Aroma of Favour (I)

“And he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said: surely, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field which the Lord has blessed.” (Genesis 27:27, New King James Version).

This is the key Bible verse for the “Come and See” devotional today.

This verse forms part of the narrative of how Jacob deceitfully obtained the blessings meant for his brother, Esau (read Genesis 27). This series of devotionals will focus on the enduring effect of this blessing upon Jacob’s life. Shortly before Isaac pronounced the blessings upon Jacob, he was precise about the state of his soul for the blessings to be effective.  Isaac asked for a special meal to be brought to him and said: “bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s game, so that my soul may bless you.” (Genesis 27.25a, New King James Version). This statement made by Isaac is our main focus of attention.

As explained in Genesis 27 it was essential for Jacob to disguise himself as Esau to succeed in obtaining his father’s blessing by deception and in order to do this his mother covered his hands and the smooth part of his neck with goatskin. This deception worked because Isaac was almost blind due to old age. After Isaac was content with the meal prepared for him, he asked Jacob to come near, thinking that it was Esau.

At that point Jacob would have thought he would be caught in his deception and he must have expected his father to ask him why he smelled like a goat.  But, Isaac did not smell Jacob’s disguise of the goatskin but a different aroma immediately after he blessed him as expressed by our key bible verse for this message. This can be termed as the ‘Aroma of Favour’ and can also be related to the promise of God concerning the righteous as contained in the Book of Psalms: “for You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favour you will surround him as with a shield.” (Psalm 5:12, New King James Version).

None of us can live in isolation to achieve our divine purpose in this world: we will always come in contact with someone, either day-to-day or on occasional basis. The kind of reception we get is often determined by people’s perceptions of us, either of our appearance or personality. This is why we need to constantly release what we can also describe as the ‘fragrance of acceptance’. For the help of men is available only when we first obtain the favour of God.  Luke 2:52 says “and Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men” [New King James Version]

How then can we obtain the Aroma of Favour? In this story, Isaac needed to be pleased to proclaim long-lasting blessings upon Jacob. Consequently, when your character, lifestyle and choices please God, then He covers you with His favour generously. Everyone you meet on your way to the fulfilment of your divine purpose will treat you with admiration and dignity regardless of your gender or race.  The Bible states: “when a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” (Proverbs 16:7, New King James Version).

Let us pray: “Father, let your favour surround me and make me acceptable with kindness to everyone I come in contact with in the journey of my life,” in Jesus’ Mighty Name, Amen.

This message was brought to you by Evangelical Ministries International (EMI). We know this message has been a blessing to you. Please share your testimonies with us by visiting our website www.evangelicalministries.org or contact us on info@evangelicalministries.org. God bless you!