Every Sunday morning, Jim put on the same navy blazer. He drove the family to Grace Community Church, parked in the same spot near the back, and walked in after the service started. He was late enough to avoid the greeters, but early enough to still count as “showing up.” He sat in the last row on the right, next to the aisle.
During the singing, he mouthed the words to the songs without singing. During the sermon he kept his Bible closed on his lap. Sometimes he unlocked his phone and scrolled through headlines or fantasy football scores while the pastor talked about surrender and holiness. The words floated past him like background noise from a television left on in another room.
After the service, he smiled at people in the lobby, shook a couple of hands, and said the same three things on rotation: “Good message,” “We’re doing fine, thanks,” and “Yeah, we should get the kids together sometime.” Then he drove home, changed into sweats, and spent the rest of the day doing whatever he felt like.
He didn’t pray unless something was already going wrong. He didn’t open his Bible except on rare occasions. He didn’t serve anywhere because he believed “someone else will do it.”
Like Jim, there are many so-called Christians who make no attempt to please God. They attend church sometimes. They live a mostly moral life. However, deep inside, pleasing God is not something they attempt to do.
That is contrary to the example laid out for us in the Bible. After Noah and his family came off the ark, Noah built an altar and offered burnt offerings. Genesis 8:21 tells us when Yahweh smelled the soothing aroma, He promised to never again destroy the earth with a flood. This tells us Noah did something that pleased God.
The 28th and 29th chapters of Numbers list the various sacrifices that were required to be offered to Yahweh. Yesterday, we read about the daily, weekly, and monthly sacrifices. Then we started reading about the offerings that were required during their annual festivals. In the first month of the year, Israel celebrated Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Today, as we read about the rest of their festivals, we will focus on the word “soothing”. The Israelites were required to offer soothing aromas to Yahweh. In other words, they were required to please Yahweh. After today’s reading from Numbers, we will look at a couple New Testament verses that explain how we can please God with a soothing aroma.
Num. 28:26 ¶ ‘Also on the day of the first fruits, when you bring near a new grain offering to Yahweh in your Feast of Weeks, you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work.
Num. 28:27 And you shall bring near a burnt offering for a soothing aroma to Yahweh: two bulls from the herd, one ram, seven male lambs one year old;
Notice the word “soothing”. On the first day of the Feast of Weeks, the Israelites were required to offer two bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs as a soothing aroma to Yahweh.
Num. 28:28 and their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for each bull, two-tenths for the one ram,
Num. 28:29 a tenth for each of the seven lambs;
Num. 28:30 also one male goat to make atonement for you.
Num. 28:31 Besides the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, you shall offer them with their drink offerings. They shall be without blemish.
Num. 29:1 ¶ ‘Now in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall also have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work. It will be to you a day for blowing trumpets.
Num. 29:2 And you shall offer a burnt offering as a soothing aroma to Yahweh: one bull from the herd, one ram, and seven male lambs one year old without blemish;
On the first day of the seventh month, they were required to offer a soothing aroma to Yahweh. This is known today as Rosh Hashannah, the New Year.
Num. 29:3 also their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the ram,
Num. 29:4 and one-tenth for each of the seven lambs.
Num. 29:5 And offer one male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for you,
Num. 29:6 besides the burnt offering of the new moon and its grain offering, and the continual burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offerings, according to their legal judgment, for a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to Yahweh.
This is the third time we see the word “soothing”.
Num. 29:7 ¶ ‘Then on the tenth day of this seventh month you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall humble yourselves; you shall not do any work.
Num. 29:8 And you shall bring near a burnt offering to Yahweh as a soothing aroma: one bull from the herd, one ram, seven male lambs one year old, having them without blemish;
The soothing aroma on the tenth day of the seventh month was one bull, one ram, and seven male lambs. This day is known today as Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement.
Num. 29:9 and their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the one ram,
Num. 29:10 a tenth for each of the seven lambs;
Num. 29:11 one male goat for a sin offering, besides the sin offering of atonement and the continual burnt offering and its grain offering and their drink offerings.
Num. 29:12 ¶ ‘Then on the fifteenth day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work, and you shall celebrate a feast to Yahweh for seven days.
Verse 12 starts a long section on another seven day feast which started on the fifteenth day of the seventh month.
Num. 29:13 And you shall bring near a burnt offering, an offering by fire as a soothing aroma to Yahweh: thirteen bulls from the herd, two rams, fourteen male lambs one year old, which are without blemish;
The soothing aroma on the first day of this feast required thirteen bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs.
Num. 29:14 and their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for each of the thirteen bulls, two-tenths for each of the two rams,
Num. 29:15 and a tenth for each of the fourteen lambs;
Num. 29:16 and one male goat for a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.
Many times in the Old Testament, there are references to the sacrifices being pleasing aromas to Yahweh. Likewise, in the New Testament, Paul wrote that when Jesus Christ gave Himself up for us, it was a fragrant aroma to God (see Ephesians 5:2). Then when writing to the Philippians, Paul acknowledged a gift he received from the Philippians and called the gift a fragrant offering which is pleasing to God (see Philippians 4:18). When we serve Jesus, it is a pleasing aroma which is pleasing to Him. Pleasing Jesus is something we should desire to do (see 2 Corinthians 5:9).
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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”