Soothing Aroma

So often, the church has adopted a manner of sacrificial giving that is based upon monetary offerings, a strategy that has been carved into church society as the prosperity movement, which invokes “sowing seed.” This concept molded this pitch into a marketing business designed to shift the principle of sowing to the accumulation of material things driven by carnality. However, this dynamic of sacrificial giving is void of one important aspect: divine intervention. It ignores the core mission in sowing seed, which is to please God. This goal must be at the forefront of giving, not just monetarily but in all aspects of life. Scriptural text proves that the objective component of the sacrificial system was governed by pleasing God, resulting in the generated substance known as soothing aroma. Soothing aroma is a term used in the New American Standard Bible (NASB) in correlation to the phrase sweet savior in the King James version (KJV). It is used to implore by soliciting the actual intent in which the sacrificial system was implemented. That is to please God. For soothing aroma is a concept solely attributed to sacrificial offerings pleasing to the Lord. This explains why thirty-nine out of the forty-three times the phrase is mentioned in the Pentateuch. The most common use of the term is found in the books of Leviticus and Numbers. Leviticus is considered the most difficult book in the Bible. I had a hard time understanding the book of Leviticus because of the complexity of the content. Leviticus devotes a substantial amount of text to detailing the ceremonial law, which is based upon blood, sacrifices, offerings, and ordinances. The objective of the regulations of the law is to generate the soothing aroma pleasing to God, who is worthy of worship. This type of worship will always produce a higher frequency in the spirit that welcomes the presence of God; it is a frequency that surpasses the frequencies of this world. The phrase soothing aroma accompanies the term to the Lord or refers to the Lord, which is a good indication that soothing aroma or sweet savior is for the Lord. This expression is significant because it extracts the intent and directs the reference. The general intent of soothing aroma was to appease God, and the reference of it was in relation to sacrificial offering(s): a standard form used to present gifts before God. Sacrificial offerings were how one communicated with God. Now the best interpretation for the term soothing aroma is “to ascend,” in which a particular sacrifice, such as a burnt offering, was meant to “go up” in smoke in order to appease God. Burnt offerings were considered a distinct type of offering that acquired its name for being put “all on the altar,” in addition to being called God’s meal. For this reason, no sacrifices were able to ascend without God’s consent because God set the standard for which sacrifices were acceptable and which were unacceptable to Him. It was on His terms. Whenever an offering was displeasing to God, it gave off a strange smell and was then rejected. Whenever an offering was pleasing to God, it gave off a distinct scent that satisfied the Lord. God received the offering by smelling it. This gives us a proper understanding of the role of Jesus Christ as “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8 KJV). He was the ultimate sacrifice that was, is, and will always be acceptable and pleasing to God because Jesus warrants a favorable response that exemplifies what God requires from His worshippers. God desires for His people to smell good in His presence as the burnt offering of Jesus smelled pleasing to Him. Jesus is a true example to His followers of what classifies and extols authentic worship to God: a valuable and costly sacrifice. The type of sacrifice God deems valuable and costly is us—His people—as living sacrifices. Roman 12:1 ascribes a living sacrifice to a sacrifice acceptable unto God. A live sacrifice rather than a dead one infuses the fragrance of Christ. That is the soothing aroma that is pleasing to God. There is no exact translation of the phrase soothing aroma in the New Testament. There are implications of the term in accordance with the King James Version (KJV). Typically, the New American Standard Bible (NASB) refers to soothing aroma as fragrance. The proper translation of “soothing aroma” comes from the Hebrew words nîḥōwaḥ rêaḥ (נִיח֔וֹחַ רֵֽיחַ־); nîḥōwaḥ is defined as pleasant, delight, restful, soothing, quieting, and tranquillizing, and rêaḥ is defined as odor, scent, and smell. The fragrance of Christ is a pleasant odor and a calming delight; it is tranquillizing and restful. For Jesus Christ was the ultimate sacrifice that was able to calm God’s anger, pacify God’s wrath, liberate a debt, and bestow favor and blessings upon God’s people. Jesus Christ was the only sacrifice able to diffuse an eternal soothing aroma. The perpetual aroma keeps on ascending and entering the very presence of God. Another aroma considered to be perpetual was incense. Incense had a significant role in the sanctuary. It combated the smell of dead animals as well as providing an atoning effect. It was also a covering shield to protect the high priest while he ministered before the Lord once a year as he entered into the holy of holies, the place behind the veil. The mercy seat and the Ark of the Covenant stood behind the veil, and the altar of incense was stationed directly in front of them on the other side. Thus, it represented the place suitable for divine encounter.