Day 28, or January 28. Fragrant aroma and covenant in writing.
Our thoughts today are rooted in Exodus chapter 31 verse 18. When the Lord finished speaking
to Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave him the two tablets of the covenant law, the tablets of
stone inscribed by the finger of God. Now the big picture surrounding this verse.
An altar is described that would be part of the tabernacle project for the children of
Israel. This would be made from wood and covered entirely with gold. Sweet smelling incense
was to be burned on this altar, and it would have been very important in setting the scene
for reverent and genuine worship of the living God. They knew that God couldn't be contained
in a tent or even a temple, but having a visual reminder of their invisible God was very important
to them. God understood their need, which is why He encouraged them to erect the tabernacle
whenever they stopped as they travelled to the promised land. Bearing in mind that all
of this was to the glory of God, we can better understand why so much trouble was being taken
to get everything just right. When God had finished speaking to Moses at
Mount Sinai, giving him the regulations that would form the foundation for Judaism and
ultimately Christianity, He handed him the two tablets of stone on which He Himself had
written the Ten Commandments.
And finally our action step for today. What sort of aroma do you leave in a room when
you leave it? Sorry if that sounds a bit risque, but our reading today emphasizes how important
sweet aromas are to God. In chapter 30 we read of God telling Moses how to mix a perfume
mixture, which would be a sacred anointing oil to be used in the tabernacle. It would
consist of myrrh, cinnamon, calamus, cassia and olive oil. Of course, leaving a smell
of perfume is not the point I'm trying to make. What atmosphere do you leave? Is a place
better after you leave than it was before you came? It should be, so be careful to make
a godly impression.