Leviticus 10
Oh dear! This is an unsettling chapter! Either they were as confused as I was when I read all these laws regarding the offerings or they just really didn't take what the LORD required of them as serious as they should have. But, Nadab and Abihu, died, consumed by the fire that came out from the presence of the LORD. Their father and brothers were commanded not to mourn for them and out of fear of what just happened to Nadab and Abihu at the hand of God, they listen to that command for sure. They do not mourn as the rest of the house of Israel mourns for them.
It's probably fair to say that Eleazar and Ithama, Aaron's remaining sons, were also treading on dangerous ground and had not been paying too close attention either. The LORD indeed requires more from his ordained priests than he does from the people that they represent, particularly when they come before Him to intercede for them with the sin offerings. They are to know the difference between what is holy and what is unholy.
Annie Dillard's short story, "An Expedition to the Pole" wonderfully points out how when we gather to worship on Sunday mornings sometimes (probably more often than not) maybe we are not fully aware of whose presence we are purposefully entering, whose name we are invoking. In this short story she writes about an Hasidic Jew who was a slaughterer. His work required invoking the name of the LORD. Whenever he left home to serve the LORD, he would hug and kiss his family with a tearful good-bye as if it were the last time he would ever see them. He was very aware that as he called on the name of the LORD, that God might notice him and before he could finish with "Have mercy" God might destroy him.
In this short story she recommends that when we go to worship to enter into God's presence we should all be wearing crash helmets and ushers should hand out life preservers and signal flares, "For the sleeping god may wake someday and take offense or the waking god may draw us out to where we can never return." Sometimes, maybe we don't take this service to God as seriously as we should.
The priests were intercessors for the people. They sometimes profaned the holy with the unholy when they were supposed to be interceding for the people. In spite of the fact that the pastors and priests who are called to serve the LORD, make mistakes - we sin; we still have reason to celebrate. We can thank God that our intercessor is the High Priest Jesus Christ and he is holy and the offering up of his sacrifice for us was completely pure and holy. Thanks be to God!
Oh dear! This is an unsettling chapter! Either they were as confused as I was when I read all these laws regarding the offerings or they just really didn't take what the LORD required of them as serious as they should have. But, Nadab and Abihu, died, consumed by the fire that came out from the presence of the LORD. Their father and brothers were commanded not to mourn for them and out of fear of what just happened to Nadab and Abihu at the hand of God, they listen to that command for sure. They do not mourn as the rest of the house of Israel mourns for them.
It's probably fair to say that Eleazar and Ithama, Aaron's remaining sons, were also treading on dangerous ground and had not been paying too close attention either. The LORD indeed requires more from his ordained priests than he does from the people that they represent, particularly when they come before Him to intercede for them with the sin offerings. They are to know the difference between what is holy and what is unholy.
Annie Dillard's short story, "An Expedition to the Pole" wonderfully points out how when we gather to worship on Sunday mornings sometimes (probably more often than not) maybe we are not fully aware of whose presence we are purposefully entering, whose name we are invoking. In this short story she writes about an Hasidic Jew who was a slaughterer. His work required invoking the name of the LORD. Whenever he left home to serve the LORD, he would hug and kiss his family with a tearful good-bye as if it were the last time he would ever see them. He was very aware that as he called on the name of the LORD, that God might notice him and before he could finish with "Have mercy" God might destroy him.
In this short story she recommends that when we go to worship to enter into God's presence we should all be wearing crash helmets and ushers should hand out life preservers and signal flares, "For the sleeping god may wake someday and take offense or the waking god may draw us out to where we can never return." Sometimes, maybe we don't take this service to God as seriously as we should.
The priests were intercessors for the people. They sometimes profaned the holy with the unholy when they were supposed to be interceding for the people. In spite of the fact that the pastors and priests who are called to serve the LORD, make mistakes - we sin; we still have reason to celebrate. We can thank God that our intercessor is the High Priest Jesus Christ and he is holy and the offering up of his sacrifice for us was completely pure and holy. Thanks be to God!
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