“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. Its horns shall be of one piece with it. You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and around its sides and its horns. And you shall make a molding of gold around it. And you shall make two golden rings for it. Under its molding on two opposite sides of it you shall make them, and they shall be holders for poles with which to carry it. You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. And you shall put it in front of the veil that is above the ark of the testimony, in front of the mercy seat that is above the testimony, where I will meet with you. 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. Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year. With the blood of the sin offering of atonement he shall make atonement for it once in the year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD.”
Comment: Inside the tent was a thick, heavy, beautiful veil separating where the priests performed their duties and the Holiest of Holies where the Mercy Seat representing the Throne of Almighty God was placed. Outside the veil, directly in front of the Mercy Seat, was to be placed the now-to-be-constructed Altar of Incense. On the left were placed the loaves of shew bread and on the right side the candlestick holder. They represented Christ the Bread of Life and Christ the Light of the world. The incense offered daily can be seen as either/or both of the following. Firstly the purity of the Life of Jesus as He lived in a way that pleased the Father as He lived on earth. Secondly the prayers of both Jesus, the saints (believers) and even the martyrs which we are told in Revelation rise up from under the Altar of God! Rev ch6 v 10 They (the martyrs) cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth? Nothing that was not directly ordered by God was to be offered meaning that God has described in His Word how we should approach Him, the Almighty Holy Creator God! The blood of the Annual Sin Offering was to be marked on the horns of this altar. Before Christ came sin offerings were daily and in addition at other special ways on special occasions. Christ’s sacrifice was a once for all event!
Prayer: You explained Your death and resurrection to Cleopas in Lk 24 by telling him how You were seeable in the Old Testament. Help me to see You as I study it. Amen.
As I read it! 