Text for the Week: Maintaining the Fire

Scripture: Leviticus 9:18-24

¹⁸ Aaron then slaughtered the ox and the ram—the people’s communal sacrifice of well-being. Aaron’s sons handed him the blood, which he tossed against all sides of the altar, ¹⁹ and the fat pieces of the ox and ram—the fat tail, the covering fat, the kidneys, and the lobe of the liver. ²⁰ They placed these fat pieces on the animals’ breasts, and Aaron completely burned them on the altar. ²¹ But Aaron lifted up the breasts and the right thigh as an uplifted offering before the Lord, just as Moses had commanded.

²² Aaron then raised his hands toward the people and blessed them. After performing the purification offering, the entirely burned offering, and the well-being sacrifice, he came down. ²³ Moses and Aaron then entered the meeting tent. When they came out, they blessed the people, and the Lord’s glorious presence appeared to all the people. ²⁴ Fire flew out from before the Lord and devoured the entirely burned offering and the fat pieces on the altar. All the people saw it. They shouted for joy and fell facedown.

Theme- Aaron’s role was to maintain the holy space so the fire of God’s presence would be a blessing.

Questions

1. What is the significance of all of the sacrifices mentioned in Leviticus 8-9 during Aaron’s consecration?
2. What was the purpose of the blood being placed on Aaron’s ear?
3. Why does the passage about Aaron’s consecration end with him blessing the people?
4. What is the significance of the fire coming from “before the Lord” and how is it connected to God’s presence?

Helpful Information

Related texts: Exodus 24:15-18, 1 Kings 18, Hebrews 12:18-29

The word for pour in chapters 8-9 is usually used of water and not of sacrificial blood indicating something special about the blood of the sacrifices used in the initiation rite.

The dabbing of blood on Aaron’s right ear etc. was a symbolic act of cleansing him and making him worthy to work in the tabernacle.

The ordination ceremony was structured so that the priests would offer each of the major sacrifices during the ceremony.

In 8:27 Aaron offers the right thigh of the bull which was supposed to be the priestly portion symbolically giving up what is his.

The presence of the fire at the end of the chapter is a fulfillment of Moses’ words in 9:6 and shows that the people are in a good relationship with God.

Much like light and lightening are associated with God’s presence fire as a source of light is a sign of God’s presence.

Among the responsibilities of the priests was to ensure the fire on the altar never went out and here that fire is ignited by God, thus it is a sign of his presence and also points to why the offering of strange fire in chapter 10 is wrong, because it does not come from God and should not be offered to God.

For more background you can find my video here

Reflection

It is absolutely no coincidence that the first story after Aaron is consecrated is that of Nadab and Abihu being consumed in fire. Dire is an important symbol in the Bible for God’s presence, it is a flaming sword that protects the entrance to the Garden after the humans have been exiled, and God speaks to Moses in Exodus from the fire most notably from the burning bush. This metaphor continues into the New Testament where Hebrews tells us God is a “consuming fire” and 2 Peter 3 talks of the earth being destroyed by fire. When I talk about fire as a metaphor that does not mean that it cannot be literal also, but the Bible is not as concerned with the literal as it is with the symbolic nature. We all know fire is both a blessing and devastating depending on the situation. Fire provides us with heat and light, it made cooking possible, and even aids in creating healthy ecosystems. But we also know that fire is dangerous and if it is mishandled it will cause destruction.

This dual reality of fire is exactly where the author of Leviticus wants our minds to go. The passage on the consecration of Aaron ends with fire coming from God to consume the offering on the altar. This is fire as a source of heat and light, controlled and stable. God uses this fire as a sign of grace and presence. Elijah, in 1 Kings 18, recalls this event when he calls down fire from heaven to consume his sacrifice. This scene in Leviticus is a reminder of God’s abiding presence and the good things that come with that presence. Further, one of the functions of the priests was to ensure that the fire in the Tabernacle never went out. The tradition was that God kindled the fire with this act and that the responsibility of the priests was to maintain that fire with fuel. This is where the story of Nadab and Abihu picks up and it becomes easier to understand what their sin might have been. We do not know for certain the wrong they committed, and it is not important for us to know. The issue with the Nadab and Abihu was that they did not treat the tabernacle with the holiness it deserved and the fire that was usually a warm and comforting presence consumed them. They met with destruction because they did not show proper reverence for the holiness that God demands.

When I approach this passage, I think about 1 Peter 2:9 which says that each Christian, like Nadab and Abihu, are consecrated to the role of priest. I think about how Acts 2 presents the God’s holy fire as tongues landing upon the followers of Jesus. We are meant to associate the tongues of fire with the fire that was present in the tabernacle. The New Testament authors clearly had a picture that this holy fire that guarded Eden, spoke to Moses, consumed offerings, lit the Tabernacle, and killed Nadab and Abihu lives within Christians and that like the priests of old we have a responsibility to cultivate it. Now it can be a frightening thing to understand that the same fire that killed two men for disobedience is lodging inside me. Indeed, this is part of the reason that the story of Ananias and Saphira follows so quickly on the heels of this story. They, like Nadab and Abihu, are abusing their privilege to live in the presence of this fire and are destroyed when they cross the boundary. I can understand how this fact might make people anxious, particularly those who have a difficult time not picturing God as rigid, difficult, or judgmental. But this is where a previous reflection on Exodus 34 is necessary, there we discover that God’s identifying characteristic is grace and mercy. And if we overlay that onto the framework here we see that God is not looking to destroy us with fire, God is looking to purge us with fire. God’s fire is meant to refine us as Paul says, burning away the impurities in our lives so the Holy Spirit can work with us to develop holy character which reflects God in the world. The work of God’s fire is slow and works on us over the course of our lifetimes purifying us and making us holy and fit for the presence. This leads back to Genesis 3, the sword that guards Eden protects the garden from impurity not humanity. If we are committed to letting the fire of God purify us we will be made ready to enter the Garden.