Elizabeth - Her Life And Times

Elizabeth - Her Life And Times

INCENSE

Elizabeth’s husband, Zechariah, had been given a special, serious privilege. When it was his priestly division’s turn to serve in the temple, he was chosen by lot — which was God’s way of making the choice — to burn incense in the temple. Each morning and evening he took fire from the altar of burnt offering and placed it on the golden altar of incense that stood before the curtain separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. He then poured the dusty incense from a golden urn onto the fire. While Zechariah performed this duty, all the worshipers who were at the temple that day stood outside and prayed. The smoke and aroma of the incense symbolized their prayers rising up to God. The fragrance also served to fumigate air tainted with the odor of the blood of animals killed for the sacrifices.

The earliest historical records about worship include information on the burning of incense. All the nations surrounding Palestine appreciated the sweet smell of incense permeating not only their places of worship but also their homes. The incense Zechariah burned in the temple was made according to a special “recipe” (Exodus 30:34 – 38) of spices and salt that had been ground to a powder. This holy incense could be used only in the temple in worship, never for ordinary, everyday purposes.

The prophet Jeremiah often condemned the Israelites for burning incense to false gods. But he could be even more scathing in his denunciation when they burned incense when their hearts weren’t in their worship (Jeremiah 6:20). God made it clear that the mere burning of incense didn’t please him; it was only a symbol. He was looking for hearts that were turned toward him with faithfulness and trust.

Isn’t that application obvious for us today as well? In all our forms of worship — our hymns and praise songs, our liturgies and dramas and readings — what is important to God is our hearts. Are they turned toward him in faithfulness and trust?