READING:
One-year plan: Leviticus 8-10, Matthew 27:1-31
Two-year plan: Genesis 49-50, Matthew 15:10-20
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We’ve seen it before—the full obedience of God’s people doing all that He commanded. Even in today’s reading, we see a similar statement: “So Aaron and his sons did everything the Lord had commanded through Moses” (Lev 8:36). They did all that God required, step-by-step and direction-by-direction. God thus sent His fire down, consumed the offerings they presented, and surrounded them by His glory. In turn, the people “shouted [for joy] and fell facedown on the ground” (Lev. 9:24). That’s what should happen when we just walk with God: we rejoice in His presence.
On the other hand, Leviticus 10 tells the story of Nadab and Abihu, who offered “strange fire” on the altar; that is, they somehow offered a sacrifice in a way God did not intend. In fact, the text describes their actions this way: they “presented unauthorized fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them to do” (Lev. 10:1).
Don’t miss that last phrase that so dramatically differs from the affirmations of obedience in the preceding chapters. Nadab and Abihu went against the commands of God, and it cost them their lives in judgment. As the people of God began their sacrificial system, Nadab and Abihu decided to try their own plan — and God would not allow it. He expected them to do His work His way. Period.
PERSONAL REFLECTION: Is there any area of your life where you offer partial obedience?
PRAYER: “God, help me never to compromise Your commands even a little.”
TOMORROW’S READINGS:
One-year plan: Leviticus 11:1-13:46, Matthew 27:32-56
Two-year plan: Exo 1:1-, Matthew 15:21-39
*portions of this devotion first published in 2016