God Hears the Prayers of His People (Ex 30:1-10, 34-38; 37:25-29)

7/17/2008 9:01 AM

My Worship Time           Focus:  God hears the prayers of His people

Bible Reading & Meditation     Reference:  Ex. 30:1-10, 34-38; 37:25-29

            Message of the verses:  “  1 ¶  "Moreover, you shall make an altar as a place for burning incense; you shall make it of acacia wood.  2  "Its length shall be a cubit, and its width a cubit, it shall be square, and its height shall be two cubits; its horns shall be of one piece with it.  3  "You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and its sides all around, and its horns; and you shall make a gold molding all around for it.  4  "You shall make two gold rings for it under its molding; you shall make them on its two side walls—on opposite sides—and they shall be holders for poles with which to carry it.  5  "You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.

6  "You shall put this altar in front of the veil that is near the ark of the testimony, in front of the mercy seat that is over the ark of the testimony, where I will meet with you.  7  "Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it; he shall burn it every morning when he trims the lamps.  8  "When Aaron trims the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense. There shall be perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.  9  "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.  10  "Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year; he shall make atonement on it with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once a year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD.’

            “34  Then the LORD said to Moses, "Take for yourself spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, spices with pure frankincense; there shall be an equal part of each.  35  "With it you shall make incense, a perfume, the work of a perfumer, salted, pure, and holy.  36  "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.  37  "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. 38  "Whoever shall make any like it, to use as perfume, shall be cut off from his people.’

            “25 ¶  Then he made the altar of incense of acacia wood: a cubit long and a cubit wide, square, and two cubits high; its horns were of one piece with it.  26  He overlaid it with pure gold, its top and its sides all around, and its horns; and he made a gold molding for it all around.  27  He made two golden rings for it under its molding, on its two sides—on opposite sides—as holders for poles with which to carry it.  28  He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.  29  And he made the holy anointing oil and the pure, fragrant incense of spices, the work of a perfumer.”

           

            Pictured above is the altar of incense, and it was made of acacia wood and covered with gold.  It was one and a half feet square and three feet high, which made it the tallest of the articles that was in the tabernacle.

            The altar of incense is a picture of prayer, and this can be seen in Psalm 141:2 where David writes, “May my prayer be counted as incense before You; The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering.”  John also speaks of this in Revelations 5:8, “When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.”  John speaks again of this in Revelations 8:3-4, “  Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne.  And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand.”

            The alter of incense stood before the veil that separated the holy of holies from the holy place and the priest burned incense on it each morning and evening when he trimmed the lamps. 

            Now the fire that the priest used to burn the incense came from the brazen altar, which is where the sacrifices were offered to God.  Warren Wiersbe points out that this suggests that true prayer must be based on the work of Christ on the cross and also our complete dedication to God.