Christ in all the scriptures The feasts of the Lord

 Christ in all the scriptures

The feasts of the Lord   Leviticus 23  part 1 "MY FEASTS"

This important chapter in God's word, which contains symbolism far beyond the initiation of Israel, indeed prophetic implications beyond the present age of grace, commences with the oft-repeated opening "And the Lord spake unto  Moses, saying...".  There are 37 such introductions throughout the book, each one being a fresh revelation directly from the Lord.

We have noticed before that the Spirit of God who inspired the sacred word, simplifies our understanding by placing a key to the chapter at the very start of any portion, and this is no different, if we grasp the message right from the start.  There are seven feasts of the Lord mapped out in the chapter, which are to be enacted every year.  These feasts, or appointed seasons, or festivals, were to become the annual celebration of a redeemed people.  They were "holy convocations"-times of gathering when God's people answered the Divine call to observe seven important aspects of the Divine programme.  The key to understanding this is hung up at the outset in verse 2 "Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, concerning the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts".   These were to be proclaimed as sacred gatherings, occasions when the Lord would have fellowship with them.  They were the institution of God for permanent worship, as He dwelt among them.  These were appointed times when celebrations with them would be held.  They were not the feasts of men or any group of men, they were the feasts of the Lord.  This fact is repeated in the chapter-refer 23v4, "These are the feasts of the Lord"; 23v37, "These are the feasts of the Lord..."; 23v44, "the feasts of the Lord".   As if to underline this we note throughout that all was to be done was "of the Lord" and "unto the Lord", v3v5v6v8v12v13vv14v16v17v18v27v36v37v38v39v40v41.  They were His feasts, they neither chose the time, nor the purpose of their gatherings.  They were solemn occasions- "holy days", but they were also joyous occasions, what we might call "holidays", when they were off work, and were occasions to celebrate the things of God as the chapter unfolds.

These celebrations were to be "a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations"-23v14v21v41.  New Testament evidence is that these feasts were in the main observed, there being over 100 references to them throughout.  Specifically mentioned are the feasts of Passover-Luke 2v41, John 2v23, 6v4, 13v1; of Unleavened Bread-Luke 22v1, Acts22v6; of Tabernacles-John 7v2.  However there is a telling comment by the Spirit of God in the records, they were now "the feasts of the Jews"-John 2v13, 5v1, 6v4, 7v2, 11v55.  John was writing decades after the events and the emphatic comment is that the feasts were now the feasts of the Jews.  Leviticus is clear that they were instituted as "the feasts of the Lord", but they were now downgraded to be the ritual of men.  What was a Divine institution was now the ritual of men .  No doubt this was because men had altered the procedure, specifically given, to suit themselves.  They had reduced the sacred into the  common dictated by men, thus demeaning the majesty of God.  It would seem that this is always the pattern of things, when men intrude into the rule of God, setting themselves up as lords in God's house.  We need look no further than the present Church to detect a similar degradation of sacred Divine matters.  What Jesus described as "His Father's house" in John 2, He characterised the temple worship in Jerusalem as "your house" in Matthew 23; He said "...it is left unto you desolate (empty, devoid of the Divine presence.  What began as a vibrant, Divinely empowered entity, is now lifeless and worthless and godless.

A similar warning is given to the predominantly Gentile Church, "Be not highminded but fear" (Romans 11v13-20).  In this context we remind ourselves who we are, and whom we serve.  We are part of God's Church, it is not the Church of men:

Matthew 16v18, "...on this rock I will build MY CHURCH"; Acts 20v28, "...the CHURCH OF GOD, which He hath purchased with His own blood"; 1st Corinthians 1v2, 10v32, 11v16v22; 15v9; 2nd Corinthians 1v1; Galatians 1v13; 2nd Thessalonians 1v4; 1st Timothy 3v15, THE CHURCH OF GOD.  The last mentioned says "HOUSE OF GOD, CHURCH OF THE LIVING GOD!".  In God's house we respect His wishes.  I would not come to your house and rearrange the furniture, nor should we do so in God's house.  We have nothing like the ritual demanded of Israel, nevertheless there are practices laid down for good order in His house, and we should observe them.  

Overseers should be appointed by the Holy Spirit, and accepted by the church to do the work of feeding the flock.  They must be obviously gifted to do so as well as having the moral character to enhance their work.  A programme of bible teaching in every church should be established to edify the members and discourage alternative teachings.  Male and female members should understand their several roles and fulfil it.  Individuals should be shepherded as necessary in a growing community.  Disciplinary procedures must be fulfilled as necessary for the protection of the flock.  Worship and prayers must be at the centre of of all that we do.  All forms of unbiblical sectarianism must be discarded to honour the Lord and promote the Body of Christ.  Vibrant evangelism, both locally and abroad should mark every church.  

Sadly, many of the above have been discarded in subservience to men who wish to treat God's house as their own spiritual paradise.  In many cases God's House has become little more than social clubs run by men, with little or no spiritual impact.

If we understand the panoramic view of the churches through the ages, we are living in the days of Laodicea, sunk in rank materialism and characterised by spiritual poverty, and blindness, and ignorance of our real condition.  The Lord is kept outside the door, while inside we profess His name!  Even in this church there is opportunity for the overcomer, and this is the call to be such.  The rewards are great for those who do.

"Neither as being lords over GOD'S HERITAGE, but being examples to the flock"  1st Peter 5v3.  

    

Christ in all the scriptures The scapegoat

 Christ in all the scriptures

The scapegoat   Leviticus 16

We have established that the meaning of atonement is to cover sin from the sight of the Lord, in prospect of the sacrifice of Christ that would remove it altogether.  We, now, see the extent of this from the ritual of the special day in the worship calendar of Israel.  Aaron, the high priest, and his house, had to be covered (16v6); the tabernacle in which approach to God is made had to be covered (16v16); the entire congregation of Israel had to be covered (16v16-17); the altar of sacrifice had to be covered (16v18-19); the anointed priests, who will function in the sacred precincts had to be covered (16v33).  Following the affliction of their souls (which involved heart searching, confession, and cleansing) this comprehensive ritual had to be repeated once every year (16v34).  This was because of everyone's sins and transgressions, which not only defiled themselves but contaminated the very places in which they served-refer 16v16, 16v19, 16v21, 16v22, 16v30, 16v34.  Thus approach to God is reverential, respectful, and humble.  Living, as we do, in times when God has removed all need for ritual, because of the superior work of our great high priest in heaven, nevertheless we must understand the need for reverential approach, and the need for cleansing, and the need for humility in His presence.  The removal of ritual ceremony , does not, and should not, mean the absence of humble reverence before a Holy God.  As the Apostle Peter said, "Be ye holy, for I am holy"-1st Peter 1v16, a quotation from Leviticus 11v44, v45; 19v2; 20v7, 20v26; 21v8.  This is a principle pervading the whole of revealed scripture.  This approach demands decorum from us, including obedience to His commands, attention to how we dress in His presence, attitude of heart-sorrowing for sin and failure, confessing and forsaking sin, rejoicing in His forgiveness, maintaining a sense of awe toward One who deigns to draw us to Himself.   This is the message of the day of Atonement.  We revel in His once for all cleansing of our souls by the water of the spoken word (Ephesians 5v26-27), but we retain that reality of sin and failure that marks us, that would blight our communion with Him.  Cleansing from daily sin is a proper response to the God who has cleansed us in Christ.  How many of us are practising this each time we draw nigh to Him?  The God who has saved us is pure light in whom is no darkness at all.  Our union with Christ cannot be broken, and will remain forever; however our communion with Him can be broken, which is why John wrote, "These things I write unto you that ye sin not..."; in the event that we do sin provision has been made, for God and sin will never dwell together.

We now come to the sacrifice that has made communion with God possible.  Without this, no approach to God could be made.  Aaron was to bring two goats, one for sacrifice, and the other for a scapegoat Leviticus 16v7-11.  This brings to our minds one of the most fascinating and delightful features of the sacrifice of Christ on our behalf.  Throughout the chapter there are so many facets that point to Christ.  He is our great high priest in heaven, as Aaron was the high priest on earth.  The difference is that Christ can appear at any time, while Aaron was restricted to once per year and other times only by invitation.  Also Aaron must discard his garments of glory and beauty for the humble garb of linen clothing.  Christ appears in the presence of God in the full orbed glory of His awesome beauty-refer Revelation 1v14-17.  Aaron had to bring a bull for the sin offering, and a ram for the burnt offering, Christ, Himself, is both the sin offering and the burnt offering.  Aaron had to present the incense cloud above the mercy seat; Christ, Himself, is the cloud of incense, perpetually before the Lord.  This brings us to this unique picture of the scapegoat, a concept that resonates in our present world.  Aaron had to bring two goats for the sins of the people, one which would die for the sins and transgressions and uncleanness of the people; the other, the scapegoat, which would carry their sins away into a wilderness place, beyond the camp altogether.   Christ is both the goat of sacrifice, and the scapegoat for the sins of the people.  Today we all understand this concept-it is an innocent person taking the blame for other people's faults or failings, whether willingly or by coercion.  We can make ourselves scapegoats, or others can do it to us to escape blame themselves.  The first goat was killed and its blood applied to the entire congregation; the second was identified with all the individual and corporate sins of the people for the past year, and sent away, never to return.  The cameo is awesome, Christ in His death has taken all our sins upon Him in death, and removed our sins entirely!  We sing it, we preach it, we talk about it, but we can never exhaust it, or fathom it, or explain it.  What we have to do is believe it, and rejoice in it, and live in the good of it, and share it, always praising God for His goodness to the sons of men.

In the understanding that God can only have communion with man when sin in all its forms is removed, and that He has fully, and finally, dealt with the sin question in Christ, we are humbled at the extent to which He was prepared to go to reconcile us to Himself.  Any though of pride or self-achievement is gone and worship flows from cleansed hearts to the God of infinite mercy and compassion.  Let us remind ourselves of the glorious facts of His salvation, and the meaning of Christ as our SCAPEGOAT!  First, why He died:

"Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures..." 1st Cor. 15v3

"Jesus our Lord...who was delivered for our offences..."  Romans 4v24-25 

"So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many..."  Hebrews 9v28

"...while we were yet sinners Christ died for us".  Romans 5v8

"Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree..."  1st Peter 2v24

"But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed".  Isaiah 53v5

The live scapegoat took the sins of all the people on its head and removed them from the congregation: "And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat: and Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: and the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness"-Leviticus 16v20-22.  The amazing concept of the SCAPEGOAT in relation to Christ is repeated over and over in holy scripture, so we are in no doubt as to the meaning for all today.

"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all"-Isaiah 53v6

"For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him"-2nd Corinthians 5v21

"For Christ also hath suffered for us, the just for the unjust that He might bring us to God..."-1st Peter 3v18

"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us..."- Galatians 3v13

"And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for our sins only, but also for the sins of the whole world"-1st John 2v2

Just as Jesus took the rap for the criminal Barabbas, so He has taken the blame for all our sins.  God punished Christ instead of us.  We can try to understand it like this: God treated Christ, who was sinless, as though He had personally committed every sin of every human being for all of time.  He unleashed His eternal fury upon Him, in our stead; He compressed eternal punishment upon Him during three hours of darkness upon the cross!  Just as the scapegoat was taken to an empty place, Jesus bore the wrath of God due to us, in a lonely place where no one but He could go.  What did it mean when the unbridled wrath of a holy God  against sin descended like an avalanche  upon Him? No human eye was permitted to view this scene, as the intense darkness hid it from view.  No human mind can comprehend what suffering this must have been.  That holy soul, who knew no sin, to whom sin was repulsive; from which He recoiled (being Himself God), became sin, and received the condemnation of God upon it.  When no minds can comprehend, only hearts can worship, as we do before that awesome scene, humbled by the compelling grace of God in Christ.  as the hymn writer has penned it:

"Oh wondrous hour, when Jesus thou, Co-equal with the eternal God: Beneath our sins did deign to bow: and in our stead didst bear the rod!"

He was innocent yet He took the blame; He was sinless yet He became sin for us.  Again from the hymn "All our sins were laid upon Him, Jesus bore them to the tree.  God who knew them, laid them on Him, and believing we are free".

Alone in His agony, in an empty place, our Saviour bore our sins in His body on the tree.  Such humility, such mercy, such grace, such love, such compelling excellence as can never be matched in all the universe.  May it be so that the realisation of this will inspire us to greater devotion than ever before. 

This is God's covenant to every believer

"I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more"  Hebrews 8v12.

Christ in all the scriptures The Day of Atonement

 Christ in all the scriptures

The Day of Atonement   Leviticus 16

The natural progression of thought links chapter 10 directly with chapter 16, which begins with "And the Lord spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the Lord, and died".   The intervening chapters deal with the issue of cleanliness in the worship of God.  Chapter 11, cleanliness in diet; chapter 12, cleanliness in childbirth; chapters 13-14 cleanliness in health; chapter 15, cleanliness in personal hygiene.  Approach to God demands cleanliness in all forms, lest they defile the sanctuary.  The summary is in chapter 15v31, "Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness; that they die not in their uncleanness, when they defile my tabernacle that is among them".   Only thus will the holiness of God be acknowledged by a worshipping people.  These were stringent demands, none of which have been laid as a burden on New Testament believers.  However the present work of Christ on our behalf ensures that all defilement is removed.  This does help us understand the Holiness of God, and our personal uncleanness.  It underlines the need for confession of sins, as we draw near to the Lord, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness"-1st John 1v9.  The defilement of this fallen world, and the imperfections within us demands a reverent approach.  This is to be our attitude in prayer and worship each time we draw near.  Never was there a day, like today, when the importance of this needs to be understood and practiced.  This is why Jesus, in His pattern prayer, begins with "Hallowed be thy name".  Perpetual approach with unconfessed sin, or lack of personal judgment, may incur the displeasure of God in our lives (refer 1st Corinthians 11v28-32).  

In the transition from Judaism to Christianity, much of ritual ceremonial cleanliness demands have been rendered obsolete in Christ, but the need for moral fitness in His service remains (2nd Cor. 7v1).   The consensus of opinion of bible commentators is that God laid these ceremonial demands on Israel for a number of reasons: 1) that thus they would demonstrate in fine detail, their obedience to the Lord; 2) that they would be different from the pagan nations around them; 3) that thus they would be a testimony to the Godless world. True sanctification is not about superior status, but about being different, apart, from the normal.  The greatest compliment our neighbours can pay us is to say "but you are different".  Sanctification, literally means "apart", "separate", "different".   He is apart in His wisdom, in His power, in His judgments, in His mercy, in His lovingkindness, in His posterity.  He draws us to this higher, greater, life that only He can give.  

Introduction to the Day of Atonement

This is by far the most holy, and most observed day in Israel's ceremonial calendar.  It takes place from the tenth day of the seventh month (Tishri) and is a time for fasting and soul searching for the whole nation.  Leviticus 23 places it as the sixth of seven festivals in the calendar each year, and is a time for confession and repentance for sins in the year that is past.  This is crucial further evidence that the worship of God demands humility of spirit in turning away from evil ways.  When we come to chapter 23, and see this day in its prophetic setting, we shall understand that it will happen way into the future of Israel's existence when the true Israel will repent of the greatest sin of all, namely the rejection of Jesus as Messiah.  This will take place before the festival of tabernacles when repentant Israel will take up their position as head of nations, as the world enters the protracted period of millennial bliss.  The day is all about the forgiveness of sins and consequent blessings, but first they must acknowledge their sins before the Lord.  In this introduction to the Day of Atonement we can outline the principal meaning for us today.

The repetition of the word "atonement" sets the tone of the occasion.  Out of 102 occurrences of this word in O/T scripture, 41 appear in Leviticus, and 13 in this chapter alone!  The Hebrew word is kaphar and is akin to the English word "cover", which is what it means.  This is an exclusive word to the Old Testament, and means that through the blood of chosen animals, sins are covered, removed from the sight of the Lord until the time when they can be eradicated altogether.  Atonement is not the same as New Testament remission leading to reconciliation.  It is important we understand this that "the blood of bulls and goats could not take away sins".  New Testament truth is clear that it was only the Lamb of God (Jesus Himself) who could take away sins (John 1v29).  Without the blood of Christ, there can be no remission of sins.  Until Christ died, sins were only covered, put to the side, put out of sight until the death of the Saviour.  Paul explains this in Romans chapter 3v25-26, "Whom God hath set forth a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.  To declare at this time His righteousness: that He might be just and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus".  Note the two time markings-"sins that are past", full remission of O/T sins; and "at this time" N/T justification by faith.  God covered the sins of the past in awesome forbearance, until the blood sacrifice of Christ removed them altogether.  So the biblical word atonement simply means to cover sins in prospect of the sacrifice of Christ removing them altogether.  The atonement would be futile without the death of Christ and so this chapter is directly linked to Him.  Forgiveness of sins is only possible if we see it in Christ.  Anyone approaching God must be free from sin altogether, and this is the message of the chapter.  Leviticus 16, the day of atonement, is meaningless without the sacrifice of Christ.  Thus the whole ritual before us points to Christ.

The first mention of the word kaphar in the bible is in Genesis 6v14, to do with the the construction of Noah's ark, "...thou shalt pitch it within and without with pitch".  This is the equivalent of our black tar to make watertight to deter the ingress of water.  No water penetrated the pitch lining the ark during 40 days and nights of tempestuous wind and rainfall, the like of which has never been seen since.  The thought is of complete cover, and so the atonement completely covered sin until Christ died.  This makes N/T remission of sins all the greater, that by simple faith in God's word, our sins are not only covered, but removed forever.  We are now able to enjoy the ultimate meaning of what the day of atonement prefigured-repentance, remission, reconciliation, rest.

Christ in all the scriptures Aspects of sanctification

 Christ in all the scriptures

Aspects of sanctification   Leviticus 10

The chapter is "book-ended" by the two men Aaron and Moses being humbled before the Lord.  Chapter 10v3 "Aaron held his peace"; chapter 10v20 "And when Moses heard that he was content".   This gives the balance to an aspect of sanctification, as we shall see.  Aaron was feeling very raw, his two sons had been executed before his eyes.  He was in shock, grieving for his two sons, also embarrassed that his sons had brought shame on the congregation.  The temptation to complain was immense, the feeling of discrimination must have been considerable.  Like another man, Job, one of Aaron's contemporaries, who lost everything, his business, his possessions, his children, his health.  Yet the comment is "In all this, Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly"-Job1v22.  He had learned in all things to accept the ways of the Lord without question, even in the face of personal loss.  God is God and He has no need to explain Himself, (though often He graciously does).   Aaron was faced with sudden, deep, emotional loss, but when  God declares His majesty through Moses, Aaron kept his peace.    

What follows is a series of sanctifying measures as the priesthood is established.  No pause was allowed in the proceedings even in the face of human tragedy, God's work must go on, there is to be no mourning in the face of Divine judgment.  This continues in the following chapters, we are about to discover the meaning of "I will be sanctified in them that draw nigh unto me".

1)  The swift removal of all defilement    (v4-7)   The two bodies had to be removed from the tabernacle.  Dead bodies are a source of defilement and were carried out of the camp.  This was done by the cousins of the sons of Aaron, so that no defilement would be incurred by the priests in the service of God.  They were "carried in their coats", there was no ceremony, the bodies were carried outside and cremated.  The priests, the sons of Aaron, were to show no emotion, but allow the congregation to mourn in their stead.  Extraordinary qualities are demanded of the priests of the Lord in their singular devotion to Him.  This was an important day in Israel, which had been tarnished by the blatant rebellion of Nadab and Abihu, the honour of God had been compromised.  They were forbidden to remove their bonnets (which would be the normal practise around death); they were not allowed to rnd their garments, a token of public grief; they were warned not to leave the precincts of the tabernacle.  The penalty was death, this was the most severe Divine sanction.  Why was it so serious?  God will not tolerate defilement in His presence, this is how He regards sin before Him.

Modern application   The grace of God does not diminish sin, it condemns it and puts it away.  References to the Lord's people, whether, individuals, churches, or universal, are described as the inner temple, the holy shrine of God-refer 1st Cor 3v17; 1st Cor. 6v19; Eph.2v21-22.   His attitude to sin has never changed, and He has commanded that, in all its forms, whether of people or practices, that it be put away from His sight: readers are encouraged to consult the following scriptures to assess responsibilities today.  He has promised to be with us always but He will not dwell with sin or defilement:

Matthew 18b16-18; 1st Cor. 3v17; 1st Cor. 5v11-13; Colossians 3v5-9; Ephesians 4v22; Titus 3v10-11.  God will have sanctity in His house.  Note the language of these verses, "put away", "put off", "reject", "mortify".  The concept of a "broad church" is not in scripture.  

2)   Personal sobriety    Leviticus 10v8-10.  Strange to see this prohibition here, but it may be Nadab and Abihu were under the influence of strong drink as they corrupted the worship of God.  There are extremes to be avoided in the matter of drinking wine.  There is no prohibition on drinking wine in scripture, otherwise the Lord Jesus would not have turned water into wine at a wedding feast.  We should not be adding human rules which bring God's people into bondage.  However there is a warning against strong drink and drunkenness in scripture.  In the service of God, the priests of the Lord were not to even drink wine, so that they were sober while officiating at the Lord's altar.  Since wine is part of the memorial service, it is part of Christian worship, but symbolically only, not for personal consumption

Modern application   We are encouraged to demonstrate sobriety in Divine service.  Of the various words used to describe sobriety in the N/T (sophron, sophrosune, nepho), all of us in service have to be sober, sound of mind, self controlled, having a balanced and prudent approach to life, watchful:

Romans 12v3  Sobriety in thinking about ourselves, properly assessing our abilities and limitations; 1st Thess. 5v6-8 awareness of the darkness around us and of the end of things; 1st Timothy 3v2-3 with Titus 1v8, elders to avoid winebibbing and to attend to personal character; Titus 2v2-5 Older men and women to teach sobriety to the younger, for which they must be examples themselves; 1st Peter 1v13 Gird up the spiritual loins, by removing all hindrances to progress in Divine things; 1st Peter 4v7, watchfulness in prayer; 1st Peter 5v8, be aware of an adversary stalking you to bring you down.  You have greater resources but you need soundness of mind.   Learn discrimination between good and evil, clean and unclean.

3)  Teaching the statutes of the Lord   Leviticus 10v11.   Priests are usually associated with ceremony and ritual.  However this aspect of their work is more prominent in scripture than thought.  Alongside their duties to maintain ceremonial worship, was the injunction to teach the people of God Divine principles.  Consider the following: Deuteronomy 17v8-11; 33v8-10; Ezra 7v 10 "For Ezra (the priest) had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments"; Ezekiel 44v23-24; Malachi 2v4-7 "...the law of truth was in his mouth (Levi, the priestly family) and iniquity was not found in his lips; he walked with me in peace and equity and did turn many away from iniquity.  For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts".  

Modern application  There is no longer any priestly caste, separate from the people, for all of God's people are priests by new birth into the family of God (1st Peter 2v5-9) as we have already observed.  In that sense we are all obligated to teach the word of God in our varying capacity: apostles to the entire church, part of the great commission (Matthew 28v20 "...teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you"-also 1st Corinthians 12v28-31, teaching local churches).  Local elders feeding the flock of God (Acts 20v28; 1st Peter 5v1-3).  Older women to teach younger women aspects of Christian family life (Titus 2); older men teaching younger men the need for Christian character (also Titus 2).  All of us teaching one another as good stewards of the grace of God (1st Peter 4v10).  The need for teaching the things of God is paramount in the present day, and it is perhaps the lack of it that has led to many of our problems.  Many Christian groups tend to point to Acts 2 as the basis for their gatherings.  So why has the teaching of the apostles doctrine been either discarded, or consigned to secondary status, as it has been in modern churches.  One can hardly find a church today where the teaching of the word is at the top of the agenda as it should be, as it was in the early church??

Compassion to be always the attitude in the service of God   Leviticus 10v12-20

Moses, rightly reiterated what the priests should do in the service of God, how they should share with each other and the Lord in the sacred ceremony.  In the circumstances Aaron and his sons were unable to partake as they were grieving at heart.  Moses remonstrated with them, but Aaron stood firm that they were not in the right frame of mind to carry out the procedure.  If they did, it would only be ritual and not from the heart.  Worship should not be ritualistic but from deep within.  The chapter which began with Aaron accepting God's judgment on his sons, ends with Moses acknowledging the real heart grief of his brother.  The situation brought humility from both of them.  This aspect of sanctification is important, for God is compassionate to the infirmities of His people and this should mark us.  "He knoweth our frame, He remembereth we are but dust"-Psalm 103v14.  We can ill afford hard headed legality, for we are all subject to infirmity 

 

Christ in all the scriptures The awesome persona of God

 Christ in all the scriptures

The awesome persona of God

"I will be sanctified in them that come nigh unto me, and before all the people I will be glorified"  Leviticus 10v3

This phenomenal assertion of the Divine nature should be emblazoned on every platform and imprinted on every mind.  The reality of it will never be altered and calls for reverential fear of the Lord.  This involves every living human being, describing the only true division of mankind.  There are those who draw nigh to Him, and they are His people.  In them He will be sanctified, that is set apart for sacred service.  There are those who remain aloof from Him,  who ignore Him, or oppose Him, who make gods of lesser things.  In them He will be glorified.  It is necessary therefore to expound the meaning of this remarkable word, which should cause every one of us to sit up and take notice.  

Scriptures are emphatic that there are, in the sight of God, only two classes of people, and we can trace this throughout.  Saints and sinners, godly and ungodly, righteous and lawless, saved and perishing, wise and foolish: this is the terminology of scripture, this is God's view of humanity.  Ultimately, only His estimation will count.  God is God and He will have the last word, there is no middle ground.   Following the punitive removal of the sons of Aaron, the Lord declares through Moses the reality of who He is.  He reminds them of His Holiness in unmistakeable terms.  Note the distinction between God's people and all other people: He says "IN them that draw nigh, He will be sanctified; then He says "BEFORE all the people I will be glorified".  There will be no sanctification for the Godless world, what they will receive is a display of  His compelling Majesty.

"Before all the people I will be glorified"     He is the God "with whom we all have to do"-Hebrews 4v13.  No matter the priesthood and the sacrifices, all of which point to Christ, (God's merciful and gracious provision), yet the ungodly remain aloof from God.  Atheists, Agnostics, False religions, Religious Professors, Foolish, and the like are in abundance in the God-hating world.  They, steadfastly, ignore or reject the Divine approaches in mercy.  There will be a final separation at the last day, but not before every one who ever lived will glorify Him.  God will be glorified in all flesh, no matter their eternal destiny, holy scripture asserts.  God will be vindicated in all things, He will be universally acknowledged to be right: 

"Wherefore God also has highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things on earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father".  Philippians 2v9-11

Note the awesome extent of this: Every knee shall bow...every tongue confess...of things in heaven and on earth and under the earth.  No one omitted from this subservience in whatever sphere they ended, all will accord honour to God through Jesus Christ.  They will bow with their knee and confess with their tongue that JESUS CHRIST IS LORD, and this will be to the Glory of God the Father.  Had they done that in life they would be saved and reconciled to God.  Now they must accept their destiny even as they bow before Him.

1st Chronicles 29v11 "Thine, O Lord, is the greatness and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine, thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all".

Psalm 86v9 "All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name".

Revelation 5v13 "And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying Blessing and honour and glory and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever".

"In them that come nigh unto me, I will be sanctified...".   This is a call to reverential living on the part of those who are His people.  This means doing things His way, respecting His wisdom and His holiness unlike the actions of the sons of Aaron.  Concerning those who are estranged from God, there is no fear of God before their eyes, but it should be different with us.  His word must become our law and purpose of living.  Pleasing Him to become the prime motivation of all that we are.  Peter records "If ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear"-1st Peter 1v17.  This is not a cringing, abject fear of someone greater, this is reverential fear of One who is majestic.  His ways and His wisdom are so magnificent we are compelled to follow Him.   The early church, quickly realised this: Acts 2v43 "Fear came upon every soul...".  This respectful attitude was accentuated in the wake of the sudden, and very public execution of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5.  The result of that reverberated throughout the Acts.

Acts 5v11 "And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things".

Acts 9v31 "Then had the churches rest throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified, walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost were multiplied".

God is holy and those who approach Him in worship must be holy, as it says in Peter "Be ye holy for I am holy".  This is not religious hypocrisy, or sanctimonious jargon but a real sanctity imputed to us leading to progressive sanctification and ultimately practical holiness in His presence.  This demands of us reverential fear of the Lord as we grow in the Christian life.  In personal life and in corporate testimony we must proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called us.  

The apostles were in accord with the standards given Moses: Paul's word to the Corinthians was (2nd Cor. 7v1) "Having therefore these promises dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and the spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God".  Each of us will be able to assess before the Lord, as to what that means to us.  Peter said "The time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and sinner appear?"-1st Peter 4v17-18.

Christ in all the scriptures Strange fire

 Christ in all the scriptures

Strange fire   Leviticus 10

"And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which He commanded them not.  And there went out fire from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord".

How typical of humanity to mar the most sacred of occasions.  Disobedience is essentially the human problem.  The eldest sons of Aaron, promoted to highest ceremonial office, following seven days of meticulous preparation, decided they knew better than God.  Such is the shocking nature of this event, we must take time to digest the issues involved.  Their timing could not have been worse; it is the commencement of a new worship, the beginning of a new phase in world history, and these men disobeyed the will of the Lord whom they were to lead in worship!  Who contradicts the object of worship, yet that is precisely what they did!?

These men first appear, in scripture, on Mount Sinai, with Moses and Aaron with the seventy elders of Israel, when they were the guests of Almighty God-Exodus 24v1-2 and 9-10.  They were then witnesses over approx. nine months of the construction of the tabernacle.  They witnessed the glory of God descend on the sacred structure in Exodus 40. They were exalted to priesthood in Exodus 28, initiated as priests of the Lord in Leviticus 8 (note the repetition of "Aaron and his sons", 8v2v6v13v14v18v22v24v27v30v31v36).  They were instructed in all the commandments of the Lord pertaining to ceremonial worship.  In Leviticus 9 they had spent seven whole days in preparation for this most exalted public service.  They had just witnessed the approval of the Lord in the kindling of the fire on the altar to consume the sacrifice.  The whole nation rejoiced in the spectacle, man and God in harmony.  After all that, Nadab and Abihu decided to do it differently.  They had been instructed that the fire for the censers for the burning of incense must be taken from the altar, it must be the fire from God-refer Exodus 30v7-9 and Leviticus 16v12.  They kindled a fire from another source and brought the strange incense to the Lord.  What possessed them to do this, we can only wonder, but the response of God was swift and terminal, as it was also shocking.  Suddenly the whole camp of Israel knew that it must be God's way or not at all.  We may read this and criticise the sons of Aaron for their stupidity, but we may well consider our own ways, whether how we are approaching God is the proper, reverential way.  There are many individuals and churches bringing strange fire unto the Lord.  Each of us should consider our practices as we approach Him.

This goes to the heart of the human problem, the inward tendency to rebel against authority, even Divine authority, and in the face of Divine benificence.  "I did it my way" is the favourite principle of the world; the song, popularised by the American singer Sinatra, is now the theme tune at most western funerals. It must be God's way, otherwise we make ourselves God.  It is a problem of attitude to God, which is clearly established in scripture.  From the beginning it has been so:

Romans 5v19 "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners...".   Ephesians 5v6 "Let no man deceive you with empty words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience".   Titus 1v16 "They profess that they know God; but in works deny Him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate".  Even those who profess to know God with their lips, deny Him by their lives.  The day of reckoning will come, according to 2nd Thessalonians 1v7-8 "The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ".  Ignoring or rejecting the gospel of Christ will be met with eternal punishment.  To fail to come to God in His way is disobedience.  Faith in Christ is obedience to God; Paul was given apostleship "for the obedience of faith among all nations for His name"-Romans 1v6.  Faith is obedience, it follows lack of it is disobedience.  Peter sums it up in 1st Peter 4v17 "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God"?   At the beginning of the priesthood of Israel, God acted in summary judgment against the sons of Aaron; at the beginning of the church He did the same with Ananias and Sapphira who were struck dead in public for lying to God in the matter of the sale of their land.  This makes sore reading, yet God's people are not immune from disobedience.  He cannot condone in the church what He will condemn in the world.  Failure to abide by the principles of worship will always invite His displeasure.  What brings pleasure to God is that, and only that, which comes from the altar.  This brings us to the correct view of the work of Christ,

In contrast to the rebellion of men, His whole life and death was an act of OBEDIENCE.

Romans 5v19 again "...so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous".  It is not always considered but Jesus entire ethos was to fulfil the will of God.  In the finest detail He fulfilled the law of God-Matthew 5v17-18; John 8v29 John 17v4; John 19v28-30; Hebrews 10v7-9.  From cradle to grave He obeyed God.  He was the perfect servant of God-Isaiah 50v5 "The Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back".  In Gethsemane, He said, as He contemplated Calvary, "Not my will but thine be done".  At Calvary He did not utter "finished" until He had fulfilled the last scripture concerning His death-John 19v28-30.  In the servant song of Philippians 2, it is recorded, "He made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant...He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross".   Hebrews 5v8 puts it like this "Though     He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things that He suffered".  In heaven He was the Master, everyone obeyed Him, moving swiftly at His every command.  The animals and birds obey Him, the elements of nature obey Him, the swarms of insects.  He was subservient to no one and nothing, yet when He came in flesh He had to learn obedience, and He did so by the things He suffered.  Worship to God is subservience to God and Christ is the Supreme example.

We live in days of constant change, and new alternatives are being foisted upon us under the guise of moral relativism and cultural change.  We serve a God who changes not, why would you change perfection?  Simple obedience in worship is what He demands.  Much that is passing for worship today is strange fire, and we risk the displeasure of the Almighty, and we tarnish His holy name.  Anything that does not emanate from the sacrifice of Christ is unacceptable to the Lord.  Jesus said, God is spirit, and "they that worship must worship in spirit and in truth".  In John 4 He teaches that we can worship God anywhere, but not any how!  

There are notably fewer commandments in Christianity as compared to Judaism, but there are commandments involving church order and worship.  Paul had to say to the Corinthian church that the things he wrote were the commandments of the Lord (1st Corinthians 14v37).  The Lord expects all things in church worship to be done decently and in order.  A summary of the first epistle indicates the scope of this:  Chapters 1-4 Unity; 5-7 Morality; 8-10 Liberty; 11-14 Ministry; 15 Destiny; 16 Piety.  Within all these there are sacred principles developed that we should observe, which properly reflect the God of our salvation.  Nadab and Abihu disobeyed, and suffered Divine government, as others have done since.  Moses said to Aaron concerning this "This is that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh unto me, and before all people I will be glorified"-Leviticus 10v3.  Aaron held his peace, enough said!