Our God is a Consuming Fire – Shimini – April 11

Lev. 9:1 – Lev. 11:47

When I was in high school I was a bit of a rascal. My friends and I were constantly looking for opportunities to break the rules, have a laugh, and just enjoy ourselves. All of this generally happened at the expense of someone else. It was always fun until one of us got caught.

One day at our high school they called all of the students out of our last period class and for some reason the powers at be decided that we should have an egg toss competition. To this day I have no idea why they would ever do such a thing with a bunch of high school students, however, they did. Someone must have donated hundreds of eggs to the school and they didn’t know what else to do with them.

This is how the egg toss worked. They divided us into pairs and the goal was to start close, toss the egg to the other person, and then everyone took a step backward. This continued until the egg broke and the last two standing were declared the winners. I forget who won that day but my friends and I didn’t really care about the egg toss. The final school bell rang and there were dozens of eggs leftover. My friends and I didn’t want to see the eggs go to waste so we decided to each take one and then we boarded the school bus to make our way home.

The Boy & an Egg

You can only imagine what happened during that twenty minute ride. We each chose our targets and let our eggs fly out the bus window at the proper moment. I decided to aim my egg at the back of a tractor trailer (a truck or “lorry” for my British friends) that was coming from the other direction. I waited for the truck to get close and intended to hit the backend of the tractor trailer but somehow I throw my egg a bit too early and I hit the front windshield of the tractor trailer instead. Something inside of me told me that this wasn’t good. The tractor trailer pulled over to the side of the road, came to a complete stop, then crossed the highway and turned around to try to catch our bus. I soon realized that I had a direct hit that went way beyond my expectations. I got off right before he caught up with our bus and I saw him talking with the bus driver. I knew I was in trouble if they ever found out it was me.

The next day I took the bus to school and when we arrived at the school premises our school principal was waiting on the curb for our bus. My friends and I were each interrogated and I confessed to the egging of the tractor trailer. This little encounter landed me a special meeting with the school headmaster. You could say that the wrath of the school headmaster came upon me. I had brought shame to myself, my family, and our school and the headmaster let me know this full well. I was suspended from school and I had to pay for a new windshield for the tractor trailer.

I used an egg in a way that it wasn’t intended to be used. It was such a small thing but it had huge repercussions. Eggs were created as food to be eaten not as objects for destruction. I had misused the function of the egg and violated another with it. More than this, I violated the code of behavior set by the school which I was attending. As a result of my disobedience there was a penalty to be paid and I paid it. This is a principle of life whether in Cherry Hill, New Jersey or Sydney, Australia: there is blessing in obedience and punishment in disobedience.

Blessing for Obedience and Punishment for Disobedience

In this week’s Torah Portion, Lev. 9:1 – Lev. 11:47, we see this principle clearly illustrated. In the very last verse in the Torah Portion preceding this one we read: “Thus Aaron and his sons did all the things which the LORD had commanded through Moses” (Lev. 8:36). God had given very specific commands regarding the ordination of Aaron and his sons as priests of God. Aaron and his sons fully complied and kept the seven days or ordination as God prescribed. It was now the eighth day and Moses commanded Aaron to offer specific sacrifices for both himself and the people of Israel to make atonement for them to prepare the way for the LORD to appear to them and for them to see the glory of the LORD (Lev. 9:1-6).

The Result of Obedience

Aaron offered the sacrifices that God required and fulfilled all the words that Moses commanded him. The result was that the glory of the LORD appeared to all of the people (Lev. 9:8-23). Aaron was a representative of the people before the LORD. When he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the people were blessed as well. The obedience of Aaron resulted in God manifesting his glory to all the people (Lev. 9:23).

God’s presence is the highest honor and the most valuable treasure that anyone can receive. God allowed His glory to be seen by the people. We also read that fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the portions of fat on the altar (Lev. 9:24). When all of the people saw it they shouted and fell on their faces. Who can stand before a holy God? We must bow down before His presence, the presence of His holiness.

The Result of Disobedience

Following this supernatural expression of God’s presence and power came a very small act of disobedience that will forever mar this eighth day when God displayed His glory to man. The very next verse gives the bare details of the act of disobedience of Aaron’s two sons, Nadav and Avihu (Nadab and Abihu). Nadav and Avihu chose not to fulfill the requirements of the LORD as He instructed them. They offered strange fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them and they died before the LORD (Lev.10:1-2).

Everything changed as a result of the smallest act of disobedience. From blessing to curse. From glory to shame. From shouting to silence. From intimacy to separation. From life to death. The holiness of the moment didn’t allow for any discussion or excuses. God judged them and they died.

Moses spoke at this time and shared a few words with his brother Aaron. They were not words of comfort but words of truth: “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.’” (Lev. 10:3). The Scriptures then tell us, “and Aaron kept silent.” There was nothing for Aaron to say because he knew that Moses’ words were true. Moses was not being heartless but he was honoring God above man and he was reminding Aaron that there is no cutting corners in this walk with God. God is holy and must be honored as holy.

Moses warned Aaron and his other two sons, who were still alive, not to uncover their heads or tear their clothes or even go out of the doorway of the tent of meeting lest they die, for the anointing oil was upon them (Lev. 10:6-7). Aaron and his sons were chosen to be priests unto God on behalf of the people. They were called to a higher calling and needed to walk the walk. Aaron and his sons obeyed the words of Moses (Lev. 10:7).

The Wrath of God

The sudden striking down of Aaron’s sons, Nadav and Avihu, by the fire of God is the typical example of how many characterize the so called “God of the Old Testament” as a God of wrath compared to the supposed less aggressive and more loving “God of the New Testament.” However, I don’t believe that this stereotype is accurate. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:7-8). We actually see a very similar dramatic scene in the New Testament where God poured our His wrath on those who were disobedient.

The Consistent Character of God

The book of The Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament relates events that occurred shortly after the death and resurrection of Yeshua when literally thousands of people were coming to faith (Acts 4:4). The Holy Spirit had been poured upon all of those who were calling out on the name of Yeshua (Acts 2:4) and great signs and wonders were taking place at the hands of the apostles (Acts 2:42). There was intense intimacy with God and vibrant fellowship with one another (Acts 2:43-47).

It was in this atmosphere of tremendous excitement of all that God was doing in the midst of His people that there was a sudden interruption. A certain couple, named Ananias and Sapphira, made a real estate deal and acted like they were donating all the proceeds to the apostles. The apostle Peter immediately questioned Ananias; “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back some of the price of the land?” (Acts 5:3) Peter continued to state to Ananias that he had not lied to man but to the Holy Spirit and to God and then the Scriptures tell us, “And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came upon all who heard of it” (Acts 5:5). Ananias’ wife was not with her husband at the time. She came about three hours later and the same fate came upon her as she lied as well (Acts 5:7-11). The judgement of God fell quickly and suddenly on Ananias and Sapphira and a great fear came upon all of those who heard about this (Acts 5:11).

When there is great intimacy with God and great revelation of Himself to mankind there is also great responsibility and accountability for those who are in His service. When God draws near to us and makes Himself known in our midst there is a higher calling and a higher judgement. The words of Moses to his brother Aaron (Lev. 10:3) ring true in both the Old and New Testaments:

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.’

Treating God as Holy with Our Lives

As we live our lives we would be wise to consider who we are before the God of the universe. God does not primarily exist to serve us and provide for all of our needs. God is holy and His holiness demands that we treat Him with respect and honor. He does not exist to serve us, rather, we exist to worship and serve Him.

The letter to the Hebrews in the New Testament does an amazing job of summarizing the Levitical Law. The writer, as inspired by the Holy Spirt, illustrates how we are to live in light of the sacrifice of Yeshua and the holiness of God. Towards the end of this letter to the Hebrews the writer warns us by saying, “…do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less shall we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven” (Hebrew 12:25).

We must do all we can to heed His voice and follow hard after our God in a life of holiness. In light of all that Yeshua has done for us by making a way to come to the Father and enter into the Kingdom of God we should take heed to the voice of God and what He is saying to us today. The writer to the Hebrews ended his thoughts here in Hebrews 12:29 with these words:

Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken,

let us show gratitude,

by which we may offer to God an acceptable service

with reverence and awe;

for our God is a consuming fire.