PRAYER IN THE HOLY PLACE
[p. 119] PRAYER IN THE HOLY PLACE
In the blessing of Levi, the priestly tribe, in Deuteronomy 33, the first thing said of their service Godward is, “They shall put incense before thy nostrils”. It is a great thought with God to have incense offered unto His name. What is said in Malachi 1: 11 is anticipated in the assembly; indeed, “every place” is a distinct reminder that Gods assembly in which His name is great has taken the form of local assemblies. Things are not now centralised in Jerusalem, or any other place, but centralised in the Spirit, because the one holy anointing is upon the saints universally. In the types of the tabernacle the altar of incense came last as regards the vessels of service Godward, and the incense itself came last of all. This gives a great sense of its importance.
That the incense refers to prayer is manifest in Psalm 141. But prayer in the holy place takes a distinctive character. It is not the same as private or even household prayer, though both these may rise up to it in spiritual persons. I believe that in the recorded prayers of Paul we see examples of prayers that were truly incense, and which are indicative of the line on which assembly prayers may be suitably fashioned, just as in his doxologies and ascriptions of praise we have an indication of the true character of assembly worship, both the prayers and the worship being by the Spirit of God.
Paul’s prayer in 2 Thessalonians 1: 11, 12 has the saints in view in the light of the kingdom of God. God had called them to His own kingdom and glory, and the great concern of Paul was that they should walk worthy of God who had thus called them. His continual prayer was to this end. It will be noticed that in none of Paul’s prayers does he mention any defect in the saints. He might have to speak to them of defects, but when he prays he is at the golden altar, and he has nothing in his censer but fragrant drugs — a perfume after the work of the perfumer, salted, pure, holy. Think of the fragrance of this prayer for the Thessalonians! It covers all that would be delightful to God in saints viewed as in His kingdom. What a holy service it is to bring the saints before God according to His thoughts for them! What delight to God to have a priest who can bring this incense continually before Him “a continual incense throughout your generations”! The saints worthy of the kingdom of God, so that it is adorned [p. 120] by them! All the good pleasure of Gods goodness fulfilled in His saints, and the work of faith with power, so that the name of the Lord Jesus may be glorified in them, and they glorified in Him! And all brought about according to the grace of our God, and of the Lord Jesus Christ! How delightful to God when such prayers come before Him!
It is something to be always prayed for, that our God may count us worthy of the calling. He is forming an estimate of each one of us who has believed the testimony of the glad tidings as to what kind of material there is in us to adorn His kingdom. If there is a true desire with us that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in us, God will account us worthy of the calling. He is minded to fulfil all the good pleasure of His goodness in us and the work of faith with power. All that is pleasing to Him will be worked out in detail. That is what our practical life in responsibility is to be made up of. In result the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in us, and we shall be glorified in Him. The saints are glorified in Him morally by being clear of all that has the character of dishonour. Glory and dishonour are contrasted in 1 Corinthians 15: 43. The saints as glorified in Him will be vessels to honour. 1 Corinthians 12: 26 speaks of a member being glorified; each member that functions normally in the body of Christ is glorified in Him. How we should all long for thus to be accomplished in us! It would all come into Paul’s prayer for us, and his prayer is a spiritual pattern for our prayers.
In the prayers in Colossians we see Paul concerned that the brethren in Christ should move on into the full knowledge of Gods will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding (Colossians 1: 9, 10; 2: 1, 2). They needed to know that there was more in God’s will than they had apprehended. They needed fortifying against certain pretentious influences which were about — philosophy, human religiousness, the workings of the human mind or of human sentiment. Being filled with the full knowledge of God’s will would enable them to resist all these influences. We need to know the greatness of Christ personally, His pre-eminence, His glorious place as Head of the body the assembly, the completeness of the saints in Him, so that we can accept as privilege the putting off the body of the flesh, and burial with Christ. As dead with Christ and risen with Him we get outside the range of philosophy [p. 121] and fleshly religiousness, and we can seek the things above and have our minds on them. These are God’s wondrous thoughts, and He is served in a priestly way as they are brought before Him in prayer. Paul had served in the holy place in this priestly way before he served in ministering to the Colossians by writing this epistle. He would have them brought into the full knowledge of the mystery of God; that is the mystery in its widest sense as taking in all things on the earth and in the heavens as reconciled, and Christ Head of all principality and authority. What fragrance have all these great matters to God when they are brought to Him in prayer at the golden altar!
Then in Ephesians 1:15-20 Paul has his censer filled with incense again. And the assembly as anointed is intended to sustain this service at the golden altar. The hope of His calling is all that His eternal purpose has in view — answering to the land as God’s inheritance — all that He will possess and enjoy by putting His saints in possession of it in glorified conditions. The prayer is to “the Father of glory”. But the great burden of it is the power of God. It is of great importance that we should know that the power that wrought in Christ is towards us who believe. The power that took Christ out from among the dead is towards all who believe. It is a working which leaves God untrammelled as to what He will do. He can quicken us to live with Christ, He can raise us up together, He can take us as high as He pleases, He can make us sit down together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. And all that His power effects in relation to us is a matter of grace and gift.
In Ephesians 3:14-21 Paul prays to the Father that the saints might be inwardly strengthened so that Christ might dwell in their hearts through faith. It is clearly a prayer for something to be brought to pass now. The apostle had a trying time those three years at Ephesus — three years night and day admonishing with tears. But he got it all out, so that, if any of them died without getting the good of the whole counsel of God, Paul was clean from their blood. And we should remember that the labours, the tears, the prayers of Paul bring us all under responsibility. He has offered much incense for us at the golden altar. He was not only an apostle for the Ephesians, but a priest also, and he served us also in this priestly way, as we may learn from Colossians 2: 1. But this priestly service was never intended to stop with Paul;
it was to be a “continual incense”. It is one special form which the service of God takes. And it is to be noted that it goes along with the dressing of the lamps and the lighting of them (Exodus 30: 7, 8), showing the intimate connection between the service of the altar and the maintenance of spiritual light in the holy place. I feel convinced that the ministry will correspond with the prayers of the brethren, and it cannot be sustained if the service of the altar is neglected.