“And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD (YeHoVaH), and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil; And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD (YeHoVaH), that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not.” Lev. 16:12-13. God explains exactly how Aaron and his sons are to make atonement for themselves, their families, the tabernacle, and the people of Israel and then in Lev. 16:29-34, the LORD (YeHoVaH) gives them the purpose for the atonement.

However, in Lev. 16:12, Aaron was to take a censer full of coals from off the altar of fire which was started by the LORD, and was never to go out, (Lev. 6:13) with his hands full of sweet incense beaten fine and enter behind the veil into the ‘Holy of Holies.’ Why? v.13; So, that the cloud of incense would cover the ‘Mercy Seat’ which stood upon the ‘Testimony – The Tablets’ which bore the ‘Ten Commandments’ that he die not. You see the ‘Law’ was never given to save anybody, only to condemn, to show us how lost and ungodly mankind was, Rom. 3:20, “Therefore, by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight; for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” In I Sam. 6:19 when two Israelites lifted the mercy seat of the Ark to look inside after getting it back from the Philistines, God killed them as well as 50,070 additional Jewish people. Why? When they removed the ‘Mercy Seat’ all that remained was the ‘Testimony – The Tablets – The Law – The Condemnation – The Judgement’ of YeHoVaH! That is why Lev. 16:14 is so important, Aaron had to take the blood of the bullock and sprinkle it upon and before the “Mercy Seat” seven times with a finger on his right hand, to make atonement or he would die instantly! He did this that he might obtain mercy as he stood before the almighty presence of YeHoVaH God!

The book of Hebrews is the New Testament book of Leviticus and says much about ‘Mercy’ and the ‘Mercy Seat.’ In fact Heb. 4:16 says, “Let us therefore, come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Grace is getting what we don’t deserve; Mercy on the other hand is not getting what we do deserve; Justice or Judgement then is getting what we do deserve. We need ‘Mercy and Grace’ to help us get through this life not ‘Judgement’ and we find these through the ministry of intercessory prayer. Heb. 7:25 says, “Wherefore, He is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever lives to make intercession for them.” Christ ever lives to make intercessory prayer for us and He is seated at the right hand of the Father next to the Throne right now! The word for ‘Mercy Seat’ in Heb. 9:5 and the word for ‘Propitiation’ in Rom. 3:25 are the exact same Greek word. So by specific Scripture, Christ’s own body became our ‘Mercy Seat’ on Calvary and as His blood sprinkled down upon His body from the nails, thorns, whip, spear, beating and was poured out on the ground at the base of the cross, He made atonement for the sin of the world, the whole (kosmos), I John 2:2.

Therefore, we are to come before Him with our bowls, our censers, our hands filled full of sweet incense, beaten fine, or prayer, Rev. 5:8, “And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of saints.” Rev. 8:3-4, “And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.” Our hands like Aaron’s should be, “full of sweet incense beaten fine,” v.13. The word for full, means to be full to over flowing, how much flour can you hold in your two hands? Try it, ask your spouse to fill your hands to over flowing with flour, make sure you hold them over a bowl so you don’t waste it, and you will get an idea of what Aaron brought into the ‘Holy of Holies.’ Also it was, ‘Sweet Incense’ not just ‘Incense.’ The word for incense, fumigation comes from two words and carries with it the idea of fumigation in a closed place thus driving out all the inhabitants or killing them. My brother-in-law owns a fumigation business and he seals off a room or area and shoots poisonous gas in to fill the room and kill all the insects in that room. Or he will use methyl bromide which takes all the oxygen out of the room and they suffocate, which comes from the ‘Dead Sea’ and does not leave any residue on your fruit or vegetables.

Anyway, Aaron’s hands are full of sweet incense, all he could hold, two hands full and he puts it on the hot coals in the censer and the sweet smoke and aroma filled the ‘Holy of Holies.’ How full are your hands when you come before the LORD’s throne, and are they shaken down, good measure, and over-flowing? How sweet is your incense, not that sweet, just o.k.? How hot is your fire, or has it died down a little over the years? How fine have your prayers been beaten lately, a little lumpy, bumpy, sporadic, hit and miss? Do you want ‘Judgement?’ Then just enter into the throne room with strange fire or no fire like Nadab and Abihu and you will get what you are looking for. Or do want ‘Mercy and Grace?’ Then fill your hands, fill your bowls and fill your vials with fine beaten incense and prayer and put it on those coals, hot off of God’s altar fire and enter into His ‘Holy of Holies’ by the blood of the Lamb of God, who made the way possible for us, Heb. 10:19, “Having therefore brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.” Asthe psalmist says in Ps. 141:2 says, “Let my prayer be set before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.” Our prayers are the sweet incense Ex. 30:34-38, that God desires and deserves today and every day, so let’s begin afresh of filling our bowls for Him. “…Between The Lines…”

“The Prayer For Mercy” – ‘Lev. 16:12-14’  12/21/12