February 10, 2006 - Leviticus 8-10
These chapters in Leviticus show us that God truly intends for His full time ministers to be holy. I know that all believers are called to be holy. I know that ministers are just people. However, when we read passages like this one, we are aware that God has a special desire for those who are set apart for full time service for Him. I believe He wants us to be examples and servants. He wants us to be fully consecrated to Him, so others can see the reality of a life totally committed to Him. I encourage you to notice all of the details in this passage that convey this truth.
In chapter 8 Moses calls Aaron and his sons together, and he asks the whole congregation to watch as he leads them through the consecration process. (v.3) They are washed with water to represent cleansing and purity. They are anointed with oil, which represents God's Spirit being on them. The sacrifices are preformed for them, so they can be right with God before they begin standing before the people themselves. The blood of the sacrifice is put on their ears, their thumbs, and their big toes, as a constant reminder of their consecration. Then, they wait before the Lord in the Tabernacle for 7 days. How do you think they felt after all of this was done? I believe they got the picture that the Lord wanted them to be holy and to represent Him to the people. I believe they knew God was serious about this.
If there was any doubt about God being a part of all of this, it was dispelled when they began their ministry in chapter 9. The glory of God came upon them and the Tabernacle for all to see. This was God's seal of approval. His presence was evident to all. That is how it should be today. When a person is called by God into full time service, people should be able to sense the presence of God with that person. The Holy Spirit and the glory of God should be evident. I believe that is why God was so swift to kill Nadab and Abihu in chapter 10. After all they had seen, after being consecrated to God, and after having the glory fall, the first thing they did was to disobey God. God had to show His grave displeasure. He must uphold holiness, and He did. He went on to tell them in verses 9 and 10 that they were not to drink wine at all when they were serving. They must be able to have clear understanding and discernment of the holy and the unholy. They must follow God's directions completely. This is true today, also. God's servants are not free agents. We are His slaves. We do what the Master has told us to do. If we are not sure, we better seek His face first. He will direct us, if we cry out to Him.
The passage in Matthew 25 reminds us of the Judgment. There will be a day of reckoning for everyone. The end result will be either heaven or hell. (v.46) Some people might miss the meaning of this passage on the sheep and the goats. We must keep it in the context of the whole Bible. It is not saying we will be saved by our works or our actions. That would contradict the rest of the Bible. It is saying that if a person is saved, there will be evidence of a heart change. There will be evidence that they have the love of Christ in them. Some of that evidence will be how they treat others. In the Judgement Christ will not declare our salvation. It will have been decided before we die by whether we accepted Him or not. In the Judgment He will go through our lives, and we will see how we were obedient or disobedient to His will. Then, He will send us to our eternal destination. Therefore, we must realize that our lives are very important. What we do matters to the Lord, and one day He will show us His pleasure or His displeasure with how we lived. I pray that we will be able to hear a "well done" from Jesus on that day.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Leviticus 11-12 and Matthew 26:1-25.
In chapter 8 Moses calls Aaron and his sons together, and he asks the whole congregation to watch as he leads them through the consecration process. (v.3) They are washed with water to represent cleansing and purity. They are anointed with oil, which represents God's Spirit being on them. The sacrifices are preformed for them, so they can be right with God before they begin standing before the people themselves. The blood of the sacrifice is put on their ears, their thumbs, and their big toes, as a constant reminder of their consecration. Then, they wait before the Lord in the Tabernacle for 7 days. How do you think they felt after all of this was done? I believe they got the picture that the Lord wanted them to be holy and to represent Him to the people. I believe they knew God was serious about this.
If there was any doubt about God being a part of all of this, it was dispelled when they began their ministry in chapter 9. The glory of God came upon them and the Tabernacle for all to see. This was God's seal of approval. His presence was evident to all. That is how it should be today. When a person is called by God into full time service, people should be able to sense the presence of God with that person. The Holy Spirit and the glory of God should be evident. I believe that is why God was so swift to kill Nadab and Abihu in chapter 10. After all they had seen, after being consecrated to God, and after having the glory fall, the first thing they did was to disobey God. God had to show His grave displeasure. He must uphold holiness, and He did. He went on to tell them in verses 9 and 10 that they were not to drink wine at all when they were serving. They must be able to have clear understanding and discernment of the holy and the unholy. They must follow God's directions completely. This is true today, also. God's servants are not free agents. We are His slaves. We do what the Master has told us to do. If we are not sure, we better seek His face first. He will direct us, if we cry out to Him.
The passage in Matthew 25 reminds us of the Judgment. There will be a day of reckoning for everyone. The end result will be either heaven or hell. (v.46) Some people might miss the meaning of this passage on the sheep and the goats. We must keep it in the context of the whole Bible. It is not saying we will be saved by our works or our actions. That would contradict the rest of the Bible. It is saying that if a person is saved, there will be evidence of a heart change. There will be evidence that they have the love of Christ in them. Some of that evidence will be how they treat others. In the Judgement Christ will not declare our salvation. It will have been decided before we die by whether we accepted Him or not. In the Judgment He will go through our lives, and we will see how we were obedient or disobedient to His will. Then, He will send us to our eternal destination. Therefore, we must realize that our lives are very important. What we do matters to the Lord, and one day He will show us His pleasure or His displeasure with how we lived. I pray that we will be able to hear a "well done" from Jesus on that day.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Leviticus 11-12 and Matthew 26:1-25.