12. A Fragrant Life
12
A Fragrant Life
For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?
2 Corinthians 2:15–16
When I was growing up in northern Indiana, we didn’t know much about air pollution, even though we experienced it almost every day. The steel mills, oil refineries, and chemical factories that provided jobs for our community also contributed pollution to the atmosphere. We used to jokingly say, “On a clear day you can see your feet,” although it was really not that bad. When the wind changed, the odors in the air also changed, so we always knew which way the wind was blowing.
It is not remarkable that the Bible mentions over a dozen different fragrances, for in the ancient near east perfumed body oils were essential to personal hygiene. Some places did have public baths, but the bath was usually followed by the application of aromatic oils that could smother body odors. The people also burned incense to perfume the air. In the previous chapter about the Roman triumph, we discovered that Christians are bearers of a “spiritual aroma” that says “death” to unbelievers but “life” to those who know Jesus Christ. There should be a special fragrance about God’s people that attracts others and gives us opportunities to be a blessing. We have already looked at the fragrance of victory (2 Cor. 2:15–16), but there are other fragrances that ought to be in our lives.
The Fragrance of Prayer (Ps. 141:2)
In the nation of Israel, both the tabernacle and the temple had a small altar that stood before the veil and was used only for burning incense (Exod. 30:1–10, 34–38; 37:25–29). It was made of acacia wood and overlaid with pure gold. Each morning and evening, the high priest would burn special incense on this altar that was used for no other purpose. In Scripture, the burning of incense is a picture of offering prayer to the Lord. David prayed, “Let my prayer be set before You as incense” (Ps. 141:2), and John was told that, in heaven, the prayers of the saints are like incense (Rev. 5:8; 8:1–6). Zacharias the priest was serving at this altar when the angel appeared and announced that he and his wife Elizabeth would have a son, John the Baptist (Luke 1:5–25).
The altar and the incense teach us some important practical truths about prayer. For one thing, our praying must be biblical. God gave Moses the recipe for the incense and made it clear no other incense was permitted, nor was the true incense to be used in any other place. It belonged only on the golden altar before the veil. What are the “ingredients” that make up true prayer? Humility, faith, worship, adoration, the confession of sin, and the claiming of God’s promises are certainly essential. The Jewish high priest could go only as far as the veil, but God’s people today can enter the holy of holies in heaven and meet the Lord at the throne of grace. How privileged we are!
Just as the priest had specific times each day for this ministry, so we should set aside times daily to meet the Lord in prayer. We should certainly start and close each day with prayer. However, we must also pray during the day as we face different situations. Nehemiah is a great example of “praying without ceasing,” and you can find a dozen of his spontaneous prayers recorded in his book. Another essential is the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The incense was burned upon the golden altar, and the Holy Spirit is the “fire” that ignites our prayers. Paul exhorted Timothy to “stir up the gift of God” (2 Tim. 1:6) that was given to him, and that literally means “fan into flame, get the fire going.” When the priest came to the golden altar each morning and evening, he first had to remove the cold ashes and rekindle the fire, and so do we need to get rid of the old remnants in our lives and move ahead into the new day or night ahead.
Each time I go to worship or attend a prayer meeting, I am either contributing to the ministry or detracting from it, depending on the spiritual condition of my heart. The priest would not dare to bring “strange fire” into the sanctuary but would get holy fire from the brazen altar where the fire burned continuously. That fire originally came from heaven (Lev. 9:24)! It adds power to a prayer meeting when people attend who habitually pray and, like the Emmaus disciples, have burning hearts (Luke 24:32). The priest chosen to burn the incense would carry away with him from the altar some of the fragrance of the incense, and people could tell that he had been in the sanctuary. Can others detect in us a “holy fragrance” that announces we have been with Jesus?
It’s significant that the prayers of God’s people are preserved in heaven as incense (Rev. 5:8; 8:3–4). We here on earth may think our stammering prayers are failures, but our Father considers them precious. Our prayers may be despised here on earth, but they are treasured in heaven and bring delight to the Lord. Never underestimate the importance of prayer or the influence of prayer on the people of God and the work of God. The prayer of a little child gets as much attention in heaven as the intercession of an aged prayer warrior.
The Fragrance of Unity (Ps. 133)
Discord and disunity have been problems among God’s people ever since Cain killed Abel, Aaron and Miriam criticized their brother Moses, and our Lord’s disciples argued over which of them was the greatest. We sing, “We are not divided / All one body we,” which is true from God’s point of view but not always from the world’s point of view. The church in Corinth grieved the Lord and Paul because it was divided four ways (1 Cor. 1:12). I have pastored three churches and ministered in many others, and I have experienced both the godly warmth of unity and the icy blast of disunity. But the imagery in Psalm 133 points the way to a unity that comes from heaven, starting with the word “brethren” in verse 1. That word immediately reminds us that all Christians have experienced a new birth in Christ and belong to the same family. Therefore, we ought to love one another and do all we can to “keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3).
But I want to focus on the fragrant anointing oil that was used when Aaron was installed as Israel’s first high priest. There is a fragrance from personal unity that is absent from organizational uniformity, for unity comes from love within while uniformity results from pressure from without. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, David pointed out that the oil poured on Aaron’s head ran down his beard (Ps. 133:2). This meant that the oil bathed the twelve precious stones on Aaron’s breastplate, stones that symbolized the twelve tribes of Israel. The oil united the stones! This is a picture of the church: “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body” (1 Cor. 12:13). No matter where a jewel was set, it was touched by the oil and united with the other stones. Each stone had its own beauty and character, but no one stone was necessarily greater than another. As Aaron bore the tribes over his heart and on his shoulders (Exod. 28), so our Lord Jesus Christ, our heavenly high priest, bears us on His shoulders (with our burdens) and over His heart. At no time does He stop loving us or caring for us!
David, who wrote this psalm, knew something about unity and disunity. When he was young, his own brothers didn’t always respect him, and during David’s waiting years, Saul divided the nation against him. After Saul’s death, David ruled for seven and a half years in Hebron before the entire nation united behind him. Because of envy, lust, and pride, some of David’s own sons created disunity in his family and in the nation. True unity is good and pleasant, like the dew that falls on the fields and orchards and produces beauty and fruit (Ps. 133:3). The church doesn’t have to manufacture some kind of organizational unity, for we are already one in Christ. Our task is to endeavor “to keep [maintain] the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3). If each believer fulfilled that responsibility, then Christ’s prayer for unity in John 17 would be answered (vv. 11, 21–23).
The Fragrance of Friendship
“Ointment and perfume delight the heart, and the sweetness of a man’s friend gives delight by hearty counsel” (Prov. 27:9). It is a great blessing to have a friend with whom you can discuss important matters, pray, and receive helpful spiritual counsel. That kind of counsel changes the atmosphere of life, just like fragrant perfume changes the atmosphere in a room. To breathe the dull air of depression and disappointment only makes matters worse, but the Lord can use an encouraging friend to bring in a breath of fragrant fresh air.
Our Lord told His disciples that He considered them friends and not servants, “for a servant does not know what his master is doing” (John 15:13–15). Jesus shares His secrets with us as we ponder the Word of God, and He proved His friendship by laying down His life for us. “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend” (Prov. 27:17). I thank the Lord for the friends who have counseled me, rebuked me, and occasionally spanked me, because the Lord used their words to put a keener edge on my ministry. Sometimes their ministry deepened me and sometimes it convicted me, but it always helped me. Their ministry carried the fragrance of a garden, not the fire and brimstone of a battlefield.
When I was a youngster, I had playmates. Then I went to school and had classmates. In seminary I had a roommate. Then one day I said “I do” to a life-mate! We have been married more than sixty years and have had the privilege of ministering in many parts of the world and meeting many wonderful people. My prayer is that we have left behind the fragrance of the Lord wherever we have been, just as others have done for us.
One final thought: the many “one another” statements in the New Testament remind us that each of us has a responsibility to our fellow Christians, whether we are strangers, casual acquaintances, or longtime friends. The “new commandment” that we love one another is found a dozen times in the Bible, and the other “one another” statements transform that “love” into specific ministries: pray for one another (James 5:16), exhort one another (Heb. 3:13), admonish one another (Rom. 15:14), serve one another (Gal. 5:13), edify one another (Rom. 14:19), and so on. I think there are more than twenty of these specific “one another” statements in the Bible that flesh out the familiar “love one another.”
The Fragrance of Sacrifice (Phil. 4:18)
Paul was in prison in Rome. His friends in the church at Philippi had sent him a special gift of money and supplies that raised his spirits and met his needs. But Paul didn’t see the gift as a church missionary offering. He saw it as “a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God” (Phil. 4:18). By their generous giving, the Philippian saints had delighted the Lord and blessed His servant. Isn’t that what giving is all about?
In Scripture, we are frequently told that God “smelled” the sacrifices people offered Him and was pleased with their worship (Gen. 8:21; Lev. 1:9, 13, 17; 26:31). Of course, this is human language used to teach spiritual truth, for God is spirit and does not have a body with a nose for detecting odors. In Scripture, fragrance speaks of acceptance and love while odors speak of judgment and rejection. Some of the plagues the Lord sent to the land of Egypt caused noxious odors (Exod. 7:18, 21; 8:14). Isaiah warned the people that when the day of the Lord came, “instead of a sweet smell there will be a stench” (Isa. 3:24).
I think it was Benjamin Franklin who, as a lad, suggested that his father bless a barrel full of food once-for-all rather than take time to bless it meal by meal, and the boy was disciplined for it. Wise as he was, Franklin missed the point. The table prayer was not just a thanksgiving for the food, it was a sanctifying of the meal, turning it into a special time of fellowship with each other and with the Lord. How many people see their daily meals as “spiritual sacrifices” offered to the Lord and eaten by them like priests in the temple?
In Old Testament days, Jewish believers used to ridicule the Gentiles for worshiping dead idols. “They have mouths, but they do not speak; eyes they have, but they do not see; they have ears, but they do not hear; noses they have, but they do not smell” (Ps. 115:5–6). But our God is alive and aware of the sacrifices we bring to Him because we love Him and want to please Him. The most important part of a believer’s life is the part that only God sees, the private worship and fellowship. If we truly worship the Lord from our hearts, whatever we lovingly give Him of our time, possessions, and service will be accepted and blessed.
One of the most beautiful examples of this principle is the anointing of Jesus by Mary of Bethany (John 12:1–8). Mary could have used that expensive perfume to prepare her brother Lazarus for burial (John 11), but she saved it for Jesus. Whenever we seek to give our best to Jesus, somebody will criticize us, and that is what Judas did. “Why this waste?” he asked. Imagine calling a gift to Jesus waste! Jesus rebuked Judas and said that Mary’s worship would be known around the world (Mark 14:9). John tells us that “the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil” (John 12:3). Mary’s hair was saturated with the ointment, so wherever she went in the house, she carried the fragrance of worship with her. Cultivating a fragrant life begins at home, but if we are faithful at home the Lord can make us a blessing around the world as He did with Mary! Our private worship will result in public influence on others in ways we know nothing about, and will not know until we get to heaven.
The Fragrance of Forgiveness
When I think of the beautiful fragrance of forgiveness, two Bible characters come to my mind—a famous man in the Old Testament and an anonymous woman in the New Testament, one a king and the other a commoner—both of whom had been involved in sexual sin. But once they had met with the Lord and experienced forgiveness, the result was fragrance.
The man is King David. He committed adultery with Bathsheba and tried to hide his sins, only to experience months of pain and grief (Ps. 32:3–5). After his son was born, the boy became ill and David fasted and prayed that the baby might be spared, but God took his soul to heaven. When he heard the news, “David arose from the ground, washed and anointed himself; and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the LORD and worshipped” (2 Sam. 12:20).
David took a bath, anointed himself with fragrant perfume, and put on clean clothes. All three actions are used in the Bible in connection with forgiveness. When the Lord forgives us, He washes us, dresses us in clean clothes, and anoints us with the fragrant oil of His blessing. The prodigal son was dressed in the best robe (Luke 15:22). The prophet Zechariah pictures this experience in chapter 3 of his book where he shows the high priest in filthy garments receiving clean garments (vv. 1–5), a picture of God’s forgiveness of the sins of the Jewish remnant.
The woman is an anonymous prostitute who heard Jesus preach and give His invitation to sinners, “Come to Me . . . and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28–30). She trusted Him and was saved. She must have followed Him to Simon the Pharisee’s house, where Jesus was dining, and there she washed His feet with her tears, wiped them with her hair, and anointed His feet with choice oils (Luke 7:36–50). The perfume she once used for evil was now given to her Savior, and He accepted it. It was the fragrance of forgiveness. Jesus pronounced her forgiven, and this shocked Simon but comforted the woman. Then Jesus said, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace,” and the matter was settled (v. 50).
Those whom God has forgiven, we must forgive. Simon had not yet learned that lesson. Sin has put a great deal of pollution into the atmosphere of this world, and God’s people are the only ones who can make a difference. Are we radiating the fragrance of forgiveness in our homes, churches, friendships, and places of employment?