God's Fire: A Response To Sweet Aroma

The Bible mentions the importance of aroma in connection with sacrifices made to God. In Genesis 8:21, after Noah built an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings of clean animals and birds, the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma. This phrase is also used in Leviticus to describe the Lord's reaction to various offerings of Jewish tabernacle worship. The aroma of a sacrifice is important to God, not because of the smell itself, but because of what it represents—the substitutionary atonement for sin. The idea is that Noah's sacrifice was a propitiation, or satisfaction, of God's righteous requirement.

The aroma of a sacrifice is important to God

The importance of a sacrifice's aroma is not the smell itself, but what it represents—the substitutionary atonement for sin. The aroma of a sacrifice is a symbol of the commitment to offer worship in God's name and to follow His commands. This idea is further reinforced in Leviticus, where a pleasing aroma is connected with the various offerings of Jewish tabernacle worship. For example, Leviticus 1:9 states, "The priest is to burn all of it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord." Similarly, Leviticus 2:2 mentions a grain offering that had "an aroma pleasing to the Lord."

Even the larger sacrifice at the yearly Feast of Weeks focused on the redemption of sinners as the reason for the pleasing aroma. Leviticus 23:18 emphasizes this by stating, "Present with this bread seven male lambs, each a year old and without defect, one young bull, and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the Lord, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings—a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord."

The New Testament reveals Christ as the final sacrifice for sin, the ultimate propitiation. Ephesians 5:2 states, "Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Jesus, as the Son of God, provided the eternally pleasing sacrifice that satisfied God's righteous requirement.

Noah's sacrifice was a propitiation, or satisfaction, of God's righteous requirement

Noah's sacrifice was an act of worship, a recognition of God's command, and a symbol of his commitment to God. It was a substitutionary atonement for sin, and God's pleasure in the aroma of the sacrifice was a sign of His satisfaction and propitiation.

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. This sacrifice was a "pleasing aroma" to God, and God's pleasure in it is significant. The importance of the aroma is not the smell itself but what it represents—the substitutionary atonement for sin.

The idea of a pleasing aroma as a representation of propitiation is also found in Leviticus, where it is connected with the various offerings of Jewish tabernacle worship. For example, Leviticus 1:9 states, "The priest shall burn all on the altar as a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord." Similarly, Leviticus 2:2 states that the grain offering, despite not involving meat, also had "an aroma pleasing to the Lord."

The New Testament reveals Christ as the final sacrifice for sin and the ultimate propitiation. Ephesians 5:2 states, "Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Jesus, as the Son of God, was the only one who could provide an eternally pleasing sacrifice. Thus, Noah's sacrifice, as a foreshadowing of Christ's ultimate sacrifice, was a propitiation that satisfied God's righteous requirement.

God was pleased with the sacrifice and promised to never again destroy every living creature with a flood

The story of Noah's sacrifice is told in Genesis 8:20-21. After leaving the ark, Noah built an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings of clean animals and birds. The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma of the sacrifice and was pleased. In his heart, he said:

> "I will never again curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. I will never again destroy all living creatures, as I have done."

The Lord's promise to never again destroy every living creature with a flood was a result of his pleasure with Noah's sacrifice. The aroma of the sacrifice was important to God, symbolizing the substitutionary atonement for sin. The sacrifice represented Noah's commitment to worship and obey God, which pleased the Lord.

The Bible mentions a "pleasing aroma" or "sweet-smelling aroma" in connection with sacrifices on several occasions. For example, Leviticus 1:9 and 1:13 describe the priest burning offerings on the altar as a "food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord." Similarly, Leviticus 2:2 mentions a grain offering with "an aroma pleasing to the Lord." In these cases, the pleasing aroma represents the action of propitiation or atonement rather than the actual smell of the burnt offering.

The New Testament reveals Christ as the final sacrifice for sin, the ultimate propitiation. Ephesians 5:2 states, "Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Jesus' sacrifice was the eternally pleasing sacrifice that satisfied God's righteous requirement.

The pleasing aroma is mentioned in connection with the various offerings of Jewish tabernacle worship

The pleasing aroma is mentioned sixteen times in the book of Leviticus, in connection with sacrifices that are considered pleasing to God. The first mention of God smelling a pleasing aroma is found in Genesis 8:21, when Noah offers a burnt offering of clean animals and birds after leaving the ark. This is described as a "soothing aroma" or a "sweet savour".

In Leviticus, the pleasing aroma is referenced in relation to various offerings of Jewish tabernacle worship. For example, Leviticus 1:9 states:

> "The priest is to burn all of it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord."

Similarly, Leviticus 1:13 and 2:2 also mention the pleasing aroma in the context of offerings made to God. The former refers to the burning of the entrails and legs of the sacrifice, while the latter mentions a grain offering, which differs from the typical meat offering.

The pleasing aroma is also mentioned in Leviticus 23:18, which describes a larger sacrifice at the yearly Feast of Weeks:

> "Present with this bread seven male lambs, each a year old and without defect, one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the Lord, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings—a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord."

The significance of the aroma lies not in the smell itself but in what it represents—the substitutionary atonement for sin. The pleasing aroma symbolises God's satisfaction and propitiation, as seen in Noah's sacrifice, where God promises never to destroy every living creature with a flood again.

The New Testament reveals Christ as the final sacrifice for sin, the ultimate propitiation

The Bible mentions God smelling a "pleasing aroma" on sixteen occasions in the book of Leviticus. The aroma of a sacrifice is important to God, but it is not the smell itself that holds significance, but what the smell represents: the substitutionary atonement for sin.

The first instance of God smelling a burnt offering is in Genesis 8:21, when Noah offers a sacrifice of clean animals and birds after leaving the ark. God describes the aroma as soothing or pleasing, and promises never to curse the ground or destroy every living creature again. This sacrifice is a form of propitiation, or satisfaction, of God's righteous requirement.

The idea of a pleasing aroma is also mentioned in Leviticus 1:9 and 13, and Leviticus 2, in connection with the various offerings of Jewish tabernacle worship. In these cases, it is the action of propitiation that is important, rather than the actual smoke of the burnt offering. For example, in Leviticus 2, the grain offering is described as having "an aroma pleasing to the Lord", even though it involves grain rather than meat.

The yearly Feast of Weeks also included a larger sacrifice that focused on the redemption of sinners as the reason for the pleasing aroma (Leviticus 23:18). This offering included bread, lambs, a bull, and rams, and was a "food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord".

In conclusion, the New Testament reveals Christ as the final sacrifice for sin, fulfilling the ultimate propitiation that began with Noah's sacrifice and continued through the Jewish tabernacle worship described in Leviticus.

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