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The priest came out of the tent and he blessed
the people. The people saw the Lord’s glory, and when fire came from
the Lord and burned up their offering, they shouted and fell on their
faces.
The priest was Aaron. He had two sons, who were
also priests. A time came when they offered “strange fire”, which
God had not command them. Again fire came out from the Lord, but this
time it consumed Aaron’s sons.
What do you suppose Aaron said about this? Do you
suppose he protested? Maybe he yelled at God, “Who do you think you
are? The boys do one little thing wrong and you burn them for it? What
kind of God are you?” We don’t know what Aaron actually said,
because it is not recorded, but we can probably assume that he is
reacting as a father would.
Moses, the uncle of the dead priests, is also
there. Do you suppose he said something kind or comforting? Unlike
Aaron, we do not have to guess what Moses said, because these words
were recorded. Moses said:
“This 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.’” (Leviticus 10:3b)
Does this sound comforting? Aaron is in agony, surely, and the best
Moses can come up with is God has right to burn his boys up based upon
his holiness? This should cause no small amount of protest from Aaron.
I can imagine him saying to Moses, “Who do you think you are,
Mr. Holier-Than-Thou? My sons get torched and the best you can do is
talk about holiness? Get away from me!”
This is not was Aaron
says. Instead of yelling at Moses for his words, Aaron keeps silent.
This is significant. Something Moses said here caught Aaron’s
attention. We are told that his two sons are still lying in their
turbans, and yet Aaron says nothing. What about these words stops him
from speaking? Moses quotes something that God had said earlier, and
he applies it to the events that just happened. Aaron must understand,
because he stands mute.
Aaron understands, but
do we? What lesson do we need to learn from this story that is
recorded for us?
The lesson is like a
set of fine china; it must be unpacked with patient care. We must not
be timid to unpack it, because at the center of Moses’ words is
God’s holiness, and we are told in the New Testament, “You shall
be holy, for I am holy,” These words are the very same as the ones
told to the Israelites in the Old Testament, shortly after this event,
“be holy; for I am holy”. (I Peter 1:16, Leviticus 11:44b) So let
us begin unpacking. I confess that I am not at the bottom of the box
yet, but I can show you some of what I have found so far.
We are told that
“fire came out from the presence of the Lord.” Where was the
presence of the Lord in this story? God told Moses that he would meet
with Moses and speak with him above the mercy seat, above the ark of
the covenant. (Exodus 25:22). The ark of the covenant would be placed
in a special place of “a tabernacle”. The word tabernacle means
“a dwelling”. So in this story God’s presence was in the
tabernacle. This has particular significance for us.
We are told that when
Moses finished the work of building the tent of the meeting and the
tabernacle that “the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And
Moses was not able to enter the tent of the meeting because the cloud
had settled upon it, and the glory of the Lord filled the
tabernacle.” (Exodus 40:34b-35)
The tabernacle
remained in a tent until the days of King David, many centuries later.
David wanted to build a house for God in place of the tabernacle, but
God had David’s son Solomon build it instead. The result was the
first temple. When Solomon finished the work, “the cloud filled the
house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister
because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of
the Lord.” (I Kings 8:10b-11) Note how similar this account is to
the time when the tabernacle was completed.
Solomon’s temple was
destroyed when the Israelites taken into captivity. Decades later a
new temple was built. In time this was also destroyed. By the time
Jesus walked the earth a third temple had been built. The Romans
destroyed that temple in 70 A. D.
Now another temple
exists, but it is not a building. Paul wrote, “Do you not know that
you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”
(I Corinthians 3:16) Those of us who are Christians are now a temple,
which was originally a tabernacle, a dwelling.
I think this is why
“tongues of fire” rested on the disciples when they “were filled
with the Holy Spirit” at Pentecost. (Acts 2:1-4) God was showing his
glory in his new dwelling on earth, just as he did at the inauguration
of the tabernacle and the temple.
A fair portion of the
china is now on the table. Do you see the pattern? The glory of God
that filled the tabernacle, the same glory that filled the temple,
this glory that came from God now dwells in Christians. We have a gift
most precious in that God himself dwells in us. The glorious presence,
that once so filled tents and buildings that it kept men away, now
dwells in men and women.
We are the temple, the
temple of a holy God. His presence dwells in us. Can you see into even
the first fathom of these depths? A Being utterly divine keeps a
dwelling in us, those of us who are his people.
If this is precious,
it is also dangerous. We have a holy, holy, holy God dwelling in us,
one that lashes out in fire to consume errant priests. Should we fear?
Absolutely—but not in terror. I think this is what Paul had in mind
when he wrote,
“For no man can lay a
foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Now if any man builds upon the foundation with gold, silver, precious
stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for
the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire; and the
fire itself will test of what sort each man’s work is. If any
man’s work which he has built upon it remains, he shall have
a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he shall suffer
loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire.
“Do you not that you are a temple of
God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (I Corinthians 3:10-16)
We ourselves are protected by the blood of Jesus, so we should not be
in terror of the fire, but we can be sure that the things we do will
pass through fire. Work God has not told us to do will be incinerated.
God will be honored before the people. He will be treated as holy by
those of us who approach him. And we must not fail to approach him,
for those who do not approach him will remain separated from him, not
separated apart for him.
So how do we become a
holy people, one that pleases God, one that God can indwell in glory?
The word “holy”
means “set apart”. The words “sanctified” and
“consecrated” mean the same. If we are to be holy or sanctified,
we are to be set apart to God, from the ordinary to the divine. Still,
what does this mean?
If we are to be set
apart for God’s desires and purposes, we are not to have our own
desires and purposes. We no longer have any rights of our own. They
belong to God.
We must crucify
selfishness. We must strangle selfish ambition and independence, until
every whim comes from God himself, and we are fully dependent upon
him. When we do this we no longer live for ourselves. We have
surrendered all unconditionally to God. We lose our lives, only to
find it in God again.
“But you are A
CHOSEN RACE, A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s
OWN POSSESSION, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has
called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (I Peter 2:9)
“Now then, if you
will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My
own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and
you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” (Exodus
19:6)
© S. A. Miller, June 1998
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