City Life Starter

Written by Scott Fiddler

The Word

1 The Lord spoke to Moses, after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the Lord and died; 2 and the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at all times into the holy place within the veil, before the mercy seat which is upon the ark, lest he die; for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat. 3 But thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 4 He shall put on the holy linen coat, and shall have the linen breeches on his body, be girded with the linen girdle, and wear the linen turban; these are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in water, and then put them on. 5 And he shall take from the congregation of the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.

Leviticus 6:1-5

20 “And when he has made an end of atoning for the holy place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat; 21 and Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins; and he shall put them upon the head of the goat, and send him away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. 22 The goat shall bear all their iniquities upon him to a solitary land; and he shall let the goat go in the wilderness.

Leviticus 6:20-22

Commentary

Aaron’s two sons had just died in God’s presence. The had offered “strange fire” to the Lord, and in response fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them (Lev. 10:1-2). Moses reminded Aaron the Lord had said, “By those who come near me I will be treated as holy. And before all the people I will be honored” (Lev. 10:3). Aaron had enough sense to keep his mouth shut even though both his sons had just been killed by God.

Now, in the passage above, the Lord tells Moses if Aaron enters behind the veil into the Lord’s presence, he will also die. First, he must bathe and make himself clean. Then he must put on linen undergarments, and a linen tunic, sash, and turban. He must sacrifice a bull for his sins and the sins of his family.  Only then may Aaron enter into the holy presence of God without being struck dead.

When we come across accounts in the Bible where God seems unfair or exceedingly harsh, we should take pause. Paul warned about the ludicrousness of judging the God who created us (See Rom. 9:20). Instead we should start with what we know is true about God. With respect to the account above, we know God is just. So, there must be something about this account that makes God’s actions and instructions just. 

Application

Fortunately, the Lord provided an explanation. As He told Moses, He is holy and must be treated as such. Aaron was not holy, and even the most scrupulous personal hygiene and finest clothes were inadequate to allow him to stand before God without a propitiation for his sins. That is how holy God is. If it still doesn’t seem just it can only mean His holiness is holier and our sinfulness more sinful than we have imagined. 

And, it is when a person sees that that they see their need for the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross.

Prayer

Lord, help me to always approach You with a respect reflective of a true understanding of Your holiness. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen