9/1/2008 10:58 AM
My Worship Time Focus: Nadab and Abihu’s sin
Bible Reading &
Meditation Reference: Leviticus 10:1-2
Message of the verses: “1 ¶
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.”
I want to
start by saying that I do not think that I have ever completely understood what
really happened in this section to cause the death of Nadab and Abihu, but as
one of the commentators said that since God had taken the life of these two
sons of Aaron the sin must have been terrible, something worthy of death or God
would not have take their life.
I want to
focus in on the word “strange” that is in verse one, for in most all of the
Bibles that I have read the word is translated strange with the exception of
the NIV where “unauthorized” is used. As
I was looking at the dictionaries on the Online Bible I came across a meaning
for this Hebrew word that said as follows:
“Hence to be a foreigner, strange, profane; specifically (active
participle) to commit adultery.” I think
that this is description of this word strange makes sense to me for committing
adultery was, in a sense, something that these two brothers did.
Moses
speaks of not “drinking on the job” in verses nine and ten of this chapter
which may have something to do with the sin that these two men had committed,
otherwise why would it be there.
Dr. Wiersbe
points out some things in his commentary on this section that show what the
sins of these men were:
- They were the wrong people.
- They used the wrong instruments.
- The acted at the wrong time.
- They acted under the wrong authority.
- They used the wrong fire.
- They acted from wrong motive and did not seed to glorify God.
- They depended on the wrong energy. (See verses 9-10.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I want to comment on a quote from A. W. Tozer
that Dr. Wiersbe used in his commentary for this section. Tozer says, “If God were to take His Holy
Spirit out of this world, much of what the church is doing would go ring on;
and nobody would know the difference.” I
must say that I do not often disagree with Dr. Wiersbe, but this time I do, for
Tozer is speaking of God’s Holy Spirit who brings about the things that He
desires to happen in His Church when He wants it to happen and how He wants it
to happen, and therefore things are right on course His’ Course. I will say that there probably is a lot of
people in the Church today that are not depending on the Holy Spirit to
accomplish things for the glory of God, but to say that by taking the Holy
Spirit out of the world would mean nothing is wrong. At the Rapture of the Church the Holy Spirit
will be taken out of the world in the capacity that He is in now and this will
usher in the antichrist and the tribulation period and all one has to do is read
Revelations 6-19 to see that the world then will be a much worse place to live
than what it is now.
As far as
what this section means to me I must say that the things that I desire to
accomplish for the Lord must be done through the power of His Spirit, as He
uses His Word to motivate me, and to guide me, and they must be done for His
glory and not for me. God’s Spirit can
accomplish great things through me as long as I stay close to Him, doing what
He wants me to do.
My Steps of Faith for
Today:
- Trust the Lord, through His Holy Spirit, to guide my path today.
- Give myself to the Lord for Worship and Service.
- Put on the whole armor of God so I can stand.
Memory verses for the week: Exodus
20:4-9
- You shall not make for yourself and idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.
- You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children on the third and forth generations of those who hate me,
- but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love me and keep my commandments.
- You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.
- Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
- Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
9/1/2008 11:46 AM
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