Having a right perspective on the holiness of God.
My reading today took me to Leviticus 10, and in particular vs 1-3.
10 Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. 2 And fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. 3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “It is what the Lord spoke, saying, ‘By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, And before all the people I will be honored.’” So Aaron, therefore, kept silent.
This passage is early in the book of Leviticus, and the Lord has been giving Moses commands on how worship/sacrifice is to be done in the Tabernacle Nadab, and Abihu had brought fire before the Lord that was "strange", possibly not from the alter (6:13) that was continually to be burning. The point here is they transgressed what has been commanded in their priestly duties.
God's response was the immediate death of Nadab and Abihu. My response to reading, why would they deserve immediate death? These were the sons of Aaron, he is a father - surely he must be saddened, and angry with the Lord's response. In reading vs3 we are brought before the reason; the holiness of God was at stake. After hearing Moses - Aaron kept silent.
The Lord had specific ways that worship was to be performed before Him in the Tabernacle. Zooming ahead to the land of today, do you see the inescapable holiness of God at the cross? I can't help but think on His holiness demanding justice for sin, and His perfect wrath being poured out on His son Jesus Christ.
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