Fragrance in the Inner Rooms

Today we’re going to start in Exodus 30 where we find two recipes that produced fragrance in the inner rooms of the Tabernacle. One was for the holy incense burning on the golden altar. The other drifted into the holy place with the anointing oil that permeated the clothing of the high priest and his sons.

So let’s start with the four spices on the incense altar. These were stacte (stack-tee), onycha (on-ee-ka), galbanum (gal-bah-num), and pure frankincense.

Say What?

Now, for some of you, these are household words. Your olfactory memory is already producing its effect. The rest of us are going to have to work a bit to imagine what they might have smelled like.

So let’s start with stacte. This spice probably came from a styrax plant–what some of us might recognize as a snowball or snowball bush. Its white spring flowers smell something like orange blossoms.

Scholars differ on the true source of the second spice, but most agree onycha came from the resin of a rock rose. This tough evergreen ground cover has aromatic leaves that add a musky, almost medicinal smell to the incense.

The third ingredient, galbanum, comes from the same plant family as parsley, fennel, or carrots. It exudes a strong green aroma (think crushed pine needles or snapped green peas).

Finally comes frankincense, collected as tears dripping from the slashed bark of the Boswellia tree, it offers an earthy balsamic aroma that is at once soft, sweet, and citrusy.

Only One Place

These were burned together in only one place–atop the golden altar of incense directly in front of the Holy of Holies. Though the smoke of the incense is often associated with prayer, you might say it also represents the presence of God in fragrance form.

Rich, sweet, healing, homey, comforting, calm. It was an aroma found only where God and man had sweet communion.

Once upon a time, only Levitical priests could enjoy the pleasing scent. Today, Jesus has taken Aaron’s place as the great high priest. We have become sons and daughters in the same order of Melchizidek in which he serves, meaning we too have access to the fragrance of his presence whenever we serve at his incense altar.

Think of this, whenever you go to him in prayer. A heady fragrance awaits you there, whether you can physically smell it or not. His balm is there, his sweetness, the welcoming scent of home, the promise of comfort and healing are in the air.

Knowing he prepares this sweet place of welcome to us. Why wouldn’t we then come boldly to his throne of grace.

Mercy and grace? They await us in the smoke.

Want more of the tabernacle? Check out my book, A Place for Me in God’s Tent.

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