The Altar of Incense holds the Prayers of the Saints
We now move on to the third item in the holy place, the altar of incense (there is also a golden censer of incense in the Most Holy Place).
The Altar of Incense represents the Prayers of the Saints.
Ex 30:1 You shall make an altar to burn incense on; you shall make it of acacia wood.
Rev 5:8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
Our prayers are sweet to God
Ex 25:6 …oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense;
Some prayers come into the presence of God inside the second veil, the Most Holy Place, the very throne room of God.
Ex 30:36 And you shall beat some of it very fine, and put some of it before the Testimony in the tabernacle of meeting where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you.
These prayers are in the golden censer (Heb 9:4).
Prayer is intimately connected with the presence of the Holy Spirit
Ex 30:7-8 “Aaron shall burn on it sweet incense every morning; when he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it. And when Aaron lights the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense on it, a perpetual incense before יהוה throughout your generations.”
Whenever the Holy Spirit (the lamps) is operating we see prayer at work alongside Him. Without prayer (burning incense) the lamps were not to be lit.
We are not to offer strange incense
Ex 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.
Don’t try to contact or worship God in pagan ways, come before Him the way He instructs us to. He requires pure sweet incense.
Deut 12:29-32 “When יהוה your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ You shall not worship יהוה your God in that way; for every abomination to יהוה which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.”
Most of our church practices are rooted in manmade customs and traditions (we have added to His commands) and many come from pagan worship practices including many Protestant hangovers from Catholicism (how the nations served their gods). God forbids both these things.
For greater insights into the pagan practices in the church read:
Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola
and George Barna
The Messianic Church Arising by Dr
Robert Heidler
We are to pray perpetually
Ex 30:7-9 “Aaron shall burn on it sweet incense every morning; when he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it. And when Aaron lights the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense on it, a perpetual incense before יהוה throughout your generations. 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.”
1 Thes 5:17 pray without ceasing,
2 Tim 1:3 I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day,
Rom 1:9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers,
1 Thes 2:13 For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.
When we pray we are to call on God’s Name – especially if we want to speak with Him
Ex 3:15 Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘יהוה God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial (mention) to all generations.’ ”
Ex 9:16 But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.
Mal 1:11 “For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles; In every place incense (prayer) shall be offered to My name, And a pure offering; For My name shall be great among the nations,” says יהוה of hosts.
Mal 2:1 “And now, O priests, this commandment is for you. If you will not hear, and if you will not take it to heart, to give glory to My name,” says יהוה of hosts, “I will send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have cursed them already, because you do not take it to heart.”
Ps 14:4 Have all the workers of iniquity (sin/lawlessness) no knowledge (Holy Spirit), who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call on יהוה?
Ps 18:3 I will call upon יהוה, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.
Prov 18:10 The name of יהוה is a strong tower; The righteous (Torah followers) run to it (the name יהוה) and are safe.
Ps 105:1 Oh, give thanks to יהוה! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples!
Ps 116:13 I will take up the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of יהוה.
Amos 9:11-12 “On that day I will raise up The tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, and repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old; That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name,” says יהוה who does this thing.
God only mentions His name 6,824 times in the Old Testament!
It’s time we did too. The problem is our bibles are riddled with the word ‘LORD’ when they should be saying יהוה.
In Old Testament times the name was in common usage by all the people. We need to take it back especially when we’re talking to our God.
Ruth 2:4 Now behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said to the reapers, “יהוה be with you!” And they answered him, “יהוה bless you!”
Don’t let rabbis or anyone else intimidate you into not calling on the name of יהוה your God. It is better to obey God and cause offense than to bow to man.
Acts 5:29 But Peter and the other apostles answered (the Sanhedrin) and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.”
Jer 23:27 who try to make My people forget My name by their dreams which everyone tells his neighbor, as their fathers forgot My name for Baal (Lord/Adonai).
There is a lot of controversy over the correct pronunciation of God’s name. Use the name that you sincerely believe is correct. The most commonly accepted variations of the name are Yahweh, Jehovah or Yehovah.
The point is that יהוה commands us to use His name not His title (Lord, Adonai, Hashem etc).
Yeshua said He won’t return unless we are using the name
Matt 23:39 “for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘BLESSED is HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF יהוה!’ ”
This is a direct quote of Psalms 118
Ps 118:26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of יהוה! We have blessed you from the house of יהוה.
Baruch haba B’shem יהוה
Yeshua said He won’t return until we bless Him in the name of יהוה, not ‘Lord’ or ‘Adonai’ or ‘Hashem’ or any other moniker. Plenty of well-meaning people use these ‘lord’ variations, but they are not obeying what our Master commanded, they are bowing to men.
If we want the Bridegroom to return we need to take His commands seriously.