Christ and the Cross, the Altar of God

January 6

and Noah built an Altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered Burnt Offerings on the Altar. And the LORD smelled the sweet savor … (Gen. 8:20–21).

Noah built an Altar and worshipped; not the Altar, but God. The Altar was the instrument of his Salvation, as the Cross was Paul’s, and of every other Believer who has ever lived. But the Apostle did not worship the Cross, as multitudes do today, but worshipped Him Who died upon it.

The “Altar” built by Noah and the sacrifices offered upon it were symbols of Christ and what He would do to redeem the lost sons of Adam’s fallen race. When Noah offered up his sacrifices, even as commanded by the Lord, the Scripture says that “the LORD smelled a sweet savor.”

What could have been “sweet” about the carcass of an animal being burned to a crisp on an Altar?

The “sweet savor” had to do with what it represented, which was the Coming Redeemer, Whose Coming and Sacrifice of Himself would redeem fallen humanity.

Let the Reader understand:

The Lord “smells a sweet savor” only as it regards our Faith in Christ and what He did for us at the Cross. This means that everything else is repugnant to Him, coming up rather as a “stink” in His nostrils.

That rules out every fad, every scheme, anything and everything for that matter, which is not anchored solely in “Jesus Christ and Him Crucified” (I Cor. 1:23).

Every single Believer should, therefore, check very carefully as to what his Pastor is preaching, or his favorite TV Evangelist, etc. If he or she is not preaching the Cross, there is no “sweet savor” going up to the Lord, but something else entirely!

~JSM