There are six things the Lord
hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty
eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into
evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up
dissension among brothers. - Proverbs 6:16-19
In Leviticus 8-10, we see that the consecration of the priests contained a strange ritual. God instructed Moses to kill a ram, take the blood, and put it on the ears, hands, and feet of Aaron and his sons. They were set apart for God through this anointing, and dedicated to His service in all they did.
Soon after this, Leviticus 10 records that Aaron's sons are killed for offering strange fire before God. God had not authorized them to burn incense on the solemn day of inauguration. That was to be performed by the high priest alone; they were to assist him. We know from the New Testament that the priests were to burn incense only when it was their lot, and this was certainly not Nadab and Abihu's.
As I've pondered these events I've wondered, Was there an element of pride in the lives of these two sons of Aaron? They had a tremendous honor bestowed upon them, but had it gone to their heads?
Can you think of anything good that cannot be ruined by pride? I can't. May God grant us the grace to face our areas of personal pride, confess them, forsake them, and walk each day HUMBLY with the Lord.
Prayer
Lord, help me to walk humbly with You. Amen.
God is especially angered and grieved when we, His children, exhibit prideful behavior.
In Leviticus 8-10, we see that the consecration of the priests contained a strange ritual. God instructed Moses to kill a ram, take the blood, and put it on the ears, hands, and feet of Aaron and his sons. They were set apart for God through this anointing, and dedicated to His service in all they did.
Soon after this, Leviticus 10 records that Aaron's sons are killed for offering strange fire before God. God had not authorized them to burn incense on the solemn day of inauguration. That was to be performed by the high priest alone; they were to assist him. We know from the New Testament that the priests were to burn incense only when it was their lot, and this was certainly not Nadab and Abihu's.
As I've pondered these events I've wondered, Was there an element of pride in the lives of these two sons of Aaron? They had a tremendous honor bestowed upon them, but had it gone to their heads?
Can you think of anything good that cannot be ruined by pride? I can't. May God grant us the grace to face our areas of personal pride, confess them, forsake them, and walk each day HUMBLY with the Lord.
Prayer
Lord, help me to walk humbly with You. Amen.
God is especially angered and grieved when we, His children, exhibit prideful behavior.
In The News: Imagine, if you will, living in a country that you could be beaten, hospitalized, even killed JUST For Knowing JESUS...
Coptic Christian Girl Shot Dead in Egypt
Morning Star News
CAIRO, Egypt (Morning Star News)
– A Coptic Christian girl walking home from a Bible class at her church
was shot and killed last week in Cairo by an unidentified gunman, human
rights activists said August 9.
Amid a near-constant din of threats and scattered attacks against the
Christian population in Egypt by militant political Islamists, the
rights representatives said 10-year-old Jessica Boulous of the Ain Shams
section of Cairo was killed early Tuesday evening (Aug. 6) while
walking from the Ahmed Esmat Street Evangelical Church through a market
to her home with her Sunday school teacher.
The teacher turned to buy an item at a market stall only to turn back
and find Jessica lying in the dirt in a puddle of blood, rights
activists said. A Muslim shopkeeper who knew Jessica saw her fall to the
ground and ran to her side. He took off his shirt, wrapped it around
her motionless body and rushed her to a hospital, but she was already
dead.
A single bullet had passed through her chest and heart, killing her instantly, witnesses said.
Nasr Allah Zakaria, Jessica’s uncle, said the killing has devastated the girl’s family.
“I just can’t believe she is gone,” Zakaria said. “She was such a sweet
little girl. She was like a daughter to me. I can’t believe she is
gone.”
No one has claimed responsibility for the killing. Zakaria, pastor of
an evangelical church in Egypt, said he didn’t know for sure if the
shooting was religiously motivated but quickly added that violence
against Christians “seems to be normal” in Egypt now.
Violence or intimidation against Christians has become almost a daily
occurrence in most parts of Egypt. In the aftermath of the protests that
led to the removal of Mohamed Morsi as president, militant supporters
of Morsi have publicly scapegoated the Coptic Christian minority for the
Islamic Brotherhood-backed president’s fall from power. Many have
called for revenge against Christians. Less than 12 hours after the
Egyptian military announced that it had expelled Morsi from office,
reports of attacks against Christians by Morsi supporters began.
After numerous attacks for about a week and a half, there was a
relative lull in the violence. But at the end of July, the pace picked
up once more. The attacks were inspired, human rights activists said, by
a near-constant stream of vitriol from Islamic leaders calling for
retribution against the Copts.
Members of the Muslim Brotherhood on Aug. 2 distributed flyer
threatening to attack church buildings and police stations in Minya in
Upper Egypt, according to local residents.
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