And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart [is] evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
Ver. 21. And the Lord smelled a sweet savour.] Heb., A savour of rest a Greek, ευωδιας; which the apostle followeth, saying that Christ gave himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a smell of sweet savour. Eph 5:2 All our sacrifices are accepted for this of Christ, which otherwise would be turned off with, "who required these things at your hands?" Isa 1:12 The sacrifice of the wicked is, abomination to the Lord; b yea, though he should bring "thousands of rams, and ten thousand rivers of oil," with those miscreants in Micah. Mic 6:7 that by their munificence would fain have purchased a dispensation to sin: whereas Noah with his ox, ram, he-goat, turtle, and young pigeon, laid in for him by God himself for this same purpose, is highly accepted in that beloved One, as Christ is called Eph 1:6 c
The Lord said in his heart.] All his promises are heart-sprung; the issue of a most faithful and righteous will, void of any the least insincerity and falsehood. Whatsoever he speaks, he speaks from his heart. We may write upon it, "the eternity of Israel cannot lie". 1Sa 15:29
I will not again curse the ground, &c., for the imagination of man's heart. As who should say, Man doth but his kind now, in committing evil before me. He hath by his fall brought upon himself a miserable necessity of sinning, so that he cannot but "do wickedly with both hands earnestly"; Mic 7:3 which though it be no excuse, but an aggravation rather of his actual sin (that he doth it out of the pravity of his nature), yet I will not take advantages to deal with him after his deserts; for then there would be no end of making worlds, and unmaking them again. "I will not curse, I will not smite any more." Where note, that God's smiting his creature is a fruit of sin, and a piece of the curse. And unless men "return to him that smiteth them," Isa 9:13 all that they suffer here, is but a typical hell. Here the leaves only fall upon them, the trees will fall upon them hereafter.
a Minimo capitur thuris honore Deus. εις οσμην ευωδιας. Php 4:18
b Propter animalia multa vel grandia non placuit. - Perer.
c εν τω ηγαπημενω .