Daily Scripture Reading Leviticus 10:8 - 11:8
The church auditorium pulsed to the beat of the drums. Sandra stood near the front with her arms raised, eyes closed, and tears streaming down her face. Flags whipped through the air. Colored spotlights moved incessantly around the room.
People moved into the aisles and started dancing. A middle-aged woman kicked off her heels and spun in circles like a child. A group of young men formed a circle and began jumping up and down while shouting. A young woman collapsed as if pushed. A solidly built man began shouting “Hosanna”. A teenage girl began laughing uncontrollably.
The band kept playing softly in the background, but no one was really “leading” anymore. The service had taken on a life of its own.
When the chaos reached its peak, people were dancing in the aisles, others were sprawled across the floor, and a few people ran around praying for each other. Flags were waving. Shouts and songs overlapped in glorious disorder. A visitor standing near the back later said it looked like a beautiful riot.
A good description of that so-called “church service” would be “undignified”. Some Christians believe a service like that is a sign of the Holy Spirit. However, the New Testament requires church to be done orderly. A lack of dignity is not a good thing. In fact, God’s demand for dignity goes back to the Mosaic Law.
Nadab and Abihu offered strange incense to Yahweh. That was a violation of the requirement that only a specific blend of incense was allowed in the tabernacle. Nadab and Abihu died instantly. Some of Aaron’s relatives carried Nadab and Abihu outside the camp. Aaron himself was not permitted to publicly mourn because the anointing was upon him.
Lev. 10:8 ¶ Yahweh then spoke to Aaron, saying,
Lev. 10:9 “Do not drink wine or strong drink, neither you nor your sons with you, when you come into the tent of meeting, so that you will not die—it is a perpetual statute throughout your generations—
Take note of the prohibition in this verse regarding wine and strong drink. It was not merely a rule against drunkenness. They could not drink it at all when they entered the tent of meeting.
Look at the word “die”. Entering the tent of meeting under the influence of alcohol would have resulted in death.
Alcohol reduces self-control. Even a little sip can lower control. The more people drink, the more they lose control. The priests had to have full self-control when they were in the tent of meeting.
Lev. 10:10 and so as to separate between the holy and the profane, and between the unclean and the clean,
The tabernacle was a holy place. Profane and unclean things were strictly prohibited inside the tabernacle. Priests being under the influence of alcohol would have profaned the holiness of the sanctuary.
There are similar teachings in the New Testament regarding church services. Paul criticized the Corinthian church because some Christians were getting drunk at church when they were supposedly eating the Lord’s Supper (see 1 Cor. 11:21). Paul even asked the Corinthians if they despised the church of God. In other words, being drunk at church was equal to despising the church of God.
Paul also commanded the Corinthians to conduct church in an orderly manner. If multiple men had a psalm, teaching, or revelation, they had to take turns. They could not speak all at once and create confusion (see 1 Cor. 14:26-33).
Lev. 10:11 and so as to instruct the sons of Israel in all the statutes which Yahweh has spoken to them through Moses.”
Lev. 10:12 ¶ Then Moses spoke to Aaron and to his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, “Take the remaining grain offering from the offerings to Yahweh by fire and eat it unleavened beside the altar, for it is most holy.
Look at the words “beside the altar”. That was where the grain offering had to be eaten.
Lev. 10:13 And you shall eat it in a holy place because it is a statute for you and a statute for your sons taken out of the offerings of Yahweh by fire; for thus I have been commanded.
Take note of the words “for your sons”. Only males could eat the grain offering.
Lev. 10:14 The breast of the wave offering, however, and the thigh of the contribution offering you may eat in a clean place, you and your sons and your daughters with you; for they have been given as a statute for you and a statute for your sons taken out of the sacrifices of the peace offerings of the sons of Israel.
In this verse we see the word “daughters”. Females were permitted to eat of the wave and contribution offering. Serving in the tabernacle was the full-time job of the priests. Being able to eat of the sacrifices was how they and their families were fed.
Lev. 10:15 The thigh contributed by raising up and the breast offered by waving they shall bring along with the offerings by fire of the portions of fat, to wave as a wave offering before Yahweh; so it shall be a perpetual statute for you and your sons with you, just as Yahweh has commanded.”
Lev. 10:16 ¶ But Moses searched carefully for the goat of the sin offering, and behold, it had been burned up! So he was angry with Aaron’s remaining sons Eleazar and Ithamar, saying,
Lev. 10:17 “Why did you not eat the sin offering at the holy place? For it is most holy, and He gave it to you to bear away the guilt of the congregation, to make atonement for them before Yahweh.
Lev. 10:18 Behold, since its blood had not been brought inside, into the sanctuary, you should certainly have eaten it in the sanctuary, just as I commanded.”
Lev. 10:19 But Aaron spoke to Moses, “Behold, this very day they brought near their sin offering and their burnt offering before Yahweh. Then things like these happened to me. So if I had eaten a sin offering today, would it have been good in the sight of Yahweh?”
Lev. 10:20 So Moses heard this, and it was good in his sight.
Lev. 11:1 ¶ Yahweh spoke again to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them,
Lev. 11:2 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘These are the creatures which you may eat from all the animals that are on the earth.
Lev. 11:3 Whatever divides a hoof, thus making split hoofs, and chews the cud, among the animals, that you may eat.
Notice the words “you may eat”.
Lev. 11:4 Nevertheless, you shall not eat of these, among those which chew the cud or among those which divide the hoof: the camel, for though it chews cud, it does not divide the hoof; it is unclean to you.
Notice the words “you shall not eat”. In this passage Yahweh differentiated between what the Israelites could eat and what they could not eat. Not only were the priests required to distinguish between the clean and unclean inside the tent of meeting, it was necessary for all Israelites to know the difference between which animals were permissible food and which were not.
Lev. 11:5 Likewise, the shaphan, for though it chews cud, it does not divide the hoof; it is unclean to you;
Lev. 11:6 the rabbit also, for though it chews cud, it does not divide the hoof; it is unclean to you;
Lev. 11:7 and the pig, for though it divides the hoof, thus making a split hoof, it does not chew cud; it is unclean to you.
Lev. 11:8 You shall not eat of their flesh, and you shall not touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.
Don’t miss the words “you shall not touch”. Even touching unclean animals was prohibited.
There are streams within Christianity that encourage chaos during their church services. However, just as Yahweh required sobriety and dignity in the Old Testament tabernacle, so too Yahweh requires church to be conducted in an orderly manner. Wild celebrations where multiple things are happening at one time do not produce the reverence and dignity that God demands.
Would you describe the services at your church as being dignified or undignified?
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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”