Prayers as Pleasing as Incense at the Time of Sacrifice
Like many of the other later psalms, Psalm 141 is very rich. With the inclusion of some of the Jewish culture and religious practices and the meanings that these have, it has made studying them a bit more challenging. What do some of the statements mean? Do they have a significance for us today? Are they a picture of things to come? Do they have any prophetic significance? These are all questions that come to mind as I study these portions of Scripture, and some of these questions are not easy to answer. But, there are some beautiful truths that can be gleaned and applied to our own lives. I will do my best to give a look into Psalm 141. Today will cover verse one and the first part of verse two.
In Psalm 140, David prays for deliverance from his enemies. Most of the prayer is about his enemies and about what God will do to judge the wicked and how He will help the righteous. Psalm 141 is also a psalm of David. In this psalm, David focuses more on himself and whether or not his heart is right with the Lord and whether the Lord will be pleased to accept him.
In the first two verses of Psalm 141, David pleads with the Lord to hear and accept his prayer. Verse one says, “LORD, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee.” David needs God’s help and asks Him to listen to his prayer and to his voice and to make haste to help. David needs help now, and he knows on Whom he can rely to receive it.
In verse two, David continues, “Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.” What was incense when it was offered with a sacrifice? Among other things, it was a sweet-smelling savor, it was something pleasing to God. David asks that his prayer be pleasing to God. Incense was offered at the time of the evening sacrifice, and it may be that it was the custom of the people to pray at that time. In Luke chapter one, when Zacharias the priest went into the temple to do the things required of the priestly office, it says, “And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.” (See Luke 1:10)
In the book of Revelation, incense will be offered to God in heaven along with the prayers of the saints. A couple of verses talk about this. Revelation 5:8 says, “And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.” In Revelation chapter eight, we also see incense offered in heaven with the prayers of the saints, “3) 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 saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4) And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.” (verses 3 and 4)
It seems that David was not able to get to the tabernacle at the time he wrote this Psalm, but he still desired that God should accept his prayer and that it should be as pleasing to him as if it were offered with incense at the time of the evening sacrifice.
Today we can come boldly before the throne of grace and come directly to our heavenly Father in prayer. But God is still holy and without sin. When we go before the throne of God to pray, we are in the presence of our Father; but we are also in the presence of a holy, sinless, Almighty God. This is a solemn thing, yet a prayer from a right heart is acceptable to God and comes up before Him as a pleasing sweet-smelling savor. Thank You, God, for hearing and accepting our prayer. Thank You that our prayer can be pleasing to You. You can cleanse our sinful lips and cause that our prayer come up before you as sweet smelling incense.