The Sniff Test
The Sniff Test
Genesis 34:30
Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me by making me stink to the inhabitants of the land…”
Whatever hope Jacob had of living a meek and quiet life under the radar is now dashed, but it strikes me that he would’ve become a stench to the surrounding nations before long anyway. Sooner or later, he’ll have to tell his neighbors that this is the Lord’s land and that they’ll have to serve Him and throw out their idols if they want to remain, and they won’t like that very much. Today’s no different for us either. More and more, people have lost their nose for righteousness. Their moral septum is deviated horribly. Try upholding God's design for marriage and you'll be called a prude. Try graciously telling your gay friend that sin isn’t an alternative lifestyle and you’ll be called a bigot. Try fighting for the lives of unborn babies in the womb and you’ll be called misogynistic. Try defending school children from the sexual indoctrination in curriculums and you'll be called a child abuser. But keep aromatizing your world with Christ’s righteousness, friend!
You’ll be the fragrance of life to the living, even if you’re a stench of death to the dying.