A Sweet Smelling Aroma
Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 4:4-16
4 “Lie also on your left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it. According to the
number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their iniquity. 5 For I have laid on you the
years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days; so
you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. 6 And when you have completed them, lie
again on your right side; then you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days. I have
laid on you a day for each year.
7 “Therefore you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem; your arm shall be
uncovered, and you shall prophesy against it. 8 And surely I will restrain you so that you cannot
turn from one side to another till you have ended the days of your siege.
9 “Also take for yourself wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt; put them into one
vessel, and make bread of them for yourself. During the number of days that you lie on your
side, three hundred and ninety days, you shall eat it. 10 And your food which you eat shall be by
weight, twenty shekels a day; from time to time you shall eat it. 11 You shall also drink water by
measure, one-sixth of a hin; from time to time you shall drink. 12 And you shall eat it as barley
cakes; and bake it using fuel of human waste in their sight.”
13 Then the LORD said, “So shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the
Gentiles, where I will drive them.”
14 So I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Indeed I have never defiled myself from my youth till now; I have
never eaten what died of itself or was torn by beasts, nor has abominable flesh ever come into
my mouth.”
15 Then He said to me, “See, I am giving you cow dung instead of human waste, and you shall
prepare your bread over it.”
16 Moreover He said to me, “Son of man, surely I will cut off the supply of bread in Jerusalem;
they shall eat bread by weight and with anxiety, and shall drink water by measure and with
dread, 17 that they may lack bread and water, and be dismayed with one another, and waste
away because of their iniquity.
I have much respect for Ezekiel. He was asked to do some difficult things. To begin
with here, he had to lie out in front of the nation for over a year. Of course this had
quite a bit of symbolism that was important for Israel to see, but Ezekiel was the one
that had to do it. But that wasn’t the worst part. While he was lying out there looking
like the craziest man in Israel, he was told to make some bread. This bread would
have some very good things like wheat, barley, and lentils in it. However, he was told
that he would have to cook it with human waste. Eww! Now you may say, “But wait
Denise, he didn’t have to put it inside the bread so it really wasn’t that bad.” Have you
ever had barbecue that’s been cooked over hickory or mesquite wood? It flavors the
food, doesn’t it? So, how would you like to eat fresh bread with just a hint of cow dung
smoke for extra flavor? All the ingredients are good so it’s like 99.9% good, like Ivory
soap. It’s probably not so bad, huh? Not really appetizing, is it? So, why would we
bring anything to good that had been tainted by the ‘flavor’ of the world.
I Peter 1:13-16
13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace
that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 as obedient children, not
conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15 but as He who called you is
holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
Peter doesn’t say that we’re only human so we can’t really be holy. No, he says we
are to be holy as YHWH is holy. Turn in your Bibles to Numbers 15. I’m not going to
read all the details of the offering we are supposed to bring to Him but you should at
least look at it while we discuss this. The first part of the offering is the flesh. We’ve
spoken before about how we need to crucify the flesh daily. Putting aside our selfish
desires to submit willingly to the perfect will of God; which, by the way, is so much
better than what we could even imagine. The next part of the offering is the grain
offering, which is to be simply fine flour and oil. We know that the oil used in the
sacrifice was pure olive oil. Today we would call it extra virgin olive oil, which
represents the Holy Spirit (Ruach Hakodesh). But what does the fine flour represent?
If we look back at Ezekiel we see that this exhibition with the bread was to represent
the nation’s iniquity; all the sin that they did. I believe the fine flour represents the
things we do which should be done with pure motives (fine flour) mixed with the Holy
Spirit’s guidance (oil). We can only do what we should if He is leading us at every
step. It also has a deeper representation of the body of Messiah (the Bread) that is
our ultimate grain offering. The final part of the offering here is the drink offering; the
wine. We can also see a double meaning here with the wine representing a willing
and submissive spirit that we pour out before YHWH daily. We can also see that the
blood of Yeshua (the Wine), which is our ultimate drink offering.
Today, we are looking at what we are to bring to the altar daily, not at the perfect
sacrifice our High Priest (Cohen haGadol) Yeshua made for us once for all. So, we’re
going to be looking only at our end of the bargain, so to speak. What are we each
setting before God each day? Is it the complete submission of our flesh, a willing
spirit, and deeds in keeping with a child of the Most High God? Or is it something
less?
Romans 12:1-2
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed
to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that
good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
He says it a little differently here.
Ephesians 5:1-4
1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us
and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as
is fitting for saints; 4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not
fitting, but rather giving of thanks.
We’re supposed to present our bodies, a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.
Our offering is to be a sweet smelling aroma for YHWH. It’s not to be tainted with the
foul and filthy things of the world. Those things are like cow manure to our holy God.
Think back to the bread that Ezekiel had to eat daily before the people of Israel,
baked with the fuel of defecation. Do you think it had a sweet smelling, pleasing
aroma? Or did it smell like the .01% of the cow dung that gave it that extra
something? If we wouldn’t imagine ourselves being satisfied with something tainted
with filth, how can we expect Him to be satisfied if what we bring to the altar is tainted
with the filth of the world?
I Samuel 3:12-13
12 In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from
beginning to end. 13 For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which
he knows, because his sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them.
Eli’s sons brought vile offering, of themselves, to the altar and they were cutoff for it.
Cutoff here does not just mean that they died but that they died without children.
They had no lineage beyond themselves. But notice that Eli was also cutoff, as well,
for not restraining them; for not teaching them better. My children and any who
choose to hear the Word of YHWH as He gives it to me; I want to teach the way that
YHWH would have them taught. I want to encourage them to walk in the way He would
have them walk.
Daniel 1:5 & 8
5 And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king’s delicacies and of the wine
which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might
serve before the king.
8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s
delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs
that he might not defile himself.
You see, Daniel made a point of not defiling himself even though everyone around
him had gone the easy way and just accepted the world’s way. Have you ever heard
the saying, ‘when in Rome do as the Romans’? Today there is a new saying, ‘what
happens in Vegas stays in Vegas’, but does it really? Or do we have to account for
our iniquity there as we would anywhere else? I hope you still have Numbers 15
opened.
Numbers 15:30-31
30 ‘But the person who does anything presumptuously, whether he is native-born or a stranger,
that one brings reproach on the LORD, and he shall be cut off from among his people. 31
Because he has despised the word of the LORD, and has broken His commandment, that
person shall be completely cut off; his guilt shall be upon him.’”
What I want you to see here is that there is no sacrifice for willful rebellion; purposeful
disobedience. Do you know that which is wrong and make the conscience choice to
do it anyway? If you find yourself in this position it doesn’t mean you’re already
condemned because with God all things are possible. However, it may mean that you
have not REALLY willingly submitted yourself to the will of God. I don’t really get into
the ‘Once Saved Always Saved’ (OSAS) and the ‘Not Once Saved Always Saved’
(NOSAS) debate. It is not my job to judge anyone, but make no mistake, we will all be
judged. This is something each one has to decide for oneself.
2 Corinthians 13:5 - Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves.
Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.
We each must look within and test ourselves as Paul says here. Judge our own
deeds to see if they be of fine flour and pure oil, or are tainted with what the world
offers. It is not something we should fear as one would fear an unrighteous criminal
who comes to do harm to us. But rather as we would fear a righteous parent to whom
we are accountable. Most people, no matter the condition of their parents’ hearts,
would want to please their parents. It is human nature to want your parents to be
proud of you; to be pleased with who you are. In that same way we should desire to
please our heavenly Father. He has put what is good before us and encouraged us
to choose wisely.
Deuteronomy 30:15-20
15 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, 16 in that I command you
today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His
statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless
you in the land which you go to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear,
and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, 18 I announce to you today that
you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the
Jordan to go in and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I
have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you
and your descendants may live; 20 that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey
His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that
you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
to give them.”
YHWH is not an unrighteous judge who desires to punish us, but rather a righteous
Father that wants to warn us of the evil around and what that evil will do to us if we let
it. Don’t run in the street without looking or a car may hit you. Is that a threat or a
warning? If I said this to my child that doesn’t mean that if I see them do it, I’m going to
get in the car and go hit them for their punishment. No, that would make no sense.
Why would a parent purposely hurt their child in this way? If we wouldn’t expect that a
human parent who, in comparison to God, is wicked to do this, why would we expect it
from the One who is perfect? What kind of offering do you want to present to Him
today? And tomorrow?
Sermon by: Denise Baxley
Date: July 15, 2007
Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 4:4-16
4 “Lie also on your left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it. According to the
number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their iniquity. 5 For I have laid on you the
years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days; so
you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. 6 And when you have completed them, lie
again on your right side; then you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days. I have
laid on you a day for each year.
7 “Therefore you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem; your arm shall be
uncovered, and you shall prophesy against it. 8 And surely I will restrain you so that you cannot
turn from one side to another till you have ended the days of your siege.
9 “Also take for yourself wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt; put them into one
vessel, and make bread of them for yourself. During the number of days that you lie on your
side, three hundred and ninety days, you shall eat it. 10 And your food which you eat shall be by
weight, twenty shekels a day; from time to time you shall eat it. 11 You shall also drink water by
measure, one-sixth of a hin; from time to time you shall drink. 12 And you shall eat it as barley
cakes; and bake it using fuel of human waste in their sight.”
13 Then the LORD said, “So shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the
Gentiles, where I will drive them.”
14 So I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Indeed I have never defiled myself from my youth till now; I have
never eaten what died of itself or was torn by beasts, nor has abominable flesh ever come into
my mouth.”
15 Then He said to me, “See, I am giving you cow dung instead of human waste, and you shall
prepare your bread over it.”
16 Moreover He said to me, “Son of man, surely I will cut off the supply of bread in Jerusalem;
they shall eat bread by weight and with anxiety, and shall drink water by measure and with
dread, 17 that they may lack bread and water, and be dismayed with one another, and waste
away because of their iniquity.
I have much respect for Ezekiel. He was asked to do some difficult things. To begin
with here, he had to lie out in front of the nation for over a year. Of course this had
quite a bit of symbolism that was important for Israel to see, but Ezekiel was the one
that had to do it. But that wasn’t the worst part. While he was lying out there looking
like the craziest man in Israel, he was told to make some bread. This bread would
have some very good things like wheat, barley, and lentils in it. However, he was told
that he would have to cook it with human waste. Eww! Now you may say, “But wait
Denise, he didn’t have to put it inside the bread so it really wasn’t that bad.” Have you
ever had barbecue that’s been cooked over hickory or mesquite wood? It flavors the
food, doesn’t it? So, how would you like to eat fresh bread with just a hint of cow dung
smoke for extra flavor? All the ingredients are good so it’s like 99.9% good, like Ivory
soap. It’s probably not so bad, huh? Not really appetizing, is it? So, why would we
bring anything to good that had been tainted by the ‘flavor’ of the world.
I Peter 1:13-16
13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace
that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 as obedient children, not
conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15 but as He who called you is
holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
Peter doesn’t say that we’re only human so we can’t really be holy. No, he says we
are to be holy as YHWH is holy. Turn in your Bibles to Numbers 15. I’m not going to
read all the details of the offering we are supposed to bring to Him but you should at
least look at it while we discuss this. The first part of the offering is the flesh. We’ve
spoken before about how we need to crucify the flesh daily. Putting aside our selfish
desires to submit willingly to the perfect will of God; which, by the way, is so much
better than what we could even imagine. The next part of the offering is the grain
offering, which is to be simply fine flour and oil. We know that the oil used in the
sacrifice was pure olive oil. Today we would call it extra virgin olive oil, which
represents the Holy Spirit (Ruach Hakodesh). But what does the fine flour represent?
If we look back at Ezekiel we see that this exhibition with the bread was to represent
the nation’s iniquity; all the sin that they did. I believe the fine flour represents the
things we do which should be done with pure motives (fine flour) mixed with the Holy
Spirit’s guidance (oil). We can only do what we should if He is leading us at every
step. It also has a deeper representation of the body of Messiah (the Bread) that is
our ultimate grain offering. The final part of the offering here is the drink offering; the
wine. We can also see a double meaning here with the wine representing a willing
and submissive spirit that we pour out before YHWH daily. We can also see that the
blood of Yeshua (the Wine), which is our ultimate drink offering.
Today, we are looking at what we are to bring to the altar daily, not at the perfect
sacrifice our High Priest (Cohen haGadol) Yeshua made for us once for all. So, we’re
going to be looking only at our end of the bargain, so to speak. What are we each
setting before God each day? Is it the complete submission of our flesh, a willing
spirit, and deeds in keeping with a child of the Most High God? Or is it something
less?
Romans 12:1-2
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed
to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that
good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
He says it a little differently here.
Ephesians 5:1-4
1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us
and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as
is fitting for saints; 4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not
fitting, but rather giving of thanks.
We’re supposed to present our bodies, a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.
Our offering is to be a sweet smelling aroma for YHWH. It’s not to be tainted with the
foul and filthy things of the world. Those things are like cow manure to our holy God.
Think back to the bread that Ezekiel had to eat daily before the people of Israel,
baked with the fuel of defecation. Do you think it had a sweet smelling, pleasing
aroma? Or did it smell like the .01% of the cow dung that gave it that extra
something? If we wouldn’t imagine ourselves being satisfied with something tainted
with filth, how can we expect Him to be satisfied if what we bring to the altar is tainted
with the filth of the world?
I Samuel 3:12-13
12 In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from
beginning to end. 13 For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which
he knows, because his sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them.
Eli’s sons brought vile offering, of themselves, to the altar and they were cutoff for it.
Cutoff here does not just mean that they died but that they died without children.
They had no lineage beyond themselves. But notice that Eli was also cutoff, as well,
for not restraining them; for not teaching them better. My children and any who
choose to hear the Word of YHWH as He gives it to me; I want to teach the way that
YHWH would have them taught. I want to encourage them to walk in the way He would
have them walk.
Daniel 1:5 & 8
5 And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king’s delicacies and of the wine
which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might
serve before the king.
8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s
delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs
that he might not defile himself.
You see, Daniel made a point of not defiling himself even though everyone around
him had gone the easy way and just accepted the world’s way. Have you ever heard
the saying, ‘when in Rome do as the Romans’? Today there is a new saying, ‘what
happens in Vegas stays in Vegas’, but does it really? Or do we have to account for
our iniquity there as we would anywhere else? I hope you still have Numbers 15
opened.
Numbers 15:30-31
30 ‘But the person who does anything presumptuously, whether he is native-born or a stranger,
that one brings reproach on the LORD, and he shall be cut off from among his people. 31
Because he has despised the word of the LORD, and has broken His commandment, that
person shall be completely cut off; his guilt shall be upon him.’”
What I want you to see here is that there is no sacrifice for willful rebellion; purposeful
disobedience. Do you know that which is wrong and make the conscience choice to
do it anyway? If you find yourself in this position it doesn’t mean you’re already
condemned because with God all things are possible. However, it may mean that you
have not REALLY willingly submitted yourself to the will of God. I don’t really get into
the ‘Once Saved Always Saved’ (OSAS) and the ‘Not Once Saved Always Saved’
(NOSAS) debate. It is not my job to judge anyone, but make no mistake, we will all be
judged. This is something each one has to decide for oneself.
2 Corinthians 13:5 - Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves.
Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.
We each must look within and test ourselves as Paul says here. Judge our own
deeds to see if they be of fine flour and pure oil, or are tainted with what the world
offers. It is not something we should fear as one would fear an unrighteous criminal
who comes to do harm to us. But rather as we would fear a righteous parent to whom
we are accountable. Most people, no matter the condition of their parents’ hearts,
would want to please their parents. It is human nature to want your parents to be
proud of you; to be pleased with who you are. In that same way we should desire to
please our heavenly Father. He has put what is good before us and encouraged us
to choose wisely.
Deuteronomy 30:15-20
15 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, 16 in that I command you
today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His
statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless
you in the land which you go to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear,
and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, 18 I announce to you today that
you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the
Jordan to go in and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I
have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you
and your descendants may live; 20 that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey
His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that
you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
to give them.”
YHWH is not an unrighteous judge who desires to punish us, but rather a righteous
Father that wants to warn us of the evil around and what that evil will do to us if we let
it. Don’t run in the street without looking or a car may hit you. Is that a threat or a
warning? If I said this to my child that doesn’t mean that if I see them do it, I’m going to
get in the car and go hit them for their punishment. No, that would make no sense.
Why would a parent purposely hurt their child in this way? If we wouldn’t expect that a
human parent who, in comparison to God, is wicked to do this, why would we expect it
from the One who is perfect? What kind of offering do you want to present to Him
today? And tomorrow?
Sermon by: Denise Baxley
Date: July 15, 2007
