Frankincense is an aromatic gum resin that is still widely used in parts of the Middle East and Africa today. It is produced by scraping the bark of certain native species of trees and then harvesting the beads of resin after they have dried. When burned as a incense, it creates a strong and beautiful aroma. In the ancient near east, the cost of frankincense precluded it from being as a common household air freshener. Rather, the burning of frankincense was closely associated with ceremonial worship of a deity. In this way, the inclusion of frankincense as a gift for Jesus may have indicated that the wise men understood that the prophecy of the newborn king carried with it a claim of deity. Gold Frankincense may also have an implied connection with the Temple worship of the Old Covenant. Burning incense at the altar was a key part of the sacrifiicial system prescribed by God for use in the Tabernacle and, later, in the Temple itself. According to Exodus 30, however, not just any incense would do. A specific recipe of spices mixed with "frankincense" (v34) was to be consecrated as "pure and holy" (v35) and was the only incense permitted at the altar. A speculative parallel can be drawn between this and Jesus life as a pure and holy offering to the Lord.
