CHARLESTON, W.VA. -- When God chose Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, He gave him instructions as to how every thing was to be done. Probably the most important of the instructions was the construction of the Tabernacle and how the people were to worship God.
CHARLESTON, W.VA. -- When God chose Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, He gave him instructions as to how every thing was to be done. Probably the most important of the instructions was the construction of the Tabernacle and how the people were to worship God. Mose's brother Aaron was chosen to be the High Priest who would oversee the sacrifices and all of the workings of the Tabernacle. His two sons, Nadab and Abihu, were chosen to assist him in the administration of the duties. Only the High Priest was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies and that only occurred once each year. I'm sure that when Aaron entered that area, he was under tremendous stress because if he made a mistake and didn't perform the duties exactly as prescribed by God, he would be struck dead. There was a rope tied to his ankle to drag his body out of the Holy of Holies, if he made an error. Nobody was to enter even to remove his body.
In Leviticus 10, verses 1 and 2, we read that Aaron's sons offered up "strange fire" which God commanded them not, and there went out fire from the Lord that devoured them and they died before the Lord. The Scofield Bible's note says that their act was "will worship" which was not what God wanted.
In the Tabernacle, the High Priest had sole responsibility for the lampstand. He kept oil in it; he trimmed the wick and did everything necessary to keep it burning brightly, which glorified the Lord. Ephesians 5:8 tells us that we, as believers and God's children, are light in the Lord and we are to walk as children of the light. The fifth chapter of Matthew tells born again believers to "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good, works and glorify your Father, who is in heaven." The trimming of the wick of the lampstand by the High Priest can be compared to the trimming that our great High Priest, Jesus Christ, does in the lives of believers today who are displeasing to the Lord. This trimming can come in many forms: sickness, financial problems or any number of unpleasant circumstances in the believer's life. He will trim until our light is restored to the brightness He desires. If our light resists the trimming and continues to present a smoky, unpleasant light, Jesus, like the High Priest in the Tabernacle, will use a snuffer to completely extinguish the light. This, I believe, is the "sin unto death," stated in 1 John, 5:16, whereby the believer is set aside to uselessness.
The believer is not only to be light to a dying world; he is to bear fruit for the Lord. The fruit mentioned here is good works on the part of the believer; things like attending church, praying, visiting the sick, and helping the needy. In the fifteenth chapter of the gospel of John, Jesus presents Himself as the vine and the Heavenly Father as the vinedresser. In what little gardening I do, I have learned that pruning things like fruit trees and grapevines is essential to a good yield. If we stay close and pleasing to Jesus the vine, we can avoid severe pruning. Some light pruning is helpful because it presents us with a great learning experience. Certainly we are not perfect, and I have learned that the little unpleasant situations the Lord allows us to undergo actually draw us closer to Him.
There is also a severe warning in John 15:6. It says, "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned." This refers to the ones who have never asked Jesus to save them. Dear reader, if you have never done so, say a prayer and tell Jesus that you believe that He died on Calvary's cross for your sins, that He was buried and was resurrected on the third day. Ask Him to save you and tell Him that you will spend the rest of your life trying to live in a manner pleasing to Him.
If you will do this, you will be assured of a future home in heaven.
Monk is a writer who lives in South Charleston.
CHARLESTON, W.VA. -- When God chose Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, He gave him instructions as to how every thing was to be done. Probably the most important of the instructions was the construction of the Tabernacle and how the people were to worship God. Mose's brother Aaron was chosen to be the High Priest who would oversee the sacrifices and all of the workings of the Tabernacle. His two sons, Nadab and Abihu, were chosen to assist him in the administration of the duties. Only the High Priest was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies and that only occurred once each year. I'm sure that when Aaron entered that area, he was under tremendous stress because if he made a mistake and didn't perform the duties exactly as prescribed by God, he would be struck dead. There was a rope tied to his ankle to drag his body out of the Holy of Holies, if he made an error. Nobody was to enter even to remove his body.
In Leviticus 10, verses 1 and 2, we read that Aaron's sons offered up "strange fire" which God commanded them not, and there went out fire from the Lord that devoured them and they died before the Lord. The Scofield Bible's note says that their act was "will worship" which was not what God wanted.
In the Tabernacle, the High Priest had sole responsibility for the lampstand. He kept oil in it; he trimmed the wick and did everything necessary to keep it burning brightly, which glorified the Lord. Ephesians 5:8 tells us that we, as believers and God's children, are light in the Lord and we are to walk as children of the light. The fifth chapter of Matthew tells born again believers to "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good, works and glorify your Father, who is in heaven." The trimming of the wick of the lampstand by the High Priest can be compared to the trimming that our great High Priest, Jesus Christ, does in the lives of believers today who are displeasing to the Lord. This trimming can come in many forms: sickness, financial problems or any number of unpleasant circumstances in the believer's life. He will trim until our light is restored to the brightness He desires. If our light resists the trimming and continues to present a smoky, unpleasant light, Jesus, like the High Priest in the Tabernacle, will use a snuffer to completely extinguish the light. This, I believe, is the "sin unto death," stated in 1 John, 5:16, whereby the believer is set aside to uselessness.
The believer is not only to be light to a dying world; he is to bear fruit for the Lord. The fruit mentioned here is good works on the part of the believer; things like attending church, praying, visiting the sick, and helping the needy. In the fifteenth chapter of the gospel of John, Jesus presents Himself as the vine and the Heavenly Father as the vinedresser. In what little gardening I do, I have learned that pruning things like fruit trees and grapevines is essential to a good yield. If we stay close and pleasing to Jesus the vine, we can avoid severe pruning. Some light pruning is helpful because it presents us with a great learning experience. Certainly we are not perfect, and I have learned that the little unpleasant situations the Lord allows us to undergo actually draw us closer to Him.
There is also a severe warning in John 15:6. It says, "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned." This refers to the ones who have never asked Jesus to save them. Dear reader, if you have never done so, say a prayer and tell Jesus that you believe that He died on Calvary's cross for your sins, that He was buried and was resurrected on the third day. Ask Him to save you and tell Him that you will spend the rest of your life trying to live in a manner pleasing to Him.
If you will do this, you will be assured of a future home in heaven.
Monk is a writer who lives in South Charleston.
