"Going"
WHAT GOD HAS AUTHORIZED
Few will be interested in an article of this type because we have reached a point in society where few people care what the Bible actually teaches. Most still call themselves Christians, but they have so little interest in doctrine that they would just as soon skip it. For some, the same thing is becoming true with respect to fellowship, which is actually a related issue.
Probably no subject receives more attention in the New Testament than the emphasis on correct teaching, but modern society is more interested in what makes them feel good. Currently, people do not care all that much about false teachers or false doctrine because that is such a "negative" concept. What about the fact that Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves" (Matt. 7:15)? Well, that's fine, but people evidently do not believe that wolves still exist; so the verse does not apply. Is it coincidence or providence that the warning of wolves follows Matthew 7:13-14?
When Jesus talked about the narrow way, He was not just referring to moral issues—something else greatly ignored today; He was also speaking of New Testament teaching on all fundamental matters. They all must be believed if people are going to be saved.
Another area that people do not take seriously regards worship. John 4:24 is as plain as it has always been: "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth." Most people understand in spirit to be with fervency, with sincerity, with the heart. Many act, however, as if they had never finished the verse—"and in truth." What do these words mean? Understanding them is not like trying to solve a Chinese puzzle. Everyone ought to know that they mean that one must worship the way God has specified—doing the acts of worship He has authorized.
This is another unpopular idea. Many insist, "I ought to be able to worship God the way it pleases me to do so." From where does this concept arise? Not from the Scriptures. This is the philosophy of society that is currently the most popular. For this reason Christian "rock" bands are popular. Dramas are popular. Waving one's hands in the air is popular. But has anyone stopped to think that neither Jesus nor His apostles spread the gospel in this manner?
"Oh, but we're just living in different times, and we use different methods." No, that's not it. People could "wave" in the first century. They had musical instruments to play then, and the Greeks were extremely proficient in writing and producing dramas. Oedipus Rex, Antigone, Medea, Electra, and Prometheus Bound are just a few of the more well-known ones. How simple it would have been to put Bible incidents into the dramatic form!
The purpose of preaching and teaching, however, is not to amuse or entertain; it is to edify. When a person studies the New Testament, he learns that worship has two purposes: 1) to honor God; and 2) to edify the other worshippers. The first of these is practically obsolete because people make the assumption, "If it pleases me, it pleases God." However, the Scriptures have never taught such a principle. And every time the notion has been put into practice, the results have been disastrous.
Cain
In fact, worshipping to suit the individual was the original "Cain mutiny." Bringing an offering to God was not the idea of the two brothers. If Abel brought his offering by faith (and he did—Heb. 11:4), then it was in response to instructions given by God. Cain's gift should also have been a blood offering (Heb. 12:24), but it was not. Why not? We can only assume that Cain gave God what he wanted—rather than what God required. He was a farmer, and what he raised was valuable and important to him. Therefore, since Cain delighted in them, undoubtedly God would, too.
But God rejected his offering (which is something the Lord is not supposed to do). If man likes it, God is supposed to like it, also. "If I like poetry readings, why can't that serve as worship? If the sound of the organ in some cases gives me goosebumps, how can it be wrong? If plays can make me laugh or weep, how can that effectiveness be downplayed?" However, the point is: "Which one of us is God—the Almighty or us? And who therefore is qualified to specify what true worship is?"
Nadab and Abihu
Those who do not know the Bible well may have never heard of these two men, but they were slated to be important men in the nation of Israel. They were half of Aaron's sons—the other half being Eleazar and Ithamar. All four men were trained as priests, and one of them would become high priest. They were instructed how to serve as priests; they wore priestly garments, which are described in Exodus 28.
On a certain day, as two of the brothers were performing their duties, they "offered profane fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them." In other words, it was not worship as God had required it. So how did God respond to their changing what He had commanded? He could have said, "No big deal. Fire is fire is fire." He could have scolded them, and made them do it over. He might have just overlooked the episode entirely. None of these three occurred. The text says: "So fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord" (Lev. 10:1-2). Changing God's specifications angered Him!
To mankind this unauthorized substitution of fire may seem like a small thing—something we would scarcely notice, but to God it means two things: 1) Not doing what He commanded to be done (in the way He said to do it); and 2) doing something He did not command to be done (using unauthorized fire). These are not difficult concepts to understand, but few ever appear to understand the significance.
Think about God's reaction. Lying on the ground, with the odor of burnt flesh lingering in the air are two young men who might have enjoyed several years of service to God and the people. Whatever future potential they might have possessed was now gone. God Himself had taken it away. Why did God not just give a warning? First of all, since He knows the future, He could know ultimately whether, after several years, Nadab and Abihu would have been saved or lost. If their hearts were not right with God, as this disrespect for God shows, then He could short-circuit their ultimate end and send them to their eventual fate early.
Second, God, at the beginning of this covenant, is making a point about the seriousness of worship. It is the same point that he made previously by rejecting Cain's offering at the beginning of the world. He would make the same point at the beginning of the Christian age when Ananias and Sapphira would claim to have given more to God than they had actually offered (Acts 5:1-11). Yet despite these displays of God's feelings about correct worship, people continue to ignore them and worship as they please.
God also put an exclamation mark at the end of this event. One can only imagine how painful this day had proven to be to Aaron—seeing two of his four sons lying dead. One can only imagine the grief of losing not one but two children—and in mere seconds. There was no time for last good-byes. They departed from this life swiftly. One can, without difficulty, imagine that Aaron (in his shock over the matter) having momentary hostile thoughts against God for what He had done. Leviticus 10:3 says:
And Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the Lord spoke, saying,
'By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified.'"
So Aaron held his peace.
What a lesson! When we choose to worship in the way we desire, God is not glorified. Worship is vain, despite however exhilarated we may feel by it. The only way to glorify God is to worship Him sincerely as He commanded.
But one more point must be made concerning Nadab and Abihu. Aaron and the other two brothers were not permitted to mourn or express their grief. Such a restriction is almost unheard of, but in this case God bound it upon them. Moses explains:
And Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons, "Do not uncover your heads nor tear your clothes, lest you die, and wrath come upon all the people. But let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the Lord has kindled. You shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die, for the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you." And they did according to the word of Moses (Lev. 10:6-7).
How difficult would this have been for the three men to show no signs of mourning or to leave the tabernacle of meeting, but they absolutely could not at this particular time of service. According to The Pulpit Commentary, even the deaths of these family members could not pull them away from their priestly duties. Furthermore, they must repress any outward signs of mourning in order to "prove their submission to the Divine chastisement…." In this way they would acknowledge "the justice of the punishment." (2:1:150). God is holy, and He is to be respected, honored, and glorified in our worship of Him.
Uzzah
A third incident that relates to this topic does not involve worship directly, but it does involve things that are sacred to God. Eventually, in the days of Solomon, a permanent temple would be built, in which God would be worshipped and served. But when Israel first came out of Egypt, they had a temporary tabernacle, which had to be assembled when they stopped and disassembled when it was time to move again. Loops were attached to the pieces of furniture, through which poles would slide through, allowing the Levites to carry the holy objects without touching them.
When the Israelites arrived in the Promised Land, the Tabernacle made its home in Shiloh, but when the corrupt priests carried the ark of the covenant into battle, God allowed the Philistines to capture it. Because plagues came upon them, they returned it to Israel on a cart, and it resided in Kirjath Jearim. Eventually David decided to bring the ark to Jerusalem, but Israel left it on the cart rather than carrying it the way God had instructed them to do. Because of the inappropriate mode of transportation, the following incident occurred.
Everyone was rejoicing in the bringing of the ark to Jerusalem, but the oxen stumbled, and the ark began to waver. Uzzah and Ahio were driving the new cart at the time, and Uzzah took hold of the ark to steady it. God's anger caused Him to strike him, and he died there for his error (2 Sam. 6:6-7). God had said previously that if any person touched the ark, he would die—because the ark of the covenant was holy. Uzzah had not sinned flagrantly; his motive in touching the ark was (in his mind) one of respect for the ark. But if he had truly respected it, he would not have touched it, and it would not have been transported improperly. God made an indelible point about holy things being respected and treated with reverence. It's also the way He feels about worship.