The Eternal Flame

(Today's reading - Leviticus 4-6; Matthew 25:1-30)

Our NT reading contains a couple of parables that communicate principles of the Kingdom. The first one deals with faithfulness and says that we need to be alert and prepared in our lives at all times. We need to live in such a way that demonstrates that we are ready for His return. Clearly, some who were once prepared, gave up and when He returned they were left out. The second parable deals with fruitfulness and calls on those in the kingdom to be good stewards of what God has given us. What is that you say? Someone once told me that we have received three things... time, talents and treasure. God expects a return on His investment. What if I don't use those properly... you read it for yourself... Matthew 25: 26-30. It doesn't sound good.

In our OT reading in Leviticus, it's more sin and more sacrifice. God gives more rules dealing with the type of sin and how that sin is to be dealt with through sacrifices. One thing that caught my eye was the idea of "unintentional sin". Over and over, it is made perfectly clear that sin is sin, whether intentional or not and it came with a penalty. That might seem unfair to us, but to God, guilt for breaking His law doesn't flow from intent. Like I learned early on in my life... ignorance of the law is no excuse. :)

One short verse made the biggest impression on me as I did my reading. It deals with the fire on the alter.... A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out. Leviticus 6:13 God tells Moses that the fire that burns the sacrifice is to burn continuously; it shall never go out. Why would the fire need to burn 24/7/365? If there were no sacrifices to burn, why not save the wood? Why keep someone busy working the fire all night? Let's think about that for a moment. Thinking......

A few of things come to my mind... Readiness, the fire continuously burning would be a reminder to His people that they were to always be ready to deal with their sin, their guilt. No matter where you were in the camp, the smell of smoke and the visible plume would be evidence of their sinfulness and the need to deal with it... always. It would also say to His people that He was always ready to forgive them. They didn't have to make an appointment, he stood ready at any hour to grant pardon for their sins. He is always ready to hear from His people, day or night, the fire is burning and His people are to be ready to deal with their sin.

Next, I think that the presence of the fire was a reminder of their sinfulness. If a fire needed to burn all the time, they had to understand that their lives were sinful. Sometimes it is easy to get busy and forget that we break His law on a regular basis, in thought or in deed. John reminds of this in 1 John 1:7, But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. Just like the smell of the smoke reminded them of their sinfulness, John reminds us that our fellowship with the Son, our ongoing relationship with Him provides the continuous cleansing that we need. He calls on us to recognize that we are ongoingly sinful and that we have an ongoing need for forgivness, it's never once and done ... read verses 8-10 in 1 John.

Lastly, the continuous fire burning on the altar is a clear representation of the sufficiency of the sacrifice of His Son. If the alter was to always be burning, then it's continuous nature would be evident to everyone and it's ability to deal with sin was perpetual. The same is true with Jesus. The Hebrew writer puts it this way...  But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.  For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. (Hebrews 9:11-14)

That's is a few of the things that came to my mind. I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Those are my best efforts and I know that I am often wrong, so straighten me out. ;) Peace and love.