Laws regarding the atonement and forgiveness of intentional and unintentional sins are outlined and described so that - no matter what the offense - forgiveness could be obtained and relationships restored. Later, a man is found breaking the Sabbath; he is stoned publicly as a reminder of the holiness of that special day.
The rebellion fomented earlier has not died down. Certain leaders drew a crowd of 250 officials that lead a revolt against the God-appointed leadership of Moses and Aaron. In a miraculous display, God certifies His choice of Moses and Aaron by allowing the earth to swallow these revolutionaries alive, and to destroy with fire those seeking to follow their tyrannous ways. Yet, this still does not discourage the revolt. A plague is sent out among the people as punishment for failure to follow God's leadership. Aaron hurriedly runs in to the midst of the people, making atonement for them so that the plague may be halted. At the end of day, almost 15,000 died.
The phrase that caught my attention this morning was a description of Aaron in the midst of the plague-infested people. The Bible describes this religious leader of Israel as "standing between the dead and the living, and the plague was stopped." What a reminder to me as a pastor that the job description has not really changed over the centuries. The people I face and meet today are under as serious a death sentence as those in Numbers 16. My responsibility is to go out and stand between the dead and the living and seek to bring reconciliation between those under God's wrath and God Who is rich in mercy and willing to forgive. I can't bring this reconciliation of my own accord; but I point them to the Sacrifice, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, the only mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. May God strengthen my hands as I go out among the dead and the living today. Come to think of it, you should be out there, too.
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