GOD’S FRAGRANCE by Raphael ben Levi
“All your robes are fragrant with myrrh, aloes, and cassia.” (Ps. 45:8)
“The literal translation would be, ‘Myrrh, and aloes—cassia—all thy garments;’ that is, they were so impregnated with perfumes that these seemed to constitute his very clothing.” (Barnes’ notes on the Bible.)
God has delivered every believer from the bondage of sin, from spiritual exile to a restored relationship with Him. He has blessed us beyond imagination with the choice to respond and bless Him with what Scripture defines as our “spiritual” worship. (Rom 12:1-3)
To appreciate what exactly it means in the biblical sense to bless, we need to examine the ancient Hebrew word which literally means ‘to kneel.’ So, when we bless Him we are in fact presenting to Him a gift on bended knee – in the same way as He does for us. This is an incredible thought, that the very God of creation, the all-powerful, all-knowing God would reach down to do such a thing? It defies logical explanation and demonstrates Divine love extended in perfect humility and fullness.
What better response can we have than to bow the knee to Him, the One who sacrificed His sinless life at a price we can never repay, knowing that the very most we can ever give Him is the least He deserves – the starting point of our journey. It nourishes our walk with Him without which we would simply wither and die. Therefore, let’s give Him our best and not merely the scraps and take what He has blessed us with today in both hands releasing it as a sweet smelling scent. It will transform lives and release His fragrance for “…to God we are the aroma of the Messiah, both among those being saved and among those being lost;” (2Cor 2:15)
The garments of our lives are infused with His perfume! Out of the dazzling whiteness of the inner walls of the palace inlaid with ivory, the Bridegroom prepares to fetch His bride amid the sound of celebration and song!
“All His garments are so thoroughly scented that they seem to be altogether woven out of costly spices, for the Hebrew of the first line in (Ps.45) verse eight literally reads, ‘Myrrh, and Aloes and Cassia are all Thy garments’—a hint surely of the innate and absolute perfections and preciousness of this glorious Bridegroom whose outer coverings are wrought of the same pure and fragrant substance as His character, which in all its manifestations sent up a sweet smelling savour.” (David Baron—“Types, Psalms and Prophecies”)
So too, God’s remnant is being prepared for His soon return, those who are filled with His fragrance!
My prayer for you today: “…I bow my knees (bring blessings) before the Father, after whom all families in heaven above and on earth below receive their names, and pray: Father, out of Your honourable and glorious riches, strengthen Your people. Fill their souls with the power of Your Spirit so that through faith Yeshua will reside in their hearts. May love be the rich soil where their lives take root. May it be the bedrock where their lives are founded so that together with all of Your people they will have the power to understand that the love of God is infinitely long, wide, high, and deep, surpassing everything anyone previously experienced. May Your fullness flood through their entire beings.
Now unto Him who can do so many awe-inspiring things, immeasurable things, things greater than we ever could ask or imagine through the power at work in us, to Him be all glory in the church and in Yeshua the Anointed from this generation to the next, forever and ever. Amen.” (Eph.3:15-21)
