Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Leviticus 10:19-20

19 And Aaron said unto Moses, Behold, this day have they offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the Lord; and such things have befallen me: and if I had eaten the sin offering to day, should it have been accepted in the sight of the Lord?

20 And when Moses heard that, he was content.

When we heard of the trespass of Nadab and Abihu, I made the case that their sin seemed more egregious and intentional than just performing part of the ritual incorrectly, given that when Eleazer and Ithamar made such an error, they faced no such divine retribution.

Aaron gives an explanation to Moses as to why the priests’ portion was not eaten of the sin offering. At first, it is hard to follow what exactly he is saying, probably due to awkwardness in translation. The general consensus among scholars, though, is that when he says, “such things have befallen me” he is referring to the destruction of Nadab and Abihu, and the grief he and his sons were feeling as a result. Perhaps he means that they felt unworthy to partake with the Lord when they were so near to His wrath, or that in their grief they had been unable to remember all of the steps of the ritual.

Grim of a thought as it is, one might also consider the sin offering to have already been fulfilled by the conflagration of Nadab and Abihu. They were burned for their sins, after all, and one could hardly assume Aaron and his sons to feast on the remains of that! Perhaps Nadab and Abihu’s death rendered the animal offering redundant.

It is interesting to note that as in the case of the golden calf, Aaron stands between Moses and the people. Not justifying error, not saying that Moses’s expectations are wrong, but to be the voice of others and give explanation for why they went astray. Moses also stands between Israel and God, representing more of the law and power of God, while Aaron stands between Israel and God, representing more the flaws and foibles of the people. Thus, in the two brothers is the meeting of both worlds. It was very appropriate, therefore, that Aaron was chosen for his role as the High Priest, making propitiation for Israel to God. And in this case, as with that of the golden calf, Moses heard his explanation, had respect to it, and was content.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Genesis 38:19-23

19 And she arose, and went away, and laid by her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood. 

20 And Judah sent the kid by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman’s hand: but he found her not. 

21 Then he asked the men of that place, saying, Where is the harlot, that was openly by the way side? And they said, There was no harlot in this place. 

22 And he returned to Judah, and said, I cannot find her; and also the men of the place said, that there was no harlot in this place. 

23 And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.

Judah attempted to make good on his deal with the unknown prostitute, but he sent a friend to bring her the promised kid instead of going himself. I can’t help but suspect he was anxious to not associate with the woman any longer than what it took to get what he wanted from her. In verse 23 he admits that he does admit that he has some shame in this area.

Judah’s desire to pay off the woman and get back his things is reminiscent of his attempts to offload Tamar on her father. In each case he was trying to wash his hands of a problem, trying to clear himself of responsibility, but without actually resolving it.

Which, of course, is something that we can all relate to as well. We do something selfish or lustful or conniving, and we quickly try to flee the scene, concerned only that we not be caught in association. It is a desire to live without consequence, to reap the benefits as if we had chosen rightly, but dodge the punishments for having actually chosen wrong.

Which, ironically enough, is the very same freedom that the gospel of Jesus Christ offers us! We can have the burden of our sins placed on another and live freely, as if we had never done the wrong. But the first step towards receiving that freedom is not to run from our mistakes, it is to wholeheartedly own them. Only when we make space to hold our failings do we have the option to then hand them over to a willing Savior. We run from God so we won’t have to face consequences, but He has been trying to take them from us all along!

Posted on by Abe Austin

Sacrifice and Consecration- Question

In my last study I shared about a concern I used to have. I used to think that God would ask me to sacrifice all of the good things that I love. From the example of the scriptures I felt that there were three things that God asks people to sacrifice.

  1. Their sins. Such as when Jesus told the woman taken in adultery to “go and sin no more.”
  2. Their pleasures. Such as when Jesus told the rich ruler to sell his possessions and give to the poor.
  3. Their loves. Such as when Abraham was commanded to sacrifice his son Isaac.

I was always at peace with the first two. I was excited to sacrifice my sins, and while I may not have been so “excited” to give up my worldly luxuries, I was resolved to the importance of it.

But when it came to that third, giving up the things that were good in my life, I felt a strong resistance. It frankly seemed wrong to me. God has since worked with me and helped to resolve my spiritual confusion. I now understand what things He asks us to sacrifice, what things He asks us to consecrate, and what the differences between them are.

I’ll share what I have learned, and also include all of the supporting scriptural passages. I would very much appreciate hearing any other perspectives on this in the meantime. Have you ever dreaded the sacrifices that God might ask of you? How have you resolved such fears? What was the outcome when you finally did?