This chapter contains several details regarding the incense burner, census tax, bronze basin, anointing oil and incense for the tabernacle. Please feel free to read the entire chapter, I’m only touching on the incense and burner.
“You shall make an altar on which to burn incense; you shall make it of acacia wood. A cubit shall be its length, and a cubit its breadth. It shall be square, and two cubits shall be its height. And Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it. Every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall burn it, and when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it, a regular incense offering before the Lord throughout your generations. You shall not offer unauthorized incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering, and you shall not pour a drink offering on it. Take sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense (of each shall there be an equal part), and make an incense blended as by the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy. You shall beat some of it very small, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting where I shall meet with you. It shall be most holy for you. And the incense that you shall make according to its composition, you shall not make for yourselves. It shall be for you holy to the Lord. Whoever makes any like it to use as perfume shall be cut off from his people.” (v1-2,7-9,34-38)
What is the importance of burning incense, and doing so regularly? There are many religions that currently still have the burning of incense in their ceremonies – Buddhism, Taoism, Shinto, Hinduism, Islam, and of course Orthodox Christianity to name a few. Most believe that the sweet smell and smoke of burning incense represents our prayers rising up to God, and scripture seems to agree: “Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!” (Psa 141:2) “And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” (Rev 5:8) “And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel.” (Rev 8:3-4) To burn incense regularly, or to pray regularly, seems to make sense – God wants us to turn our thoughts to Him multiple times per day.
Why was it important not to burn anything except incense in this specific altar/burner? Well, for one, God already provided instructions for an altar on which to give/burn the other types of offerings. Yet, if the other altar has multiple uses, why does this altar only have one use? If this burner was only to be used for incense, then clearly God wanted it to be kept even more sacred than the other, that it should only be touched by the high priest and only used for offering “prayers” to God. It would remain a pure, spotless vessel through which the prayers of the people would reach up to heaven.
Why did God want to have this special blend of spices/perfume/incense and keep it reserved only for Himself? If this holy incense represented the prayers of the people, and the same incense was used on a person instead of being offered up to God, that would essentially be a form of idolatry – treating someone else like God, giving them something that was holy and reserved only for God.
Overall, the incense and burner (as well as prayer) were designed for us to connect with God, and offer something that is holy and sacred to Him, and Him alone. God warns that anyone who violates the use of His sacred incense/prayer will be cut off from the lineage of the Hebrews (both blood and spiritual lineage) – that’s how seriously God views the commandment to have no other gods before Him. Those who violate this, will not be co-heirs with Christ or receive inheritance from the family of Abraham.
Father God, holy and exalted one, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, we come before You today with an offering. Please let our prayers be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of our hands as the surrender of our hearts to You, and You alone. You are the one true God, creator of heaven, earth, and us. To You alone may our mouths and hearts proclaim our allegiance, and we long to serve You all the days of our lives. May we frequently remember You and Your sovereignty in our prayers both morning and evening (and hopefully in between as well). All honor, glory and praise be to You Father.