The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Leviticus 9:23-24,
"Moses and Aaron then went into the tent of meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. Fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown."
In this chapter we read of the initial offerings Aaron made as Israel's chief priest together with his sons: the sin offering (for himself), the burnt offering, the sin offering for the people, the morning's burnt offering, the grain offering and the fellowship offering (if I followed the narrative correctly, I may not have the order of offerings correct here).
We then read that Aaron "lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them." After this he stepped down and then both he and Moses went into the tabernacle, "the tent of meeting". After they came out they again blessed the people and then suddenly the Lord appeared to all the people and fire erupted from his presence and consumed the burnt offering.
I note in the narrative that we are not told what exactly Moses and Aaron did when they went inside the tabernacle. We assume they met with God or prayed to God following the offerings in preparation for the Lord's appearance before the people and his torching of the burnt offering. But we don't know for sure what took place inside the tabernacle when Moses and Aaron went in. We are not told.
I point this out to note a reality of the accounts we read of in the pages of Scripture. We might get the impression we know what transpired in a narrative in Scripture without recognizing we are almost never told of all that happened. Yes, we do know the things we are told, but we often are not told everything. I guess this is obvious, but sometimes gets forgotten, particularly when we "begin to wax eloquently" about some event in Scripture. I don't know how many times I have found myself there.
In this event, along with not knowing what Moses and Aaron did in the tabernacle following the offerings and before the Lord appeared to the people and consumed the burnt offering, just what did having 2-3 million people gathering at the tabernacle look like when we are told, "And when all the people saw it..."? Were they all standing in the rain? Were they prostrated before the Lord? We don't know because we are not told.
"Moses and Aaron then went into the tent of meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. Fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown."
In this chapter we read of the initial offerings Aaron made as Israel's chief priest together with his sons: the sin offering (for himself), the burnt offering, the sin offering for the people, the morning's burnt offering, the grain offering and the fellowship offering (if I followed the narrative correctly, I may not have the order of offerings correct here).
We then read that Aaron "lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them." After this he stepped down and then both he and Moses went into the tabernacle, "the tent of meeting". After they came out they again blessed the people and then suddenly the Lord appeared to all the people and fire erupted from his presence and consumed the burnt offering.
I note in the narrative that we are not told what exactly Moses and Aaron did when they went inside the tabernacle. We assume they met with God or prayed to God following the offerings in preparation for the Lord's appearance before the people and his torching of the burnt offering. But we don't know for sure what took place inside the tabernacle when Moses and Aaron went in. We are not told.
I point this out to note a reality of the accounts we read of in the pages of Scripture. We might get the impression we know what transpired in a narrative in Scripture without recognizing we are almost never told of all that happened. Yes, we do know the things we are told, but we often are not told everything. I guess this is obvious, but sometimes gets forgotten, particularly when we "begin to wax eloquently" about some event in Scripture. I don't know how many times I have found myself there.
In this event, along with not knowing what Moses and Aaron did in the tabernacle following the offerings and before the Lord appeared to the people and consumed the burnt offering, just what did having 2-3 million people gathering at the tabernacle look like when we are told, "And when all the people saw it..."? Were they all standing in the rain? Were they prostrated before the Lord? We don't know because we are not told.
But... we have been told the things we read of in Leviticus 9, and so we do know them. The things we are told are the very things the Lord wants us to know. It isn't important we know everything, but it is very important we know what we are told. We are told for the precise reason the Lord thinks it is important we know them. It is from this reality that I say, along with inerrant, inspired by God and authoritative, the Scriptures are intentional. God has given us what we have in our Bibles because it is his intention we know these things. Other things he has not, otherwise they would be included.
Just a thought this morning...
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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