The Necessity of Beaten Incense
(Overcomer Wu)

“Take unto you sweet spices…and you shall make it a perfume…tempered together, pure and holy: and you shall beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with you: it shall be unto you most holy” (Exodus 30:34-36).

In Psalms 141:2 David said, “Let my prayer be set forth before you as incense.” Thus, incense in the Bible typifies prayer. Just as the incense needs to be beaten small in the above Exodus 30 passage; so must the praying Christian be. The more powered the incense is, the greater the cloud of smoke and the intensity of the sweet odor. Thus a praying Christian will count increasingly for the kingdom when he is beaten small. We need to be beaten small in our ambition, self-will, self-efforts, self-promotion, our esteem about achievements and even our spiritual abilities. Unbroken chunks in our self causes acid smoke in God’s nostrils as well as in the nostrils of others! It’s easy for a man to pray when he is a nobody, because prayer is really an admission that “I am nothing I can do nothing, and I have nothing or worth to the Lord”; therefore, I look entirely to Him for my everything. It is then that we truly casts ourselves on the Lord in prayer. Unlike those with big spiritual ego who strut their name and influence around the globe, the true servant of God who is beaten small will glory in his infirmities. His testimony will be that God’s strength is perfected in his weakness.

A Christian who has been beaten small by the dealings of the cross cannot be a stumbling block to another. He is so small no one will trip over him. His continual prayer is that “He must increase but I must decrease” (Jn 3:30). The Song of Songs speaks of the bride as a spice garden (S. of S. 4:12-16). The Word of God speaks of the Lord Jesus’ life as a sweet smelling sacrifice (Eph 5:2). The Lord’s life laid on Calvary is history’s sweetest, most effective altar of incense. His life was the golden censer that held up the atoning incense to the Father’s face (Num 16:46-50). We are also exhorted to be the sweet odor of life to those who are saved (2 Cor 2:14). Our prayers are to be sweet incense (Psa 141:2, Rev. 8:3,4). Supplication of this type of praying saints ascends to the throne. God begins to speak His purpose to an individual or to a nation as He spoke to Aaron through the cloud of incense (Lev 16:2, 12, 13).

Sweet incense like prayer is the sacrifice acceptable to God that would arise from a broken and contrite spirit (Psa 51:17). Offering incense was especially the holy duty of the tribe of Levi (Deut 33:10). Perhaps the most remarkable narrative that includes incense is Aaron with his golden censer standing between the dead and the living in the rebellion of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. In Numbers 16:46,47 it must be noted that the offering of incense was considered an atonement. Thus are we called to intercede and to lay down our life in intercession which death is to be averted. Aaron offered incense in his golden censer. Incense burnt continually upon the golden altar of incense. Incense was mixed with anointing oil, which typified the Spirit, indicating that the Spirit of the Lord both confirms as well as mingled His intercession with our prayers before the Father. The bread of the presence in the holy place was sprinkled with incense indicates that the Word of God is effective only with the unction of prayer (Lev 24:5-7). Indeed , this is why we need to use the very Word of God in which embodies the will of God in our prayers.

The brokenness of our outer man has only one response to all the challenges he meets. He will become as sacrifice of incense upon the altar. This is why God works mightily and shows Himself strong on behalf of such people. The Altar of incense is found in the Holy Place and such a person’s life will be mostly spent in the Holy Place before the Lord. Some examples of such great lives were Watchmand Nee, Madame Guyon, Hudson Taylor, David Brainerd, and Amy Carmichael. Hebrews 11:33-34) was true for them: “…who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.”

Another significant thing to realize is that the incense of praise and prayer can ascend only if the fire is burning. Fire upon either altar cannot go out (Lev 6:13). The Brazen Altar of burnt offering stands for visible ministry, while the golden altar of incense depicts the invisible prayer ministry of the closed closet because it is behind the veil of the Holy place. Many pursue the former to the detriment of the latter. Many seem to prefer the exhibition altar even if lasting fruit is meager. Such are play actors. It is the incense that kept the cloud of the mercy seat and the most holy place. Without the cloud, the rituals will not have divine sanction. The altar of brokenness is erected when I become conscious of the Lord’s might and faithfulness as opposed to my frailty and inability. The prayer altar is a lonely place. There is no one to applaud you. However a true royal priest who offers up the incense of prayer care not for such self-glory but only for God's glory and only for the reward of our Father in Heaven who sees us in secret.