This article is taken from Issue 1, Called to Surrender the Will
By A. B. Saint
This week we have had a Celebration at home, and someone very kindly brought me a huge bouquet of flowers. They consist of roses, antirrhinums, carnations and lilies. Not only are they beautiful, but the fragrance coming from them is out of this world. My senses have really been awakened. This experience led me to think of a chorus which we used to sing at Church, and I have found myself singing it again, and meditating upon it, particularly upon the first line. Perhaps you remember it too? Maybe you still sing it in your Church?
Let our praise to You be as incense,
Let out praise to You be as pillars of Your throne,
Let our praise to You be as incense,
As we come before You and worship You alone.
As we see You in Your Splendour,
As we gaze upon Your Majesty.
As we join the hosts of angels
And proclaim together Your Holiness,
Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD,
Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD.
I have also been looking at the Psalms and one in particular resonates with the above devotional chorus. It is Psalm 141, where David, the sweet psalmist of Israel, very much in need, cries out unto The Lord for His help. In verse one he says,
“Lord, I cry unto Thee, make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto Thee.” (Psalm 141:1)
His was a desperate cry on that day, and his desire was that both his prayer and his life would be so ordered aright, that The Lord would be pleased to come to his aid and answer him quickly. This Old Testament saint was standing upon the firm foundation of trust in God, his heart was firmly fixed upon The Lord and in like manner his desire was that his prayer be that which is well pleasing in the sight of a Holy God.
It is obvious that when this prayer was offered up, he was far from the Temple setting in Jerusalem, but yet he remembers with fondness the Temple worship. He said,
“Let my prayer be set forth before Thee as incense.”
What did he mean by this? In order to answer this question, we have to see where it all began. Throughout every new generation, the subject of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness has been studied by eager students of the Word of God. This entire study is found in no less than fifty chapters of the Bible, four books in the Old Testament, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy and the Book of Hebrews in the New Testament.
We know that every book of the Bible points in one way or other to our Glorious Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ and the study of the Tabernacle is no exception, for everything about it is fragrant of Christ Himself. Everything about it points to Jesus and everything points to the Plan of Salvation.
The Bible tells us that everything associated with the Tabernacle, was made “According to Pattern;” the Pattern which God Himself had laid down and shown to Moses on the Mount.
“Let them make Me a Sanctuary: that I may dwell among them.” (Exodus 25:8)
The Bible tells us that everything associated with the Tabernacle, was made “According to Pattern;” the Pattern which God Himself had laid down and shown to Moses on the Mount.
“Let them make Me a Sanctuary: that I may dwell among them.” (Exodus 25:8)
The Tabernacle upon the earth was but the figure, the copy, the shadow of Heavenly things. This Portable Tent, this Place of Meeting, in Moses day, where God Himself dwelt with His people, was indeed pitched by man, but everything about the earthly Tabernacle was Spirit breathed. It was the Work of the Holy Spirit; it was according to His Will, and to His Design.
There was absolutely nothing at all of man in its planning, not even in the smallest matter, rather it was made according to the Pattern laid down in the Heavenlies. As God unveiled the Christ, who was in time to come, nothing was left to the imagination of man. In its formation, in its coverings, in its colours, in its teachings, we are reminded that it breathes the very name of the Beloved Son.
For a few hundred years this Tabernacle served as an object lesson to Israel and later it gave rise to the Temple. This earthly dwelling place of God served as a picture of that which was to come. One of the pieces of furniture in the Tabernacle was the Golden Altar, also known as the Incense Altar. This altar was all to do with worship and communion, it was to do with fellowship with God Himself, but it must needs be said here that no true fellowship could ever exist between God and man, without our first coming before the Brazen Altar which was in the outer court, for it was upon this Brazen Altar, this place of slaughter, that the sacrifice was placed on behalf of man’s sin. What does Hebrews 9:22 tell us?
“No shedding of blood, no remission of sin.”
The Brazen Altar therefore typifies the very Cross of Christ. Unlike the Brazen Altar, the Incense Altar was situated in the Holy Place, just before the Veil which separated the Most Holy Place where the Ark of God dwelt. It is noted in the Book of Revelation that it holds exactly the same position in Heaven as it did upon the earth. We read,
“And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the Throne.” (Revelation 8:3)
The only thing that is different here is that now there is no veil between, which teaches us a very important lesson. When Christ our Saviour died upon the Cross of Calvary, the veil which speaks of His incarnation, was rent in the midst from top to bottom. See Luke chapter 23 and verse 45, Matthew chapter 27 and verse 51, and Mark chapter 15 and verse 38.
It is plainly written that the veil was not rent from bottom to top as if this in any way could be the work of man, this was all the Work of God. The author of the book of Hebrews beautifully pens it this way in chapter 10 and verses 19 and 20, Hebrews beautifully pens it this way,
“Having therefore brethren boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which He hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say His flesh.” (Hebrews 10:19-20)
The death of our Lord completely set aside the whole Jewish system of Temple worship and ritual. Of course, at the time of Christ’s death there was no more Tabernacle, rather the Temple stood, yet see how the writer to Hebrews takes us back further in time and reminds us of the institution of the Tabernacle.
The message pure and simply was this, the way to God has now been opened to everyone! Through the ministry of our Great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, we can now all enjoy direct access with the Father, we now have a hope which goes beyond the veil. Hebrews chapter 6 verses 19 and 20.
When David came before the Lord on that particular day recorded in Psalm 141, the picture of the Evening Sacrifice came before him, so much so that he included it in his prayer. A lamb was sacrificed every morning and every evening upon the Altar of Burnt Offering. This Altar is often referred to as the Altar of Perpetual Atonement, whereas the Golden Altar is often referred to as the Altar of Perpetual Intercession.
Aaron burned incense upon the altar when he lit the lamps and dressed them, and as the fragrance began to fill the air, so Christ is seen in His High Priestly Work ever living to make intercession for us. It also alludes and very much so, to the prayers and the worship of the saints themselves. See Revelation 5:8 and Revelation 8:4.
As with everything concerning the Tabernacle, it had to be done GOD’S WAY, even down to the composition of the incense. Exodus chapter 30 verses 34-38 says,
“See that thou make nothing like unto it,” “It is most Holy unto the Lord.”
It was to be compounded of some very precious ingredients. This was God’s chosen Formula, God’s favoured Prescription. Blended together they extracted a beautiful perfume, but for this fragrance to be released, it had to be beaten small and then thrown into a censor or pan of burning coals taken from off the Burnt Altar
It was the fire which consumed the sacrifice, and which brought about the delightful aroma. What a picture of Golgotha and of Christ’s sufferings on our behalf. How fragrant are You Lord!
“Your Name is as Ointment poured forth”
(Song of Solomon 1:3)
Every offering therefore rendered unto the Lord must first have begun its journey to Calvary, otherwise it will not be acceptable and will be seen as a strange offering, or strange fire. It will be seen as something profane, something outside the parameters of that which is Holy; of that which is of God. What do we mean then when we use the word profane? We mean anything which is of man’s concoction, or of man’s systems. Prayer labyrinths, meditation techniques, prayer beads, altered breathing techniques, and the like. In the Word of God nothing is mentioned of any of these things, excepting of course for daily meditation upon God’s Word.
How quickly does that Scripture come to mind in regard to two of Aaron’s sons? Very early on in Tabernacle worship did God show His disapproval, His displeasure, as they took it upon themselves to offer strange fire unto the Lord. The Bible does not elaborate on where this ‘strange fire’ came from, but I wonder, could it have come from outside the camp? It seems they chose to do it their way instead of God’s way, (Leviticus 10:1-11).
Although David was an Old Testament saint, he was truly a spiritual man in that he was able to see past the letter of the Law, to the Spirit behind the letter of the Law. David understood that the sacrificial system was not an end in itself but rather a vestibule to better things. This work in his life had to be of God, because as 1 Corinthians 2:14 tells us,
“The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit.”
David wasn’t as those who blindly follow a creed or recite a few lack-lustre prayers. There was no cold formality about his religion, his religion was not just head knowledge but heart affection, God had kindled a fire, a zeal, a love, within his life which caused him to seek after God and desire to worship Him.
If you feel spiritually dry today, seek the Lord that through the Power of the Holy Spirit, your own life may be fanned by His Flame. On that day, David came before the Lord with clean hands and a pure heart.
It wasn’t just his need that caused him to turn towards Heaven that day, it wasn’t just his problem which caused him to pray, but rather his love for God and the knowledge that his prayer would be heard. David, the sweet psalmist of Israel, was a worshipper. His prayers, his petitions, his worship must surely have risen as swirls of incense before the Throne of God. He had a personal relationship with God. He knew in whom he believed.
How God longs for our prayers and our worship, He tells us in Hebrews to
“Come boldly unto the Throne of Grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace in time of need?”
(Hebrews 4:16)
Are we offering prayers and supplications on the behalf of others? Is it a prayer of forgiveness for which we pray? Are we offering up a prayer for guidance? Is our prayer one of thanksgiving and gratitude? Morning and Evening, and times in-between, we should raise our voices in praise to the One who has done all things for us.
My prayer today is:
“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19: 14
Taken from Life on the Altar Publications
Issue 1 Summer 2021
LIFE ON THE ALTAR 