The Sweet Odor of Christ - All The LORD is near Daily Devotionals for 2025

[Aaron] shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from the altar before the Lord, with his hands full of sweet incense beaten fine, and bring it inside the veil.
Leviticus 16:12 NKJV

The Sweet Odor of Christ
Aaron receives at this point instructions for a special occasion, that of the great Day of Atonement (Lev. 23:27). It is to this event that Hebrews 9 refers (vv. 7, 12, 25). Once a year, after having offered a sacrifice for himself, the high priest offered another sacrifice for all the sins of the people committed during the year. Then he brought the blood of this sacrifice within the veil, and sprinkled it on the mercy seat. This act gives its name to the mercy seat. “It is the blood that makes atonement for the soul” (Lev. 17:11). The claims of God’s throne were met and He could look with favor on His people. Not that the blood of a goat could have power to wipe out a single one of all the sins that the people had committed during a whole year, but it spoke to God beforehand of the precious blood of His Lamb.

Contrary to what we might have thought, it was not in the garments of glory and beauty that Aaron was to present himself before the Lord. He divested himself of all glory in the presence of the glory of God, and could only appear there dressed in fine linen (16:4), a symbol of practical righteousness (Rev. 19:8).

The sweet odor of the incense accompanied Aaron within the veil. In the same way, Christ has entered into the Holiest, offering to God the sweet perfume of all His excellent glories.

-- J. A. Trench

Much incense is ascending before the eternal throne;
God graciously is bending to hear each feeble one;
To all our prayers and praises Christ adds His sweet perfume,
And He the censer raises these odors to consume.

-- M. Bowley