Noah built an altar to GOD. He selected clean animals … and offered them… God smelled the sweet fragrance and thought to himself, "I'll never again curse the ground because of people."
Genesis 8:20&21
What's your favorite smell? I caught a whiff off some heady wood-smoke while waiting for some balongo and it sent me to seventh heaven. What cuts it for you? For some it's the aroma of fresh home-baked bread. Ummm! Or maybe it's Chanel No.5 (yeah, I'm old school). For a few, even the smell of gasoline gets them high. But it just got me thinking about the sense of smell. You know, most of the other senses - sight, touch and hearing are meant for self-preservation. They help us survive. But the senses of smell and taste, so far as we humans are concerned, are intended for something perhaps less noble. They're intended for pleasure. Imagine that! The thought brings a smile to my face. It's one of those nice gifts God has packaged for us to help us enjoy life. Just wake up and smell the roses and you're alright.
Now if you take a walk through God's regulations for the Israelites in the early days, you see that a lot of them had to do with burning sacrifices and incense. God was telling them that when he smelled their gift, He would appreciate it. In essence, He was teaching that young generation of believers that their principal responsibility was to seek His pleasure. He's spoken to us in much clearer terms in the New Covenant saying, quite clearly, "find out what pleases the Lord."
Now imagine that. God blessed us with the gift of pleasure for one reason more than simply our own enjoyment. He did it so that we could understand just how much He Himself desires enjoyment. And what does he want to enjoy? Us. You and Me. Is it any surprise that the Revelations 5 & 8 speaks about the prayers of the saints as bowls filled with incense? God's pleasure is in communion with me.
And that's what I learnt. So, next time you smell something great, don't keep it to yourself. Share the pleasure with your God.
With love, Doosuur.
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