2. The Aaronic Priestly Ministry (Ex. 30:30)

"And you shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister as priests to Me."

"And you shall put this altar in front of the veil that is near the ark of the testimony, in front of the mercy seat that is over [the ark of] the testimony, where I will meet with you." (Ex 30:6)

1. Daily duties: Bum incense on it morning and twilight when Aaron would trim the lamps (Golden Candlestick); perpetually burning
2. Annual duty: On the Day of Atonement, anoint the horns with blood from the sacrifice made on the Brazen Altar; coals from off the altar also

3. The Incense Ingredients (Ex 30:34-38)

1. Stacte -- flows spontaneously, freely from trees on the hills of Gilead
2. Onycha -- from shellfish drawn from the depths of the Red Sea
3. Galbanum -- from shrubs on the highlands in Syria
4. Frankincense -- from trees that have been cut/pierced

Note: Equal parts from each of the above were finely beaten, mixed together with salt and placed on the coals in a censer that was placed on the Altar of Incense.

Our praise/worship/prayer/intercessions as New Testament Priests (Rev 5:10, 20:6; 1 Pe 2:5,9) must be:

1. Freely given (God does not accept anything that is not freely and willingly given)
2. From the depths of our heart/soul/spirit
3. Focused on Him who is "seated on high"
4. With the understanding that even our worship is based on the sacrifice that Christ has paid; He was pierced, shed His blood that we can draw near to Him in intimate relationship

[First place worship is mentioned in the Bible is in Gen 22:5 in relationship to Abraham and Isaac: worship and sacrifice is related!]

Heb 13:15 "Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name."' (also Ps 141:2)

I Pe 2:5 "...you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."

4. Incense associated with prayer/intercessions/sacrifice/lifting of hands

Ps 141:2 "May my prayer be counted as incense before Thee; the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice" (offering; NASB).

La 2:19 "Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord; lift up your hands to Him for the life of your little ones who are faint"

I Ti 2:1 "First of all, then, I urge that entreaties [and] prayers, petitions [and] thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth ... Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting, up holy hands, without wrath and dissension."

Ps 28:2 "Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry to Thee for help, when I lift up my hands toward Thy holy sanctuary."

Ps 63:25 "Because Thy lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise Thee. So I willbless Thee as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Thy name ... my mouth offers praises with joyful lips."

Ps 134:2 "Lift up your hands to the sanctuary, And bless the Lord. May the Lord bless you from Zion, He who made heaven and earth."

5. Incense associated with prayer/praise/worship/sacrifice:

Rev 5:8 "And when He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twentyfour elders fell down before the Lamb, having each one a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.And they sang a new song, saying, 'Worthy art Thou to take the book, and to break its seals, for Thou wast slain, and didst purchase for God with Thy blood [men] from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. And Thou hast made them [to be] a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth."'

6. Incense associated with authority in prayer/intercessions/praise/worship:

It is the incense which Christ adds to our own that gives them authority, makes them powerful, effective.

Rev 8:1 "And when He broke 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 seven trumpets were given to them. And another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, that he might add it to 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, went up before God out of the angel's hand. And the angel took the censer; and he filled it with the fire of the altar and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake."