Where do we see humanity signified by the ingredients of the incense? Humanity is indicated by the number four implied in verse 34. Here we have three spices and pure frankincense, a total of four items. We have seen that in the Bible the number four signifies the creature, humanity in particular. Therefore, the four items used for the composition of the incense signify humanity.
With the incense we can also see the resurrection of Christ. With the ointment Christ’s resurrection is signified by the calamus and the cassia. But with the incense His resurrection is signified by frankincense. Hence, with both the ointment and the incense we have Christ’s death and resurrection.
With the ointment and incense we see the Triune God, divinity, humanity, and Christ’s death and resurrection. In both we see divinity mingled with humanity. In both we see the Triune God in man passing through death and coming forth in resurrection. In both we have the numbers three and four signifying divinity and humanity. With the incense the three spices signify Christ’s death for generating and redeeming, and the frankincense signifies His resurrection. This means that with the incense we have a picture of the wonderful Person of Christ. The incense is nothing less than Christ Himself with all the process through which He has passed and with all He has accomplished.
With the composition of both the anointing oil and the incense the principle is nearly the same. However, the anointing oil is for God’s coming to us, and the incense is for our going to God. In the anointing we have the Trinity, divinity, humanity, and the death and resurrection of Christ. In the incense we also have the Trinity, divinity, humanity, and Christ’s death and resurrection.
Eventually, in both the anointing oil and the incense we have the number five. With the ointment, the four spices are blended with olive oil to give us the number five. But with the incense four elements, the three spices and the frankincense, are tempered with salt to give the number five. With the ointment the tempering element is oil, but with the incense the tempering element is salt. This means that God’s coming to us is a matter of our being oiled, but our going to God is a matter of our being salted.
Why is it that when God comes to us there is an abundance of oil, but no salt? The reason is that with God there is nothing unclean. He comes to us from a pure source. However, our source is full of uncleanness. Therefore, our going to God requires salt in place of oil. Salt is a substance that is pure even though it is found in an unclean place. Salt is one of the most pure substances on earth. The tempering of the four elements of the incense with salt indicates that our prayer needs to be thoroughly salted so that all the “germs” may be killed and we may be purified. The salting element is also the element that tempers our prayer. Thank the Lord that He does not come to us with salt. It would be most unpleasant if He came to us with a large quantity of salt instead of an abundance of oil. But praise Him that when we go to God we are salted, seasoned, tempered!
In today’s church life we all need to be salted. Otherwise, there will be friction and controversy among us. The elders in particular need to be salted. Anyone who serves as an elder should expect to be salted. To be an elder is to be like fresh fish placed into a pot of salt. The eldership can be compared to a pot of salt. Be assured, elders, that the eldership will cause you to be salted.
Recently, in Anaheim we had a conference for the Chinese-speaking saints. I noticed that as the serving ones were preparing for this conference, they needed to be salted. If you were to ask some of the leading ones among them concerning this, they would say definitely that as they served together they needed to be salted. We need to be salted, for without the salt we cannot have fragrant incense ascending to God.
Many of us can testify that we need to be salted also in our married life. If you have not been married, you may be like a piece of fresh fish. But after you are married, you will begin to be salted immediately, perhaps even on your honeymoon. It is a very positive matter to be salted. If fish is not salted, it will give off a foul odor after a few days. But salted fish retains its flavor for a long time. Likewise, being salted in your married life will cause you to maintain your flavor in a positive way. Brothers, do you want to be pleasant husbands? If so, you need to be salted. Sisters, do you want to be pleasant wives, or offensive ones? Those who are offensive have not been salted. If you want to be a pleasant wife, you need to be salted. If a sister is salted over a period of years in her married life, she will become very pleasant.
We all need to be salted. We cannot go to God without salt. The salt with which we are salted is the salt of God’s everlasting covenant. More than once the Old Testament speaks of remembering the salt of the Lord’s covenant (Lev. 2:13; Num. 18:19). The salt used in tempering the incense is related to the salt of God’s covenant. The main point here is that if we would experience the Christian life in a finer way, we shall learn that our prayer must be thoroughly salted.