Author: Z. Alan Bridges

“Pure Worship”

altar of incenseIn the book of Exodus, Scripture tells us of the specific ingredients for the incense that was to continually burn upon the golden altar, in the Holy Place of Moses’ tabernacle. As this incense burned, its fragrant aroma and mystical smoke wafted through the final veil, into the very presence of God. As students of the Bible, we know this incense to be clearly symbolic of the prayer and worship of the saints (Rev. 5:8; 8:3-4; Ps. 141:2).

We know this incense to be symbolic. That much is clear. But do we realize the certain composition that this incense possesses? It was very specific. And not only that, it was to be pure:

“And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight: And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy: And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy” (Ex. 30:34-36).

In a day and age when worship is often anything but pure, may we ever more cling to the Word of God, our only perfect guide for any and all approach to God. It was only pure incense that would ever make it’s way into the Most Holy Place, and likewise, it is only pure worship that will ever usher the believer into the place of communion, the Most Holy Place. Many may be wondering why they  struggle to find God’s presence. Why do some saints seem to sweat as they strive to enter into God’s glory? Could it be due to the state of our incense? Could it be that our offering is impure? I believe so. Men are mistaking if they assume they can but waltz into the presence of a holy God. Rather, the heart of man must be rightly prepared (Mk. 4:1-20)! The glory of God is carried in upon the shoulders of His priests (1 Chron. 15:15)!

Look what the Lord says about His people when their incense is given over to idols:

“I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols. But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream. Have ye offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel? But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves” (Amos 5:21-26).
What a terrible state! What once was a sweet melody to the ears of God has become nothing more than the noise of thy songs! What was once a pleasant aroma has now become a violent opposition to God’s nostrils: He will no longer smell! How sad! All because of a petty idol. This unfortunate instance was far too repetitious in Scripture, and I fear it is no different in our own day and age (Isa. 1:10-26; Jer. 6:20; Mal. 1:6-11; Matt. 15:8-9; Ex. 33:30-33). What is the smell of your incense? What is the sound of your song? What aroma and melody does your life exude? We ought to ask this question often, for a scent and song of mixture will always stifle the glory of God. We must learn that an unaligned heart and tongue will always keep us from God’s best!
“Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?” (1 Cor. 5:6).

Malachi reassures us that our worship is to remain pure and free from mixture! “For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts” (Mal. 1:11).

Truly, God is looking for those whose worship flows from a contrite and “collapsed” heart (Ps. 51:16-17; Hos. 6:6; Mic. 6:6-8). All the more reason to let the fire of God purify us (Heb. 12:8-11; Mal. 3:2-4)! It will make our offering ever-purer.

As aforementioned, the certain ingredients of the incense are an important detail too. As we examine each one, we will learn a valuable lesson in proper worship (Jn. 4:23-24).

Not surprisingly, each ingredient of the incense was either obtained by death, or used for death (burial). These ingredients were stacte, onycha, galbanum, and frankincense. Each component was to be beaten “very small“, thus insisting, once again, upon the utter purification that proper incense was to possess.

Stacte is the purest form of myrrh available. Myrrh is a burial spice. Who can fail to see the significance here? A dying saint is a saint chasing pure worship, while a saint clinging to his carnality will be one with little to offer God (Jn. 3:30; Gal. 4:19).

Onycha is an extract that only emits an odor when thoroughly burned. Once again, we see the burning and purging that must be performed for our odor to be “acceptable“. Jesus’ scent was made perfect by His suffering, and ours will be as well (Heb. 5:8-9).

Galbanum is a gum that, when added, makes the incense last longer. Galbanum is only obtained by breaking and stripping the stalks of its plant. In other words, this plant’s stalk, like the believer, must first be broken down before any good and aromatic use can come of it. How interesting that the stripping away of this gum made the incense most-perpetual and thereby ready at a moment’s notice. Reader, our spiritual aromas will likewise be most-frequent as we seek to strip our worship of its flesh.

Lastly, frankincense is a bitter vegetable resin. To obtain this resin, one must extract it from the core of its tree, thoroughly cutting away the bark. Then, and only then, would the pure frankincense come forth. The similitude is quite obvious. Do we think it a coincidence that these four ingredients that composed the incense are all obtained in a manner of death and dying, burning and cutting? The incense could only properly be offered as these deadly events took place. Similarly, the believer can only offer his or her own best fragrance when utter death-to-self is involved. A saint who oft finds himself within the Most Holy Place will be a saint who is no longer carnally significant! The aroma of his life will have been altered. Oh what sweet fruit this must be to King Jesus!

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).

As is clear from the above reference to Galatians, the apostle Paul was a remarkable example of this truth. He was a man who made Zion his very home. He was so enraptured by God’s glory that he didn’t even know whether he was in or out of the body (2 Cor. 12:3)! He even said that he had the choice to stay or to go! And do we think it’s a coincidence that this was the very same man who died “daily” (1 Cor. 15:31)? Of course not, this can be no mere accident. The purity of one’s worship is directly related to the measure of escape upon Zion that is realized, and the holiness of one’s own personal fragrance is directly related to the glory to be walked in upon the earth! God desires pure incense upon the altar of my heart. Not just for His sake, but for my sake too.

For me personally, such a truth as this helps me better understand God’s longing, and better endure His furnace (Mal. 3:2-4). I know that real purity is slowly being assimilated into my carnal being, and the reward will justify the journey. One day, my offering will be purer than pure and whiter than snow. Jesus will be quite pleased, for real and lasting fruit will have been grown. Amen.

No comments:

“Come Into My Garden!”

lily“I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved” (Song. 5:1).

Many believers are ignorant of, or aloof towards, the idea that we are the garden of the Lord. Yes, you and I are His vineyard – the very place where His fruit is born, cultivated, pruned and matured (Isa. 5:1). We are God’s vintage: separated, enclosed, and protected from the world. But what can this mean? What more can be said?

As with countless other topics in Scripture, the Bible uses the term “garden” quite metaphorically. In other words, the many natural truths related to natural gardens are to be seen elevated upon a higher and more spiritual plane when concerning the modern-day saint. The natural significance teaches us of the spiritual significance, if any, and the earthly nature acts as a pattern for the spiritual nature to mimic, albeit spiritually (1 Cor. 15:46-47). This is why Scripture tells us that truth written “aforetime” was written “for our learning” at present (Rom. 15:4)… Because it serves as a pattern for today, and it guides us toward the more-so-intended New Covenant reality (Heb. 7:19; 8:6; 10:19-20; 11:40; Jn. 1:17; Rom. 8:3). It gives us an “ensample” of the modern spiritual application (1 Cor. 10:11). As such, the Bible’s use of this word “garden” sheds great light upon God’s present intention for the human heart. The Garden of Eden sets the stage: it was the place of great fellowship and communion (Gen. 3:9). Eden was where our Lord walked with mankind, even “in the cool of the day” (Gen. 3:9). Such natural gardens are beautiful and fragrant, and thus the garden of the heart should be likewise… Earthen gardens are meant to be thoroughly enjoyed and reveled in by the husbandman, and thus my heart’s garden should be as well: it should be ever-pleasing to the caretaker, and bear much fruit for He that has planted (Jn. 15:1, 16). Throughout the Bible, “gardens” are used to teach of the communion Jesus longs to have with His own (Song. 2:16; 6:3; 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19; 2 Cor. 13:14; Eph. 2:18-22; 5:18-19; 1 Jn. 1:3; 3:24; Phil. 2:1; Jn. 4:10-14; 14:15-17; Rom. 8:14-17; ).. “Gardens” are also used to tell of the great measure of fruit that God wants to bring forth from within the human heart (Jer. 2:21; Matt. 3:10; 12:33; 15:13; 21:19, 33; Lk. 13:7-9; Heb. 6:7-8; Gal. 5:22-24; Phil. 1:11; Col. 1:10; Eph. 5:9; Rom. 6:22; 7:4; Ps. 1:1-3; 92:14; Jn. 15:16).

As you can tell, there is much that can be said regarding such a grand and glorious truth. For now, we will make but a few observations…

(1) Jesus longs to reside within our heart’s garden… Simply said, a garden is designed to be a place well-visited and most-delighted in. We shouldn’t be content to have a mere dwelling for God to occasionally house, but rather, let us seek to be a dwelling that is pleasing to Him – an abiding abode – one that He never wants to leave (Jn. 14:21-23; 2 Tim. 4:22)! In the Song of Solomon, we see such a truth unfold. The Shulamite asks God to come, and He quickly answers, “I am come into my garden, My sister, My spouse” (Song. 4:16; 5:1). I believe this to be such a speedily-answered prayer simply because our God so-longs to dwell and reside in the garden of the human heart! The bride cries “come“, and He comes right away! Reader, He is anxious to come; He is waiting to be welcomed! To Jesus, there must be no greater place to reside; there must be no greater longing pulsating through the Divine Heart, for His own holy blood is the title-deed which has purchased your garden plot: it is paid in full! Now, our Lord’s garden is to be the place of perpetual communion, even that “bed of spices” (Song. 6:2) which so-lovingly flows from our hearts to His! What a habitation! What a choice place! God has chosen such a people “unto Himself“, so why wouldn’t He want to abide and reside there (Ps. 135:4; Isa. 43:21; Eph. 1:18)?

“He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me… and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (Jn. 14:21-23).

“He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him” (Jn. 6:56).

Jesus longs to reside in your heart’s garden! Will we grant Him true-entrance? And will He enjoy what’s been grown? Or will leave Him outside knocking (Rev. 3:20; Lk. 12:36; Song. 5:2-4)?

(2) Jesus longs to feed there… A residence would be entirely-incomplete if there were not also a feasting! Not only does the Lord long to reside and dwell with you, in the garden of your heart, but He also longs to feed upon the gracious goodnesses which He has brought forth: “Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits” (Song. 4:16). Friends, there is no greater house guest than the Lord of Hosts! There is no greater reason to allow God’s fiery pruning than to possess real and pleasant fruits for Him when He comes looking (Ps. 1:1-3; 72:16; etc).

“Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing” (Ps. 92:13-14).

Remember the barren bush (Matt. 21:19)? Jesus cursed it because it had no fruit, but leaves only (Jude 12)! Remember the fruitless vineyard (Isa. 5:1-2)? It brought forth mere “wild grapes“. Friends, God is looking for real substance! He is searching for diligent, genuine hearts! And why? Because He wants to feed upon much fruit: “My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies” (Song. 2:16). Jesus longs to drink from your well-watered garden “whose waters fail not” (Isa. 58:10-11). Will we be those who offer Him a sweet and substantial drink today? Or will we offer Him mere tainted wine (Prov. 4:17; Isa. 1:22; Hos. 4:18)? Truly, God wants to feed. And how do we suppose Jesus finds such ripe fruit to feed upon? How is such real and plentiful fruit to be cultivated and ripened in the hearts of God’s people? Reader, it’s only by His pruning! A garden left untended will quickly become a wild, weedy and worthless wasteland – having nothing to offer! But a garden carefully tended to by the counsel of Scripture will be one in which the Master will most-always find fruitful delight!

“Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby” (Heb. 12:11).

There are no shortcuts, and there are no detours. To repeatedly strive towards such shortcuts is to be found fruitless in the end: it is to make your substance bitter upon Divine taste-buds! A vineyard must first be well-pruned before any real and lasting fruit can be gathered and eaten by the Husbandman (Lev. 25:3). Jesus said, “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit” (Jn. 15:2).

(3) Jesus longs to share His fruit.. Men are mistaking if they assume the fruit wrought in them is for them and them alone. Of course, it benefits the garden, no doubt, but it also is to meet the hunger of the nations! Of course God has the chiefest place – He is the very foundation of all that is birthed, and He is the Chief recipient too, “for the Lord’s portion is His people” (Deut. 32:9). However, what God does in you, He would also like to do through you. He’s turning your desert into a garden, your wilderness into Eden, and all for good reason (Isa. 51:3). What He picks as choice fruit is to likewise be spread throughout the whole earth: Of this fruit, He says “eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly…” (Song. 5:1). What a marvelous thought to ponder! God wants you to become fruit for the nations to partake of – not only fruit for God Himself, but fruit for His many friends! “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples” (Jn. 15:8). The earth is waiting to see such a fruitful people, budding as King Jesus, possessing His scent (Ps. 45:8), displaying His character (Gal. 4:19), revealing His image (2 Cor. 3:18), and bearing His fruitfulness:

“For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations” (Isa. 61:1).

“Oh to be the garden of God – there’s no greater honor, and no greater cause. I’m watered and pruned with God’s holy fire – the idols torn down, the filth and the mire. Planted with goodness, seeded with promise – my fruitfulness budding, my scent by His furnace. My visage is different, there’s coming an end – fruit for my Master, and fruit for His friends! Oh to be the garden of God – there’s no greater honor, and no greater cause!”