The Vision of the Tabernacle |
Knowing God in Christ |
The incense that was used in the tabernacle was made of three spices: stacte, onycha and galbanum, which were added to pure frankincense. The fragrant incense that resulted from this was seasoned with salt (Exo. 30:34-38). The three spices symbolize the death of Christ and the pure incense symbolizes His resurrection. Salt had to be added to this mixture, which also represents Christ. Because He is the salt, we Christians can be the salt of the earth (Matt. 5:13).
The reference to salt is very significant. The offerings could not be presented with honey, but rather with salt. Honey can ferment, making it possible for fungi to grow, whereas salt is a preservative that kills germs. Salt, not honey, must be the characteristic of our relationship with the saints (Col. 4:6). We can say that honey represents our natural relationships, our friendships that are only based on our fallen emotions. This is a perfect environment for the growth of the fungi of sin, rebellion, gossip, criticism and fornication. Very close relationships, “cliques,” are usually based on natural emotions that are inconsistent and dangerous because they lead us to sin and bring damage to the church.
We need salt; we need to add a little salt to our conversations, friendships and other relationships. If we mean business with the Lord to know Him intimately, we will see that honey, our natural sympathy, our ability to captivate people, is of no value. We always need salt. By means of the salt we will be able to manifest the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ.
When the incense was ready, it was probably presented in the form of a bar or as coarse granules. Then part of it remained in this form while the rest was reduced to powder. Both forms represent two different ways of knowing Christ.
We can say that the incense in granules represents a common, superficial knowledge of Christ, a coarser knowledge with no refinement. This is the knowledge of Christians who do not spend much time to fellowship with the Lord or read the Bible, or who, when they do it, do it in a loose way by using their mind more than their spirit. We cannot say that whoever acts in this way does not know the Lord. However, this knowledge is objective and formal and does not result in life or transformation.
There is also the knowledge of Christ that is represented by the beaten incense. Beating implies work, labor, time spent. To know Christ in this way is the result of exercising the spirit, seeking fellowship with the Lord all the time and in all situations. It is the result of reading the Bible, not to acquire knowledge but to contact the living Christ contained in it and to receive spirit and life from it (John 6:63). Objectively, Christ was reduced to powder during the time He lived as a man (Isa. 53:5) because all of His living was characterized by suffering and struggling. But subjectively, in our experience, we need to know Christ as beaten incense, knowing Him in a deep way.
What is the beaten incense for? It had to be placed before the ark and it served to release a fragrance (Exo. 30:36-38). The more it was beaten, the more perfume it released. In this way, Moses or the high priest after being in the Holy of Holies came out filled with the aroma of the incense. This is to exhale the savor of the knowledge of Christ! The more time we spend in the spirit in the Holy of Holies in fellowship face-to-face with Christ, the more time we remain laboring in the word in order to receive spirit and life, the more we will know Christ, not doctrinally, but in a living way and will give off this aroma.
In order to enter the Holy of Holies, the high priest had to take the coals from the altar and put them in the censor along with handfuls of finely ground sweet incense. When he entered the veil, he put the incense on the coals. This caused a cloud of aromatic incense to rise up and cover the expiation cover and thus he would not die (Lev. 16:12-13). The incense represents Christ. This figure indicates that in order for us to draw near to God, we need to do it through Christ and with Christ. No one can draw near to God by himself based on his own righteousness or merits or he will surely die. But when the cloud of sweet-smelling incense rose up before God, He was satisfied with it and accepted that man in His presence.
In the Holy of Holies there was glory and a sweet-smelling fragrance. On one hand, we have the light of God’s glory shining upon us and the more we behold Him, the more we reflect Him, the more we are transformed and filled with glory. On the other hand, we have the fragrance. By remaining day and night in the Holy of Holies, continually receiving the light of glory, we give off more and more of the sweet-smelling fragrance, the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ. If we remain there, we will be fully saturated and permeated with this fragrance. We are those who have accepted following the General, joyfully bearing the censor, manifesting to all the savor of life unto life.
In order for the ministers of the new covenant to be genuine followers of the Lord in His triumphal procession, they must be filled with fragrance and scatter it in every place. If we want to be ministers of the new covenant, our heart must always be turned to behold the Lord’s face. We must be intimate with Him, we must be like mirrors of gold that behold and reflect the very Lord Jesus. In this way we will be transformed from glory to glory into His own image.
We need to know Christ more. We have Him now in our spirit, but we cannot be content with this. There is much more of Christ to know and experience. Since we have received Him, we can now look at the Lord’s face so that the light in it may shine into us in order for us to know Him and for us to scatter more of the savor of this knowledge. If we are Christians who are like this, when we contact others they will be attracted and also follow in the triumphal procession with us.
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