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Genesis 8:21, “And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.” And the Lord smelled a sweet savor; and the Lord said in His heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more everything living, as I have done.”
There are fewer smells that can compete with a fresh pot of coffee brewing in the morning it stimulates my senses to the taste. I image myself with my fingers wrapped around my favorite mug as I bring the cup up to my lips. Aw! No other beverage can capture my attention like a hot cup of freshly brewed coffee. Imagine how Noah’s sacrifice stimulated God senses as it rose up to His nostrils. It moved Him to the point that He made a promise that he would never again curse the ground any more for man’s sake. It wasn’t so much the smell of the beast and the fowl as it was what they foreshadowed. When God smelled the aroma of Noah’s sacrifice He smelled the aroma of the life of His only begotten Son who would die for the sins of the world.
Oftentimes we think of giving our sacrifice to God but the truth is God wants us to give Him His sacrifice that He’s given to us. What do I mean? When you come before God don’t think about sacrificing yourself, think about the fact that Jesus became your sacrifice He laid on the altar or the cross and died our death once for all. There’s no need for us to do again what Christ has so perfectly done for us. All we have to do is offer Him up to God give God His sacrifice. When you do it becomes a sweet smelling aroma to God from the earth that releases blessings from heaven just as it did for Noah. It was after Noah offered up the sacrifice which typified Christ’s sacrifice that God blessed Noah and his sons. When we lift Jesus up we lay ourselves down. This is how we sacrifice ourselves by lifting Him up as our sacrifice. It is the only way that our sacrifice is holy, acceptable unto God because Christ is holy, acceptable unto God. Romans 12:1 says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
The mercy of God is Christ because it is God not giving us what we deserve. It’s because of Christ that God doesn’t give us what we deserve. Therefore, it’s through Christ that we present our bodies as a living sacrifice. We lift Christ up as our sacrifice because He alone is holy, acceptable unto God. It is His life that causes our lives to smell like a field that the Lord has blessed (Gen. 27:27).