The book of Leviticus contains no time span but it does give the means by which Israel could have access and fellowship with God. We can learn from the Israelites and the guidelines that God put before them in regards to the areas of worship and our personal relationship with God.
Chapters 1 through 7 details the way offerings and sacrifices are to be made. We can learn from that in the sense that many of us struggle to give to the church or to God if it involves sacrifice. Whether we are giving of our time or our money it is an act of worship and worship should involve sacrifice. In fact if it doesn’t then what is it worth to God? Have you truly made him Lord of your life if you only worship when it is convenient?
Chapter 8 contains the record of the preparation for Aaron and his sons to enter the office of high priest and the priestly offices. This was the final step in putting the worship system in place and the Lord affirms the new system in chapter 9.
24 Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.
God is not random. He is organized and it is all for a purpose. There are specific ways we are supposed to do things. He has organized a way of life that allows us to make the most of everything from the way we relate to people to the way we relate to Him. That is why He gave the law to the Israelites so that they would learn how to live under His guidance.
God responded in fire because they were about to enter the land of Canaan and the inhabitants there believed that the pagan god Baal was the god of fire. By using this response the Israelites would know that it was their God, Jehovah, who was not only the God of fire but the God of all.
God even has a specific order for our worship. He doesn’t desire our worship for our glorification but for His. When we come to worship we should make the focus about Him and Him alone.
In Chapter 10 we find Aaron’s two sons bringing an “unauthorized” fire before the Lord in opposition to what He had commanded. It was not an offering to the Lord and it was not a sacrifice. Aaron’s sons brought the offering in order to bring attention on themselves and their new positions in the priestly office and thy paid the ultimate price for it.
1 Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to his command. 2 So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD.
We cannot worship God on our own terms. God has put all things in order and worship is one of those things. When we try to customize our own way of worship we take the focus off of God and put in on ourselves. In essence we are making the same mistake the Nadab and Abihu made.
No comments:
Post a Comment