pat loughery

I’m researching (websurfing with a reason :-)) incense as a prayer offering. I found a good resource which begins this way:

The use of incense was a part of the religious rites of ancient cultures and has also had a long history in both Judaism and Christianity. Incense is mentioned frequently in the Hebrew Scriptures and in Luke 1 Zechariah is in the temple at the time of the incense offering. The psalmist expresses the symbolism of incense and prayer: “Let my prayer rise like incense before you; the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.” (Psalm 141:1) The gifts the Magi offered to the Christ Child included gold, frankincense and myrrh. In 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 the knowledge of Christ is compared to a fragrant odor. The vision of heaven in Revelation includes the elders holding bowls of incense, described as the prayers of the saints. (Revelation 5:8)

The clouds of incense represent cleansing and purification, and the sweet smell suggests Christ’s robe of righteousness that covers our sin. Incense is sometimes used to give honor to holy things and holy people, the primary symbols of the liturgy. For example, the gospel book, the altar, the bread and wine, the ministers and the assembly are incensed ans a way of showing their importance in worship. Incense is also used to add a festive accompaniment to processions, adding “holy clouds” and “holy smells” to the air.

That’s from this page by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.

The offering of incense was described in Leviticus 16:12-13; descriptions of incense as an offering or an accompaniment to other offerings are found in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers.(Exodus 30 and Numbers 7 being very detailed starting points).

One of the most dramatic stories in the OT was Korah’s rebellion against Moses’ leadership and Aaron’s priesthood in Numbers 16. Moses ferrets out the accuser by asking that the priests – legitimate and illegitimate – burn fire and incense in their censers and then await the presence of God, who accuses and devours Korah and his descendants (or at least most of them? see authorship in Psalms for many by the Sons of Korah).

1 Kings 11:8 includes the story of some of Solomon’s wives offering sacrifice and burning incense to other gods, and as you read 1-2 Kings and 1-2 Chronicles, you see that pagan altars are often used as incense burning sites. Here’s a repeated refrain from 2 Kings 15:4:

The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.

Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel continue this association in their denouncements against idol worship.

Psalm 141:2 makes the connection to prayer more direct:

May my prayer be set before you like incense;
may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.

In Daniel 2:46, Nebuchadnezzar presents Daniel with an offering and incense as thanksgiving for interpreting the dream of the mixed-media statue.

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Then, in the NT, at the Consummation. Revelation 5:8-9 has this:

He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, 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.

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Incense is (represents?) the prayers of the saints. In Revelation 8:4, incense mingles with the prayers of the saints.

So, interesting things to think about. More to come, certainly.