The Big Kafuffle

Leviticus 10:8-11 The Message

8GOD instructed Aaron, 9"When you enter the Tent of Meeting, don't drink wine or strong drink, neither you nor your sons, lest you die. This is a fixed rule down through the generations. 10Distinguish between the holy and the common, between the ritually clean and unclean. 11Teach the People of Israel all the decrees that GOD has spoken to them through Moses."

Leviticus 10:16-20 The Message

16When Moses looked into the matter of the goat of the Absolution-Offering, he found that it had been burned up. He became angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's remaining sons, and asked, 17"Why didn't you eat the Absolution-Offering in the Holy Place since it is most holy? The offering was given to you for taking away the guilt of the community by making atonement for them before GOD. 18Since its blood was not taken into the Holy Place, you should have eaten the goat in the Sanctuary as I commanded."

19Aaron replied to Moses, "Look. They sacrificed their Absolution-Offering and Whole-Burnt-Offering before GOD today, and you see what has happened to me--I've lost two sons. Do you think GOD would have been pleased if I had gone ahead and eaten the Absolution-Offering today?"

20When Moses heard this response, he accepted it.

It’s somewhat mind-boggling to witness what just happened here when only a few chapters earlier we saw Aaron and his sons present a pleasing sacrifice unto the Lord, playing their part in helping people catch a glimpse of the glory of God.

Just what kind of God do we serve?

In so many ways, I’m so glad that life is a journey, and the spiritual pilgrimage is no exception. Our minds are renewed daily, and we progressively discover more about God, our world, our lives and our purpose – slowly if not surely. And while it appears to confound our senses, one significant part of this growing process is wrestling with the things that we understand not. Like Abraham did when he boldly stood before the Lord and questioned Him(Gen 18:20ff); like Jacob did as he wrestled with the Lord till daybreak and promised to bless him; like David who in honesty of heart ranted and raved at God through the Psalms; and like Job who cried out to God in anguish and bewilderment when tragedy befell him in the blink of an eye.

I am trusting that the Lord will lead me down His paths of righteousness as I seek the counsel of His Word through His Spirit that enlightens our hearts. In the moments when I know not how to discern good from evil, when I know not how to distinguish right from wrong, I pray that His grace shall be sufficient for me and His strength be made perfect in my weakness. Like Aaron and his sons, I too desire to be a priest that knows how to do things right, not in the legal, hyper-religious sense, but with a heart that simply desires to offer a sacrifice that is a pleasing fragrance unto the Lord.

It is my hope that I may keep an open mind as I receive the ‘fixed rules’ that have been passed down through the generations – willing to try and understand the meaning and purpose behind them – and being careful not to throw out the baby with the bathwater.

Moreover, I note with much intrigue Moses and Aaron’s exchange at the end of Leviticus 10. Moses as patriarch to the Israelites had been further infuriated by Aaron’s sons who appeared to have flouted God’s commands. Yet, we see in this instance Aaron intervening on behalf of his sons, explaining to Moses that he might take a very different view on things if he took into consideration the grief they must be going through after all that had happened. And upon hearing Aaron’s response, Moses accepted it.

I am reminded that it is mercy and not sacrifice that God desires. More than religion, we must know God, and understand who He is and what He is about before we may correctly appropriate His Word and adhere to the ‘fixed rules’ passed down through the generations. It is the law of grace and love that we are under, and may that transcend all our failings as we offer our hearts to Him.