Verse of the day: Leviticus 10:6 And Moses said to Aaron, and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons, “Do not uncover your heads nor tear your clothes, lest you die, and wrath come upon all the people. But let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD has kindled.”
In this chapter, we read about the death of Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron. God killed them both for their presumptuous approach, and burning of strange fire before the Lord. Their motivation for doing what they did was not specified, but they came before God in a way, and at a time, not authorized by God. The consequence for what they did may seem harsh, and even unfair, but it stressed the importance and seriousness of disobeying God or failing to approach Him with reverence. However, what I would like us to focus on today is the severity of the punishment God imposed on them. So often, we sin, and then we complain about how severe, and unfair, the consequences are for what we did, when someone else’s consequences might not appear to be as severe, for doing something similar. In 2 Chronicles 26, King Uzziah, in his pride, entered the Temple to burn unauthorized incense on the altar, and rather than kill him instantly, he was struck with leprosy for the rest of his life. In the New Testament, Ananias and Sapphira were killed for lying to the Holy Spirit, in their attempt to look like they had given the church all the proceeds from the sale of their land, when in reality they had only given a portion. We read throughout the Scriptures that God decides what the consequences are for each person, and each occasion, that someone sins against Him; and even though it may not seem fair to us in comparison, know this, God is righteous in ALL His judgments. Stop and imagine how any one of us would have felt if it was our sons who were killed, but then we were forbidden to mourn for them. How would we feel about God? How would we feel about continuing to serve Him? In this instance, Aaron was expected to continue in the service of God in the Tabernacle, and not take time mourn the loss of his sons, lest he also be put to death. Many of us today would think this heartless, unfair, and unbearable. However, God is always just in what He allows and how He judges. He knows each of us, and know exactly what to allow in our lives to get our attention and get us to put our eyes back on Him. Psalm 119:137 tells us, “Righteous are You, O LORD, and upright are Your judgments.” Psalm 145:17 reads, “The LORD is righteous in all His ways, gracious in all His works.” Revelation 15:3 reads, “They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: ‘Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints!’" Before we sin against God, we need to stop and ask ourselves, “Are the consequences that may come out of this worth doing this?” “Is it worth hindering my relationship with the Lord, violating His holiness, and possibly dealing with a lifelong consequence?” The bottom line is that God desires that we honor Him, and serve Him, with our lives. He desires intimacy with us. His desire is to not have to discipline us with such severity, but His righteousness demands that He not overlook sin. He has already given us far more than we deserve in giving us His only begotten Son, so that we do not perish in our sins (John 3:16), but He will allow severe consequences in our lives, if that will keep us on the straight, and narrow, path. When King David committed adultery, and plotted the murder of Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, God told King David that the sword would not leave his house (2 Samuel 12:10). Sadly, his son Amnon raped his own sister Tamar, his other son Absalom killed Amnon as revenge (2 Samuel 13-15), and Absalom is later killed because of his rebellion against his own father, King David (2 Samuel 18). It was a costly price to pay for the sins he committed, but a just judgement handed down by a Just and Righteous God. We may not like the consequences God allows for our sinful actions, but the best way to avoid those consequences is to do our best to live a right, holy, life before the Lord. Whenever we think it is unfair that God is allowing something tragic to come out of our moments of sinfulness, stop and think of how unfair it was that God had to torture, and put to death, His only begotten, perfect, and innocent Son, as payment for our sins. Rather than complain and rebel any further, let God used those consequences to draw us nearer to Him, and put us on the path to living a life that will exalt Jesus and His wonderful, amazing, forgiveness, mercy, and grace.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
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