". . . his hands full of sweet incense beaten small . . . And he shall put the incense upon the fire." Leviticus 16:12, 13
On the day of atonement, the High Priest was to take sweet incense, ground to powder, and cast a handful of it upon the fire of the altar. The original word for incense means "to produce fragrance by burning." A certain herb, odorless until crushed, was beaten small and cast into the fire on the altar, releasing its aromatic fumes in a pungent, fragrant cloud which filled the whole house. This was a sweet-smelling savor unto the Lord.
Notice two things: 1) It must be "beaten small," and 2) it must pass through the fire. So, too, the fragrance of our lives for Christ must be beaten small by the hammer of His Word and pass through the fiery trials of God's chastening to bring out the true fragrance. (Read Romans 5:3-5.) I have found the maximum of tender submissive fragrance on those lives which have been beaten in the fire.
Last winter I was introduced to a new tree in Florida. It was a stately, spreading tree with shiny, leathery leaves. Upon inquiry I was told it was a "camphor tree." Smell the leaves," said my friend. I did - and smelled nothing. Then - "Crush those leaves between your palms," and as I did so the whole care was filled with an intensely invigorating fragrance of camphor. It only needed crushing to release its clean odor. I was told the tree was "disease free." No bugs, thrips, beetles, or worms would touch it. Birds and animals left it alone. Oh, to be a camphor tree for God, repelling and rebuking all the bugs and grubs of selfishness, greed, pride, envy, and defilement. Oh, to be beaten small by the hammer of the Word and to be purified by God's loving hand. That is how God makes "spirits of camphor" to revive fainting souls and to stimulate the heart of the faltering.
"Bread For Each Day"
No comments:
Post a Comment