Section One—Golden Altar

This chapter is divided into sections. In the first section we get details of a special altar, not the altar of burnt offering, but the golden altar made of shittim wood and overlaid with pure gold. This is the altar upon which, as we read in the eighth verse, the perpetual incense was to be burned before the Lord. The perpetual incense is a type of the worship of God's people. That worship was to be maintained before Himself on that golden altar. "Thou shalt put it before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee." It was to be in the presence of God, but you will notice that the veil was between. Except for once in a year on that great Day of Atonement, the priest of God as representing the people and leading their worship, was never allowed to go within the veil.
What a difference is this present dispensation, when through the grace of God we know that as a result of the wondrous work of Christ on the cross, when He said "It is finished," God rent the veil of the temple from the top to the bottom, never to be put up again. The way into the holiest was laid open for us through the blood of Jesus, so that we can draw near within the veil, having boldness to enter into the holiest. The priest went once a year into the holiest place in the tabernacle. Through the grace of God as worshipers, we can draw near at all times into the holiest of all.
Within the holiest of all,
Cleansed by His precious blood,
Before the throne we prostrate fall,
And worship Thee, O God!

This golden altar was placed before the mercy seat, over against the ark of the testimony where God could meet with them. Here we get a wonderful figure of the place of worship of the believer, where God meets us. We draw near, through the merits of the blood of Jesus, to God Himself.
“And having a high priest over the house of God; let us draw near." Do not let us be afraid, for the very One who has gone into death for us is in the presence of God for us to present our praises in such a way that they are acceptable to Himself.

To all our prayers and praises
Christ adds His sweet perfume.

Knowing how feeble and often mixed with impurity our worship is, we might well hesitate to present it before Him, the holy God, were it not for the presence of our great High Priest before Him. Our great High Priest bears upon His miter that plate with "Holiness to the Lord" on it. The priest was to bear the iniquity of their holy things so their holy things might be acceptable before God. And so in the midst of these impurities and imperfections in our worship before Him, we remember that our Lord Jesus Christ, our High Priest is in the presence of God. Because He wears that miter where holiness shines bright, our worship is acceptable to God.