Thursday, December 13, 2012

The censers


(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Numbers 16:35–40, “And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter thou the fire yonder; for they are hallowed. The censers of these sinners against their own souls, let them make them broad plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before the LORD, therefore they are hallowed: and they shall be a sign unto the children of Israel. And Eleazar the priest took the brasen censers, wherewith they that were burnt had offered; and they were made broad plates for a covering of the altar: To be a memorial unto the children of Israel, that no stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to offer incense before the LORD; that he be not as Korah, and as his company: as the LORD said to him by the hand of Moses.”
Even though the Lord punished Korah and the leaders of his rebellion in a powerful and unique way, there were still others who had challenged Moses and Aaron’s authority. These men had come to the Lord to offer fire in their censers and were waiting to see what the Lord would do. The Lord sent fire to those men but the fire was so intense that all the men were killed. We may think that we can control the Lord but that is not the case. We can only come before the Lord in humility and trust His grace. These men were all executed by the Lord for their rebellion. However, they all carried censers that had been holy before their rebellion. All the censers were taken and beaten out to make a cover for the altar to show what the Lord could do. Every time the people looked at the altar they should have been reminded of the folly of rebelling against the Lord.

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