Once again, there is much in this passage that needs further study in order for me to understand it fully. Yesterday, I read about the different kinds of offerings. Today, chapter eight begins with an account of the consecration of Aaron and his sons. I think that is a very logical progression. Someone has to be in charge. Someone has to be the high priest and set the example for all the others, and that someone was Aaron. Some time is spent on the consecration of Aaron and his sons, and then Aaron offers a sacrifice to God. Notice that time is spent consecrating them, and only after that does Aaron attempt to sacrifice to God.
It seems to me that we have something to learn from this. I know the tendency is there once someone turns his/her life around to jump into ministry. I have seen this before. However, one must spend time with God before sacrificing oneself to the ministry. We need to be prepared for the work that God has for us. So, we need to spend time with God – in His word – in prayer – in fellowship with others. These things shape who we are and mold us into someone who can handle the pressures of ministry. (And, everyone should be a minister in some way.) Does this mean that we have to go to Bible school for six years before we begin to minister? No, we minister along the way, but we should not minister empty. We minister out of what we know and have learned, so we must be learning in order to minister effectively. Lord, help me prepare for ministry in a way that makes me effective and personable to those around me. When people look at me, I want them to see you.
It breaks my heart what happens in chapter 10. Shortly after being consecrated, Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu disobey God, and God kills them with fire. Shannon’s seminary advisor, Dr. Adewuya, cautioned one of his classes one time against the belief that God is loving at the expense of God being just. He said, “God is a killer” (concerning the continually disobedient) and went on to talk about how we need to approach God in a much more respectful manner than we do sometimes. Here, we see God’s judgment falling instantaneously on these two men, and I imagine that Aaron was heartbroken as well, but Aaron continued to minister to the people and offer sacrifices as the Lord had commanded him. God, help me to approach you respectfully. I know you are a powerful God, and it amazes me that you love me like you do. I don’t ever want to take your love for granted.
Blessings,
Dee
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
All I can say is Amen!!!!! sherry mimbs(Quote)
Good observations, Dee. I see that you are honestly wrestling with the text in such a way as to critique our lives-in-relation-to-God-and-others. Your take on preparing for ministry reminds me of what Dr. Lombard use to ask our pastoral ministry classes – “Are you on your way to ministry? And are you ministering on your way?” This has stuck with me over the years.
Upon first entering the kingdom, and sensing a call (burden) for ministering to others, I succumbed to the view of preparing for ministry in more of a professional sense. And this is not to disregard formal training, ordination, etc. However, now my understanding of ministry is a bit different (and hopefully more biblical), I guess one could say. Meaning, I look at being part of the local faith family as doing-life-together as opposed to gathering on certain days of the week in order to have a tremendous “service.” I think corporate gatherings of worship/teaching/sacrament/etc are vital. However, in our tradition, we have under-emphasized how to follow-through with following Jesus as a faith family outside the context of a church service; pushing past fragmented spirituality and embracing the engulfing call to be a disciple of Jesus.
Also, the tragic story of Aaron’s sons is a bit challenging for me. How does this relate to the witness of the NT concerning Jesus (the ultimate revelation of God)? How does such an occurrence impact one’s understanding of violence, especially concerning God and his church? These are questions with which I wrestle and continue to ponder as we journey through the Scriptural witness.
Love ya! :biggrin:
By the way, it’s good to see Mama on here leaving comments!
Shannon Mimbs(Quote)
Mrs. Sherry,
Thanks for visiting and reading our blog! As Shannon said, it is good to see you on here.
Shannon,
You make some wonderful comments. I think it is important to read the Old Testament with a community mindset. Let me explain. When God called Abraham, he did so not to have an individual follow him, but to birth a nation dedicated to him — a people — a community. It is the same with the church today. I am not the church. I am part of the church. When we take the western mindset of individualism and read the Bible through that lens, that lens obscures important aspects of the narrative of Scripture. The result is a church that focuses more on how our services “look” than on the health of the people attending that service — more on what we do to be attractive than who we are to reflect Christ.
For instance, the judgment that God gave Aaron’s sons seems extreme. But, maybe that judgment wasn’t merely for their sake? As I have stated previously, I need to do more research myself to understand more about Leviticus, so this is merely a hypothetical observation.
Blessings,
Dee Dee(Quote)