Read: Numbers 28:16-25
In the same way you shall offer daily, for seven days, the food of a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the LORD. (v. 24)
The phrase “a pleasing aroma” appears about 40 times in the ESV translation of the Old Testament. With one exception when God is providing a severe warning against idolatry (Ezek. 6:13), the words “to the LORD” or a similar association either precede or follow it. In Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy, God used Moses to instruct his people on how to live and how to worship him, including through sacrifice.
About two months into the Covid-19 pandemic, I found a deep need for pleasing aromas that brought a feeling of normalcy. In a season of the unknown, it became more important than ever to have a scented candle burning or to sit outside around our backyard fire pit, smelling the woodsmoke. Clean laundry still warm from the dryer held a comforting aroma that I had rarely paid attention to before, and the scent of fresh-cut grass reminded me that growth was still happening and that we must keep tending to the good things God placed in our care.
My heightened sense of smell remains with me even now, a few years later. It reminds me that we are made in the image of God, just as Genesis 1:27 says. This, like so many things about God’s creativity, amazes me. The God of the universe created us like himself, as his beloved children (Eph. 5:1-2). Wow!
As you pray, thank God for the gift of your senses.
About the Author
Joy Petroelje serves as the grants manager for a faith-based international nonprofit organization. Aside from work, she enjoys family time, coffee or dinner with friends, writing, reading, and running.
