Scripture

Our verse for today comes from Leviticus 10:2, “So fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.”

Background

This section of the Bible is one of the reasons that so many people view God as the bad guy and Jesus as the good guy. When Jesus walked the earth, He encountered religious leaders and influential citizens whose only intent was to defame, embarrass and expose this supposed phony. Many times the crowd swelled to try to stone Him. He was scourged, beaten, mocked, spat on, and ultimately nailed to a cross. But every single time, Jesus returned grace for mistreatment, love for dishonor. He’s the good guy. But in our passage for today, Aaron’s sons, who just days earlier had been consecrated by God as His priests, are killed by God as they mess around with His incense. They got careless, perhaps a little silly from being drunk, and they made an offering that God had not commanded. And right there, with their robes still on and the censer still in their hands, God burnt them like toast. He’s the bad guy.

Application

We’re so thankful that we live in the New Testament age, after Jesus has come, so that we get to deal with Him and not His angry, impatient Father. Honestly, it can be difficult to view God as having much compassion. In the midst of tragedy, we might see God exacting vengeance while Jesus is there saving the few from the wreckage. And even if you’re immune to this way of thinking, you can understand why it might exist. We tend towards the patience and mercy of Jesus because we know darn well that God would have rightfully smoked us big time if we lived thousands of years ago. He probably would have gone ahead and used the flaming sword of Eden on us instead of protecting the Garden with it. We know, but we struggle to accept it. A disrespectful sacrifice costs His priests their lives, and we do so much worse today, and live. We feel bad for Aaron’s sons, but then what? What about the God who was dishonored and had to kill two of His children? And then nail another to a cross? We deserve it all, and more. But thank God, of the Old and New Testaments, that He is the same, still giving us grace through the price of His Son.

Charge

As we seek Him today, consider whether your life is being offered to God as a silly sacrifice, half-hearted and self-motivated. Ask Him to consume that old self with His fire that leads to a passion for Him.

Salvation – Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words