What God Requires of His Representatives
The priests of the Old Covenant were consecrated to the Lord, as we have seen. They had a solemn duty to come before the Lord on behalf of the people, as they carried out their tasks. When God saw that Aaron's sons did not offer the incense in the way He required, He killed them. This was a huge shock to Aaron, and everyone, but Moses was able to show them what had gone wrong.(Leviticus 10:3) We need to hear what the Lord said through Moses, since it applies to all who come near the Lord today.
Those who draw near must regard God as holy. This means that we must respect the full authority of the God who is sinless and totally righteous in all He does and says. We must never act in our own authority, only in His authority. We must never doubt His Word or try to change His orders to fit our needs. When Aaron's sons offered profane fire on the altar, it was because it was not according to God's directions. They did not regard Him as holy, so they died.
Also, they did not glorify Him before the people. They glorified themselves by doing it their way. God will not share His glory with anyone. If we try to steal His glory, He will bring us down. He will show His glory and power in a definite way, like He did by striking these two men. We must not make the same mistake.
However, if we will regard Him as holy and glorify Him before all the people, there is no limit to what He can and will do for us and through us.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Leviticus 13-16.
Those who draw near must regard God as holy. This means that we must respect the full authority of the God who is sinless and totally righteous in all He does and says. We must never act in our own authority, only in His authority. We must never doubt His Word or try to change His orders to fit our needs. When Aaron's sons offered profane fire on the altar, it was because it was not according to God's directions. They did not regard Him as holy, so they died.
Also, they did not glorify Him before the people. They glorified themselves by doing it their way. God will not share His glory with anyone. If we try to steal His glory, He will bring us down. He will show His glory and power in a definite way, like He did by striking these two men. We must not make the same mistake.
However, if we will regard Him as holy and glorify Him before all the people, there is no limit to what He can and will do for us and through us.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Leviticus 13-16.