The Sweetest Smell
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Straight to the Cross
COLUMN: Square One
The Sweetest Smell
by Richard Mansel
"Nothing is more memorable than a smell. One scent
can be unexpected, momentary, and fleeting, yet
conjure up a childhood summer beside a lake in the
mountains; another, a moonlit beach; a third, a
family dinner of pot roast and sweet potatoes
during a myrtle-mad August in a Midwestern
town."/1
Smells elicit memories that entice, while others
repel. They can conjure up memories of a beloved's
Mother's cherry pie or the liniments of her sick
room. Both evoke vivid memories.
God is a spirit (John 4:24). Yet, the enjoyment of
delectable smells is attributed to God.
Sacrifices are described as "the fragrance of your
sweet aromas" (Leviticus 26:31, NKJV). Leviticus
is brimming with the aromas of worship to God.
Service to God is described as a "sweet-smelling
sacrifice, well pleasing to God" (Philippians
4:18). God is intensely interested in the pleasing
scents of our labors and love in his kingdom.
Paul returns to the familiar theme when discussing
the situation in Corinth with the man who is,
apparently, married to his stepmother (1
Corinthians 5:1-8). The Corinthians refuse to
handle the situation as prescribed by Scripture.
The man must repent and cease his appalling
behavior. If he refuses, the congregation must
practice church discipline (1 Corinthians 5:2-5; 2
Thessalonians 3:6-15).
Paul is concerned that time has elapsed and they
have failed to act (2 Corinthians 2:1-5). Finally,
after a "sorrowful letter" from Paul, they handle
the situation as ordered by God and the problem is
remedied. Paul then commands them to restore the
man publicly with as much vigor as they condemned
his previous behavior (2 Corinthians 2:6-11).
Their love and acceptance should usher the man
back to his proper place in the kingdom of God.
Paul describes the success of their efforts as
fragrances and aromas to Christ. The triumph in
Christ they were basking in was illustrative of a
returning army's passing through the streets to an
adoring, cheering crowd. Their victories were like
a wreath around their heads. The soldiers basked
in the glory of their appreciation.
"On these occasions the temples were all thrown
open, garlands of flowers decorated every shrine
and image, and incense smoked on every altar, so
that the victor was greeted with a cloud of
perfume."/2
In Genesis 8:21, Noah offered a sacrifice to God
after they exited the ark. "The Lord smelled a
soothing aroma" and promised never to destroy
"every living thing as I have done." God makes a
covenant with man and stands by his word.
Paul told the Ephesians to walk in love because
"Christ also has loved us, an offering and a
sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma"
(Ephesians 5:2). In Leviticus, God tells the
priests of God to offer animal sacrifices in order
to atone for their sins. These sacrifices are said
to be a "sweet aroma to the Lord" (Leviticus
4:31).
Christ, being the ultimate sacrifice for sins, was
an offering made to God, once and for all, for the
sins of all mankind (1 Peter 3:18). No sweeter
odor ever arose from the world. A moment when
Christ gave his life so that the remission of sins
could be accomplished. When God's children honor
their Savior by service to his cause, it is once
again evoking the memories of the greatest
sacrifice. This fragrance of victory emanates from
Christ's body, the church, and draws people to it.
Yet, when the body is divided, the acrid smell
repels the world, and the Lord's cause becomes
repugnant to a watching world.
__________
1/ http://www.quoteland.com/search.asp
2/ Marvin R. Vincent, Vincent's Word Studies in
the New Testament (Peabody: Hendrickson, n.d.),
3:299).
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