Fragrance of the Soul
Smells trigger memories faster than any of my other senses except for maybe sight. But with a smell, I can be quickly transported back to a place or time I may have even forgotten about. I am guessing it is the same way with you.
The smell of freshly cut grass reminds me of high school marching season. Woodsmoke reminds me of cool fall nights. Cakes baking remind me of my grandmother's house. Certain perfumes remind me of my mother.
The Bible says a lot about fragrances, mostly associated with incense. Incense was related to the time of sacrifice in the Old Testament. God's instructions for the use of incense begin in Exodus 30 when He gives Moses the specifications on building the altar for the tabernacle.
And Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on it. Every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall burn it, and when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it, a regular incense offering before the Lord throughout your generations. (Exodus 30: 7, 8)
God took the use of incense quite seriously. He told Moses how to make it, when to use it, and who could use it. The Bible says that the scent lifted to God and was pleasing in his nostrils. (Genesis 8:21) In Numbers, one of the times the children of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron, God set a plague on them. As part of their intercession for the people, Moses instructed Aaron to use incense to make atonement for them.
And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun. (Numbers 16:46)
The Lord accepted the atonement of the fire from the altar and the incense, and the plague was stopped.
Hundreds of years later, King David wrote Psalm 141 while he was away from Jerusalem. He might have been on a military campaign, or he might have been running from enemies within his family. Either way, he couldn't go to the temple to make sacrifices, so he asked God to accept what he had – his prayer and his hands.
Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. Psalm 141:2 KJV
We don't sacrifice in a temple. Jesus was our sacrifice. But we can still make offerings to God. As he loved the smell of the burning sacrifice, we can ask him to accept our prayers and worship. Does it seem odd to consider that praising Him could be a sacrifice? Many times we worship out of joy. But sometimes we worship while we are hurting. We are going through a struggle or a battle, but we take time to worship. To allow God to hold us while we recognize and show our recognition that He is almighty! We tell Him that we know He is in charge and that He has everything in His hands. That can be a sacrifice. It can be hard to worship when your world is crumbling. I believe that God accepts those times as He did the sacrifices of the Old Testament.
When Aaron took the incense to the crowd of Israelites affected by the plague, He was, in essence, praying to God. He was asking Him to accept the fragrance of the incense as an offering. He was interceding using a smell.
And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed. (Numbers 16:48)
When we pray, we are lifting incense to God. When we worship, we are giving God a sacrifice. I have talked a lot about the Old Testament, but I will leave you with words from the New Testament. I encourage you to look at your prayer and worship in a new way. They carry the fragrance of your soul.
Through him (Jesus) then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. (Hebrews 13:15,16)
