle, of all that is in it, with the sanctuary and its furnishings.”

Before Solomon’s Temple was built, he declared his intentions for the building. 

2 Chronicles 2:4 Behold, I am building a temple for the name of the Lord my God, to dedicate it to Him, to burn before Him sweet incense, for the continual showbread, for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths, on the New Moons, and on the set feasts of the Lord our God. This is an ordinance forever to Israel. 

Also, look at 2 Chronicles 13:11.

Not everyone followed the instructions God gave. King Uzziah presumed to unite the offices of King and Priest and was smitten with leprosy – 2 Chronicles 26:16-19

But when he was strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for he transgressed against the Lord his God by entering the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. 17 So Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him were eighty priests of the Lord—valiant men. 18 And they withstood King Uzziah, and said to him, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have trespassed! You shall have no honor from the Lord God.”

19 Then Uzziah became furious; and he had a censer in his hand to burn incense. And while he was angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead, before the priests in the house of the Lord, beside the incense altar.

Yet, Christ, our High Priest, and King, united the two and offered Himself as the sacrifice. Then He went into the Holy of Holies in heaven and poured His blood on the Mercy Seat for the salvation of all mankind and reconciliation with God. Hebrews 4:14, Revelation 19:11-16. 

The Veil split from top to bottom so every believer could have free access to come before God’s throne. 

We are believer priests. In Christ, we have access to God. God calls us to present our prayers to Him by Jesus Christ.

Revelation 1:4-6. To Him (Yeshua) who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 6 and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Revelation 5:9-10 And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; For You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 10 And have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on  the earth.”

Ephesians 2:18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

The next instruction dealt with the kind of incense and fire offered at the Altar of Incense. And what things you could not offer. 

Exodus 30:9 You shall not offer strange incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering; nor shall you pour a drink offering on it.

The priests were not to offer strange fire or strange incense on the Golden Altar of Incense. The first and only fire they could use on the Incense Altar came from the Brazen Altar. God lit that fire on the dedication day of the Tabernacle. (We will cover the incense in a separate blog.)

Leviticus 9:23-24  And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of meeting, and came out and blessed the people. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people, 24 and fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.

 They were commanded to use coals from the Brazen Altar to light the Lampstand/Candlestick and the incense on the Golden Altar. Fire from any other place was strange fire. 

There are two incidents mentioned when men offered strange fire and strange incense. Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu offered strange fire and incense. 

Leviticus 10:1-2. Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before  the Lord, which He had not commanded them. 2 So fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.

And again, Korah and members of his company offered strange fire and strange incense. God opened the earth and swallowed them and their families. And He sent fire and consumed 250 men who offered strange incense. Their story is in Numbers 16.

Many outside the church and some inside are using strange fire and strange incense of worldly ways today. God is not their focus. It is false worship, and God is not pleased with these offerings. They are an abomination to Him. 

 The Golden Altar was not a place for sacrifices. The Outer Court was the place of sacrifice. Christ paid the ultimate sacrifice so we can enter the Holy Place and stand before our holy God.

Hebrews 9:12-14, 16 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

You can see in all these instructions that God loves order and protocol. There was purpose in all that He commanded. One of the main reasons for the instructions was to teach the people to honor God and be obedient to Him. Obedience resulted in peace and safety. Rebellion caused chaos and death. 

While we live in modern times, there is still a struggle for humanity to follow directions. Even when His directions clearly warn of dire circumstances, some people want to do their own thing. As these end-times accelerate, it is more important than ever to hear and follow God’s instruction.

May prayer be one of the things we practice daily. It is an opportunity to partner with Him and reap the benefits of a relationship with Him. 

For those of you interested in the Biblical feasts, Rosh HaShanah or Feast of Trumpets begins this Friday (the 15th) at sundown and ends on Sunday (the 17th) at sundown. Get out your shofars and start practicing. This will be the beginning of the biblical year, 5784.

Shalom ♥