When I walk the neighborhood during the lovely summer evenings, I can smell  outdoor grills cooking steaks  for an evening supper. Makes me rather  happy to know that friends and family will be gathering to share a delicious meal together.

In Leviticus 1:9 we read that God also enjoys the smell of a good roast.  The writer says when the smoke of the offering rises to heaven, it will be a “soothing aroma to the Lord”.  God takes great delight in  the sacrifices of His people.  He graciously accepts them and the smoke that rises from the altar fires is as a soothing aroma to Him.  So does God really like the smell of cooking meat?  Is that what this is all about?

I have read various commentators concerning this passage but I must admit to favoring  Rabbi Rashi who interprets the “soothing” aroma as a metaphor for man’s obedience.  He explains the aroma of the sacrifice is pleasing to the Lord because it is a token of His children’s obedience. When God “smells” the sacrifice, He delights in the human being who has gone to such effort to draw close to Him.  This makes good sense to me.

 However this seems difficult to reconcile with many statements in the prophets where God speaks out against the sacrifices.  For example in the book of Isaiah (1:11-13), He says, “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle, and I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats.  …bring your worthless offerings no longer.” Likewise the book of Jeremiah (6:20) “Your burnt offerings are not acceptable and your sacrifices are not pleasing to Me.” In Malachi (1:10) He says, ” (if only) you might not uselessly kindle fire on my altar….nor will I accept an offering from you.” The early church fathers often cited these texts to prove that God had never wanted the sacrificial system.  They argued against the Jewish people, claiming that Jesus had done away with the sacrifices because God had always hated them.  Really?

If God hated them why did He command the Hebrews to bring them in the first place?  Why did He state over and over that He was pleased with them?  Here is what makes sense to me.

The prophets aren’t speaking against the sacrificial system, however they are condemning the worshipers.  In every instance the prophetic rebuke is directed toward the immoral, disobedient people among the Israelites who were violating the covenant of Torah while continuing to go through the motions of the sacrificial system.  Their hearts were far from God, but they continued to perform their religious rituals. If God really hated sacrifices…..then our Savior actually died in vain because God wouldn’t recognize His life given on the cross for us…..He is our ultimate sacrifice.

However, let this be a warning for us.  We must be careful not to develop any sense of right standing with God because of any “ritual” observances.  God is more interested in the state of our hearts. ….what we do in our every day living really matters to God.  We can’t expect God to listen to our prayers on Sunday, when our daily life is far from him.

Our outward “rituals” should reflect the inward condition of our thinking and  having a mind  completely focused on God.  Just remember that when we meet together and participate in our cooperate  worship,  we need to have our hearts committed to serving our Lord.

So I do believe God “smells” our sacrifices.  Its a heart thing.  He knows and He cares