Wei for Bonem Incense​—Waswe, Hem Fitim Tru Worship?

“OLKETA god lovem olketa samting wea smel naes.” Datwan hem toktok wea kamap evritaem midolwan olketa long Egypt bifor. Long olketa, wei for bonem incense hem main part long worship bilong olketa. From olketa bilivim olketa god stap klosap, evriday olketa bilong Egypt bonem incense long olketa temple and long olketa altar long haos and taem olketa duim bisnis. Olketa nara nation tu garem olketa semkaen kastom olsem.

Wanem nao incense? Datfala word savve minim datfala samting wea olketa bonem or smoke bilong datfala samting. Olketa wakem from resin wea smel naes and olketa gum, olsem frankincense and balsam. Olketa smasem olketa samting hia for kamap powder and planti taem mixim witim olketa samting olsem spice, skin bilong tree, and olketa flaoa for mekem kamap samfala kaen naesfala smel for iusim.

From incense hem samting wea pipol long taem bifor barava laekem, olketa samting for wakem hem kamap olketa important samting for duim bisnis long hem. Pipol bilong bisnis wea savve travel followim olketa bisnis gogo, karem olketa samting hia from olketa farawe kantri. Maet iu rememberim Joseph, young son bilong Jacob wea olketa sellim long olketa bisnis man bilong laen bilong Ishmael wea “kakam from Gilead, and olketa camel bilong olketa wea karem labdanum and balsam and skin bilong tree wea garem resin, wea olketa tekem for gogo daon long Egypt.” (Genesis 37:25) From incense kamap barava big bisnis, datfala bisnis gogo saed long frankincense, wea luk olsem olketa man for sellim nao startim, lead go long wei for travel midolwan long Asia and Europe.

Distaem olketa still offerim incense long olketa ceremony and long olketa kastom bilong planti religion. And tu, moa and moa pipol chus for bonem incense long haos bilong olketa for enjoyim naesfala smel bilong hem. Hao nao olketa Christian shud tingting long wei for bonem incense? Waswe, God bae acceptim insaed worship? Iumi bae lukluk gud long wanem Bible talem abaotem diswan.

‘Holy Samting Long Jehovah’

Midolwan olketa Israelite bilong bifor, wei for bonem incense hem barava main part long waka bilong olketa priest long tabernacle. McClintock and Strong’s Cyclopedia hem sei: “Tru nao, from wei for bonem incense luk olsem hem bigfala part long worship or holy offering bilong olketa Hebrew, iumi read abaotem hao olketa no iusim incense for eni narafala samting.”

Jehovah God markem fofala samting for mixim and for bonem long tabernacle: “Tekem olketa samting wea smel naes: stacte wata and onycha and galbanum wea smel naes and frankincense. Part wea iu tekem from each wan mas semsem. And iu mas mekem hem kamap incense, wanfala spice mix wea garem salt, klin, holy, samting wea man for mekem ointment hem wakem. And iu mas smasem samfala long olketa samting hia for kamap powder and putim samfala front long Testimony insaed tent bilong meeting.” (Exodus 30:34-36) Samfala savveman sei olketa Jew rabbi addim moa samfala nara samting for iusim long temple bihaen.

Incense wea olketa bonem long tabernacle hem holy, hem for iusim nomoa long worship bilong God. Jehovah givim komand: “Incense wea iu bae mekem olsem, iufala mas no mekem for iufala seleva. For iu hem mas samting wea bae go ahed holy long Jehovah. Eniwan wea mekem eni samting olsem for enjoyim nomoa smel bilong hem mas finis evribit from pipol bilong hem.” (Exodus 30:37, 38) Olketa priest savve bonem incense antap long wanfala altar wea olketa markem tufala taem long day. (2 Chronicles 13:11) And long Day bilong Atonement, hae priest savve bonem incense insaed Most Holy.—Leviticus 16:12, 13.

God no acceptim evri offering bilong incense. Hem panisim olketa man wea no priest wea praod for offerim incense. (Numbers 16:16-18, 35-40; 2 Chronicles 26:16-20) Incense wea nation bilong olketa Jew offerim hem nogud samting long Jehovah from long semtaem olketa go ahed long false worship and hand bilong olketa fulap long wei for spillim blood. Hypocrite fasin bilong olketa mekem Jehovah for sei: “Incense—hem samting wea mi barava heitim.” (Isaiah 1:13, 15) From olketa Israelite kamap slak tumas long worship wea Jehovah markem, olketa klosim temple and bonem incense long olketa nara altar. (2 Chronicles 28:24, 25) Bihaen, olketa iusim holy incense long barava nogud worship bilong olketa false god tu. Jehovah barava heitim olketa wei olsem.—Ezekiel 16:2, 17, 18.

Incense and Olketa First Christian

Law covenant, wea insaed diswan hem law for olketa priest offerim holy incense, hem finis taem Jesus startim niu covenant long 33 C.E. (Colossians 2:14) No eni record stap wea showimaot olketa first Christian bonem incense for eni samting saed long religion. Abaotem diswan, McClintock and Strong’s Cyclopedia hem sei: “For sure [olketa first Christian] no iusim incense. Tru tumas, for iusim incense hem mark bilong heathen teaching . . . For wanfala pagan worshiper torowem tu-thri grain bilong incense antap long wanfala pagan altar hem olsem hem worship nao.”

Olketa first Christian nating willing for bonem incense for acceptim wei wea datfala Roman emperor hem “holy” nomata olketa savve olketa maet dae from diswan. (Luke 4:8; 1 Corinthians 10:14, 20) From pipol long datfala taem iusim for worshipim idol, iumi minim why nao olketa first Christian no tek part long incense bisnis.

Wei for Bonem Incense Distaem

Hao nao pipol iusim incense distaem? Long planti church bilong Christendom, olketa offerim incense long olketa ceremony and samfala kastom bilong church. Long Asia, planti famili bonem incense long olketa temple or front long olketa altar long haos for honorim olketa god bilong olketa and for protectim olketa wea dae finis. Insaed olketa service bilong religion, olketa iusim incense for klinim air, healim man, mekem samting klin, and for protectim samting.

Incense hem kamap big tumas moa nomata midolwan olketa wea no interest long religion. Samfala bonem incense taem olketa duim meditation. Wanfala buk givim idea for iusim incense for kasem olketa “secret level bilong tingting” and samfala “spesol paoa” wea man nomoa no fit for feelim. For faendem ansa for olketa problem long laef, buk hia talem tu hao kastom for bonem incense hem join witim wei for tok witim “olketa long spirit world.” Waswe, fitim Christian duim olketa samting olsem?

Jehovah barava tok strong againstim olketa wea trae for mixim olketa samting bilong false religion witim klin worship. Aposol Paul iusim toktok bilong profesi bilong Isaiah for encouragem olketa Christian for stap klia from olketa samting bilong false religion wea no klin. Hem raet: “‘Go aot from midolwan long olketa, and separatem iufala seleva,’ Jehovah hem sei, ‘and no tasim samting wea no klin’; ‘and mi bae acceptim iufala.’” (2 Corinthians 6:17; Isaiah 52:11) Olketa tru Christian mas mek sure for stap klia long eniting wea join witim giaman worship or spiritism.—John 4:24.

Waswe, from olketa iusim incense long olketa ceremony bilong olketa religion and long spiritism hem minim evri wei for bonem incense hem rong? Hem no olsem. Wanfala man maet laek for bonem incense olsem samting for smel naes long haos bilong hem for enjoyim naesfala smel bilong hem. (Proverbs 27:9) Nomata olsem, for disaed for bonem incense, wanfala Christian shud ting raonem samfala samting. Waswe, olketa long ples wea iu stap bae ting long wei for iusim incense olsem samting bilong giaman religion? Long community bilong iu, waswe, incense hem join witim wei for duim spiritism? Or waswe, olketa iusim for eni samting nomoa no saed long religion?

Sapos man seleva chus for bonem incense, samting wea hem disaedem shud followim conscience bilong hemseleva and feeling bilong narafala pipol. (1 Corinthians 10:29) Toktok bilong aposol Paul for olketa long Rome hem fitim diswan. Hem raet: “Iumi mas aftarem olketa samting wea mekem peace and olketa samting wea buildimap each other. Finis for spoelem waka bilong God bikos long kaikai nomoa. Tru, evri samting hem klin, bat hem nogud for man kaikai sapos datwan bae mekem narawan stambol. Hem gud for no kaikaim meat or for drinkim wine or duim eni samting wea bae mekem brata bilong iu stambol.”—Romans 14:19-21.

Olketa Prea wea “Kamap Olsem Incense”

Wei wea olketa Israelite offerim incense hem piksarem olketa prea wea God herem. Dastawe, man for raetem psalm David sing long Jehovah: “Letem prea bilong mi kamap olsem incense front long iu.”—Psalm 141:2.

Olketa faithful Israelite no ting long wei for offerim incense olsem wanfala kastom wea no garem mining. Olketa careful tumas for preparem and bonem incense long wei wea Jehovah markem. Winim wei for iusim really incense, olketa Christian distaem offerim olketa prea wea showimaot deep wei for tinghae and respect for Father bilong iumi long heven. Olsem swit smel bilong incense wea olketa priest offerim long temple, Word bilong God talem iumi: “Prea bilong olketa wea garem stret fasin hem samting wea mekem hem hapi.”—Proverbs 15:8.

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Incense wea olketa bonem long tabernacle and long temple hem holy

[Piksa long page 30]

Waswe, wei for bonem incense wea join witim meditation hem fitim olketa Christian?