Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.’” And Aaron held his peace. Leviticus 10:3
This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - continuing with chapter ten - Our Response to God's Holiness - covering Leviticus 10:1-20, looking specifically at the theme - God's People Accept Responsibility to Represent Him. Here, the commentary looks closely at the role of the priests in both the Old and New Testament. In the Old Testament, the Levites served as priests, mediating between God and the Israelites - specifically here in Leviticus 10, Aaron and his sons served as priests. The commentary discusses how the priests were held to a higher standard and had a "special level of responsibility [(]to lead worship according to God's directions and to represent God accurately[)] relative to the Israelite congregation at large. In the New Testament, all believers in Christ now share that "special responsibility" as "ambassadors" of Christ. My post from a few days ago looks at how Christ offers a covenant that He "mediates is better" than that of the first covenant (from the Old Testament). The commentary unpacks v10:2 where it says "Aaron held his peace," to highlight how Aaron restrained his sorrow for his sons Nadab and Abihu and how difficult this must have been. According to the commentary, "[t]his was a defining moment. The refusal to mourn would make the point that nothing, not even a cherished child, is as important as God Himself or as important as treating Him as holy. If Aaron and the other priests had mourned the deaths of Nadab and Abihu, it could have appeared that they did not accept God's judgement or that they had greater sympathy for the sinners than they had for God's holiness. People were watching them, and their loyalty to God was a bigger issue than loyalty to family." For another scriptural example of how God seeks loyalty to Him above anybody else, the commentary refers us to the wickedness of Eli's sons and God's judgement on both Eli and his sons in 1 Samuel 2:22-36, and 1 Samuel 4:17-20.
Another key takeaway from the the commentary this morning is that the "death of Nadab and Abihu is a warning not to trifle with the commands of God or misrepresent the glory of God. When God speaks, there is no room for innovation; we must not corrupt God's Word by what we say or what we do." Just as people watched the Levites, including Aaron and sons, in the Old Testament, people are watching believers in Christ and we must be holy as we represent God as ambassadors.
Comment and discuss this post here.
My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are indeed Holy and worthy of my obedience to Your commands. Thank You for sending Your Son to live in my heart and life to bring about obedience as I am unable to do this in my own power. Yet I am undeserving of such a blessing. I worry and I have other sins. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength. Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior. Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.
