925. 'Jehovah smelled an odour of rest' means that worship stemming from these was pleasing to the Lord, that is to say, worship stemming from charity and from faith deriving from charity, meant by 'a burnt offering', as stated in the previous verse. In various places in the Word it is said that 'Jehovah smelled an odour of rest', especially that from burnt offerings, and wherever this occurs that which is pleasing or acceptable is meant. For references to His smelling an odour of rest from burnt offerings, see Exodus 29:18, 25, 41; Leviticus 1:9, 13, 17; 23:12-13, 18; Numbers 28:6, 8, 13; 29:2, 6, 8, 13, 36; also from other sacrifices, Leviticus 2:2, 9; 6:15, 21; 8:21, 28; Numbers 15:3, 7, 13. They are also called 'that which has been made by fire as an odour of rest to Jehovah' which means that it stems from love and charity. In the Word when 'fire' or 'made by fire' is used in reference to the Lord and to worship of Him, it means love. And the same applies to 'bread', which also is why representative worship by means of burnt offerings and sacrifices is called 'bread offered by fire to Jehovah as an odour of rest', Leviticus 3:11, 16.

[2] The reason why 'an odour' means that which is pleasing and acceptable, and so why in the Jewish Church an odour was also representative of that which is pleasing and is ascribed to Jehovah or the Lord, is that good stemming from charity, and the truth of faith deriving from charity, correspond to sweet and pleasant odours. What the correspondence itself is and the character of it becomes clear from the spheres in heaven which surround spirits and angels. The spheres there are spheres of love and faith, and are clearly perceived. These spheres are such that when a good spirit or angel, that is, a community of good spirits or angels, approaches, the nature of the spirit or angel - that is, of the community - as regards love and faith is, as often as the Lord pleases, instantly perceived. It is perceived even when they are a long way off, more so still when they are closer at hand. This is unbelievable but nevertheless perfectly true. Such is the communication in the next life, and such the perception. Consequently, when the Lord pleases there is no necessity to make extensive enquiries to discover the character of a soul or spirit, for it is recognizable the moment he approaches. It is to these spheres that spheres belonging to odours in the world correspond. That they do correspond in this way becomes clear from the fact that when the Lord pleases the spheres of love and faith are readily converted in the world of spirits into spheres of sweet and pleasant odours, which are clearly perceived.

[3] From these considerations it is now clear from where and why 'an odour of rest' means that which is pleasing, why in the Jewish Church an odour became a representative, and why 'an odour of rest' is here ascribed to Jehovah or the Lord. 'An odour of rest' is descriptive of peace, that is, of the pleasantness of peace. Peace in one embrace takes in every single feature of the Lord's kingdom; for the state of the Lord's kingdom is a state of peace. It is within the state of peace that all the happy states occur which flow from love and faith in the Lord. All that has now been stated shows not only what representatives were essentially, but also why the Jewish Church had an altar for burning incense in front of the veil and the Mercy-seat, why offerings of frankincense accompanied sacrifices, and also why so many fragrant substances were used in incense, in frankincense, and in the anointing oil too. It shows therefore what 'an odour of rest', 'incense', and 'fragrances' mean in the Word, namely celestial things of love, and spiritual things of faith deriving from these, in general everything pleasing that derives from love and faith.

[4] As in Ezekiel,

On My holy mountain, on the mountain height of Israel, there all the house of Israel, all of it in the land, will serve Me; there I will accept them, and there I will require your contributions, and the first fruits comprising your gifts in all your holy acts. Through the odour of rest I will accept you. Ezekiel 20:40-41.

Here 'an odour of rest' has reference to burnt offerings and gifts, that is, to worship stemming from charity and attendant faith, which worship is meant by burnt offerings and gifts, and is consequently acceptable, which is meant by 'the odour'. In Amos,

I hate, I reject your feasts, and I will not smell your solemn assemblies ¹ [as a pleasant odour], for though you offer Me your burnt offerings and gifts, they will not be accepted. Amos 5:21-22.

This clearly means that which is pleasing or acceptable. The passage which describes Isaac's blessing Jacob instead of Esau reads,

Jacob went near and Isaac kissed him. He smelled the odour of his clothes, and he blessed him and said, See, the odour of my son, like the odour of a field that Jehovah has blessed. Genesis 27:26-27.

'The odour of his clothes' means natural good and truth whose pleasantness stems from their harmony with celestial and spiritual good and truth. Their pleasantness is described by 'the odour of the field'.

Fotnoter:

9473. 'Oil for the light' means internal good present within mutual love and charity. This is clear from the meaning of 'oil' as the good of love, dealt with in 886, 4582, 4638; and from the meaning of 'the light' as mutual love and charity. 'The light' is mutual love by virtue of the flame by which that love is meant, and it is charity by virtue of the heat and light from the flame. For spiritual heat is the good of charity, and spiritual light is the truth of faith.

[2] A brief statement must be made here about what internal good present within mutual love and within charity is. Nothing comes into being by itself, only from what is prior to itself, as is indeed so with truth and good. Anything from which something else comes into being is the internal; and the something else brought into being is the external of this internal. The situation with all things that come into being is without exception like that of cause and effect, in that no effect can be brought into being without an efficient cause; for the efficient cause is the internal of the effect, while the effect is the external of that cause. The situation with them is also like that of endeavour and motion, in that no motion can be brought into being without the endeavour; the motion depends so much on the endeavour that the instant the endeavour ceases to exist the motion ceases to exist. Consequently the internal of the motion is the endeavour or moving force. The situation is very similar to that of endeavour in the mind, which is the will, and motion in the body, which is action, in that no action can come into being without the will; the action depends so much on the will that the instant the will ceases to function the action ceases. Consequently the internal of the action is the will. From all this it is evident that in all things without exception there must be an internal if they are to come into being and then remain in being, and that without the internal they are not anything.

[3] The situation is the same as this with the good of love; unless it has internal good within it, it is not good. The internal good within the good of faith is the good of charity, which is spiritual good, whereas the internal good within the good of charity is the good of mutual love, which is external celestial good. But the internal good within the good of mutual love is the good of love to the Lord, which is also the good of innocence. This good is internal celestial good. The internal good however within the good of love to the Lord, that is, within the good of innocence, is the actual good that is Divine, emanating from the Lord's Divine Human, and so is the Lord Himself. This good must be present within all other good if it is to be good; therefore no kind of good can exist unless its internal springs from the good that is Divine. Unless its internal springs from this it is not good but evil; for then it originates in the person himself, and that which emanates from the person is evil. This is so because in all the good he does the person has himself and also the world in view, and so not the Lord, nor heaven. If the Lord and heaven do enter into his thinking, they are for him only means that serve him in the attainment of personal position and gain. Those good deeds of his therefore are like white-washed sepulchres, which outwardly appear beautiful but inwardly are full of dead people's bones and of all uncleanness, Matthew 23:27, 29.