Saturday, October 29, 2005
The Altar of Incense
The excitement is still building about the Most Holy Place. I have put the posts concerning the Most Holy Place off a little longer to add to the excitement. Personally imagine a night right before a big event--a test, surgery, important meeting with a client, a speech, etc. The fear of the High Priest the night before the Day of Atonement must have been many times greater. Now imagine that this is the first year you are the High Priest. Will you do everything correctly? Will you forget something? What if you die in 'there'? I am shivering just thinking about it!
The Most Holy Place is for tomorrow. But until then, I will wet your appetite with this:
"Make an altar of acacia wood for burning incense. It is to be square, a cubit long and a cubit wide, and two cubits high--its horns of one piece with it. Overlay the top and all the sides and the horns with pure gold, and make a gold molding around it. Make two gold rings for the altar below the molding--two on opposite sides--to hold the poles used to carry it. Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. Put the altar in front of the curtain that is before the ark of the Testimony--before the atonement cover that is over the Testimony--where I will meet with you. Aaron must burn fragrant incense on the altar every morning when he tends the lamps. He must burn incense again when he lights the lamps at twilight so incense will burn regularly before the LORD for the generations to come. Do not offer on this altar any other incense or any burnt offering or grain offering, and do not pour a drink offering on it. Once a year Aaron shall make atonement on its horns. This annual atonement must be made with the blood of the atoning sin offering for the generations to come. It is most holy to the LORD." (Exodus 30:1-10)
The Most Holy Place is for tomorrow. But until then, I will wet your appetite with this:
"Make an altar of acacia wood for burning incense. It is to be square, a cubit long and a cubit wide, and two cubits high--its horns of one piece with it. Overlay the top and all the sides and the horns with pure gold, and make a gold molding around it. Make two gold rings for the altar below the molding--two on opposite sides--to hold the poles used to carry it. Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. Put the altar in front of the curtain that is before the ark of the Testimony--before the atonement cover that is over the Testimony--where I will meet with you. Aaron must burn fragrant incense on the altar every morning when he tends the lamps. He must burn incense again when he lights the lamps at twilight so incense will burn regularly before the LORD for the generations to come. Do not offer on this altar any other incense or any burnt offering or grain offering, and do not pour a drink offering on it. Once a year Aaron shall make atonement on its horns. This annual atonement must be made with the blood of the atoning sin offering for the generations to come. It is most holy to the LORD." (Exodus 30:1-10)
# posted by Wesley Son of Cornelius @ 2:10 AM 
