Frankincense and myrrh, fragrant gum resins extracted from trees in South Arabia and Ethiopia, were used to make fine perfumes and anointing oils during the era of Jesus' birth in the Middle East.
They brought him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh – each of which tells us something about Jesus' identity.
And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto yourself sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight: And you shall make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together [salted], pure and holy: And you shall beat ...
Also, in Exodus 30:34-38 Moses is given a formula for incense to be used solely in the worship of Yahweh. It is to be made of equal parts of storax, onycha, galbanum and frankincense, blended and ground into fine dust. The incense is to be placed before the Commandments in the meeting tent.
Jesus Christ did: “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he [Christ] went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed” (Mark 1:35). Like Aaron, Jesus made burning incense His first priority each morning.
In some Churches, incense is burnt at every event. Incense is also used in the Paschal Candle. Frankincense is the most common ingredient that Catholics use, and there have been a lot of references to burning Frankincense in the Bible.
Burning sage, or smudging, is an ancient spiritual purification ritual that some religious groups and native peoples worldwide practice. The Bible does not expressly forbid or encourage burning sage, nor does Scripture explicitly mention it.
It's not the literal smell that finds favor with God, but the meaning behind the smell. For example, the smell of incense represents prayer going up to heaven, which God loves. Jeff breaks down the four favorite smells of God in today's episode: prayer, repentance, kerygma, and loving sacrifice.
A Christian may still burn incense if he wishes to, but should consider 1 Samuel 15:22, "Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD?" This shows that obedience to God should be our priority as Christians.
The ingredients are detailed in Exodus 30:34, where Moses is tasked with making incense: Take fragrant spices – gum resin, onycha and galbanum – and pure frankincense, all in equal amounts. The origin of three of the ingredients are well known essential oils or resins of botanical origin.
When the people fell away into sin and idolatry, their offering of incense was hated by God (Isaiah 1:13), for it was merely an act, and not a true expression of loving worship.
Conclusion. Incense burning emits smoke containing particulate matter, gas products and other organic compounds and causes air pollution, airway disease and health problems. When incense smoke pollutants are inhaled, they cause airway dysfunction.
Frankincense and myrrh, fragrant gum resins extracted from trees in South Arabia and Ethiopia, were used to make fine perfumes and anointing oils during the era of Jesus' birth in the Middle East.
Frankincense and Myrrh are saps that are extracted from trees. Frankincense is predominantly burned as an incense, while Myrrh is more commonly used in medicines and perfumes – but both are known for their enticing fragrances.
The favorite preaching point about the gifts is their mystical meaning. The preacher will tell us that gold stands for the Christ child's kingly status, frankincense for his divinity, and myrrh for the anointing at his sacrificial death.
The incense employed in the service of the tabernacle walls compounded of the perfumes stacte, onycha, galbanum and pure frankincense.
Frankincense, often burned, symbolized prayer rising to the heavens like smoke, while myrrh, often used in embalming, symbolized death. Scholars think that frankincense was presented to baby Jesus to represent his later role as a high priest for believers, while myrrh symbolized his eventual death and burial.
[1] And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. [2] And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.
The Bible describes crystals as beautiful objects with no powers. Crystals are referred to as precious, clear, or valuable throughout the Bible. However, it never states that they have any healing or mystical properties like ancient Pagans or mainstream pop culture believe today.
According to Mark 14:3, the perfume in his account was the purest of Spikenard.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Cinnamon
In Exodus 30:23 it is one of the ingredients of the "holy anointing oil"; in Proverbs 7:17 it is, along with myrrh and aloes, a perfume for a bed; in Song of Solomon 4:14 it is a very precious spice.
The Aroma of Our Repentance
But, again, it wasn't the aroma from the sacrifices that pleased God as much as what it represented: repentance, clean souls, changed lives (Leviticus 1:9, 13; 2:2; 23:18). If performed properly, these sacrifices were “a pleasing aroma to the Lord” (Numbers 15:3).
A leading biblical scholar says the oldest sources for the Jesus movement in the Holy Land portray Jesus as a teacher of divine wisdom--not as a foreboding figure with titles of divinity himself. “Jesus the apocalyptic prophet has given way to Jesus the sage,” said James M.
Exodus 22:18 – You shall not tolerate a sorceress. Leviticus 19:26 – You shall not eat anything with its blood. You shall not practice divination or soothsaying. Leviticus 20:27 – A man or a woman who has a ghost or a familiar spirit shall be put to death; they shall be pelted with stones—and the bloodguilt is theirs.