February 16 - Leviticus 2:2

After taking from it a handful of the choice flour and oil,

with all its frankincense, the priest shall turn

this token portion into smoke on the altar,

an offering by fire of pleasing odor to the Lord.

Leviticus 2:2

 

I am glad that God asked me to be a young(ish) Christian pastor rather than an old Jewish priest. (This is especially true after reading Leviticus 1!)

 

In the first chapter of Leviticus, whenever there was a burnt offering, bulls would be slaughtered, "5and Aaron's sons, the priests, [would] offer the blood, dashing the blood against all sides of the altar ..." Now, I may have enjoyed splashing in the water when I was four, but I'm glad that I'm not called to slaughter bulls and splash blood as an adult.

 

Leviticus 2, however, makes these rituals sound a little more appealing. A little olive oil and fresh bread smell pretty good. So does frankincense. So does a barbeque for that matter. Leviticus 1, 2, and 3 call all of these offerings "pleasing odor[s] to the Lord." 

 

Now, you and I can be a pleasing odor to the Lord too! In fact, in 2 Corinthians 2:15, Paul tells us that we are the aroma of Christ to God ... among those who are perishing."

 

Our world is filled with people who don't know God or peace or hope. When we live our lives in a wonderful and fragrant way, those who are perishing may just want what we have. Therefore, the best evangelism often isn't preaching at the unsaved, but living our lives in a joyful, honest, righteous, gentle, sweet-smelling way.

 

How do you think that smells to God? Paul says it is "the aroma of Christ to God"!!!

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who'd rather smell good

than smell something good