UNDERSTAND that ‘NOBODY’ is PERFECT in THIS WORLD!
February
3 Bible Reading: Leviticus Chapters 10-12
UNDERSTAND that ‘NOBODY’ is PERFECT in THIS WORLD!
Then Moses made careful inquiry
about the goat of the sin offering, and there it was--burned up. And he was
angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron who were left, saying,
"Why have you not eaten the sin offering in a holy place, since it is most
holy..." And Aaron said to Moses, "Look, this day they have offered
their sin offering and their burnt offering before the Lord, and such things
have befallen me! If I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been
accepted in the sight of the Lord?" So when Moses heard that, he was
content." (Lev 10:16-20)
Leviticus 9
had mentioned two purification offerings,
one for Aaron (9:8–14) and one for the people, namely, a goat (9:15). In the
above passage, we read that Moses became angry at the sons of Aaron as they had
not followed the rule with the second offering. They had burned the meat
instead of eating it themselves as they should have (vv. 16–18). The rule was
that if the blood of the sin offering was brought into the holy place, then the
sacrifice was to be burned (6:30). But if not, it was to be eaten (6:26). Moses
reminded them that, in this case, the blood had not been brought inside the
holy place; therefore, they should have eaten the meat (vv. 16–18).
In reply to
Moses’ reprimand, Aaron explained that they had carried out the sin and burnt
offerings as required, but in view of God’s punishment of Nadab and Abihu
(10:1-3), he wondered if his eating the sin offering would have been accepted
by the Lord. Moses accepted the excuse as He realized that the mistake of Aaron
and his sons was not motivated by rebellion or by a disregard for the holiness
of God. It is also possible that Eleazar and Ithamar feared God’s wrath which
had just fallen on their brothers. Aaron’s reply to Moses illustrates to us that
the interpretation of the Law was not static!
Sometimes it is good to stop and
reflect on what is happening in our life. Aaron had reason to do some serious thinking as he
had realized that the misbehavior of his sons raised serious questions about
his fitness for ministry (Lev. 10:19). This incident teaches us that even good people have weaknesses and shortcomings
in their lives!
Aaron was a
good speaker, which was one reason why God had called him to assist his brother
Moses, in leading Israel out of Egypt (Ex. 4:14). He and his descendants were
also appointed by God to be the priests over Israel’s worship (Ex. 28:1–4). But
Aaron had struggled with some major problems that led to serious issues on
several occasions - like giving in to the people at Sinai and leading them into
idolatry (Ex. 32:1–4) and then avoiding to take responsibility for his lapse
(32:21–25). For us, Aaron is a good
example of a human who found favor with God through serious reflection,
repentance, and recovery!
Let us understand that nobody is
perfect in this world
and no one can completely avoid failure in life. Many of the Bible heroes have
fallen short of God’s high standards. Yet every one of them could find
forgiveness and restoration through repentance. For us fortunately, God does not make us His children on the
basis of our own ability not to commit sin, but on Christ’s ability to deal
with it. It is only in Christ that we are not condemned in the sight of God!
