It is a burnt offering, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.

Leviticus 1:7-9

7 The sons of Aaron the priest are to put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. 8 Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, including the head and the fat, on the wood that is burning on the altar. 9 You are to wash the internal organs and the legs with water, and the priest is to burn all of it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.
Today’s title is “An Aroma Pleasing To The Lord”

There are basically five types of sacrifices recorded in the book of Leviticus. They are burnt offerings, grain offerings, Sin-offering, Guilt offering. and fellowship offering. Each of these offerings has its own purpose. But the most general offering is a burnt offering. In a way, it represents the most essential characteristics of all offerings. Today’s passage shows the essential features of the burnt offering. We can almost envision each step of the burnt offering. At the start, The priest lights the fire on the altar. He arranges wood above the fire. The fire began to spread to the wood. While the priest is preparing the fire, other priests or Levites prepare the animal to be sacrificed. The animal should be ritually clean without any defects. The animal was then slaughtered. The blood from the animal is carefully collected by a priest and sprinkled on the outside corners of the altar. Then Aaron’s sons arrange the pieces of the slaughtered animal over the burning fire. The fire of the woods keeps burning all the pieces of the meat until they turn into ashes. As the meats are being burnt to ashes, the smoke soars from the altar to the sky. There also arose the aroma from the burning sacrifice. What would you feel if you are present at the sacrifice scene? I imagine I would feel sad and shock more than anything else. The poor sacrificed animal represents us. We were supposed to go through the harrowing agony that the poor animal went through. I wonder how the priest went over the grim rituals day after day. Thank God Jesus replaced it with His own sacrifice once and for all. He gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Ephesian 5:2). He pleased God with the sweet aroma. Through Him, we are reconciled to God once and for all. Hallelujah! In fact, all the animal sacrifices were merely pointing to the need for one great sacrifice that would remove such repeated rituals once and for all. Jesus did it. We just live with Him and in Him. How about you? Are you remaining in Jesus trusting in His great sacrifice? Then your life must be a sweet aroma to God. Amen!