The Book Of Numbers | A Journey Toward Human Freedom Under God's AuthoritySample

"A Pleasing Aroma to the Lord"

The next scene in Numbers 15:1-31 is penned as a result of the people’s rebellion. Though God had freed them, their slavery mentality continued to surface in fury. The camera lens zooms out after focusing upon Israel’s groaning, and zooms in again upon the work of the temple. As the nostrils of the people flared in hostile dissatisfaction, the billowing fire stacks from the altar’s sacrifices and offerings still rose brilliantly into the sky. The priests still walked around in garb proclaiming God’s story, the Nazarite’s and Leper’s still modeled the lessons to be learned from sin and self-righteousness, and the encampment and tent of meeting itself still proclaimed the LIVE drama of God’s saving authority.

It is as if God picks them up and dusts them off and points his finger back up into the sky to draw their attention back to the scent and the billowing smoke of the fire coming off the sacrificial altars. In pointing to the consistent payment being made continually to reconcile their sins before God, the people needed to see that though they were waging war against God’s perfect ways, his ways were still in fact the only thing that kept them alive. This was the pleasing aroma to the LORD as it wafted up to heaven from the sacrifices being brought.

Consider the gospel of Jesus in this chapter. Consider the sacrifice made by our God. Consider how God graciously reminds us of Jesus’ provisions for rebellion even when we fail to see it.