Bible Study

Have you ever smelled sweet incense?

The book of Exodus in the Bible gave instructions about offering incense in the Tabernacle as an important part of the Israelites’ worship. Zechariah was chosen to offer incense in the Temple. See Luke 1:8–10. The incense was added to the burning hot coals by a priest twice a day. The incense smoldered or gently burned all day, rising to heaven. When the Israelites smelled the aroma and saw the smoke rising, it was a reminder of God’s presence and that their prayers continually ascended to heaven. See Exodus 30:7–8.

Have children look up the Scriptures. Lead a discussion with the information below.

1. Psalm 141:1–2:

¹ O Lord, I am calling to You. Please hurry! Listen when I cry to You for help! ² Accept my prayer as incense offered to You, and my upraised hands as an evening offering.

• What is the writer’s prayer compared to in verse two? Incense.
• Think about burning incense. How is it like prayer? It is pleasing to God—sweet smelling. The smoke travels upward like our prayers ascend to God in heaven. Incense was an offering. Part of our prayers should be an offering of praise and worship.
• What does it mean to you to raise your hands to God? Surrender, placing yourself in God’s hands, offering yourself to Him. Reaching toward Him, extending your arms to be closer to Him, to give Him a hug, to connect with Him, to praise Him.

2. Revelation 5:8:

And when He took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.

This verse is part of the vision God gave the apostle John about the end times.

• What do you think the harps represent in this verse? Praise and worship to God.
• Why do you think praise should be a part of our prayer time? It reminds us of how wonderful and powerful God is, and that He can do anything and answer every prayer.
• What do the bowls of incense represent? The prayers of God’s people.
• Besides praise, can you think of other important elements or parts that should be part of our prayers? Listening and waiting in God’s presence, confession of sin, intercession for others, petition—needs or wants, thanksgiving.

3. Revelation 8:3:

Then another angel with a gold incense burner came and stood at the altar. And a great amount of incense was given to him to mix with the prayers of God’s people as an offering on the gold altar before the throne.

• What two things are mixed together in this verse? Incense and prayers.
• What does this verse say that the mixture of incense and prayers are to God? An offering before His throne.
• What does this say about how God values our prayers? An offering is valuable, so our prayers are important, pleasing and valuable. An offering is also a sacrifice, so our prayers are a pleasing sacrifice we offer to God.

4. Hebrews 10:19–22:

¹⁹ And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. ²⁰ By His death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. ²¹ And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, ²² let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting Him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.

• According to verse 19, why can we enter into God’s Most Holy Place before His throne? By the blood of Jesus. His perfect sacrifice by His death.
• The Israelites had an appointed high priest. According to verse 21, do we have a High Priest today; if so, whom? Jesus is our High Priest.
• What does verse 22 tell us about our hearts when we pray? They need to be sincere and full of trust.
• How did Zechariah measure up to the first part of verse 22? He was sincere, yet he did not fully trust God’s Words from Gabriel. He doubted.
• The priests in the Temple needed to cleanse and purify themselves before entering into the holy places. In the second part of verse 22, how does Jesus’ blood prepare, or qualify us, to enter into God’s presence? His blood clears our conscience, purifies and cleanses us.

Close in prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Jesus. By His blood He created a new and living way to enter Your presence! Thank You for the Holy Spirit who helps us to pray according to Your will so that our prayers rise to You as a sweet, pleasing aroma, day and night. In Jesus’ holy name we pray, Amen.