Prayer's Sweet Aroma: Biblical Insights On Pleasing God

The Bible mentions prayer aroma to God in several verses. In the Old Testament, God instructed the priests of Israel to burn incense made from five exotic spices. This act represented the continuous prayers of the people. The Bible also mentions specific types of prayers that are especially pleasing to God, including prayers of thanksgiving, forgiveness, intercession, and praise. These prayers are so precious to God that they are kept close to him in golden bowls in heaven.

The aroma of prayer

The Bible mentions the aroma of prayer in several passages, likening the act of prayer to a pleasing fragrance offered up to God. This concept is deeply rooted in the Old Testament, where specific prayers and offerings are prescribed for believers to follow.

In the Bible, certain aromas hold significant meanings for God. While some scents delight Him, others cause Him to turn away. The aroma of prayer is described as a sweet fragrance that rises up to God, much like incense burning on an altar.

In the Old Testament, God instructed the priests of Israel to burn aromatic incense made from exotic spices on the golden altar inside the Holy of Holies. This act symbolised the continuous prayers of God's people rising up to Him. The incense was so sacred that any deviation from God's commands resulted in severe consequences, as seen in the case of Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10:1-2).

Specific Prayers as Aroma

According to the Bible, there are specific types of prayers that are especially pleasing to God. These include prayers of thanksgiving (1 Timothy 2:1), forgiveness (1 John 1:9), intercession (1 Timothy 2:1), praise and adoration (Psalm 148:1-14), utter dependence (Matthew 7:7), seeking wisdom (James 1:5), petitions and supplications (Philippians 4:6), seeking peace (Philippians 4:6-7), and salvation (Romans 10:9-10).

These prayers are so precious to God that He collects them in "golden bowls" in heaven, as described in Revelation 5:8. By doing so, God can continually savour the sweet aroma of His people's prayers.

The Aroma of Repentance

In addition to the aroma of prayer, the Bible also mentions the aroma of repentance. In the Old Testament, the Israelites were required to offer sacrifices to atone for their sins. However, it was not the scent of the sacrifices that pleased God, but rather the repentance and changed lives that these sacrifices represented (Leviticus 1:9, 13; 2:2; 23:18).

Over time, when the Israelites became careless with their sacrifices, God rebuked them, saying, "I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams... Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me" (Isaiah 1:11, 13). God desires genuine repentance from humble and contrite hearts, as stated in Psalm 51:17.

The aroma of repentance

The Bible mentions several aromas that are pleasing to God. One of these is the aroma of repentance.

In the Bible, God commanded the priests of Israel to burn incense and sacrifice certain animals to atone for their sins. While the aroma itself was pleasing to God, what mattered more was what it symbolised: repentance, clean souls, and changed lives.

In the New Testament, Jesus encountered a sinful woman at the house of Simon the Pharisee. The woman, recognising her need for forgiveness, anointed Jesus' feet with an expensive fragrance, weeping as she did so. Her act of humility and repentance transformed her spiritual state, and Jesus forgave her sins.

True repentance involves mourning and fearing the Lord, confessing our sins, and correcting our faults. It is not enough to merely feel remorse; God desires genuine repentance that flows from humble and contrite hearts. This kind of repentance is a sweet aroma to God, and He delights in it.

As believers, we are called to follow Christ's example of sacrifice and demonstrate His suffering through our own emotional, spiritual, and physical sufferings. When we express Christ-like love and forgiveness, we become a fragrant offering to God, an aroma that He finds pleasing.

The aroma of witness

The Bible describes prayer as a sweet fragrance that pleases God. In the Bible, certain scents are significant to God, and the aroma of our prayers is one of them.

In the Old Testament, God instructed the priests of Israel to burn incense, made from a blend of five exotic spices, on the altar inside the Holy of Holies. This act symbolised the continuous prayers of God's people, rising up to Him like a sweet fragrance.

The apostle Paul, in 2 Corinthians 2:14-16, instructs Christians to spread "the fragrance of the knowledge of [Jesus Christ] everywhere". We, as believers, are to be "the aroma of Christ to God". Our witness, our testimony, and our proclamation of the gospel are like a fragrance that fills the air.

To those who are being saved, our witness is a beautiful perfume of life everlasting. However, to those who are perishing, it may be experienced as the stench of death. Regardless of how our message is received, our testimonies create a powerful fragrance that God delights in, for truth always smells good to Him.

Just as God prescribed specific ingredients for the incense, He also guides us on how to pray. The Bible mentions several types of prayers that are precious to God:

• Prayers of Thanksgiving (1 Timothy 2:1)
• Prayers for Forgiveness (1 John 1:9)
• Prayers of Intercession (1 Timothy 2:1)
• Prayers of Praise and Adoration (Psalm 148:1-14)
• Prayers of Utter Dependence (Matthew 7:7)
• Prayers for Wisdom (James 1:5)
• Petitions and Supplications (1 Timothy 2:1; Philippians 4:6)
• Prayers for Peace (Philippians 4:6-7)
• Prayers for Salvation (Romans 10:9-10)

These prayers are so precious to God that He collects them in "golden bowls" in heaven, savouring their aroma forever.

The aroma of love

The Bible speaks of love in many ways, and one of these is through the metaphor of aroma. The concept of aroma is used in the Bible to convey the power of an action or offering, and its impact on God. The Bible describes four aromas that are especially pleasing to God, and the first of these is the aroma of love.

The Aroma of Christ's Love

The ultimate expression of love in the Bible is Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. In Ephesians 5:2, Jesus' sacrifice is described as a "fragrant offering and sacrifice to God". This act of love, where Jesus 'gave Himself for us', is a sweet-smelling aroma to God.

The Bible also speaks of believers being called to express Christ's love through their own actions. In 2 Corinthians 2:14-16, Christians are described as "a fragrance of Christ to God". This fragrance is the knowledge of Christ and the proclamation of His sacrifice, and it is spread by believers through their witness.

A Fragrant Offering

The Bible states that believers are to present their bodies as "a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God" (Romans 12:1). This act of devotion, where believers offer their very selves to God, is a fragrant aroma, pleasing to Him.

Just as specific offerings were made in the Old Testament, such as the burnt offerings of rams and bulls (Leviticus 1:9, 13, 17; 2:2, 9, 12, 16; 3:5, 16; 6:15; Psalm 66:15), so too are believers' acts of love and devotion seen as sweet-smelling aromas to God.

The aroma of sacrifice

The Bible mentions "aroma" or "fragrance" in connection with sacrifices made to God on several occasions. The first mention of God smelling the aroma of a burnt offering is found in Genesis 8:21, where Noah offers a burnt offering of clean animals and birds after leaving the ark. God describes the aroma as "pleasing".

In Leviticus, a pleasing aroma is mentioned in connection with various offerings of Jewish tabernacle worship. The book of Leviticus describes the various sacrifices and offerings that the Israelites were to make as part of their worship of God. The burnt offering, grain offering, peace offering, sin offerings, and guilt offerings are all described as having a "pleasing aroma" to the Lord.

The importance of a sacrifice's aroma is not the smell itself, but what the smell represents—the substitutionary atonement for sin. The smoke and aroma from the sacrifices were a physical representation of the spiritual act of atonement and repentance. God was pleased with the sacrifice and, in the case of Noah's offering, promised to never again destroy every living creature with a flood.

In the New Testament, Christ is described as the final sacrifice for sin, the ultimate propitiation: "Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God" (Ephesians 5:2). Jesus' sacrifice is described as having a pleasing aroma to God, just as the Old Testament sacrifices did.

The Bible also mentions the "aroma" of our prayers and witness as being pleasing to God. In Revelation 5:8, the prayers of the saints are described as golden bowls full of incense, which God collects and enjoys. In 2 Corinthians 2:14–16, the apostle Paul charges Christians to spread "the fragrance of the knowledge of [Jesus Christ] everywhere". The knowledge that Christians proclaim is that Jesus Christ died for the sins of mankind, and all who repent and put their faith in Him will be saved.

So, the "aroma of sacrifice" in the Bible refers to the pleasing smell of burnt offerings and sacrifices made to God, which represent the atonement for sin and the spiritual act of repentance and obedience. This theme is continued in the New Testament with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who is described as a "fragrant offering" to God. Additionally, the Bible teaches that our prayers and witness can also be a pleasing aroma to God.

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