THE DANGER OF DEALING WITH GOD

Anyone who has seen “Raiders of the Lost Ark” is no doubt aware of the great risk involved in meddling with the things of God. In his comments on Numbers 3:2-4 regarding priests and Levites, Wenham says, “With great privilege went immense responsibility. Those who represent God before men must be punctilious in obeying God's word. And Aaron's two elder sons were not; they 'offered unholy fire before the LORD,' such as he had not commanded them (Lv. 10:1). This brief reference to the earlier incident explains why only Eleazar and Ithamar are mentioned as being in charge of the Levites in 3:32; 4:16,28,33. It also serves to set the tone for chapters 3-4, which repeatedly allude to the mortal danger men face in dealing with God (3:10,13,38; 4:15,18-20; cf. Acts 5:1-11; 12:22-23; 1 Cor. 10:6-11; 11:29-30).” I would like to briefly comment on these passages in order to see how this principle plays out in specific instances.

Leviticus 10:1

Aaron's oldest sons Nadab and Abihu were guilty of using “alien fire” under the incense offering. There has been some discussion regarding the actual nature of their offense. Milgrom rules out the possibility that (1) the pans containing the coals were not holy and (2) the incense was not of the proper composition. He infers instead that the coals themselves were brought in from an outside source that was profane, such as a cooking oven.

The punishment for their sin was to be consumed by a fire coming directly from God. Milgrom says, “A measure-for-measure principle, attested often enough in divine punishments, is present here as well: those who sinned by fire are punished by fire with, however, a nuance of change: whereas the sinners' fire was impure, God's fire was pure.”

Both Milgrom and Wenham draw attention to the contrast between Moses (8:2) and Aaron (9:2) “taking” and Aaron's sons “taking” in 10:1.

Numbers 3:10,13,38

Much of the detail regarding the role of the priests and Levites that is enumerated in the Old “Testament seems to us today as rather archaic and arcane. But as Stubbs reminds us in his comments on Numbers 3-4, “Modern biblical scholarship and theology is currently rediscovering the importance of the roles of the priests and Levites in the worship life of Israel, how their role is deeply tied to the vocation and worship of Israel, and the great impact that priestly roles and larger worship life of Israel had on the theological vision and worship life of the early church.”

One of the duties of a portion of the Levites, outlined in verse 38, was to act as guards to ensure that no one would enter the tabernacle and touch a holy item. The penalty for such an infraction was harsh – execution. But keep in mind that if someone did manage to get in, they would be killed on the spot by God Himself anyway. So the guards actually served two functions at once, protecting the holy items and protecting anyone who would accidentally wander too close.

Numbers 4:15,18-20

“Only when the Aaronide priests had completed wrapping the Shrine's vessels and furnishings could the Kohathite Levites carry them, as the Israelites set out on the march. The Kohathites had to be protected from the danger of divine wrath by avoiding direct contact with the most sacred Tabernacle objects, while they were still exposed. This theme is made more explicit...in vv 17-20.” (Levine)

Acts 5:1-11

These verses relate the story of Ananias and Sapphira lying to the Holy Spirit in relation to an offering they had made to the community of believers and being struck dead by God. As Bruce says, “What this narrative does emphasize is the reality of Holy Spirit's indwelling presence in the church, and the solemn practical implications of that fact.” The parallels with the fate of Aaron's sons are all too apparent.”

Acts 12:22-23

This story, which is confirmed in the writings of Josephus, concerns Herod Agrippa's receiving the plaudits of the crowd who proclaimed that he had “the voice of a god, not a human being.” Because he received the glory reserved only for God, Herod was eaten with worms and died.

Stott notes, “At the beginning of the chapter Herod is one the rampage – arresting and persecuting church leaders; at the end he is himself struck down and dies...Such is the power of God to overthrow hostile human plans and to establish his own in their place.” This is another example of the punishment fitting the crime, as in Leviticus.

Contrast Herod's behavior with that of Paul and Barnabas two chapters later when the populace of Lystra mistook them for gods (Acts 14). Perhaps there is a lesson here regarding proper humility for prominent preachers today.

I Corinthians 10:6-11

In this chapter Paul refers back to several incidents during the wilderness period when the Israelites tested God's patience through their grumbling and idolatry, and some suffered the penalty of His wrath. Paul's summary warning to his audience is found in verse 12: “Thus, if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall.”

I Corinthians 11:29-30

Surprisingly, Wenham, in his comments beginning this post, did not mention the example of poor Uzzah, who stepped in when he thought the ark of the covenant was going to fall off the cart in which it was being transported. For touching the sacred object, he was immediately struck dead (see II Samuel 6).

“Uzzah's death warned OT believers not to defile the sacred ark, but we have no physical ark to defile. Nevertheless, this passage has powerful implications for NT worship...If His anger burned against Uzzah for mishandling the OT ark, how much more will His wrath be kindled against those who defile the heavenly mercy seat through insincerity and irreverence in worship?” (Richard Pratt, Jr., He Gave Us Stories)

This should also remind us of Paul's words in I Corinthians 11: “Whoever therefore eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be answerable for the body and blood of the Lord. Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For all who eat and drink without discerning the body (referring, I believe in the context, to the congregation of believers), eat and drink judgment against themselves. For this reason many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.”

James 3:1

Wenham does not mention this passage in discussing the theme of dealing with God, but I think it fits in well. Several scholars mention that one of the specific duties of the early Levites was to be keepers and teachers of God's law. Thus, we should keep in mind that another of the holy items with which we should be especially careful when interacting with is the Holy Scriptures. I think that James was thinking of this when he wrote: “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” So it is not just preachers who should be extremely mindful of their words and deeds, but Christian teachers as well. Both are very responsible positions in the church, but they are also very dangerous positions to hold as well.