I’ve always wondered what it would be like if my Bible came with a scratch-n-sniff option.
Imagine what the Garden of Eden smelled like.
The fragrance of fruit trees and grasses and roses without thorns.
The aroma of a world brand new. Fresh and clean.
But it didn’t stay that way.
Decay and death soon entered.
In our scratch-n-sniff Bible, the rest of Genesis and a good chunk of Exodus smell like sweat and tears.
The aroma of perfection marred by sin.
But it didn’t stay that way.
God intervened and the glorious redemptive plan kicked into overdrive with the sacrificial system instituted in Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
Most of the Old Testament smells like blood and smoke and burning flesh.
The stench of a world under the law. Trying, day in and day out, to be good enough to blot out sin.
But it didn’t stay that way.
In Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, there’s a distinct shift. The smell of blood and smoke lingers, but something sweet is in the air. A fragrance we can’t pin down but one that calls to us. There’s a memory here, something carried over in our DNA.
We’ve known this smell. Every cell in our body responds to the Creator. The Word made flesh, dwelling among men.
But it didn’t stay that way.
He died. He rose. He ascended.
The veil was torn in two and the holy fragrance of mercy and grace explodes from the pages of Acts. It grows stronger as we flip through the writings of Paul, Peter, James, and John.
The Revelation is an assault to our senses as all the beauty and all the evil the world has ever known collide in epic battle. Then we reach the end and all we know is this.
It smells like home.
A world brand new. Fresh and clean.
You can read more quality posts by Lynn Huggins Blackburn
at Out of the Boat http://lynnhugginsblackburn.blogspot.com/
Welcome to Out of the Boat. I’m learning how to live in that place where fear and faith collide. I’d love for you to meet me there!
Welcome to Out of the Boat. I’m learning how to live in that place where fear and faith collide. I’d love for you to meet me there!
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A great read – so happy you two ladies know how to share.
Thank you! I’m so happy Lori allows me to crash her place :-).
Beautiful. Creative. Enjoyable. Thought-provoking. Thanks, Lynn!
Aw – Thanks Deb!!
Oh my goodness! How beautiful! Thank you for writing it, Lynn. Thank you for sharing it, Lori!
Wow.
Thank you Vonda!!
Thanks so much, Lynn! So happy to meet you here at Lori’s! This is where all the cool girls hang out. 🙂
Colleen – it’s a pleasure to meet you! Can’t wait to spend more time checking out your blog!
What an amazing post, Lynn! As soon as I read the title, I thought of the smell of agony as Jesus died on the cross and the rich, beautiful odor of new life when He rose, defeating death. I never thought of it this way before. It adds a whole new dimension to praising Him. Thanks, Lori, for sharing! I’m sharing it on my website so others can be blessed, too.
On this past Sunday, I said the same thing to our pastor about
how creation must have smelled in the Garden of Eden. I said what we need is a scratch and sniff bible. He laughed but did think it interesting. Glad to see there are like minds out in the world. Thanks for the encouragement.