The Aroma of Sacrifice

Many of you know I read scripture chronologically year after year. The beauty of repeatedly reading the Bible this way is that there are always new revelations, new principles I’d not seen before, and many new connections I see throughout scripture between the Old and New Testaments. The thread of the Gospel all the way through from Genesis to Revelation becomes much more obvious to me year by year.

As I was recently reading Exodus 30 one morning, something struck me that I’d not noticed previously. Verses 34-38 tell us God gave very exact details for the formula of the incense that would be used in worship within the tabernacle that would travel with Israel:

“The LORD said to Moses: “Take fragrant spices: stacte, onycha, and galbanum; the spices and pure frankincense are to be in equal measures. Prepare expertly blended incense from these; it is to be seasoned with salt, pure and holy. Grind some of it into a fine powder and put some in front of the testimony in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with you. It must be especially holy to you. As for the incense you are making, you must not make any for yourselves using its formula. It is to be regarded by you as holy — belonging to the LORD. Anyone who makes something like it to smell its fragrance must be cut off from his people.”

This particular incense would be offered within the holy of holies where God would meet with the high priest. The aroma would be pleasing to God and was for this purpose only. This exact formula for incense was NOT for personal use.

My first thought was a connection to one of my favorite passages in the New Testament, 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 which says:

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in Christ’s triumphal procession and through us spreads the aroma of the knowledge of him in every place. For to God we are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To some we are an aroma of death leading to death, but to others, an aroma of life leading to life.“

This describes another precious aroma to God: lives lived for Christ which flows from us into the lives of those around us. Like the other incense, it is precious to God, and is one way we worship Him as we lift His name high. And like the other incense, it is not for personal use, but for for His glory alone. When we begin to take personal pride in our influence for Christ, we begin to take the glory that belongs only to God. The warning He gives to the Israelites in Exodus 30 was severe. And even on this side of the cross, pride and personal honor taken upon ourselves, rather than ascribed to God, can become a temptation.

As I continued reading, after this Exodus 30 passage, I read in Leviticus 23 again about aroma that was pleasing to the Lord…that of sacrifice. As the priests burned the offerings, that smell was also sweet to God. Our lives are called to be sacrificial for Christ. We must continually lay down our will, our plan, and our desires, and ask the Lord for His will, His plan and His desires for us. As we seek to know Him more, follow Him faithfully, and lift His name in everything we do, our lives become a pleasing fragrance for the Lord.

What sacrificial aroma are you offering to Jesus today? What is your motivation for that sacrifice? Like never before, our world desperately needs Jesus. Let’s spread His fragrance today wherever we go.

Banner photo by Richárd Ecsedi on Unsplash