In the last chapter we saw that the offering altar has much to do with the incense altar. The altar outside the tabernacle is for the offerings, and the altar inside the tabernacle is for the incense. The blood of the offering altar has to be brought into the tabernacle and sprinkled upon the four corners of the incense altar. This is to bring the effectiveness of Christ’s redemption to the incense altar. If we are going to pray, we must pray upon the redemption of Christ. Without the effectiveness of the redemption of Christ through the power of the blood, our prayer will never be acceptable. Our prayer must be based upon the redeeming blood shed by Christ on the cross. The redemption of Christ has much to do with our prayers. Without the redeeming blood, none of our prayers will be accepted by God.
We have also seen that the incense must be burned with the fire that was taken from the offering altar. The fire used to burn the incense must be the fire that comes down from heaven to burn the offerings. Otherwise, we will burn the incense with strange fire. So again we can see that the offering altar has much to do with the incense altar.
The priests who went in to burn the incense were the ones who offered the sacrifices on the offering altar. By offering the sacrifices, they simply enjoyed all the offerings as their food. The offerings became their food. This typifies Christ as our food. We must feed on Him and learn to enjoy Him. Then, when we come into the tabernacle to burn the incense, the incense is also Christ. The offerings are Christ, and the incense is Christ. The offerings are for our food, and the incense is for God’s enjoyment. This means that the offerings are for our enjoyment, and the incense is for God’s enjoyment and satisfaction. When we are filled with Christ as our enjoyment, we offer the very Christ who is our satisfaction and enjoyment to God as His satisfaction and enjoyment. This is the incense. Christ at the offering altar is our offering, and the same Christ at the incense altar is God’s incense.
If we are not satisfied and filled with Christ as our enjoyment, how can we offer Christ to God as His enjoyment? First of all, we must be filled with Christ. Then we will have something of Christ to bring to God in our prayer, that is, to express something of Christ from within to God as the ascending sweet savor for His enjoyment and satisfaction.
Therefore, to burn the incense we need the redeeming blood, the offering fire, and the enjoyment of the offering. We need the blood, the fire, and Christ as our enjoyment. Then we can burn the incense by praying through the blood, through the cross, and with Christ as our satisfaction. Out from Christ we will have something sweet and fragrant to offer to God as a sweet savor. This is the incense as our prayer to God. This prayer is pleasing and acceptable to God because it is by the redeeming blood, the consuming cross, and the satisfying Christ.
Now we must see that the lampstand also has something to do with the burning of the incense. Not only the altar, but also the lighting of the lamp is connected with burning the incense. We have seen in the above Scriptures that whenever the priests burned the incense they lit the lamp, and whenever they lit the lamp they burned the incense. This means that whenever we read the Word (light the lamp), we must pray (burn the incense). To burn the incense is to pray, and to light the lamp is to deal with the Word. God’s Word is the light, so whenever we deal with this Word, we light the lamp. Reading and praying must be one thing. They must be mingled together as one. When the priests light the lamp, they must also burn the incense.
Without lighting the lamp, the priests will burn the incense in darkness. This means that without reading the Word, we pray in darkness, in a foolish way. Because we do not have the light, we are in darkness. Without the light of the lamp, there is no enlightenment. This shows us that whenever we are going to pray, we must first deal with the Word of God. When we read the Bible, we light the lamp and are in the light. Then we know how to pray. Otherwise, whatever we pray will be in darkness.
Many times we pray in a natural way according to our concept because we have not been enlightened by the Word. This kind of prayer will not be accepted as an offering to God. When we come to contact the Lord, we must be fearful and trembling. We know that our sins have been washed away, but if we do not first deal with the Word to receive the light, we may pray in a natural way according to our disposition. This kind of prayer is an offense to the Lord. It will not be a sweet savor to Him. So before we pray we must read the Word to be enlightened. We must light the lamp.