The Smell of God's Presence!
Okay, I know this sounds a little far out, but when I was reading from the book of Exodus the other day, I decided that God must like the sweet smell of perfume!
Maybe He doesn't go for the same perfumes that I do,
like these that are below,
but He was choosey in what He wanted in His tabernacle.
If you have trouble believing that God likes the sweet smell of perfume,
just click on this link to read about it -
As you read, you'll find the instructions God gave to Moses
regarding making fragrant anointing oils to be used in the tabernacle.
I tried to imagine why God would want this good smelling incense
in His tabernacle or "tent of meeting".
I thought about the sacrifices that were offered back then,
and how hard it must have been to keep the tabernacle clean.
The priests were probably kept very busy with all the regulations of
preparing and offering the various sacrifices.
It must have smelled a little like a steak house,
a perpetual barbecue with steak always on the grill.
(That made me think God must like the smell of steak, too!)
It interested me that although God required the sacrifices of animals for atonement,
that was not the smell that He wanted to be remembered by.
He wanted the sweet smell of incense to be associated with His presence.
He was very specific in how this fragrant anointing oil was to be made,
where it was to be used,
and who could use it.
...And it wasn't available for everyone;
It was to be used on various items in the tabernacle,
and only used by the priests.
So, this got me thinking...
What kind of fragrance do I leave behind?
Can people tell I've been in God's presence?
...Or maybe, even more so, when I have not?!!!
I could not end this post without being thankful to God
for the sacrifice of His Son Jesus,
who died in my place so that I need not have to offer
an animal sacrifice to atone for my sin!
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10 comments:
Hi Esther Joy - What a great thing to think about, what aroma do I leave behind when I leave? Do I leave people happier for being with me or not? Something to think about?
God bless
Tracy
A very good thing to reflect upon. And I desire to leave the love of the Lord to those that I come in contact with...and pray that the fruits of the Spirit are evident... Thank you for sharing this post.
Blessings & Aloha!
Thank you so much for your lovely visit and your greetings for our 30th anniversary :o)
It's a good thing to think about! Because long after we do a good deed (or the opposite) we do leave something behind! We can either be a blessing or a curse! Even just the way we speak! The tongue can be a poison (james 3) or we can leave behind the sweet smell of encouragement! Patsy from
HeARTworks
I like the thought that God wanted his presence to smell good. I too want to reflect that good smell to others. Thanks for sharing.
Oh Esther, you leave the most fragrant of perfumes on this place you blog about your (my!) Jesus.
I'm glad God created us with noses that smell, and with so many wonderful things for us to smell. Made in His image!
This is interesting, Esther Joy. I knew all these scriptures about smells were in the Bible but had never really thought about the fact that God likes aromas. Thank you for making this interesting observation.
Blessings,
Charlotte
Absolutely! Even for us, made in His image, the sense of smell is the most evocative of the five. One would think, that with all His instructions and imagery about aroma, we would get this sooner. May my prayers rise as incense!
certainly a theme worth meditating on!
Wonderful inspiring post Esther. Thank you for sharing. Blessings.
Jesus Calling
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