Sweet smell

I ocassionally love to burn incense sticks and nowadays you get some really stunning scents. The one I'm burning now is strawberry scented and really special. The golden altar of incense sat in front of the curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. It was smaller than the brazen altar, but also made from acacia wood and overlaid in pure gold.

The special incense was made from four special spices; stacte, onycha, galbanum and frankincense, and was lit in the morning and evening and left to burn throughout the day and night as a sweet smelling aroma to the Lord.

The incense was a symbol of the prayers and intercession of the people going up to God. God wanted His dwelling to be a place where people could approach Him and pray to Him. The golden altar, furthermore, is a representation of Christ, who is our intercessor before God the Father. Since we have been forgiven of our sins through the blood of Christ, we also come boldly in prayer in Jesus’ name.

In the same manner we can enter into worship because of Christs sacrifice. When we worship God from a place of forgiveness our worship becomes living incense before God's throne.