-- T O R A H P O R T I O N --
Introduction:
What stirs within you when you encounter a beautiful fragrance, and how might that response help you understand what it means to be pleasing to God?
Last Shabbat, God told Moshe the instructions on how to consecrate Aaron and his sons for ministering to Him as priests. Moshe shall bathe them, and after that Aaron shall wear his garments such as the tunic, ephod, breastplate, and turban. For Aaron’s sons, Moshe shall put tunics on them, gird them with sashes, and put hats on them. After the clothing comes the anointing oil and the offering of animals for the sin offering. This ceremony shall be conducted for seven days before they begin serving the holy God.
Our Torah portion this Shabbat is quite short, and it deals with the altar of incense. It was not mentioned in chapter 25, where the making of the furniture inside the mishkan had been given. Why? My understanding is because there is something special about the altar of incense, and it is the last item Aaron shall pass by before he enters the Most Holy Place once a year, on Yom Kippur.
The instruction in verse 6 is to put the altar before the veil that is before the Ark of the Testimony and the mercy seat, where God wants to meet him. Just like the other furnishings, the altar of incense is made of acacia wood and overlaid with pure gold.
Now, to make the smoke of the incense a pleasant scent to God, Aaron should:
Burn sweet/fragrant incense every morning and twilight (vv. 7–8)
Notice the command of God here. Aaron should light the menorah first before he begins burning sweet incense. Why? Are these two connected?
Through the help of the Ruach HaKodesh, my understanding is that if we go back to Exodus 27:20, it says that the children of Israel must bring pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to cause the menorah to burn continually. Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening until morning. The Hebrew word for pure is zak, which means “clean, pure,” and the word pressed comes from lachats, meaning “to squeeze, press.”
The incense is a type of prayer, according to Psalm 141:2:
“May my prayer be counted as incense before You; the lifting up of my hands as the evening offering.”
So the connection and message not only for Aaron but for us as well, is that the light (menorah) of Yeshua is needed to illuminate us first and make us pure. Only then can we approach the Holy King of the universe and offer our prayers (incense).
1 John 1:7:
“But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Yeshua, His Son, purifies us from all sin.”
Psalm 24:3–4:
“Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully.”
Regarding the burning of sweet incense in the morning and twilight, Genesis 1:5 says:
“And there was evening and there was morning, one day.”
This means that each day we must be active in approaching God.
Not offer any strange incense (v. 9)
The word strange in Hebrew is zur, and surprisingly, three of its meanings are “enemy,” “prostitute,” and “harlot.” To offer strange incense would be to act as an enemy to God. That is why, in verses 34–38, He gave the specific ingredients for the special incense to be used on the altar.
One of the ingredients is frankincense. The Hebrew word levonah means “a white resin burned as fragrant incense,” producing a pleasant scent inside the mishkan. What is fascinating is that frankincense was one of the gifts given to Yeshua by the wise men (Magos in Greek) during the days of King Herod (Matt. 2:1), conveying that He is our Kohen HaGadol, The Great High Priest, who would offer Himself as a pleasing aroma.
Ephesians 5:2:
“And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”
Make atonement on the altar’s horns once a year (v. 10)
During Yom Kippur, Aaron must atone for the horns of the altar of incense. My understanding of why the blood is sprinkled on the horns is that the horn represents strength. Only blood can overcome the strength of sin and has the power to forgive. That is why the blood must come from the sin offering.
This is a foreshadowing of Yeshua, for His blood brings remission of sins.
Matthew 26:27–28:
“For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”
Hebrews 9:22:
“And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”
Our Torah portion emphasizes that only Aaron performed this final task before entering the Most Holy Place. Likewise, Yeshua alone is our mediator to the Father.
The question is: How do you know if you are a pleasing aroma to God?
Ephesians 5:1–2 answers this:
“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Yeshua loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
When we express Yeshua the way Paul describes, we too become a pleasant scent to the Father, an aroma He delights in and breathes in all day long.
Do you think your life is a pleasing scent to God?
Examine your daily walk. Are your prayers rising from a life illuminated and purified by the light of Yeshua, or are you approaching God without first tending the menorah of holiness?
Only a life purified by His light can rise as a fragrance welcomed in His presence.
-- H A F T A R A H P O R T I O N --
Our Haftarah portion deals with the polluted offerings of the sons of the priests of Israel. Even before Abel offered the firstborn of his flock (Gen. 4:4), God respected his offering. In the case of Noah, when he and his family came out of the ark after the flood, he built an altar to God and offered burnt offerings from every clean animal and bird, and God smelled a soothing aroma (Gen. 8:15–21).
Since then, offerings that please God have been clearly defined. In Leviticus, God told Moshe to speak to the children of Israel that whenever they bring burnt, grain, peace, sin, or trespass offerings, they must give their best in honor of Him.
The Haftarah highlights that incense is not just about fragrance, but about how YHVH’s Name is honored and magnified through proper worship. When incense is burned together with the sacrifices, it points to the greatness of HaShem being openly displayed. Scripture repeatedly reminds us that God’s greatness is evident in creation itself. He formed the heavens and the earth by His word, and the Psalms often declare this truth.
Yet the prophets emphasize that God’s greatness is revealed even more powerfully through redemption. Incense rising before God represents more than ritual. It represents a response to His saving power and mercy. When the priests offered incense correctly, they were acknowledging that redemption, forgiveness, and covenant relationship come only through God’s initiative and strength, not human effort.
This is why the polluted offerings in Malachi are so serious. By offering blemished sacrifices, the priests were not just breaking a rule; they were minimizing God’s redemptive power and treating His grace casually. Their worship contradicted the very message incense was meant to proclaim: that God is holy, powerful, and worthy of the best.
In Malachi 1:6 and 2:1, God directs His message to the priests who failed to be role models. Verses 12–13 make it clear that they profaned God’s name and defiled the altar by offering lame and sick animals, which God hates.
Deuteronomy 15:21:
“If an animal has a defect, is lame or blind, or has any serious flaw, you must not sacrifice it to the LORD your God.”
Malachi 2:5–6 says that the priests knew the covenant and God’s instructions but failed to live them. Instead of teaching knowledge and giving proper instruction, they tolerated wrong worship. That is why the LORD said in Malachi 3:7–10 to return to Him.
Sadly, these verses are often used in churches solely to promote tithing. However, their true context is about corrupt priests who dishonored God through improper offerings.
Tithing was not weekly, and it had specific recipients, as seen in Deuteronomy 26:12. In Acts 2:45, believers shared freely according to need, without a fixed percentage.
To rob God, therefore, means two things: disobeying His instructions and failing to give Him the best He deserves.
How is your time serving Yeshua? Do you give Him your best, or only the leftovers, like the polluted offerings of the priests?
May this Haftarah remind us that God is worthy of genuine, honorable offerings. He must not be treated casually, for He is the King of the universe and worthy of praise.
Psalm 150:6:
“Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!”
Evaluate what you offer God: your time, devotion, obedience, and honor. Are they whole and excellent, or are they blemished and convenient?
God is not honored by what costs us nothing, but by what reflects His worth.
-- APOSTOLIC P O R T I O N --
There was a silence in heaven after the Lamb broke the seventh seal in our Apostolic portion. And the seven trumpets were given to the seven angels. One of the uses of the Trumpets is for judgment. Perhaps that's the reason why another angel is holding a golden censer and given not only an incense but a much incense to be offered with the prayers of all the saints before the throne. We can see here what Aaron did as a high priest where he burns incense before he goes inside the Most Holy place to intercede on behalf of the children of Israel.
Why does an angel have to offer an incense mixed with the prayer of the saints before the release of God's judgment? The Greek word for saints is hagios which means "sacred, pure and worthy." In Luke 1:1–13, Zacharias the High priest had a wife from the tribe of Aaron, her name was Elizabeth. According to verse 6, both of them were righteous walking blamelessly in God's mitzvot but they had no child.
One day, while Zacharias was burning incense and while the people outside were praying at the hour of the incense offering, an angel appeared to Zacharias standing at the right of the altar of incense to inform him that his prayer has been heard by God, and Elizabeth will give birth. In Proverbs 15:29 it says: “But the LORD hears the prayer of the righteous.”
From the story of Zacharias and Elizabeth and quoting Proverbs, we can understand now the incense mixed with the prayer of the saints and that is to please God and spare them from judgment. And the smoke of incense went up with the prayer of God's people (saints) from the hand of the angel before God (Rev. 8:5).
At this point, the Apostolic witness helps us understand why the prayers of the saints carry such weight before the throne. The apostles reveal that the Messiah, having suffered and been perfected through obedience, now serves as the eternal Great High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary. Unlike the repeated offerings of the earthly priesthood, His priestly work was completed once for all, granting continual access for those who belong to Him. Because of this, the prayers of the saints are no longer distant petitions but are brought into the very presence of God, purified and made acceptable.
The silence in heaven, then, is not absence but reverence. Heaven pauses because prayer matters. Before judgment proceeds, intercession ascends. The apostles consistently affirm that God hears the cries of His holy ones, and that divine action is preceded by the faithful prayers of a redeemed people. Judgment does not move ahead without first receiving the incense of the saints.
If prayer precedes judgment in heaven, what place does it hold in your daily walk with God? How seriously should you treat prayer?
Before God acts in judgment, He receives the prayers of His holy ones.
The connection of Parasha 67 centers on what it truly means to bring a pleasant offering before God.
In the Torah, Aaron is commanded to burn fragrant incense day and night before the Lord. This continual offering symbolizes faithful obedience, purity, and worship that rises as a pleasing aroma to God, not occasional devotion, but consistent faithfulness.
In the Haftarah, however, we see a painful contrast. The priests of Israel defiled the altar by offering lame and sick animals. Their worship was careless and dishonoring, revealing hearts that no longer reverenced God. What should have been pleasing became offensive, not because God changed, but because the worshippers did.
In the Apostolic Writings, the smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, ascends before God from the angel’s hand. Here, incense is no longer only a physical offering, but a spiritual reality, prayers rising heavenward, purified and made acceptable before the throne of God.
Living a life that pleases God should be our deepest pursuit. From the beginning, God has revealed that what delights Him is not empty ritual, but a heart fully offered. He gave His perfect and pleasing offering, His only begotten Son, Yeshua HaMashiach, not only to save us, but to model what a life pleasing to the Father truly looks like: obedience, surrender, and love poured out completely.
As Paul exhorts us in Romans 12:1–2, we are called to present ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God. This is not forced worship, but a willing response to mercy. When our minds are renewed and our lives are laid down, we begin to discern what is good, acceptable, and perfect in God’s will. Likewise, Psalm 96:8–9 reminds us that we are invited to bring an offering, not just from our hands, but from our lives, and to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
So let us return to our opening question:
What stirs within you when you encounter a beautiful fragrance, and how does that help you understand what it means to be pleasing to God?
A beautiful fragrance draws us in, it lingers, it transforms the atmosphere, and it leaves a lasting impression. In the same way, a life surrendered to God becomes a spiritual aroma, rising before Him as something pleasing and acceptable. When we live in holiness, obedience, and worship, our lives reflect the fragrance of Messiah Himself.
What kind of “aroma” does your life release before God and others?
Through Yeshua, our prayers, our obedience, and our very lives are transformed into a pleasant scent before the Lord, holy, acceptable, and pleasing in His sight.
God is not moved by the smoke on the altar, but by the heart behind it; only surrendered lives become a pleasant scent before the Lord.
May we not only speak of worship, but live it, becoming a pleasing fragrance before the Lord.
Shabbat Shalom,
Topher
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Sources:
blueletterbible.org
agapebiblestudy.com
walkingtogetherministries.com
tithebarn.wordpress.com
hoshanarabbah.org
thegospelcoalition.org
torahresource.com
ffoz.org
bibleoutlines.com
The Mac Arthur Study Bible
scenichillsblvd.wordpress.com
chavurahshalom.org
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