Daily Devotionals

For to God we are the aroma of the Messiah (2 Corinthians 2:15).

Part of the biblical tradition of Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles) is the use of the four species. According to Leviticus 23:40, these include the palm, leafy myrtle, willow, and etrog (citron), a lemon-like fruit with some important distinctions. Similar to the lemon, the etrog has a pleasant fragrance, yet it is known to be sweeter to taste.

While the etrog is used to symbolize some of the harvest aspects of Sukkot, the rabbis note that there is another important lesson associated with this fruit of Israel. The sweet taste of the etrog is symbolic of a Jew who has a knowledge of Torah. We are to be people who love the good taste of God's Word, as did King David (Psalms 119:103-104).

Yet, there is more to the etrog than sweet taste. The rabbis equate the pleasant fragrance of the fruit with a person who lives out the Scripture in his or her everyday life. The believer in Yeshua is challenged by this calling every day. We have come into the good taste of the Word of God. We desire to let our lives of obedience be a fragrance of the Messiah to those around us. Indeed, the etrog is a vivid reminder that God desires to be evident in all that we say and do. The etrog reminds us of the question, "What perfume or fragrance have we been wearing lately?"

...seek to perform a mitzvah (good deed) that will give off the fragrance of Messiah.

BK