“And you shall burn the whole ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the Lord; it is a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord.” – Exodus 29:18
Photo from © Royalty-Free/Corbis
Grilling, tail-gating, and pig-pickings usually conjure images of meat sizzling over a fire. The smell and taste of outdoor cooking is hard to beat. Mankind has prepared food this way for thousands of years. It is a natural taste we yearn for.
We come about this desire naturally, for we are made in God’s image and God loves a cookout. How can I make a statement like that? Consider that one of the primary activities in Old Testament worship involved an animal sacrifice cooked on an altar. Nearly 50 verses in the Bible describe the burnt sacrifice as a “sweet aroma to the Lord.”
God loves the smell of sacrifices coming from the altar. The aroma derives from the act of worshiping Him and purging our sins so that we are blameless and holy. Paul describes in Ephesians 5:2 how Christ offered Himself out of love as a sacrifice to God on our behalf and that act created a sweet smelling aroma to God. We are likewise called to show love for others.
The next time you smell food cooking on a fire and see smoke rising to Heaven, remember how Christ loved us so much He gave Himself in our place. His selfless act was a sweet aroma to God and we should demonstrate His love in our walk as well.
Jim,
We hear of the sweet smell of success, but God longs for the sweet smell of sacrifice.