Exodus 30:34-38

There is another one in Exodus 30. This is something private for the most part, but along the same lines. These are the instructions that God gave to Moses about the making of the incense. Incense is a biblical symbol of prayer. I want you to look and see the care, the work, and the quality that goes into preparing the incense and then compare it to your own prayers. This is the same sort of thing that we were talking about in Malachi 1. It is just a different area.

That is interesting, is it not? Think of this incense in terms of prayer. Do we dedicate our prayers to God and "beat" them fine? Are they a sweet aroma before God? Are they all about us? Are they done like the Pharisees'—in a grandiose manner to please ourselves? This is something I wanted to lay out before you in terms of worship. Our prayers are one of our primary forms of worship. Do we take this kind of care with our prayers? I do not do this perfectly, either; it is something I must continue to work on. This is the kind of thing that God wants us to do.

Exodus 30:34-37

The incense altar was within the Holy Place—the first room of the Tabernacle, and also in the Temple. It was placed against the back wall against the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. It stood directly in front of the Mercy Seat and the Ark. A priest burned incense on it twice a day—morning and evening—using burning coals that had been taken from under the brazen altar. Incense offered could not be profane either. The only incense acceptable was that made to God's specification.

Do you understand what He said there? They were not allowed to make any incense that was a duplicate of what was going to be put on the incense altar. It could not be duplicated for personal use.