Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Good morning, special ones.

Overcast, fog, cool…there’s the weather report. And it’s a pretty close parallel to the socio-spiritual-political weather all around us too. Nevertheless, through the lens of Biblical revelation, they are conditions that are nothing less than exciting. Even today’s reading offers some profound insight into not only how humans behave in opposition to the Will of God, but how Sovereign God works to orchestrate the fulfillment of His Will…even utilizing the opposition of His opponents as tools for transacting His Will. While Becki and I were discussing some of this earlier, she read to me what she had before her in Proverbs 16:4—“The LORD works out everything for his own ends—even the wicked for a day of disaster.” While we cannot rightly gloat over that day of disaster, let’s reaffirm that the best bar-none socio-spiritual-political weather to establish within us is A HEART AFTER GOD. This FEAR OF THE LORD is the beginning of what? And without it, what do we have left?

The tree work of yesterday did not go without risk and adventure. One tree that we attempted to lift slipped from its attachment to the boom and fell. Thankfully, there was no damage to the property. But the top end struck and damaged some of the hydraulic control shafts at the bottom of the boom…and I was stranded about 50 feet up with loss of control functions. I had Thano switch over to the mode of operating from the crane seat and he lowered me fine with the boom fully extended. I was able to run into town, purchase some replacement parts (mainly two lengths of Schedule 40 2.5” PVC pipe) and were back in service within 2.5 hours. I need to get back there to finish up on my own. Hopefully it won’t take more than a couple hours. We have other plans for the day.

Sorry…got carried away with describing stuff. You don’t have to read it if you don’t want to. But, then, you already did. What can I say?

Love and prayers, Dad/Ray.

Not everyone in that house had the same sense of smell. A good question to raise is this: Who’s sense of smell is most important? To the senses of Jesus, this deed performed by Mary when she broke the container of very fragrant and costly perfume, rubbing it all over Jesus’ feet, then wiping the residue with her hair, was a very acceptable, pleasing, and aromatic thing to do. (I would guess that people were following Mary around for a good week after this incident—getting into the path of the fragrance she was emitting everywhere she went.) But to the senses of Judas, who loved money and the stuff it can win, the whole deal stunk! There you have it, folks—this is a concise commentary on the conflict that still continues between members of the two kingdoms (i.e., the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan—there’s only two, you know). Each one stinks to the other.

I just checked the concordance and counted 39 times in the Old Testament where sacrifices are described as being a “sweet savour” (KJV) or “pleasing aroma” (NIV) unto the Lord. That has to be significant. I’ll let Exodus 29:18 be representative: “Then burn the entire ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the LORD, a pleasing aroma, and offering made to the LORD by fire.”

Consider also these odor-significant passages:

Ephesians 5:1-2. “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

Philippians 4:18-19. “I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”

2 Corinthians 2:14-16. “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?”

Please understand that, while you may not have a year’s wages worth of perfume to offer to the Lord, you most definitely have something to offer. Any sacrifice of praise or service offered to the Lord from A HEART AFTER GOD emits to Him fragrant “pleasing aroma.” Read Romans 12:1 from that perspective: “Therefore I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing (pleasing aroma) to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.”

Don’t be afraid of raising a stink—it’s unavoidable if your life is a “pleasing aroma” to the Lord.