There was no smell of fire on them

John Povey January 22, 2020 0 1

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Daniel 3: 27 (NIVUK)

27 and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisors crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.

In 2001 the foot and mouth crisis led to the slaughter of cattle in their thousands. Those who passed by on the M6 and witnessed the burning of the carcasses in Cumbria will never forget the smell of burning flesh.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego emerged safely from the fiery furnace which should have been their place of execution. Not only were their bodies untouched by the flames, but there was not even a smell of singeing to be found on them. An odd detail for the writer of the book of Daniel to bring to our attention? Not really, for in reality the power of the sense of smell is such that a whiff of certain odours can bring back memories which evoke sudden fear and dread, or others which evoke unexpected pleasure and elation.

"Smell is a potent wizard that transports you across thousands of miles and all the years you have lived.” said Helen Keller.

Have you ever had the experience of smelling something and instantly remembering a place, a person, or an experience? Share that memory, whether pleasant or unpleasant, with God.

PRAYER:

Lord, I thank you for the gift of smell, and for those things in the created world which generate memories of my journey from the past to the present, with you by my side. Amen.