Description
Ever since there was a Tabernacle, which represented the presence of God among His people (Exodus 26), there was an Altar of Incense (Exodus 30). This was located inside the Holy Place of the Tabernacle (verse 6 ). Only the High Priest or designated priests were commanded to enter the Holy Place to burn incense every morning and at twilight (verse 7, 8 ; compare Luke 1 :9 )on the Altar of Incense .They were commanded not to burn unauthorised incense on the Altar of Incense (verse 9 ). The composition and the procedure of making the incense was commanded to Moses (Exodus 30 :34 -37).
On the Day of Atonement, the High Priest took a censer full of coals of fire from the Altar of Burnt Offering and two handfuls of Incense and brought them inside the veil and put incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the Mercy Seat that is over the Ark of the Covenant so that he may not die (Leveticus 16 :12, 13).
Burning of Incense was symbolical of the prayers of the saints (see Revelation 5 :8; 8 :3, 4). It is written, “and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God “. David prays in Psalm 141 :2, “Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting of my hands as the evening sacrifice!“. In Malachi 1:11 we read, “For from the rising of the sun to its setting My Name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to My Name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations , says the LORD of hosts”. Apostle Paul instructs the Christian believers in Ephesus, “And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God“(Ephesians 5:2 ).
