The Tabernacle 6 Series

The Altar of Incense

Central Truth: Jesus is our mediator

Scripture: EXO 30:1 "You shall make an altar to burn incense on; you shall make it of acacia wood.

2 "A cubit shall be its length and a cubit its width - it shall be square - and two cubits shall be its height. Its horns shall be of one piece with it.

3 "And you shall overlay its top, its sides all around, and its horns with pure gold; and you shall make for it a molding of gold all around.

4 "Two gold rings you shall make for it, under the molding on both its sides. You shall place them on its two sides, and they will be holders for the poles with which to bear it.

5 "You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold.

6 "And you shall put it before the veil that is before the ark of the Testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the Testimony, where I will meet with you.

7 "Aaron shall burn on it sweet incense every morning; when he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it.

8 "And when Aaron lights the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense on it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.

9 "You shall not offer strange incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a meal offering; nor shall you pour a drink offering on it.

10 "And Aaron shall make atonement upon its horns once a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonement; once a year he shall make atonement upon it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD."

Lesson points:

1. Location: The golden altar of incense is located in the holy place on the west side next

to the veil that went into the holy of holies.

2. dimensions: The altar of incense was one and a half feet in length, one and a half feet

wide and three feet high.

3. You shall make an altar... There were two altars in the tabernacle of Moses. the first was

the brazen altar which was for blood sacrifices. The second was the golden altar of incense

which was for burning incense.

4. to burn incense on.... This altar was for burning incense to the Lord. Incense speaks to

us of the prayers and intercession of the saints.

PSA 141:2 Let my prayer be set before You as incense, The lifting up of my hands as the

evening sacrifice.

REV 8:1 When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an

hour.

2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven

trumpets.

3 Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. And 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.

4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from

the angel’s hand.

5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth.

And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake.

REV 5:8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four

elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense,

which are the prayers of the saints.

5. Burning of incense also speaks to us of the present day ministry of Christ.

HEB 7:25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God

through Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them.

1TI 2:5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ

Jesus,

mediator - mesites {mes-ee’-tace}from 3319

(1) one who intervenes between two, either in order to make or restore peace and friendship,

or form a compact, or for ratifying a covenant

(2) a medium of communication, arbitrator

6. you shall make it of acacia wood. This speaks of Christ’s perfect humanity which made

it possible to be a mediator.

JOB 9:30 If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands never so clean;

31 Yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes shall abhor me.

32 For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together

in judgment.

33 Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both.

(daysman is an umpire or mediator.)

7. The golden altar of incense was at the heart of the tabernacle showing the importance