Heidi Norton
The altar of incense, first mentioned in Exodus chapter 30, was situated before the mercy seat of the Ark, in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle. The altar was made of acia wood and overlaid with gold, with four horns at each corner. The priests were commanded to burn incense on the altar every morning and evening, and the smoke from the incense symbolized the prayers of God's people rising before the Lord. The altar of incense was also connected with sacrificial rituals, as the blood of animal sacrifices was smeared on its horns to cleanse and purify it from the sins of the Israelites. Today, the altar of incense is no longer required for new covenant worship, as the prayers of the saints have replaced the old priestly rituals.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| First mentioned | Exodus chapter 30 |
| Size | 1.5 feet x 1.5 feet x 3 feet |
| Material | Acacia wood and gold |
| Number of horns | Four |
| Location | Before the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies |
| Incense recipe | Equal parts stacte, onycha, galbanum, and frankincense |
| Burning schedule | Every morning and evening |
| Burning duration | Continuous throughout the day and night |
| Purpose | Symbol of Christ's mediation, reminder to pray, representation of Christ |
| Cleansing ritual | Blood of animal sacrifice sprinkled on the horns |
| Incense in modern worship | Not required for new covenant worship |
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What You'll Learn
- The altar of incense was made of acacia wood and overlaid with gold
- The recipe for the incense was given by God and was to be burned every morning and at twilight
- The smoke from the incense symbolises the prayers of God's people rising before the Lord
- The altar was to be purified with the blood of animal sacrifices
- The golden altar is a representation of Christ, who is our intercessor before God the Father
The altar of incense was made of acacia wood and overlaid with gold
The altar of incense is first mentioned in Exodus chapter 30 as one of the items inside the Holy Place of the tabernacle. The altar was made of acia wood and overlaid with gold. It was a perfect square, with each side measuring one cubit, or about twenty inches, and was two cubits high. The top and sides of the altar, including its four horns, were overlaid with pure gold, and a gold molding was added around it. The altar of incense was constructed from the same material as the Ark of the Covenant, which sat behind it in the Holy of Holies.
The altar of incense was built with four horns, one at each corner, and rings of gold were built into the sides. The rings were used to hold the acacia wood poles that were slipped through to carry the altar. The altar of incense was placed before the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the Testimony was kept. Aaron was instructed to burn incense on the altar each morning and at twilight as a regular offering to the Lord. The incense was to be left burning continually throughout the day and night as a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
The altar of incense reminded Israel to pray and assured the people that their prayers were sweet-smelling to the Lord. However, the Israelites were not inherently sweet, and atonement had to be made for the altar once a year. On the Day of Atonement, the high priest would put blood on the horns of the altar to cleanse it, and this act symbolised the power of Christ's blood to forgive sins.
The altar of incense was considered "most holy to the Lord", and only authorised incense could be offered on it. God gave the recipe for the incense and stipulated that no other incense should ever be burned on the altar. The incense was made from an equal part of four precious spices: stacte, onycha, galbanum, and frankincense.
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The recipe for the incense was given by God and was to be burned every morning and at twilight
The altar of incense is first mentioned in Exodus chapter 30 as one of the items inside the Holy Place of the tabernacle. The Bible describes the altar as a square with a side length of one cubit and a height of two cubits. It was constructed from acacia wood and overlaid with gold. The altar of incense was placed before the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the Testimony was located.
The recipe for the incense was given by God, and it was to be burned on the altar of incense every morning and at twilight as a regular offering to the Lord. Aaron, the high priest, was responsible for burning the incense on the altar each day, and it was to be his first priority upon arriving at the tabernacle. God provided specific instructions for the preparation and offering of the incense, including the ingredients, portioning, and manner of offering. The incense was to be burned on coals of fire taken from the altar of burnt offering outside the sanctuary.
The altar of incense held significant symbolic value. It served as a reminder for Israel to pray, and it symbolized the prayers of God's people ascending to heaven. John Calvin commented that the altar of incense represented the acceptance of prayers through sacrifices. The sweet-smelling incense was also seen as a symbol of the intercession of Christ and the perpetual nature of his mediation.
God stipulated that only the authorized incense, prepared according to his recipe, was to be burned on the altar. He explicitly forbade the use of any other incense or the use of the altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, or drink offerings. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest would cleanse the altar by sprinkling blood on its horns.
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The smoke from the incense symbolises the prayers of God's people rising before the Lord
The altar of incense is mentioned in the Bible, in Exodus chapter 30, as one of the items inside the Holy Place of the tabernacle. The Bible describes the altar as being made of acia wood, overlaid with gold, and featuring a horn on each corner. According to the Bible, the high priest was to burn incense on the altar twice daily: once in the morning and once in the evening.
The smoke from the burning incense is symbolic. It is said to symbolize the prayers of God's people rising up to God. In Psalm 141, for example, we find the line: "Let my prayer come like incense before you." The sweet aroma of incense is also described as something pleasing and acceptable to God.
The use of incense has ritual and symbolic meaning for Christians. In the Book of Revelation, for instance, John describes a vision of heaven, with 24 elders worshipping and holding "gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the holy ones." In another reference, an angel with a gold censer is given "a great quantity of incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the holy ones." The smoke from the incense, along with the prayers of the holy ones, rises up before God.
Incense is also used in the Mass, where it is employed to reverence people and things. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal states that after the bread and wine are placed on the altar, "the Priest may incense the gifts placed on the altar and then incense the cross and the altar itself, so as to signify the Church's offering and prayer rising like incense in the sight of God."
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The altar was to be purified with the blood of animal sacrifices
The altar of incense is mentioned in the Bible, in Exodus chapter 30. It was one of the items inside the Holy Place of the tabernacle. The altar was made of acacia wood and overlaid with gold. It had four "horns", one at each corner, and rings of gold were built into it so that it could be carried with acacia wood poles. The altar of incense was placed before the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies.
Aaron was instructed to burn incense on the altar each morning and at twilight as a regular offering to the Lord. God gave the recipe for making the incense and stipulated that no other incense was to be burned on the altar. The fire used to burn the incense was always taken from the altar of burnt offerings outside the sanctuary.
Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest was to put blood on the horns of the altar of incense to cleanse it. This was called a purification offering. The altar of incense was to be purified with the blood of animal sacrifices. The blood on the altar was believed to ransom the life of the offerer, who would otherwise be guilty of murder for slaughtering an animal. The purification offering was a complex category of Israelite sacrifice, with a variety of offering materials and ritual activities. Materials for purification offerings could include male or female herd or flock animals, and poor people could offer birds or grain.
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The golden altar is a representation of Christ, who is our intercessor before God the Father
The golden altar of incense is a representation of Christ, who is our intercessor before God the Father. The altar of incense was situated before the Ark of the Covenant, which represents the throne of God. This positioning symbolises Christ's standing in the presence of the Father, interceding on our behalf.
The altar of incense was made of acacia wood overlaid with gold and had four horns, or protrusions, at each corner. The horns were sprinkled with blood from animal sacrifices to cleanse and purify the altar from the sins of the Israelites. This act symbolised the power of Christ's blood to forgive sins and the power of His intercession in prayer.
The priests were commanded to burn incense on the golden altar every morning and evening, the same time as the daily burnt offerings were made on the bronze altar. The incense was to be left burning continually, creating a pleasing aroma to the Lord. The continual burning of incense symbolises the perpetual nature of Christ's mediation and intercession for us.
The bronze altar symbolises Christ's atoning work on the cross, while the golden altar symbolises His ongoing intercessory work. Christ is our Great High Priest, always interceding for us before God the Father, ensuring that our prayers are acceptable and pleasing to Him. Through Christ, we can boldly approach God's throne of grace and have our prayers heard.
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Frequently asked questions
The altar of incense was made of acacia wood and overlaid with gold.
The altar of incense was placed before the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies.
The altar of incense was used to burn incense, which was made of equal parts of four precious spices: stacte, onycha, galbanum, and frankincense.
The altar of incense symbolized the prayers of God's people constantly ascending before the Lord. The smoke from the incense represented the perpetual nature of Christ's mediation.
