The Holy and the Profane

"The Lord then spoke to Aaron, saying, 'Do not drink wine or strong drink, neither you nor your sons with you, when you come into the tent of meeting, so that you will not die—it is a perpetual statute throughout your generations— and so as to make a distinction between the holy and the profane, and between the unclean and the clean, and so as to teach the sons of Israel all the statutes which the Lord has spoken to them through Moses.'" -Leviticus 10.8-11

Two of Aaron's sons are dead because the defiled God's holy instructions. Moses has instructed Aaron and his sons to remain in the tent of meeting, and not to grieve the death of their family members or they will incur the wrath of God. They follow these instructions, and while in the tent of meeting, God speaks to Aaron.

He shares with him the difference between the holy and the profane, and how there needs to be a distinction that Aaron follows. He must fill his life with the holy and flee from the profane. He is the people's representation before God, called and set apart for this service. His life must reflect the calling upon it.

Men, there really are two things in life, the holy and the unholy. Everything falls into one of those two categories. Either something helps us become more holy, or it makes us less holy. What are you filling your life with? What are you focused on?

The man of God needs to invest his time in the holy. His focus needs to be on what makes him more holy. 1 Thessalonians 5.21-22 tells us, "But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil." The King James says, "Abstain from all appearance of evil." We need to not simply avoid what is evil, but flee from the very appearance of evil. If people know we are Christ followers, then we need to do everything we can to avoid even looking evil. Our lives are meant to be beacons of light the shine the truth and love of God. Let us do nothing to dim that light.

Let our lives be fully dedicated to holiness, and let us flee from all that is profane. Let there be no doubt or question of our faith based on how we live. Let all that we do lead us deeper into holiness. Find the holy, flee from the profane.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Defiling the Holy

"Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. And fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. Then Moses said to Aaron, 'It is what the Lord spoke, saying, "By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, and before all the people I will be honored."' So Aaron, therefore, kept silent." -Leviticus 10.1-3

Two men are dead, killed by God, they began to worship God, but in a way that God had not prescribed. They begin to do for God something that God does not desire, something that violates His order, and they are punished. They were held to a higher standard as priests. They were to be representatives of the people before God, and they were to live by His holy standards. But they decided to worship in their own way, trying for one reason or another, apathy, convenience, arrogance, maybe trying to make the unholy holy, but God does not accept any exception to His standards. These two should have known better, and they were killed by God.

There is a lot that can be said here. We see stuff like this happen all the time. Cults start like this. Someone takes a teaching or a practice, and twists it, and makes a holy practice an abomination. We see it with nations, they will try to legalize a sinful practice, making it acceptable, but that does not make it righteous in the eyes of God. All of these will bring about punishment. God will not overlook these actions, these sins. He will hold those who know better, or should know better, accountable for their actions, and those they lead astray.

Men, are you guilty of the same sin as Nadab and Abihu? Are you defiling God's holiness with your actions? Are you leading others astray with your teachings? Or are you striving to share the truth? Are you constantly searching the Word of God to understand it better? Are you being guided by the Holy Spirit, sound teaching, and proper doctrine to guide your understanding? Are you communicating with God to know Him more intimately and become more like Christ?

We have been placed here to point creation back to God. It is our job to stand firm on truth and be a light in the darkness. We cannot afford to compromise for what is convenient or popular. When we do, we defile the holy, and we are guilty of sin, and this will not go unpunished.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor