Leviticus 9-10

Leviticus 9-10

Picking up from the events of Leviticus 8, Aaron now offers all of the different types of offerings to the Lord, just as they had been commanded. This continues to show Aaron’s obedience to God, that he is indeed going to be one of God’s priests. It is also evident that Aaron did everything right with these offerings. After offering them up, God came down and consumed them, allowing the people to see His glory once again. It is interesting that this was done in front of the Israelites. Not only did it show them how the offerings were to be presented before the Lord, but it also showed them who they were offering it to (in case they forgot). In a sense, this ceremony was a type of reminder to the Israelites that God is still with them, and He is still looking out for them. He promised not to leave them, and He still hasn’t. The only way they knew to respond to this truth was through worship. All of them fell on their faces in worship before the Lord, for they knew that they were in His presence.

Then, in Leviticus 10 a counter example is given. Whereas Aaron was living in obedience before God, two of his sons were not. To us the different commands and regulations that God had placed on the different offerings seem odd. It can be hard for us to understand why it had to be done in such a specific way. For the Israelites, this was a form of worship before God. In offering up these sacrifices, they were expressing their worship of God through obedience. God had commanded that these offerings be handled in a specific fashion, so when Nadab and Abihu went against God’s commands, He struck them dead. Just as the differing commands can seem too specific, their deaths may seem too harsh. However, God had told them exactly what they were to do. It was not as if God had given them a huge task that was impossible to complete. He had given them a specific set of instructions and only required pure obedience. When Aaron’s two sons could not even follow those commands, God sent down His punishment.

Again, remember that the priests were examples before the nation of Israel. They were the ones who were to offer up the sacrifices of the Israelites. God had chosen them specifically for this task, and demanded that it be done correctly (for their sake and for the sake of the Israelites). If they could not be trusted, then God had no use for them in the tabernacle, the Most Holy place. Furthermore, their deaths also served as an example before the rest of the Israelites. It showed that God was serious about their obedience and expected them to heed to His commands. He had given them great examples in Moses and Aaron, who were continuing to follow God faithfully.

Matt