Approaching God

            In Deuteronomy 4:24, the Moses warns the people of Israel not to forget the covenant the Lord made with them, and he declares, “Our Lord is a consuming fire, a jealous God.”  Nadab and Abihu found that out the hard way.  The scene is like something out of Raiders of the Lost Ark, with the fire of the Lord going out from the Lord and destroying them.  The whole thing seems pretty harsh, especially the bits where Aaron and his surviving sons (notice that Leviticus points out twice that they’re the surviving sons) aren’t allowed to mourn them or attend to their burial.  It’s this kind of thing that gives God a bad name.

            On the other hand, the Lord describes Himself as a consuming fire to make this point:  His holiness marks Him as completely different than our fallen race.  Sure, the Lord walked with Adam in the cool of the evening, but that intimacy was destroyed in Adam’s rebellion.  When Adam was banished, no human could enter God’s presence again—especially on human terms.

            Part of the significance of the tabernacle was that God in His mercy had provided a way in which sinful humans could approach Him and receive not judgment, but mercy and forgiveness.  Nadab and Abihu wanted the presence of God on their own terms, and a holy God would not stand for that.

            We can’t have God on our terms.  He’s not Santa Claus that He must bring us presents when we are good.  He’s not our man Friday to be at our beck and call.  He’s not our therapist that we might justify our behavior to Him and find a non-judging presence.  He is the Lord God Almighty, and He is the Lord, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

            To know the God who reveals Himself in the Bible is to hear His judgment that says we are poor, miserable sinners.  And it is to hear His grace, as St. Paul beautifully puts it, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).  He continues to provide a way into His presence and it is through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf.  Trying to approach Him any other way but through this merciful gift is sure to result in the same fate that Nadab and Abihu suffered . . .

Updated from 2/1/2011