The Pulpit Commentary — Leviticus — Section 292

The surgeon's lance may have pained us, but now we are tranquil through the relief afforded.-S. R. A. Vers. 1, 2.-,The ~ril of J!rivilei,e. Was it, then, necessary to contemplate the possi- bility of Aarons dymg at his post? Was he, the chosen servant of God, who had been so solemnly inducted into his office (chs. viii., ix.), in actual peril of death as he ~inistered unto the Lord?_ Could he draw too near t? God, so as to endanger hie very life? It was even so. His two sons, Nadab and Abihu, had paid the extreme penalty of their sin in the service of Jehovah ; " they offered before the Lord and died " at their post. And if Aaron had violated the precepts here given, it is cer~in that from "the cloud upon the mercy seat" would have flashed the fatal fire which would have d_estroyed _the high priest himself. We are not afraid no": (1) of such condign and signal pumshment as befell the sons of Aaron : God does not v1S1t us thus in these days . nor (2) of coming too oftei.or drawing too near to God. The barriers which then stood between the manifested Deity and the common people are removed. We may "come at all times" to the mercy-seat, and are in much greater peril of God's displeasure for "restraining prayer," than for intruding into his presence without need. Nevertheless, privilege has its own peculiar peril, and the penalty is very serious: it is death; not physical, but spiritual, eternal death. There may be in our case- L PRESUMPTION FROM OFFICIAL POSITION, It is only too possible that those who " offer before the Lord'' may come to regard their official duties as things which avail before him, independently ~f t~e spirit in which they are rendered. "Many will say, . . . . have we not prophesied ID thy Name .•. and in thy Name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you" (Matt. vii. 22, 23). Many may say, "Have we not preached thy gospel, taught thy truth, evangelized in thy Name?" etc., and-trusting in their official works instead of looking to their inner spirit, and instead of attaching themselves to Christ in penitence and faith-be condemned at his bar. II. FoRJU.LIIIM FBOM FAMILliBITY. It is all too possible for those who "offer before the Lord" to die a spiritual death, because they lose all real and living appreciation of the things they say and do. There is a subtle but powerful tendency in the human mind to do mechanically and unintelligently that with which it is exceedingly familiar. Not even the most sacred words or solemn rites are proof against it. We may, at the desk, or pulpit, or even at the table of the Lord, take words upon our lips which find no answer in the soul. We may be obnoxious to our Lord's reproach (Matt. xv. 8). To use sacred language without sacred feeling is to move away from the fountain of life; to have entered the precincts of habitual formalism is to have passed the outer portals of the kingdom of death. IIL DrsoBEDIENCE FBOM DIBREGABD TO THE WILL~OF GoD. We are not bound to a rigid correspondence with every minute New 'I'estament practice. There are some matters in which changed circumstances demand other methods. But we a.re bouod to search the Scriptures to find the will of our Lord in the worship we render and the work we do for him. If we follow nothing better than "the traditions of men," or our own tastes and inclinations, we may find ourselves in the wilderness-a long wo.y from the water of life. Whatever position we occ11py in the Church of Christ, however much of " the honour that cometh from man" we may enjoy, it is essential the.t we: 1. Cherish the spirit of humility, and exercise a living faith in Jesus Christ. 2. Realize the truth we speak, and spiritually participate in the services we conduct. 3. Have supreme regard to the will of our Master, seeking to learn that will as devoutly, patiently, studiously, as we can. These things must we do "that we die not" before the Lord.-C, Vere. 2-17.-Type and antitype-the prieat. The b igh priest offering sacrifices for the sin of the people we.a e. clear type of" the High Priest of our profession," who offered the one sacrifice for sin, who became the Propitiation for our sin, even for the sins of the whole world (1 John ii. 2). We have- L FoUR l'EA.Tt'llEB OF REBEMBLANOE. 1. Aaron acted uoder Divine direction. He was appo4ited by God to take the post he took, and was chargod to do everything hi, cm. XVL 1-34, l THE BOOK OF LEVITWUS. 2.57