Worship as Incense (Acts 10:4)


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I love the rich aroma when I open a package of Colombian ground coffee. Ahh. And the fresh smell of pine needles in the forest. And of chocolate when opening a heart-shaped box from my wife on Valentine's Day. Some homes use scented candles or oils to enjoy a lingering fragrance. In ancient times, however, the homes of the wealthy bore the spicy odor of frankincense.

Frankincense and Myrrh

Ancient trade in Myrrh and Frankincense.
Ancient trade in Myrrh and Frankincense. Larger map.

Frankincense is derived from desert trees of the Boswellia family grown in Arabia, India, and on the Horn of Africa. It is harvested by making small cuts into the tree's bark, scraping off the exuded resin, then re-opening the wound and preparing it for another harvest cycle perhaps two or three times per year. The gum appears in pale glittering drops that dry into light yellow, translucent, gummy lumps. In New Testament times, myrrh resin harvested from the desert Commiphora tree was three times as expensive as frankincense.1

Frankincense and myrrh reached the Holy Land via trade routes through the Arabian peninsula on camelback.2 Frankincense and myrrh were two of the precious treasures wise men from the East brought before the infant Jesus.3

Frankincense and myrrh were far too costly for the poor, but were burned only in the mansions of the wealthy and in the palaces of kings. And in the Palace of Yahweh -- in his Tabernacle in the desert, and later, his Temple in Jerusalem. A golden altar of incense stood in the Holy Place;4 priests carried censers to distribute the fragrance of the incense.5

Prayers and Gifts to the Poor

Considering the extreme costliness of frankincense, I am struck by a passage where an angel speaks to Cornelius the Centurion of Caesarea:

"Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering6 before God." (Acts 10:4)

The memorial offering in the temple consisted of fine flour and oil burned with frankincense on the altar, producing a sweet-smelling "pleasant aroma" to the Lord. When God sees the prayers of this Gentile soldier and his good deeds to the poor in his community, it pleases him in the same way that fragrant incense pleases the wealthy in their homes.

David says something similar:

"May my prayer be set before you like incense;
may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice." (Psalm 141:2)

Paul says of the gifts the Philippian church has sent to support his ministry:

"They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God" (Philippians 4:18)

Also in Revelation's heavenly throne room.

"The four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints." (Revelation 5:8)

Likewise, an angel with a gold censer is "given much incense to offer."

"The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand." (Revelation 8:4)

Prayer as Blessing God

We know prayer and doing good from our own point of view. But what about God? How does he see it?

The Scripture indicates that our prayers and service are sweet to him, like fragrant incense before him. Like a doting parent who takes pride in his maturing children, Yahweh enjoys our attempts at prayer, at worship, and our seeking to know him. It brings great pleasure to him.

Eric Liddell, the 1924 Olympic runner -- later missionary to China -- whose earlier life is depicted in the Oscar-winning film "Chariots of Fire" (1981) is quoted as saying:

"I believe God made me for a purpose,
but he also made me fast!
And when I run, I feel his pleasure."

My friend, may your prayers and good works be multiplied and bring great pleasure to the Lord you love, like sweet incense rising before his throne.

 

End Notes

References and Abbreviations

[1] R. K. Harrison, "Frankincense," ISBE 2:360. Anjanette DeCarlo, Saleem Ali, and Marta Ceroni, Ecological and Economic Sustainability of Non-Timber Forest Products in Post-Conflict Recovery: A Case Study of the Frankincense (Boswellia spp.) Resin Harvesting in Somaliland (Somalia), Sustainability 2020, 12(9), 3578.

[2] Revelation 18:13; Song of Solomon 3:6.

[3] Matthew 2:11.

[4] Exodus 30:1-10; 40:5, 26; Leviticus 4:7, 18.

[5] Leviticus 10:1; 16:12; Ezekiel 8:11.

[6] "Memorial offering" (NIV) is mnēmosynon, "memory," here, "an offering that presents a worshiper to God, a memorial offering." The same Greek word is found in the Greek Septuagint in Leviticus 2:2, 9, 16: 5:12 to translate ʾazkārâ. In Leviticus 2:2, "memorial portion" (ESV, NIV), "token portion" (NRSV), "the memorial of it" (KJV) ʾazkārâ, "memorial portion," from zākar, "to remember, recollect." It is the technical term for that portion of the cereal offering which was burned as God's share. Its derivation indicates a meaning such as "memorial" or "remembrance" (Andrew Bowling, TWOT #551d). Holladay (p. 8) offers "suggested meanings: reminiscence; summons; invocation; sign-offering."

Apostle Peter: Disciple Lessons from the Rock

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