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AGAPE LESSON 15
THE INCESE OF PRAYER
Put together by Bongie Kuzwayo
[Exodus30v34—38] And the lord said to Moses, “Take sweet spices, stacte and onycha and
galbanum, and pure frankincense with these sweet spices; there shall be equal amounts of each.
(35) You shall make of these an incense, a compound according to the art of the perfumer, salted,
pure, and holy. (36) And you shall beat some of it very fine, and put some of it before the testimony
in the tabernacle of meeting where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you. (37) But as for
the incense which you shall make, you shall not make any for yourselves, according to its
composition. It shall be to you holy for the Lord. (38) Whoever makes any of it, to smell it, he shall be
cut off from his people.
I see this as balanced qualities of special ingredients that should mark the fabric and lifestyle of a
believer as high priest. You will remember that Aaron was to burn incense on the altar of incense
every morning when he came to trim the wicks of the lamps, and every evening when he came to
light the lamps (Exodus30v7—8). You and I as today’s high priests have to lift up prayer; praying
without ceasing (1Thesalonians5v17). God is expecting that aroma of smoke from each one of us.
[Revelation8v1—4] When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an
hour. (2) And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.
(3) Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much
incense, that he should offer it with all the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was
before the throne. (4) And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before
God from the angel’s hand.
• Stacte
Stacte is a sweet spice from a resin oozed from the tree. To release the resin, the tree has to be
pierced. These oozing drops are a metaphor for the emergence of the word of God that has been
stored up in the heart of a believer. With the help of the Holy Spirit, the mouth will utter words out
of the abundance of the good treasure of God’s word from the heart, in difficult times. Words
bubble up from deep within. The piercing difficult season will prompt this bubbling of sweet incense
in prayer. The incense will ooze from your very fabric. Such prayers are sweet-smelling aroma to
God. He receives such prayer as worship, and He is glorified.
This spice is pronounced in the engagement that Hannah had with the Lord. She spoke in her heart.
Only her lips moved, but the voice was not heard. She was of a sorrowful spirit and poured her soul
before the Lord. Out of the abundance of her complaint and grief, she kept pouring out. Then she
made a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look at the affliction of Your maidservant
and remember me, and not forget your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child,
then I will give him to the Lord all the days of His life, and no razor shall come upon is head”
(1Samuel1v9—16).
• Onycha
Onycha is a finely ground aromatic powder from a particular mussel shell. Anything that is ground
endures a time of painful processing until a desired result has been achieved. The end product is
brokenness. This powder was burnt to produce a sweet fragrance, to complete the holy incense.
That which endures burning without being consumed, is good quality. The end product is humility. It
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was during such times when David would say, “Put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your
book?” (Psalm56v8)
This communion prayer, bathed in fragrance of crushed spice, is called humility and brokenness.
David would also write, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—
these, O God, You will not despise (Psalm51v17).
This communion prayer is when God (the Spirit) touches your spirit, and when your spirit touches
God (the Spirit); when deep calls to deep (Psalm42v7). Also, we see the Son of God, who in the days
of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to
Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was
a Son, yet He learnt obedience by the things which He suffered, and having been perfected, He
became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him (Hebrew5v7—9).
Mary, when she broke the Alabaster jar of expensive oil to anoint Jesus, was having the same
communion engagement with the Lord (Mark14v3).
[Luke7v38] A woman stood at His feet behind Him weeping, and she began to wash His feet with her
tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the
fragrant oil.
This woman must have been repenting with every fabric of her being. She was giving all. Tears to
wash somebody’s feet must have been a heavy sob from a contrite heart and a broken spirit. David
says, “A broken and a contrite heart—these, O God, You will not despise” (Psalm51v17).
This woman’s tears must be standing before God as a memorial.
[Psalm56v8] You number my wonderings, put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book?”
• Galbanum
Galbanum is a bitter gum resin derived from some Asian plants. It is oily and therefore holds
together the other ingredients. It is a symbol of our prompt obedience to the word of God, when we
obey without questioning or calculating; when we obey out of the love of the Almighty God and
from a pure heart. This is when we say like the Son of Man, “My food is to do the will of Him who
sent me, and to complete His work.” (John4v34)
• Frankincense (labona in Hebrew) which means white. It represents Christ’s sacrifice
Frankincense is also known as olibanum. It is a fragrant white gum obtained from a Boswellia tree,
growing in dry mountainous regions of India, Africa and Middle East. The tree is pierced and the
resin is dried and made into powder. It will relieve chronic stress, anxiety and reduce pain when
consumed. As part of the composition, it symbolizes joy and satisfaction.
[Psalm30v11] You have turned for me my mourning into dancing. You have put off my sackcloth and
clothed me with gladness.
[Isaiah61v3] To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for
mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; the planting of the Lord that He may be
glorified.
• Salt
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Salt is a symbol of covenant; that which endures.
[Leviticu2v13] And every offering of your grain offering you shall season with salt; you shall not allow
the salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking from your grain offering. With all your offerings,
you shall offer salt.
It puts taste in that which is tasteless. It will lighten the burden; you will be able to bear it.
[1Corinthians 10v13] No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is
faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation
will also make a way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
The combination of these ingredients is a metaphor for communion prayer where as a believer you
come in humility before the Almighty God to allow your spirit to have fellowship with God. Here you
don’t come to have your own way, but you declare, “Not my will but yours be done.” This is the type
of a spirit to Spirit communion that our Lord had with the Father at Gethsemane. This is when you
are at the end of yourself, and you throw your whole being into the hands of Him who is able to do
exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us
(Ephesians3V20). You will notice that each time the Lord went on His knees, He repeated the same
words, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not
what I will, but what You will” (Mark14v36).
Besides daily routine, we need to learn to discern when God calls us to stand in the gap. You may
sometimes pick up a burden regarding someone, or sometimes you are not even given someone in
particular. The burden is an unction from the Holy Spirit propelling you to pray. This is when praying
in tongues comes in handy. Immediately you start, you can feel the Holy Spirit taking over and
praying in and through you. Your prayer prompts God’s intervention in whatever situation, and
elevates the heart of whoever.
Some situations demand that we challenge God at His word. Please note; I did not say you accuse
God. Needless to say, we are to approach the throne of the holy God, with clean hands and a pure
heart. We are to live a lifestyle of repentance.
[Isaiah45v11] Thus says the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. And His Maker, “Ask Me of things to come
concerning My sons; and concerning the work of My hands; you command Me.
Abram challenged God and said, “What will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my
house is Eliezer of Damascus, Look, You have given me no offspring, indeed, one born in my house is
my heir” (Genesis 15v2—3). God had spoken of descendants and yet Abram and Sarah had gone
pass childbearing age. God responded by saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will
come from your own body shall be your heir.” Then He brought him outside and said, “Look toward
heaven, and count the stars, if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall you
descendants be.” (6) And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness
(Geneis15v4—5). Abram further challenged God, regarding the land He had promised him, and said,
“How shall I know that I will inherit it?” God then entered into covenant with him.
Brokenness and humility are the keys to approach the holy God.
When Hezekiah was sick near death, he received a prophetic word by Isaiah, the son of Amoz, the
prophet; telling him that he was going to die and therefore, to set his house in order. He challenged
God.
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[2Kings20v3—6] Remember now, O Lord, I pray, how I walked before you in truth and with a loyal
heart, and have done what was good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. (4) And it happened,
before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying, (5)
“Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father:
“I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears, surely I will heal you. On the third day you shall go
up to the house of the Lord, (6) And I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this
city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for My own sake, and for the sake
of My servant, David.”
When Moses had sent spies to spy the land of Canaan, ten of the spies brought a bad report and the
people were rebelling against the Lord. God purposed to wipe them out and start afresh with Moses.
Moses challenged God.
[Numbers14v15] Now if you kill these people as one man, then the nations which have heard of Your
fame will speak, saying, (16) “Because the Lord was not able to bring this people to the land which
He swore to give them, therefore, He killed them in the wilderness.’ (17) And now, I pray, let the
power of the Lord be great, just as You have spoken, saying, “The Lord is longsuffering and abundant
in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the
iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.” (19) ‘Pardon the iniquity
of this people I pray, according to the greatness of Your mercy, just as You have forgiven this people,
from Egypt, even until now.”’ (20) Then the Lord said, I have pardoned according to your word, (21)
but truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord–.”
David sinned by numbering the army of God, throughout Israel as his own sheep, wanting to
measure his strength. He had forgotten that he had an army as strong as the grace of God. He
started seeing himself as though his victories came from him. After receiving the results, his heart
condemned him. The Lord judged the sin of David by sending a plague upon Israel, from Dan to
Beersheba; and seventy thousand of the of the people died.
[2Samuel 24v17] Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who striking the people, and
said, “Surely I have sinned, and I have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Let
Your hand, I pray, be against me and against my father’s house.”
My personal experience:
I personally challenged God when I was very discouraged and at the verge throwing the towel. God
gave me a word which continues to encourage me today. [Jeremiah31v16—17] Thus says the Lord,
“Refrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears; for your work shall be rewarded, says
the Lord, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. There is hope in your future, says
the Lord, that your children shall come back to their own border.