The Altar of Incense

And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon...

Exodus 30:1

It is an interesting and important aspect of the Tabernacle furnishing that there were two altars within the structure: an altar of brass in the courtyard, and an altar of gold in the Holy Place. The altar of brass was for the offering of the burnt offering; the altar of gold was for the burning of incense before the veil. There was clearly a connection between the two altars: one representing the consuming of an animal sacrifice, and the other the offering of a sweet smell. As a general principle, it would appear that the furnishings in the outer court represent for us the work of Jesus Christ on earth, in the company of men, when he offered himself up without spot to God. The Holy Place of the Tabernacle proper represents the work of Christ on our behalf in the presence of God in Heaven, where he represents his people (as the Table of Shewbread suggests), and where he infuses his people with Holy Spirit life (as the golden candlestick suggests). The meaning of the golden altar is therefore related to the brass altar: the sacrifice offered in time has an effect in the presence of God for all eternity. Although the Tabernacle has been described in Exodus 25ff from the inside outward, this is perhaps the reason why the altar of incense is not described until chapter 30, after the brass altar and its sacrifices have been dealt with (chapter 27). Without the finished work of the brass altar, there could be no incense on the gold altar. The brass altar was the place of sacrifice, the smoke of which ascended to Heaven; the Holy Place represents for us the effect of the sacrifice in Heaven, where, on a square-shaped construction, fashioned with horns to parallel the altar of brass, incense continually filled the Holy Place and would have been carried into the Most Holy Place. The courtyard, therefore, represents what was done among men; the Holy Place represents the effect of that work in the presence of God.

But that twofold aspect of the work of Christ is based upon a fundamental principle: the fact that the one office of priesthood includes two distinct but co-ordinated functions: that of sacrifice and of intercession -- two different types of offering. This is made clear in Hugh Martin The Atonement (pp116-7):

For as in the typical Dispensation, so in Christ the Antitype. The two altars of Sacrifice and of Incense were combined and correlative instruments of official action to the priest in the one complete office of his priesthood; and they constituted component and indispensable factors of one complete act of sacrificial worship. The same functionary, or office-bearer, transacted at both: he transacted for the self-same person or persons: the blood of the self-same sacrifice that he had slain and offered on the one altar, he sprinkled or put upon the horns of the other. To dislocate or derange this co-ordination would be negative his official action in its intrinsic import, to annihilate the gracious results of his priestly intervention, and indeed to evert his office utterly. His action at the altar of Atonement was pre-requisite to his approach to the altar of Incense; and the successful achievement which signalised his action at the latter revealed beyond the possibility of doubt the nature and efficacy of the services which he had accomplished at the former; while only in virtue of the two, in their combination and synthesis, was Aaron's priesthood a real priesthood at all.

Description of the Golden Altar

The Altar of Incense was much smaller than the altar of brass. It was two cubits high, and one cubit square (almost 3 feet high x a foot and a half square). The altar of brass was three cubits high and five cubits square. But more important is the fact that they are in the same proportion to the place where they are housed. The brass altar of burnt-offering is 5 cubits square within the courtyard which is fifty cubits wide. The gold altar of incense is 1 cubit square within the Holy Place which is ten cubits wide. The width of each altar, therefore, is proportionately a tenth of the width of the part of the construction in which they are placed. This proportion highlights the connection between them. In the courtyard we see the sacrifice of Jesus on earth; in the Holy Place we see the effects of the same sacrifice in Heaven.

The altar of incense was made of acacia wood, and was overlaid with gold. It had a horn in each corner, just as the brass altar did. Psalm 118:27 tells us that the sacrifices were bound to the horns. The horn is a symbol of strength, and it is not insignificant that the altars of the Old Testament have that strength represented by the four horns. The function of the altar is to bind what is sacrificed upon it; the animal loses its own strength to the strength of the altar. Compare what Jesus asks the Pharisees in Matthew 23:19 -- "you fools, and blind: which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift?" Although this question was asked in a particular context, its relevance cannot be overlooked. The altar has its own strength, greater than what is offered upon it.

This makes the sacrifice of Calvary so immeasurably wonderful: that the Lord Jesus Christ should willingly submit his own strength, his own omnipotence, to the strength of the altar. But note that in addition the altar of incense has a crown of gold (like the Ark and the Table of Shewbread), which speaks of the exaltation of the crucified one, and the supremacy of the sacrificed one. We see Jesus crowned with glory and honour (Hebrews 2:9). The altar of incense also had two rings for carrying it.

According to Exodus 30:6, the altar of incense was placed in front of the veil. This does not appear to accord with Hebrews 9:3-4 which seems to suggest that the altar of incense was placed behind the veil, alongside the Ark of the Covenant. That this was clearly not the case is to be found in the fact that the incense had to be attended to daily, but the Ark could only be approached annually, on the Day of Atonement. So what does Hebrews 9:3 mean? Admittedly it appears to pose a problem, until one realises that Leviticus 16:12-13 required the High Priest, on the Day of Atonement, to bring a censer into the Most Holy Place, in which there were burning coals from the altar of incense; he was then to sprinkle the incense upon the coals, so that the cloud of incense would cover the mercy seat. Only then could he administer the sprinkling of the blood. But in addition, the blood which was sprinkled on the mercy seat was also sprinkled seven times on the altar of incense, to cleanse it and hallow it (cf. 30:10). The writer to the Hebrews, therefore, seems not to be describing the position of the Tabernacle furnishings so much as describing their relative importance for the atonement ritual; on the Day of Atonement it was true that within the veil there was the Ark and the golden censer, which had taken something from the altar of incense within the veil, into the Most Holy Place, before the blood was then in turn sprinkled on the altar.

This altar was for the burning of incense, morning and evening perpetually (30:7-8). We have already noted the relationship between the items of the Tabernacle; it is also important to note the inter-relationship between the activities of the Tabernacle. Inside the Holy Place, the burning of incense related to the lighting of the lamps (30:7-8); while outside it related to the offering of the daily sacrifice of a lamb morning and evening (29:38-39). As we shall note, the burnt offering was used more than this; but it is interesting that the activities which were co-ordinated morning and evening were the offering of the lamb, the lighting of the lamps and the burning of incense.

Day by day, the Tabernacle spoke eloquently of things to come: of the offering of the lamb of God to take away the sin of the world, the incense of whose sacrifice permeates the dwelling-place of God, and the effect of whose sacrifice illuminates the souls of his people.

There was also the important regulation of 30:9, that no 'strange incense' was to be burnt upon this altar. The fate of Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10), of Korah and his followers (Numbers 16) and of Uzziah (2 Chronicles 26:16ff) demonstrates that the duties of the altar of incense had to be regulated according to God's express command: that is, only the priests could perform the function, and only incense offered according to God's prescription would be acceptable.

This is reinforced in 30:34-8, where the precise combination of spices for the incense is detailed. There is an emphasis on proportion, and there is a warning against the abuse of these compounds (v37), since the incense was to be holy and consecrated to the Lord. There is clearly an emphasis here on the Lord's jealousy for his own worship. But in addition, an interesting detail emerges. The principal element in the altar was GOLD; one of the elements [possibly the main element] of the incense compound was FRANKINCENSE; and the main element in the oil of consecration, which was sprinkled on everything, including the altar of incense (30:27) was MYRRH. It was not without significance that the same three elements appear in the birth narrative of Jesus, whose ministry and sacrifice are typified in the Tabernacle.

The incense was produced through a combination of spices. The stacte, or gum resin was the sap of a tree which was beaten fine. The onycha was a shellfish from the Read Sea, which gave off a strong odour when it was burned. The galbanum was a resin from plants. These were mixed with frankincense, which is also a resin from a tree. It is unclear whether these four elements were mixed in equal parts, or whether the combination was of one part of frankincense made up of the other three. At any rate, the whole compound was then to be mixed with salt (= 'tempered', v35, meaning salted); this was a further connection with the sacrifice (cf Leviticus 2:13 "with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt"). Each of these elements was crushed small, and the identity of each was lost in the compound and then in the fragrance.

Significance of the Altar of Incense

What was the significance of the golden altar? By it, the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place were made fragrant, and the garments of the priests were impregnated with the fragrance. In the Old Testament, incense is identified with prayer: Psalm 141:2 -- "let my prayer be set before thee as incense". This is reinforced in the New Testament; at the announcement of the birth of John the Baptist, Zachariah was burning incense in the temple, and the crowd were praying at the same time (Luke 1:9-10). Similarly, in Revelation 5:8 the living beings and the elders fell before the throne of the Lamb having golden bowls full of odours (NIV 'incense') which are the prayers of the saints. Revelation 8:3 sees an angel standing at the altar with a golden censer; John says "there was given to him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne; and the smoke of the incense which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God out of the angel's hand".

There is at least a three-fold significance to the golden altar of incense. First, it spoke of the satisfaction of God. The relationship between the altars was very close and intimate. In making approach to God, sacrifice had to be offered without, and incense burned within. The one was the cause of the other. From the very beginning of Old Testament revelation, there is a relation between sacrifice and fragrance. That may seem a strange combination, since the sacrifice, by its very nature, was something which would have been repugnant. Yet we read after Noah's sacrifice that "the Lord smelled a sweet savour" and promised never more to curse the ground (Genesis 8:21). Indeed, that imagery is explicitly used in Exodus 29:18 in connection with the offering of a ram on the burnt offering: "It is a burnt offering to the Lord: it is a sweet savour, an offering made by fire to the Lord". The same is used at 29:25, of the lambs offered daily in 29:41 and frequently throughout Leviticus (1:9,13,17; 2:2,9,12; 3:5,16; 4:31 etc) and Numbers (15:3,7,10,13,14,24 etc). The sacrifices were pleasant to God. They spoke of justice and atoning grace. They represented the basis upon which reconciliation was possible and atonement could be made. Without the shedding of blood there could be no remission, but with blood shed, remission was possible. For this reason, there is a sweetness to the sacrifice, that is represented by the incense in the Holy Place.

This language is applied to Christ in Ephesians 5:2. Believers are to walk in love, "just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God". His offering required that he be crushed and bruised, just as the ingredients of the incense required to be beaten small. But at last the pleasure of the Lord prospers in his hand, and the blessing of Heaven attends his offering. There is satisfaction on the part of God.

Secondly, the golden altar speaks of the intercession of Christ. Paul asks in Romans 8:34: "Who is he that condemns? It is Christ that died -- more than that -- who is raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us". The one who was numbered with the transgressors in the outer courtyard now intercedes for the transgressors in the Holy Place (Isaiah 53:12). This is our 'great high priest who has passed into the heavens" (Hebrews 4:14), and who has brought the efficacy of his finished work on the cross to bear upon his continued work in Heaven. There is perpetual incense in all generations in the presence of God.

This is the King-Priest, who combines offices in his own person, whose garments smell of sweet fragrances (Psalm 45:8) and who intercedes for us within the veil. If any of us sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (1 John 2:1). He has taken himself to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense (Song 4:6) in order to be the intercessor his church needs until the day breaks and the shadows flee away. And then, for all eternity, Christ's church will be kept secure through his intercession.

Thirdly, the incense upon the golden altar represents the prayers of the church. This is the significance of Revelation 8. These sweet odours which ascend to the Father are the prayers of his children. The Psalmist could say "My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer to thee, and will look up" (Psalm 5:3), and "Evening and morning and at noon will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice" (Psalm 55:17). On the basis of the sacrifice of the lamb, and with the oil of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, our prayers are directed Heavenwards, on the basis of the intercession of Jesus Christ.

It was said of Saul of Tarsus when he was saved, "Behold he prays" (Acts 9:11). This was the great evidence that a change had taken place in his soul. May the same fervency in prayer evidence that we too have come to rest in the finished work of the Lamb of God, who has taken away the sins of the world.

© Iain D. Campbell 2002