“In whose [God’s] hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.”
Job 12:10
Many people think of the nose merely as a means of breathing and smelling, or as a problem when they have colds or allergies. But it is much more than that. As one of the world’s best air-conditioners, it is an extremely important provision of God when He created man.
What is it that my nose knows? Among other things it knows how to filter air, how to add moisture to dry air, how to make cold air warm, how to bring back memories, how to tell the difference between good and bad food, and how to make your voice sound good or bad. It knows many more things too.
First, your nose filters all the air you breathe. It does this in two ways -by hairs in the nostrils catching impurities and by sticky mucus secreted from tiny sinus tubes above it. The mucus, controlled by tiny “brooms” that sweep it into position, traps impurities and prevents them from entering your lungs.
Why should moisture be added to dry air? Because your lungs and throat require controlled amounts of moisture. This is also supplied by the nose with just the right amount added to each breath.
Cold air is also harmful to your tissues, and the Creator has placed automatic “warming ovens” at the top of each nostril. These are flat pieces of bone about the size of a postage stamp which warm the cold air before it is passed on.
What does your nose have to do with memories? The pleasant odors it detects often make us think of an event that took place long ago, just as an unpleasant smell will bring a not-so-welcome memory.
How does it know good food and bad food? By sensitive little bulbs that pick up the slightest odor. When something smells spoiled or sour, your nose sends a message to the brain which immediately tells you not to eat it. This is another safeguard the Creator has provided.
Finally, your nose has much to do with your voice, for as you speak, much of the tone passes through the nasal passage. We become aware of this when the nose is stopped up with a cold or allergies and our voice and singing sound strange to others as well as to ourselves.
The nose was given an important part when the Lord God formed man and “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life” (Genesis 2:7). This was not done to any other creature, and it is another example of God’s special interest in us. He gave us a life not only for this world but for eternity, and He has assured us that our eternity will be in heaven if we accept His Son, the Lord Jesus, as our Saviour. But the Bible faithfully tells us to do this right now, saying, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). If you have not yet accepted the Lord Jesus as your Saviour, do it right now! Tomorrow may be too late.
OCTOBER 26, 1997
ML-10/26/1997
“It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many.”
Hebrews 9:27-28