The Ingredients Of Incense - Worship

This is a little study on the ingredients that made up the incense in Moses' Tabernacle - these ingredients represent the way we draw worship out of every area of our lives.

In Ex. 30:7–8 we see that one of the jobs of the priests in Moses’ Tabernacle was to burn incense morning and evening – The incense represents our prayer and worship ministry before the Lord. There is no set time for our prayer and worship; we are able to minister to the Lord from morning to evening, and from evening to morning. Incense provided a pleasing fragrance throughout the whole tabernacle that was permeated with the smell of animal slaughter and blood sacrifice. As the incense burned, it was the fire that brought out the fragrance of each of the spices. So, too, in our lives, it is the fire and trials of life itself that brings out the sweet fragrance of Christ in us. The same fire that consumes the sacrifice also brings out the fragrance of the incense. Let us not fear the fires of God.

Ex. 30:34-38

And the LORD said to Moses: “Take sweet spices,

stacte and onycha and galbanum, and pure frankincense

with these sweet spices; there shall be equal amounts of each.

“You shall make of these an incense, a compound

according to the art of the perfumer, salted, pure, and holy.

“And you shall beat some of it very fine,

and put some of it before the Testimony in the tabernacle of meeting

where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you.

“But as for the incense which you shall make,

you shall not make any for yourselves,

according to its composition. It shall be to you holy for the LORD.

“Whoever makes any like it, to smell it, he shall be cut off from his people.”

As we can see from this verse, the incense was made of ordinary things from everyday life. This represents the seemingly mundane and difficult things from everyday life that forms the foundations of worship and prayer in us. We have treasures inside of us that lead us to His glory

2Cor. 4:6-7

For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness,

who has shone in our hearts

to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God

in the face of Jesus Christ.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels

that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

—the incense was made up of equal amounts of these sweet spices – these ingredients represent the worship that forms in every circumstance and in every corner of our hearts and lives:

Stacte—A kind of fragrant gum from the storax tree. Rabbis identified stacte as the “balm of Gilead.” Stacte is a form of very pure myrrh, which flows spontaneously from the tree once a stalk from the tree has been pierced, broken and crushed. Myrrh is the fragrance that represents suffering. Jesus is our “Balm of Gilead,” our Great Physician who heals every physical, moral and spiritual suffering or flaw in man. Stacte comes from breaking. Brokenness is the first foundation in our lives as we prepare for worship ministry. Worship in the midst of every suffering, and every confrontation with sin and brokenness in your life.

Stacte means Preparation, as it comes from the way we prepare our lives for worship – to help us touch others like Him

Onycha—The sweet-smelling part of a shellfish (Purpura) that has a strong odor when burned. Onycha has to be harvested from the depths of the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. We need to allow the Lord to have access to the deepest places of our hearts. Allow Him to plumb the depths of who you are — only then can there be life. Onycha increases the fragrance of other perfumes. This word comes from a root Hebrew word, meaning, “to roar,” or “Lion.” Out of our depths comes a roar. Deep calls to deep. Worship from the depths of your heart and life.

Onycha means Process, as it comes from the process of allowing the Lord more and more access to our hearts – to help us sound like Him

Galbanum—means – “to be fat,” and it represents the fact that we are to give our very best to the Lord. This is a disagreeable smelling spice that comes from the umbelliferous plant. When any part of the plant is broken a cream colored juice flows out. It was included in the composition of frankincense to teach that it is our duty to allow sinners in our midst and in our prayers. When burned, galbanum brings out and prolongs the scent of other spices. Galbanum is finely crushed—this brings consistency to the fragrance. It is prepared in fire, which causes it to last. This scent was used to drive away insects. My prayer is that the smell of God’s presence on our lives will drive away the devil!

Galbanum means Priority, as it comes from making His presence our first priority – to help us smell like Him

Pure Frankincense—The frankincense tree is bruised three times in order to cause all the resin to be released. The first and second bruisings yield a lower quality resin. The third, however, yields a resin of very high quality. A spike was driven into the tree to collect the frankincense – it represents His presence. Jesus was wounded and bruised for us so that this fragrance would be found in us. As frankincense burns, it creates a clear white smoke, and creates light – speaking of holiness in the Believer. This is a precious perfume that is mentioned 17 times in scripture. (Song 4:6; Jn. 19:39).

The Lord is not the author of suffering in our lives, yet He uses suffering to “bruise” us and draw worship from us. This frankincense speaks of the pure faith that comes from our correct responses to suffering

V 36 states that some of the incense was to be “beaten very small.” This is a picture of our Redeemer—as it pleased the Lord to bruise Him when He offered Himself as a sacrifice of a sweet smelling savor (Is. 53:10).

Frankincense means Presence. It is through living lives of righteousness that we have access to His presence – to help us see like Him

Salt—The first four ingredients had to be mixed with salt to preserve them from corruption (Mk. 9:50.) Salt speaks of purity. It burns in the wound that is open and gives immunity from disease. Salt gives us thirst for the living God. It helps with the taste. We are to give our nations a fresh taste of Him. Salt was essential in every sacrifice to the Lord. The priest could not enter without this “salt” anointing. The salt burns our affections for the world and the things that keep us away from Him. It takes away our divided heart, and creates in us a forgiving heart, because it heals wounds. The worshiper is a forgiver, and accepts the Word with faith. Salt makes us pure and holy.

Salt is able to affect several 1000 times it own weight. As believers, we should affect the world around us to a great degree.

Salt means Preservation, as the affect of salt in our lives causes is to be long-lasting and determined in our faith and worship – to make us taste like Him

The altar of incense is the only thing that blocked the way between man and the holy of holies – if you don’t bring incense, you will not see the glory.

It was strictly forbidden to produce any anointing oil or incense similar to those found with these ingredients. No counterfeit worship will tolerated by the Lord.

May our worship be like incense