Experiencing God's Presence #92

Blend the spices together and sprinkle them with salt to produce a pure and holy incense. Grind some of the mixture into a very fine powder and put it in front of the Ark of the Covenant, where I will meet with you in the Tabernacle. You must treat this incense as most holy.

Exodus 30:35-36

The holy incense, ketoret, was a powerful substance, sacred to God and used in at least one instance to stop a plague (Numbers 16:46-50). Jewish oral law designated a precise compound of eleven ingredients that, if mixed improperly, could result in exile or even death for the mixer. It was never to be made for personal enjoyment. Handling the incense was a serious and sacred business.

Not all of the ingredients of ketoret are known for certain today, but some historians and rabbis believe they recently discovered an ancient stockpile of it in the caves of Qumran. When analyzed, it was found to contain at least eight of the eleven ingredients, and when burned, it produced a strong, pleasant aroma that would have overcome any stench of sacrifice in ancient temple rituals. (For testing it was burned not with fire but with acid, since by biblical law, burning it with fire apart from a temple or altar could have invoked immediate and deadly divine wrath.)

Incense often represents prayer in Scripture. If this is the case with ketoret, God has painted a powerful picture of what our prayers mean in heaven. They rise up from the holy place as an intensely pleasant aroma that overwhelms the unpleasant effects of sacrifice. They have the ability to please God and prevent plagues. They are not simply for personal enjoyment and pleasure but for a holy offering to God. He considers them sacred.

We should consider them sacred too. Our conversations with God are powerful and pleasing to Him, full of purpose and sacrifice. They should never be minimized or underestimated. God responds to the pleasing aroma of incense rightly offered.

Lord, forgive me for the times I’ve neglected prayer. Hear the requests I offer now. Remind me often of the power of having Your ear.

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