Well, it's Thursday and we all know what that means. Today I get to share what I've been reading from God's word as well as the thoughts it has planted in my head.
Leviticus 6:8-13 it [the fire] must not go out
Interestingly, Leviticus and Numbers features a lot of sections where a word or phrase is repeated. I think words and phrases like that are repeated for a reason.
Here is one of those sections. The fire on the altar had to keep burning. To me, this is a representation of the eternal God and his presence in our lives.
Leviticus 8 as the LORD commanded Moses
This is almost an exact duplicate of something I shared last week. Again, we learn how important it is to follow God's commands to every last detail. We can't just pick and choose what commands (or what part of the commands) we want to obey. God wants all of us, not just part of us!
Leviticus 10:1-2 Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, but fire in them and added the incense; and they offered unauthorized 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.
Speaking of following God's commands to the exact detail, we have a case in point right here. Nadab and Abihu offered an unauthorized sacrifice. I think this is the point where we see (if we haven't already) exactly how important the sacrificial system is. It certainly isn't to be taken lightly. We mustn't be lackadaisical in our obedience to God.
Leviticus 10:10 You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean.
What I find neat here is that the opposite of holy is common. We are to distinguish between the two. Remember, holy is often translated set apart. We are to be set apart, different. We aren't to be like the world (common). We need to stand up for what we believe in and be set apart.
Leviticus 11:44-45 I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves about on the ground. I am the LORD who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.
I think anything I said or commented about this verse would just take away from it's beauty.
Leviticus 20:7 Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God. Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the LORD, who makes you holy.
The last phrase is a phrase that needs to be starred, underlined, highlighted, italicized, etc. I think it is important to note that the LORD makes us holy. We often think that holiness comes simply by "being good". Well, as we can see, it is a bit deeper than that. Although, there is certainly an aspect of obedience, we must submit ourselves to God. HE makes us holy.
Numbers 6:24-26 The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.
This is the priestly blessing. But I find this is a good verse to go to whenever thinks are "down". When struggles are surrounding us, repeat those words. If you need to, put them at a place where you will see them frequently. It's a great "pick me up" verse.
God Bless!
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6 comments:
Good comments once again. I think it would be safe to say that the last two verses you listed from Leviticus could be considered the theme of that book. When it comes to today's application, Leviticus is really all about holiness.
On Nadab and Abihu:
Every time I read that verse, I think about the way we've (we being the CoC) used that verse to create a false doctrine - sometimes called the Regulative Principle - when it comes to "authorized" worship.
You're absolutely right that we shouldn't be lackadaisical in obedience to any of God's commands. There's also a point to be made, though, about intentional disobedience vs. simply offering something not explicitly required by the Law. We've often interpreted that "unauthorized" worship damns, regardless of intent, when that's not what the context of the story suggests. Maybe we interpret it that way because of the NIV translation of "unauthorized" rather than the NAS "strange," but I think we were interpreting it that way before the NIV came along.
Jay Guin did a better job explaining the context here than I can do. It's a pretty good read.
Sorry to raise the Red Flag of False Doctrine on your post. That verse just always makes me think about this.
Yeah, I guess I could have been a bit more precise with my wording. For the record. I used the word "unauthorized" there because that was the way the NIV translated it.
I am on board with you there though. That verse is often used in proof texting and we must sound the alarm on that.
Yeah...It's hard to convey on the web, but I didn't mean to accuse you of pushing the false doctrine, if that's the way it came off. I just meant to share about how that verse is often used.
Again, good thoughts.
Leviticus 11:44-45 is one of my favorite passages in the Bible. Leviticus (and a lot of the OT for that matter) can come across as harsh, but the reason is right there. It's also a message that, I think, has been greatly watered down these days, mostly because of its harshness. But sometimes I find that people respond best when challenged strongly.
No, I didn't really feel that my interpretation was being threatened. I guess I just wanted to clarify exactly what I was saying because, as you pointed out, the word "authorized" can be vague.
Nadab and Abihu clearly did something that was contrary to the LORD's command. Many Bibles have a cross reference to Exodus 30:9 which should clear up any confusion that this story may bring.
Amen, Dan! I really wish Leviticus wasn't avoided as much as I feel it often is. It is full of some very humbling lessons that need to be communicated because we (myself included) need to be humbled. We need to know how great and powerful God is.
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