Fire and Fragrance - Day 70 Month 3-11 Week 10-7

Today's Reading (Bible in 1 year)


Leviticus 9,10 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus%209%2C10&version=NASB1995

Psalm 58 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2058&version=NASB1995

Isaiah 51:1-13 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2051%3A1-13&version=NASB1995

Mark 13:24-14:11 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2013%3A24-14%3A11&version=NASB1995


Fire and Fragrance


In our first house, we were doing a lot of work to make the house feel really homey.  We had purchased some tongue and groove panelling for doing one project but we needed to cut all the tongues off the wood. We weren’t using it as panelling.  When we were done, we had a whole pile of wood that appeared like long match sticks.  My son Alex, who was 12 or 13 at the time, was at the house one weekend and we were having a small campfire behind the house.  We were slowly burning all of the small matchstick sized pieces of wood.  I had to go in the house to get something so I said to Alex, “you can add these a few at a time.  Do not throw them all on at once!”  I turned my back to walk towards the house.  I suddenly felt intense heat and heard a whoosh!  I turned around and there was an inferno in our fire pit.  Alex was looking at me with fear in his eyes as he said, “I just wanted to see what would happen?”  After all the hollering and panicking, it eventually calmed down and ended up as one of those stories you repeat for years!  I’m sure if you ask Sylvia or Alex, the story varies but I’m telling the story, so I’ll say it the way I remember it!


God was very specific when He told Moses how to perform sacrifices.  In turn, Moses was very specific to Aaron and his sons about how the sacrifices would be made.  God was present, it was not simply a sacrifice to an unknown god, it was the God of the universe and the glory of the LORD was there amongst them. I’m sure Nadab and Abihu were thinking, “I wonder what would happen if we added this incense to the fire?”  It may have been innocent but they were in a very holy place and they sinned by not following the ways God had ordained.


I’ve mentioned several times in this blog that God is perfect and Moses quoted words of the LORD, “By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, and before all the people, I will be honoured”.  


The opposite happens in Mark 14:3-9 When a woman breaks a vial of pure nard perfume and pours it over Jesus' head.  She is honouring Jesus and is treating Him holy before the people who are present.  Her motive is love and what she does not realize is she is metaphorically anointing Jesus for His death and burial.  


When you love the LORD your God more than anything else, you may do things that will confuse others but please God.  What the woman does seems odd to those who are present.  They looked at the perfume's value and said she could have sold it for 300 danarii (about $4500 today) and given that to the poor.  I suspect the value from Jesus' perspective was immeasurable.   Jesus points out that wherever the gospel (the good news of Jesus) is spoken, this woman will be remembered.  We are talking about it today, more than 2000 years later.


Thought for the day?  Whatever you do in the name of Jesus, may it be pure and holy and good!  God will reward you for your faithfulness to Him.


Have a great day!

Steve


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Comments

  1. Alexander Pauls7 March 2026 at 17:14

    Lies and slander. I was never instructed an amount to put on the fire. That’s why I threw it all on at once!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Steve Pauls - Daily Readings and Thoughts8 March 2026 at 10:19

      Like I said, I'm telling the story so I'll say it as I remember it. Truth is, there's 3 variations of the story. Somewhere in the middle is the real story. :)

      Delete

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