Leviticus: A Sweet Aroma

5/4/11…Oh Father, I write these words to You. The times I drift away are the times I feel most disconnected. I sometimes wonder why the selfishness in me keeps me away from You. I sometimes wonder why the thoughts of this world keep me preoccupied from You. Just a few months ago You revealed such wonderful truths to me from Your Word and these truths energized me. I never knew the old dusty book of Exodus could reveal such depth. But then once again, my human frailty distracted me. This time with sickness. Not just once, but twice and all of a sudden I found myself drifting. I sometimes wonder if Satan afflicts me in order to keep me away from You or is this a test given by You to discern my resolve? What I do know is this. After attending a worship service for the first time in weeks and returning to Your Word these last three days has me thirsting once again for You. You are the only one who can bring peace, contentment, and joy in my soul. There is a yearning to follow and to strive for truth in You. I cannot escape it, no matter how often I drift. Now once again I come home from work and I am eager to open Your Word. I turn the pages of Leviticus, and like a child, I discover the wonder of these words…

 

Leviticus 1:17 It is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord.

 

Ephesians 5:1-2 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering, and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling aroma.

 

Leviticus, another old dusty book near the beginning of the Bible. A book steeped in tediousness if one chooses to read every word. And yet once again, as in Exodus, I find opening the old dusty book of Leviticus offers a fresh connection I never realized before. I ask my Father to open my eyes. I read the first seven chapters, and the words, “a sweet aroma” jump off the pages. Over and over these words come up as Moses dictates protocol of offerings and sacrifices. All end with the words, a sweet aroma.

 

Then my mind or maybe my Father directs my mind to Ephesians 5:1-2, a passage my dear friend Pam gave to me a long time ago in a land far away. And years later, alas I connect the words from the New to the Old Testament.

 

Indeed, Leviticus…a sweet aroma.

This post dedicated to my dear sister in Christ, Pam.