Leviticus 10:3
"By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, And before all the people I will be honored"
Leviticus 10 records an account of Aaron's two sons Nadab and Abihu who took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized (profane) fire before the LORD, contrary to his command. So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. The amplified bible decribes the fire offered as "strange and unholy" fire. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines profane as "to treat (something sacred) with abuse, irreverence, or contempt"
This happened after Aaron and his sons fulfilled a 7 days period of ordination as Priests of God. During which they were not to go outside the doorway of the tent of meeting of the tabernacle. (see Leviticus 8:33 for more) . On the 8th day, Aaron commences his Priestly roles by offering sacrifices to God. Leviticus 9:23-24 records that after the offering was done, "the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. Then fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the portions of fat on the altar; and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces."
Sadly, after this awesome sign from God, the incident of Nadab and Abihu occurs.
As we read on in Leviticus 10:6, Moses instructs Aaron and his surviving sons that they are not to grieve or mourn the two deaths or they too would surely die and God will also become wrathful against all the congregation.
What might have resulted in the two sons of Aaron to foolishly behave and result in their deaths? Why was the Lord so angered that Aaron was not allowed to mourn the death of his two sons?
Having been ordained and seeing how God had shown His presence through their father's offering ritual, they too tried their hands at serving God by foolishly mimicking what they knew and saw. Without reverence and with arrogance, Nadab and Abihu forgot that God was a Holy God. Perhaps they came seeking to show off their new found ordination as Priests who are able to usher-in God's presence. What we do know is they came into the presence of God, unclean, sinful, disrepectful, and decrated His Holy name.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines Holy as "exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness". This is the key reason why Nadab and Abihu were struck dead by God, because they came forgetting that God was an Exalted Holy God. He was worthy of complete exalting and devotion, and would not tolerate disrespect and irreverence.
I believe that Aaron's family was not allowed to grieve the deaths of Nadab and Abihu was because as priests they were to be distinctly set apart from profanities and uncleanliness. Above all, God was a Holy Almighty God and Nadab and Abihu had gravely transpassed God and His Holiness was not to be decrated. His Holiness requires our complete respect and devotion. Therefore, before the Holiness of God, there was no room for excuses, compromises or irreverence. That was why God instructed the Priests to make atonements for their own sins before they came to His altar to make atonement for the sins of the people.
Today, because of the grace of God through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we can approach God's Holy of Holies freely in worship and prayer. But I realise that we innocently or ignorantly forget God's Holy nature and take forgranted that His grace will cover us. How often it is that we interprete the incident of Jesus death and the torn temple's curtain in Luke 23:45 and say that it represents a period of grace for all of us to enter the Holy of Holies. Yes, we can now approach God the Father's throne room now, without the need of a proxy via a high priests. However, that passage does not mean that God's Holy nature has been exchanged/covered by grace.
Yesterday, today and forever, God is unchanging. Just as He instructed Aaron in Leviticus 16, "Tell your brother Aaron not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud over the atonement cover." Likewise, today we too must respectfully approach God's Holiness.
As we serve in our ministries, step into church to worship, intercede in prayers, live our lives before God and Man, we need to recognise the need to come in reverence of His Holiness and give Him the honour due His name. Even though we do not have to follow tedious atonement rituals to enter God's Holy presence, we must not deceive ourselves that the grace of God will cover our iniquities and life and we enter blatantly. God is a Holy God, before His Holy presence, He will not tolerate nonchalance, unrepentant, irreverence, or sin.
May you and I alertly live Holy lives before God and man.
Blessings
M.
"You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own." (Leviticus 20:26)
26 June 2006
Holy
Leviticus 10:3
"By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, And before all the people I will be honored"
Leviticus 10 records an account of Aaron's two sons Nadab and Abihu who took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized (profane) fire before the LORD, contrary to his command. So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. The amplified bible decribes the fire offered as "strange and unholy" fire. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines profane as "to treat (something sacred) with abuse, irreverence, or contempt"
This happened after Aaron and his sons fulfilled a 7 days period of ordination as Priests of God. During which they were not to go outside the doorway of the tent of meeting of the tabernacle. (see Leviticus 8:33 for more) . On the 8th day, Aaron commences his Priestly roles by offering sacrifices to God. Leviticus 9:23-24 records that after the offering was done, "the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. Then fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the portions of fat on the altar; and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces."
Sadly, after this awesome sign from God, the incident of Nadab and Abihu occurs.
As we read on in Leviticus 10:6, Moses instructs Aaron and his surviving sons that they are not to grieve or mourn the two deaths or they too would surely die and God will also become wrathful against all the congregation.
What might have resulted in the two sons of Aaron to foolishly behave and result in their deaths? Why was the Lord so angered that Aaron was not allowed to mourn the death of his two sons?
Having been ordained and seeing how God had shown His presence through their father's offering ritual, they too tried their hands at serving God by foolishly mimicking what they knew and saw. Without reverence and with arrogance, Nadab and Abihu forgot that God was a Holy God. Perhaps they came seeking to show off their new found ordination as Priests who are able to usher-in God's presence. What we do know is they came into the presence of God, unclean, sinful, disrepectful, and decrated His Holy name.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines Holy as "exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness". This is the key reason why Nadab and Abihu were struck dead by God, because they came forgetting that God was an Exalted Holy God. He was worthy of complete exalting and devotion, and would not tolerate disrespect and irreverence.
I believe that Aaron's family was not allowed to grieve the deaths of Nadab and Abihu was because as priests they were to be distinctly set apart from profanities and uncleanliness. Above all, God was a Holy Almighty God and Nadab and Abihu had gravely transpassed God and His Holiness was not to be decrated. His Holiness requires our complete respect and devotion. Therefore, before the Holiness of God, there was no room for excuses, compromises or irreverence. That was why God instructed the Priests to make atonements for their own sins before they came to His altar to make atonement for the sins of the people.
Today, because of the grace of God through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we can approach God's Holy of Holies freely in worship and prayer. But I realise that we innocently or ignorantly forget God's Holy nature and take forgranted that His grace will cover us. How often it is that we interprete the incident of Jesus death and the torn temple's curtain in Luke 23:45 and say that it represents a period of grace for all of us to enter the Holy of Holies. Yes, we can now approach God the Father's throne room now, without the need of a proxy via a high priests. However, that passage does not mean that God's Holy nature has been exchanged/covered by grace.
Yesterday, today and forever, God is unchanging. Just as He instructed Aaron in Leviticus 16, "Tell your brother Aaron not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud over the atonement cover." Likewise, today we too must respectfully approach God's Holiness.
As we serve in our ministries, step into church to worship, intercede in prayers, live our lives before God and Man, we need to recognise the need to come in reverence of His Holiness and give Him the honour due His name. Even though we do not have to follow tedious atonement rituals to enter God's Holy presence, we must not deceive ourselves that the grace of God will cover our iniquities and life and we enter blatantly. God is a Holy God, before His Holy presence, He will not tolerate nonchalance, unrepentant, irreverence, or sin.
May you and I alertly live Holy lives before God and man.
Blessings
M.
"You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own." (Leviticus 20:26)
"By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, And before all the people I will be honored"
Leviticus 10 records an account of Aaron's two sons Nadab and Abihu who took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized (profane) fire before the LORD, contrary to his command. So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. The amplified bible decribes the fire offered as "strange and unholy" fire. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines profane as "to treat (something sacred) with abuse, irreverence, or contempt"
This happened after Aaron and his sons fulfilled a 7 days period of ordination as Priests of God. During which they were not to go outside the doorway of the tent of meeting of the tabernacle. (see Leviticus 8:33 for more) . On the 8th day, Aaron commences his Priestly roles by offering sacrifices to God. Leviticus 9:23-24 records that after the offering was done, "the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. Then fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the portions of fat on the altar; and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces."
Sadly, after this awesome sign from God, the incident of Nadab and Abihu occurs.
As we read on in Leviticus 10:6, Moses instructs Aaron and his surviving sons that they are not to grieve or mourn the two deaths or they too would surely die and God will also become wrathful against all the congregation.
What might have resulted in the two sons of Aaron to foolishly behave and result in their deaths? Why was the Lord so angered that Aaron was not allowed to mourn the death of his two sons?
Having been ordained and seeing how God had shown His presence through their father's offering ritual, they too tried their hands at serving God by foolishly mimicking what they knew and saw. Without reverence and with arrogance, Nadab and Abihu forgot that God was a Holy God. Perhaps they came seeking to show off their new found ordination as Priests who are able to usher-in God's presence. What we do know is they came into the presence of God, unclean, sinful, disrepectful, and decrated His Holy name.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines Holy as "exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness". This is the key reason why Nadab and Abihu were struck dead by God, because they came forgetting that God was an Exalted Holy God. He was worthy of complete exalting and devotion, and would not tolerate disrespect and irreverence.
I believe that Aaron's family was not allowed to grieve the deaths of Nadab and Abihu was because as priests they were to be distinctly set apart from profanities and uncleanliness. Above all, God was a Holy Almighty God and Nadab and Abihu had gravely transpassed God and His Holiness was not to be decrated. His Holiness requires our complete respect and devotion. Therefore, before the Holiness of God, there was no room for excuses, compromises or irreverence. That was why God instructed the Priests to make atonements for their own sins before they came to His altar to make atonement for the sins of the people.
Today, because of the grace of God through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we can approach God's Holy of Holies freely in worship and prayer. But I realise that we innocently or ignorantly forget God's Holy nature and take forgranted that His grace will cover us. How often it is that we interprete the incident of Jesus death and the torn temple's curtain in Luke 23:45 and say that it represents a period of grace for all of us to enter the Holy of Holies. Yes, we can now approach God the Father's throne room now, without the need of a proxy via a high priests. However, that passage does not mean that God's Holy nature has been exchanged/covered by grace.
Yesterday, today and forever, God is unchanging. Just as He instructed Aaron in Leviticus 16, "Tell your brother Aaron not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud over the atonement cover." Likewise, today we too must respectfully approach God's Holiness.
As we serve in our ministries, step into church to worship, intercede in prayers, live our lives before God and Man, we need to recognise the need to come in reverence of His Holiness and give Him the honour due His name. Even though we do not have to follow tedious atonement rituals to enter God's Holy presence, we must not deceive ourselves that the grace of God will cover our iniquities and life and we enter blatantly. God is a Holy God, before His Holy presence, He will not tolerate nonchalance, unrepentant, irreverence, or sin.
May you and I alertly live Holy lives before God and man.
Blessings
M.
"You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own." (Leviticus 20:26)
