April 27th, 2012
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

Purity Is Not Optional

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Opening Prayer

Lord, today I bring myself completely before the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. You are greatly to be praised.

Read Exodus 29:29-46

[29] “Aaron’s sacred garments will belong to his descendants so that they can be anointed and ordained in them. [30] The son who succeeds him as priest and comes to the Tent of Meeting to minister in the Holy Place is to wear them seven days. [31] “Take the ram for the ordination and cook the meat in a sacred place. [32] At the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, Aaron and his sons are to eat the meat of the ram and the bread that is in the basket. [33] They are to eat these offerings by which atonement was made for their ordination and consecration. But no one else may eat them, because they are sacred. [34] And if any of the meat of the ordination ram or any bread is left over till morning, burn it up. It must not be eaten, because it is sacred. [35] “Do for Aaron and his sons everything I have commanded you, taking seven days to ordain them. [36] Sacrifice a bull each day as a sin offering to make atonement. Purify the altar by making atonement for it, and anoint it to consecrate it. [37] For seven days make atonement for the altar and consecrate it. Then the altar will be most holy, and whatever touches it will be holy. [38] “This is what you are to offer on the altar regularly each day: two lambs a year old. [39] Offer one in the morning and the other at twilight. [40] With the first lamb offer a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a quarter of a hin of oil from pressed olives, and a quarter of a hin of wine as a drink offering. [41] Sacrifice the other lamb at twilight with the same grain offering and its drink offering as in the morning-a pleasing aroma, an offering made to the LORD by fire. [42] “For the generations to come this burnt offering is to be made regularly at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the LORD. There I will meet you and speak to you; [43] there also I will meet with the Israelites, and the place will be consecrated by my glory. [44] “So I will consecrate the Tent of Meeting and the altar and will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests. [45] Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. [46] They will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.

Meditate

“Let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire’” (Heb. 12:28). Consider that great truth now.

Think Further

This week-long ordination ritual included priesthood training. Offerings the priests performed for the people are set out here and more systematically presented in Leviticus (Lev. 1-7): sin offering, whole burnt offering, elevation offering, peace offering, grain offering and drink offering. We no longer know the purpose of some offerings but they were clearly intended to cover the whole range of human feelings that people might want to bring before God—remorse, suffering, need, joy and gratitude.

The priesthood was to be hereditary, but this did not make the priestly dynasty less susceptible to temptation and sin. We already read that a priest who took his duties lightly risked death. Two of Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, took casually the precise requirements for the altar fire and died (Lev. 10:1-5). Do not confuse holiness with godliness. Holiness, being set apart, does not of itself confer purity of life. We may hope that holy people might be saintlier than others but it is not always so. Aaron erred greatly in the matter of the golden calf, bringing dreadful consequences upon the flock he was supposed to protect. It is no coincidence that the event is placed immediately after these ordination instructions. Scripture tells how Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were guilty of sacrilege, greed, aggression and sexual abuse (1 Sam. 3:12, 13). For their selfish exploitation of their privileged positions, they died (1 Sam. 4:11).

The sins of Eli’s sons are not unheard of even among church leaders today. Being set apart may not confer purity of life but those who are set apart must strive for precisely that. Fearsome indeed is Jesus’ warning: those who lead others to sin would be better off being drowned than facing God’s judgment (Luke 17:1,2).

Apply

How can your life more reflect both holiness and purity? Re-commit yourself to spiritual transformation.

Closing prayer

Lord, I need my parched spirit enlivened as I drink of You. You, who make all things new, renew me.

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