Leviticus 10:1-3 provides a tiny inkling of what transpired during the consecration of Aharon (Aaron) and his sons, who were killed on the spot for adding "unauthorized fire before ADONAI":
Leviticus 10: 1 But Nadav and Avihu, sons of Aharon, each took his censer, put fire in it, laid incense on it, and offered unauthorized fire before ADONAI, something he had not ordered them to do. 2 At this, fire came forth from the presence of ADONAI and consumed them, so that they died in the presence of ADONAI. Moshe said to Aharon, "This is what ADONAI said: 'Through those who are near me I will be consecrated, and before all the people I will be glorified.'" Aharon kept silent. (CJB)
Before I continue, please note that Nadav and Avihu were certainly NOT guilty of worshiping other gods or being purposely disrespectful; they apparently thought Yahweh would be pleased if they added, or did something spontaneous, to honor Him.
But He wasn’t, and for that, they lost their lives.
Can you even begin to imagine how Aharon felt in that moment when he saw his sons lying dead on the floor?
We are told Aharon was too stunned to speak over the deaths of his sons. As a matter of fact, he and the others were so distraught, they couldn't even bring themselves to eat the goat of the sin offering as Moshe had ordered (Leviticus 16-20). How unimaginably tragic and shocking it must have been for Aharon yet, as high priest, he had no choice but to carry on with the holy activities!
What the incense or the “strange fire” actually was is really anybody’s guess; but the fact remains that the two new cohanim (priests) clearly did something that displeased Yahweh, something He had not commanded them to do while honoring Him. Therefore, we have no choice but to realize that they obviously disregarded God’s commands and treated the holy things casually, as if they could approach God on their own terms.
This reveals just how serious an offense it can be when we “add to” or “subtract from” what He commanded! We simply cannot decide to make up our own stuff, and expect ADONAI to bless it…
As hard as it is to hear, unlike most priests, pastors and rabbis who are often prone to "think carnally" and overlook "little indiscretions," YHWH our God shows over and over again that He is NOT tolerant of anything that adds to or subtracts from His Word! (This is why we at The Refiner's Fire constantly reiterate the importance of stopping the nonsense of "religiosity" which insists it's okay for believers to ignore the commanded Seventh Day Sabbath and the Biblical Feasts and to eat "unclean" foods. (Since we are “one in Messiah” it would be a smart idea to apply the “same God, same rules” concept whenever possible.)
In conclusion:
Experiencing our ancestors through human emotions helps us to see them (and history) in a completely different light, doesn’t it? If you haven’t already done so, in the future, try putting yourself into each Bible story, to really get to KNOW the people who lived centuries ago.
And remember to never take lightly your worship of our Living God who expects pure holiness…
Leviticus 11: 44 For I am ADONAI your God; therefore, consecrate yourselves and be holy, for I am holy…. 45 For I am ADONAI, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. Therefore you are to be holy, because I am holy. (CJB)
No comments:
Post a Comment
All comments are moderated.