And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Genesis 3:8
Solving challenging mysteries requires seeing, hearing, and sometimes even, sniffing out clues. No mystery why our garden dwellers are hiding from the Lord. The renters could hear the Lord, knew they were naked, and their decisions left a stench in the nostrils of God. Even worse, Adam blamed God for giving him Eve, Eve blamed Satan, and the blame game has continued since that first sin.
Just a few short weeks ago, in late Spring, we experienced a mystery at home which required all of our spiritual detective skills to solve. Sometimes we must hear with our hearts, see with our spirits, and trust our senses, to understand the messages being sent from God.
It was late afternoon when I arrived home, and my attention was immediately drawn to the front porch. An animal was laying still beneath the rattan chair. At first, I thought it was a dog or cat, but as I approached I realized it was a fawn. It was flawless, without a blemish or wound, yet it was dead. The deer had walked onto our porch, laid down, and died. Keep in mind it is not unusual to see deer near our home, but this was very odd, and quite the mystery.
A few minutes later my husband arrived home and began the process of caring for the body. Now he has a love/hate relationship with deer given his occupation in the insurance business and yet he enjoys their natural beauty and gracefulness. But today he had almost reverence in caring for the body of the fawn, carefully placing it in a box for disposal. He said he didn’t want to have coyotes scavenging or the vultures picking at the body, and instead decided on cremation. He decided to start the fire while in the area mowing near the brush burn pile.
The sin problem still separates us from God and this problem needs a remedy. In Leviticus of the Old Testament, the sacrificial system, a temporary solution for sin, is described in precise and vivid detail. Animal blood sacrifices administered by the priests were offered to God to seek forgiveness and to reconcile us to Him. These were burnt offerings on the alter to God.
After starting the brush on fire, he placed the box in a position to be fully engulfed. Mowing back and forth, he was captivated by the cool spring evening and the sweet scent coming from the fire. Remarking to me later his experience while mowing, it was obvious God had spoken to him.
He shared, “I couldn’t help but think about the Old Testament Priests and the animal sacrifices made to make things right with God. How in Leviticus the smoke would be a sweet aroma unto God. It was as if I was smelling that sweet aroma as the fire burnt the young fawn’s body. Yet I was convicted by my own life- was I really a sweet aroma in the nostrils of God? Were the words I am saying and the things I am doing pleasing to God?”
He continued, “I remembered times when the boys were younger we would have brush fires, and poison ivy attached to trees would burn and infect the boys. They were so susceptible to the poison. It made me think of the things we say and how they can be poison to ourselves and others. I was so convicted.”
Paul offers this example of a sweet-smelling sacrifice. In Philippians 4:18 we read, “Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.”
While that sin problem persists, we have a permanent solution in Jesus Christ our Lord. He was the blood sacrifice which takes away all sin, forever. And even though we do not need to work our way to our heavenly home, people should be able to tell we know the way there by our actions and the fruit we produce. This means laying down our lives and taking up the cross of Jesus!
Conviction produces action, otherwise it is simply guilt, and we know born again believers are free from the past. If you are seeking a closer walk with God, step into the Word, and walk closer to Him.
In John 1:1 we read, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” And then in verse 14, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Many people believe the fawn was somehow separated from the mother, and without the mother to guide it to food and water, it died. All of us have been separated from the Father by sin, but you can reach out to Him, and He will lead you to life.