Exodus 30:1-10, 34-38 – Pray without ceasing

Immediately after explaining how the priest should be ordained, God turned to talk about the Altar of Incense. This is the third piece of furnishing in the Holy Place. In Exodus 25, He gave instructions on the construction of the furnishings in the Holy place, He described how the Table of Shewbread and the Golden Lampstand should be made. He left out the Altar of Incense. Here in Exodus 30, He began by giving instruction on how it should be made. Why did God wait until now to talk about the production of this piece of furniture? The possible reason is that He would be dealing with worship and this is a good focal point to begin to talk about worship in the Tabernacle.

   

The Altar of Incense was a one and a half feet square table that was only about three feet tall. As the Table of Shewbread, it was to be made of Acacia wood and overlaid with gold, complete with golden rim and border. It was to be made of gold because it would be in the Tent of the meeting where God’s presence would be. It was also made with four horns at its four corners. It was also a portable table hence two rings of gold were made, on two side walls—on opposite sides. Two poles of acacia wood overlaid with gold were also made for transporting the table. This table was placed in front of the curtain that separated the Holy place from the Holy of holies. Bear in mind that only the high priest was allowed into the Holy of holies. This was the place the other priests, other than the high priest, could come closest to God. It was on this altar that the priest would burn incense to God every morning when he came in to tend to the lamps. In the evening the priest would again offer incense when he came into the Holy Place to keep the lamp burning. In verse 9 God specifically instructed, “You shall not offer any strange incense on this altar, or burnt offering or meal offering; and you shall not pour out a drink offering on it.” They could not use the altar anyway they desired.

In verses 34-38, God gave instruction on the kind of spices to be used to mix the incense. He said to Moses, “Take for yourself spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, spices with pure frankincense; there shall be an equal part of each. With it you shall make incense, a perfume, the work of a perfumer, salted, pure, and holy. You shall beat some of it very fine, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting where I will meet with you; it shall be most holy to you. The incense which you shall make, you shall not make in the same proportions for yourselves; it shall be holy to you for the Lord. Whoever shall make any like it, to use as perfume, shall be cut off from his people.” God is serious about anything that has to do with Him. Moses was to ensure that everything that had to do with God would be holy and not to be abused. Leviticus 10 attests to this when God struck both Nadab and Abihu dead for failing to carry out the instructions concerning the Altar of Incense.

What is the purpose for the Altar of incense? This was an altar of prayer. Alluding to the service at the Altar of Incense, David in Psalm 141:1-2 affirmed this. David was referring to the service at the Altar of Incense when he  said:

O Lord, I call upon You; hasten to me!
Give ear to my voice when I call to You!
May my prayer be counted as incense before You;
The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering.  

Prayer is every believer’s privilege, once we have our sin atoned for by Christ at Calvary. Today, as a member of the royal priesthood, we can boldly come into the presence of God and offer our prayer through Christ. Let us not waste the privilege we have by neglecting prayer. Jesus taught us what prayer in Luke 18 in a parable. In contrast to the unjust judge in the parable, our Heavenly King is the Just Judge of the universe. It is His desire to hear our prayer and attend to our pleading. So, Jesus urges us to always pray and not grow weary of doing it. Therefore, we must come boldly and confidently. God awaits us. Like the incense offered up morning and evening at the Altar of Incense, take instruction from Paul, who instructs us in I Thessalonian 5: 17 to “pray without ceasing.”  It must be one of our imperatives in life.