The Tabernacle (cont.)
Exodus 25:8 – “And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.”
John 1:14 – “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”
We have come in our study here of the Tabernacle to the altar of incense. It was put right before the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. It was on this altar that the high priest was to daily burn incense. The smell of the incense would fill the Tabernacle with a sweet-smelling savor. All of this together would symbolize prayer and intercession.
We can certainly apply this to us today. Our prayers are a very important part of our worship. As the incense filled and saturated the whole tabernacle so should prayer fill and saturate our heart and life, being a pleasant and pleasing smell, if you will, before God. Psalm 141:2 says, “Let my prayer be set before You as incense, The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.”
God is definitely keeping record of our prayers. We find this thought in Revelation 8:3,4 which says, “Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand.” Yes, prayer is so important.
But in keeping with our thought that the tabernacle represents what Christ is and does for us, this altar of incense would point to the fact that He is our intercessor before the very throne of God. Hebrews 7:25 tells us that Christ “always lives to make intercession for them (us).” Hebrews 9:24 tells us, “For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.”
In the words of Adrian Rogers, “Intercession is His unfinished work for us; however, this golden altar also speaks of His intercession through us...Jesus is our incense; because of Him, our prayers are also like a sweet perfume to God.”
We can be glad that we have such a One praying for us. He represents us before His Father. He has our interests in mind when He stands before the throne of God. The depth of all of this is beyond my little understanding but I do know that we can rest assured that His prayers are being answered on our behalf. It’s no wonder that all things work together for our good when we have Jesus praying for us!