There are material dimensions to our life. We are flesh, not just a spiritual soul. We know about physical beauty and wealth. If you are wealthy and the right race, does that prove that God loves you? In reality, the physical world is morally neutral and can be an asset or a liability. A disability can lead either to self-pity or courage. Sex can either be an act of love or manipulation. Wealth can be a power to help others or a path to greed. We have to accept ourselves and who we are. Thus, we have to let God shine through us. We must bring our senses of touch, smell, and hearing into our faith. We have to appreciate the beauty in the world around us. Christians believe in an incarnation theology. Jesus was truly in this world. Do not fear the body, imagination or the aesthetic sense. Your imagination uses myths and images to help you describe God, whether it be in music, art, or literature.
smell
The pestilence (Am 4:10-4:10)
“‘I sent among you
A pestilence,
After the manner
Of Egypt.
I killed
Your young men
With the sword.
I carried away
Your horses.
I made the stench
Of your camp go up
Into your nostrils.
Yet you did not
Return to me,’
Says Yahweh.”
Amos has another oracle of Yahweh that picked up on the same theme of devastation, but still with no return to Yahweh. He sent a pestilence, like the Egyptian plagues in Exodus, chapters 7-11. Yahweh killed their young men with the sword. He took away their horses. He made them smell the stink of their own camp. Despite all this, the northern kingdom Israelites refused to return to Yahweh.
Praise for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Dan 3:27-3:28)
“The satraps,
The prefects,
The governors,
The king’s counselors,
Gathered together.
They saw
That the fire
Had not had any power
Over the bodies
Of these men.
The hair
Of their heads
Was not singed.
Their tunics were
Not harmed.
Not even the smell of fire
Came from them.
King Nebuchadnezzar said.
‘Blessed be the God
Of Shadrach,
Of Meshach,
Of Abednego,
Who has sent
His angel!
He has delivered
His servants,
Who trusted in him.
They disobeyed
The king’s command.
They yielded up
Their bodies
Rather than serve,
Rather than worship,
Any god
Except their own God.’”
All the important people of the Babylonian kingdom were gathered together, including the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors. They all marveled that the 3 men had survived the fire unscathed. Their hair was not even singed and their clothes were not harmed. They did not even smell like smoke from the fire. King Nebuchadnezzar then praised them and their God. He blessed God, just as they had done in the fiery furnace. The king noted that an angel of God had saved the 3 of them. They had trusted in their God by disobeying the king’s command. Then they suffering the consequences. They gave up their bodies, rather than serve and worship another god. They were truly blessed by their God.
Idol food offerings (Sir 30:18-30:20)
“Good things poured out
Upon a mouth that is closed
Are like offerings of food
Placed upon a grave.
Of what use to an idol
Is a sacrifice?
The idol can neither eat
Nor smell.
Thus this one
Is punished
By the Lord.
He sees
With his eyes.
He groans.
As a eunuch groans
When embracing a girl.
So is the person
Who does right
Under compulsion.”
Why would you bring food offerings to the idols? This would be like giving food to someone who does not open their mouth. This would be like bringing food to a grave site. What is the use of this sacrifice? However, the various biblical books often talked about food offerings for Yahweh at the Temple in Jerusalem. Nevertheless, these idols cannot eat or smell. Thus the Lord will punish those who worship at these idols. He sees with his eyes. He groans like a eunuch when he embraces a young woman. Eunuchs were men whose testicles were removed or not working. They were impotent so that they would not be excited about embracing a girl. Sirach has a condemnation of someone who does the right thing because he is forced to do so.
The beauty and aroma of wisdom (Sir 24:15-24:17)
“‘Like cassia,
Like camel’s thorn,
I gave forth perfume.
I spread my fragrance,
Like choice myrrh,
Like galbanum,
Like onycha,
Like stacte,
Like the odor of incense in the tabernacle.
Like a terebinth,
I spread out my branches.
My branches are glorious.
My branches are graceful.
Like the vine
I bud forth delights.
My blossoms become glorious fruit.
My blossoms become abundant fruit.”
Sirach continued with his personification of wisdom. Here wisdom compares herself to various fragrances and fruit trees. First, she uses the fragrances of cassia, a kind of cinnamon bark, and camel’s thorn, a sweet coffee smell. Then there are fragrances that came from the gum resins of trees that became the incense used in the Temple, myrrh, galbanum, onycha, and stacte. Thus wisdom smelt like the incense used in the Jerusalem Temple tabernacle. Just as the terebinth tree spread its branches, so too, wisdom seemed to have wide branches. She was also like vines and blossoms on a fruit tree. Wisdom was then beautiful to look at and wonderful to smell.
Trusting friendly neighbors (Sir 22:23-22:26)
“Gain the trust of your neighbor
In his poverty.
Thus you may rejoice with him
In his prosperity.
Stand by him
In time of his distress.
Thus you may share with him
In his inheritance.
One should not always despise
Restricted circumstances.
One should not admire
A rich person who is stupid.
The vapor of the furnace
Precedes the fire.
The smoke of the furnace
Precedes the fire.
Thus insults precede bloodshed.
I am not ashamed
To shelter a friend.
I will not hide from him.
But if harm should come to me
Because of him,
Whoever hears of it
Will beware of him.”
Friendship happens in good times as well as bad times. If you trust your neighbor in his poverty, you can rejoice with him in his prosperity. If you stand by him in his distress, you can share with him in his good times. On the other hand, you should not admire a rich stupid person or despise those in poverty. Where there is a smell and smoke, there surely will be a fire. So too, insults often precede bloodshed. So be careful! Sirach was not ashamed to shelter a friend. However, if any harm came to him because of that friend, this would be a reminder to others to be wary about what his friend had done. Even this friendship is a little shaky, so that you should always be on guard against false friends.
The futility of other gods (Ps 115:4-115:8)
“Their idols are silver and gold.
They are the work of human hands.
They have mouths,
But do not speak.
They have eyes,
But do not see.
They have ears,
But do not hear.
They have noses,
But do not smell.
They have hands,
But do not feel.
They have feet,
But do not walk.
They make no sound in their throat.
Those who make them are like them.
So are all who trust in them.”
The contrast of Yahweh with these gold and silver idols is stark. These idol gods are the works of human hands. They have mouths, eyes, ears, noses, hands, and feet. However, they cannot speak, hear, see, smell, feel, or walk. Thus these impotent idols could not utter any sound. The idols were like those who had made them. They were trusting in themselves. The implication here was that Yahweh, whose name was in the Temple, had the anthropomorphic ability to speak, hear, see, smell, feel, and walk among his people. Many of the Israelite prayers assume this ability as they often pray that Yahweh might speak, hear, and see them.
Yahweh questions Job about cavalry horses (Job 39:19-39:25)
“Do you give the horse its might?
Do you clothe its neck with strength?
Do you make it leap like the locust?
Its majestic snorting is terrible.
It paws violently.
It exults mightily.
It goes out to meet the weapons.
It laughs at fear.
It is not dismayed.
It does not turn back from the sword.
Upon it rattle the quiver.
Upon it rattle the flashing spear.
Upon it rattle the javelin.
With fierceness and rage it swallows the ground.
It cannot stand still at the sound of the trumpet.
When the trumpet sounds,
It says.
‘Aha!’
From a distance it smells the battle.
From a distance it hears the thunder of the captains.
From a distance it hears the shouting.”
Yahweh asked Job if he gave strength to the cavalry horses. These horses snort and paw on their way to meet the weapons of war, the quiver, the spear, and the javelin. They love the sound of the trumpets. They smell a battle as they love the shouting. The cavalry horses had a special role. They were part of the ancient industrial military complex, the fighting horses.
Raphael tells Tobias about the solution to his problem (Tob 6:16-6:18)
“However, Raphael said to him.
‘Do you not remember your father’s orders?
When he commanded you to take a wife from your father’s house? Now listen to me, brother!
Say no more about this demon!
Take her!
I know that this very night she will be given to you in marriage. When you enter the bridal chamber,
Take some of the fish’s liver and heart.
Put them on the embers of the incense.
An odor will be given off.
The demon will smell it and flee.
He will never be seen near her any more.
Now when you are about to go to bed with her,
Both of you must stand up and pray,
Imploring the God of heaven
That mercy and safety may be granted to you.
Do not be afraid!
She was set apart for you before the world was made.
You will save her.
She will go with you.
I presume that you will have children by her.
They will be brothers to you.
Now say no more!’
When Tobias heard the words of Raphael, he learned that she was his kinswoman, related through his father’s lineage. He loved her very much. His heart was drawn to her.”
The angel Raphael reminded Tobias that his father had told him to take a wife from his own house. Raphael told him not to worry about the demon. He told Tobias to take the fish liver and fish heart and then burn it on incense. The smell from the smoke would make the demon flee and stay away forever. He implored both of them to stand up and pray before they went to bed. Ask the God of heaven to be merciful to them and keep them safe so that they would have children. Now Tobias was relieved to find out that Sarah was a kinswoman of his father. He would be able to chase away the demon with the fish heart and liver. He began to love her as her was drawn to her, even though he had never met her yet. This is almost like an arranged marriage.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 