The Altar of Incense and Census

You shall make an altar on which to burn incense; you shall make it of acacia wood. A cubit shall be its length, and a cubit its breadth. It shall be square, and two cubits shall be its height. Its horns shall be of one piece with it. You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and around its sides and its horns. And you shall make a molding of gold around it. And you shall make two golden rings for it. Under its molding on two opposite sides of it you shall make them, and they shall be holders for poles with which to carry it. You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. (Exodus 30: 1 to 5)

God said to Moses to prepare an altar to burn incense for the tabernacle. It's small and simple, yet God commanded Moses to put it in a significant place and care for it day and night throughout their generations as below.

And you shall put it in front of the veil that is above the ark of the testimony, in front of the mercy seat that is above the testimony, where I will meet with you. And Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it. Every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall burn it, and when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it, a regular incense offering before the Lord throughout your generations. You shall not offer unauthorized incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering, and you shall not pour a drink offering on it. Aaron shall make atonement on its horns once a year. With the blood of the sin offering of atonement he shall make atonement for it once in the year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord. (Exodus 30: 6 to 10)

Not only is it in front of the veil above the ark, but Aaron should also make the blood of the sin offering of atonement on it once in the year throughout their generations. In Revelation, the incense symbolizes the prayers of the saints and God's judgment as described below.

And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake. (Revelation 8: 3 to 5)

Apostle Paul also elaborated the judgement as below.

Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! (First Corinthians 6: 2 3)

Yet only the authorized incense could be burned on the altar. So, how could we pray as the authorized incense? In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught the us how to pray as below.

Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6: 9 10)

As long as what we prayed afterward won't be a contradiction to this pre-statement then the prayer will not only be authorized but also be fulfilled as described by Jesus below.

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6: 31 to 33)

To complete the atonement, God said to Moses to take a census and collect the money as below too.

Everyone who is numbered in the census, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the Lord's offering. The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when you give the Lord's offering to make atonement for your lives. You shall take the atonement money from the people of Israel and shall give it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may bring the people of Israel to remembrance before the Lord, so as to make atonement for your lives. (Exodus 30: 14 to 16)

So, the offering was not for God but to remind Israelites of the sins they inherited. This is also true for those who are saved by grace. Yet the ransom for their sins has been paid as below.  

knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. (First Peter 1: 18 to 20)

So, we could pray to God and praise Him through Jesus without worrying about atonement like Israelites. Immanuel.

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