Leviticus 9:1-24


God blesses our obedience.  He had give Moses very clear instructions as to how to consecrate Aaron and his sons for the ministry of making sacrifices for His people.  Moses was very obedient to the instructions that God gave him and then Aaron was obedient to the instruction that He received.  God then responded be demonstrating His power and presence.  We have a tendency to complain about God not “showing up” in our lives in the way that we expect.  However, we often fail to act in obedience to His Word.  Those who disobey the Word of God should not wonder why God seems distant from them.

MOSES GAVE CLEAR INSTRUCTIONS: God had revealed to Moses just exactly what was to be done in the process of consecrating Aaron and his sons for their ministry.  Moses communicated these instructions in a very precise and exact manner to Aaron.  There was no doubt about what God expected them to do.  Moses did not embellish the revelation of God or leave out any steps along the process.  Communication is such a vital part of leadership.  It is so important for our communication to be both clear and correct.  Most of the time people look for leaders to give direction and set a course.  Perhaps this is one of the greatest challenges that a leader faces.  However, it is not the job of a Christian leader to set a direction.  Our directions come from God.  He is the one who has reveled to us what we should do and what He expects of us.  Our job is to understand His Word and then clearly articulate what He has revealed to those we are called to lead.

AARON FOLLOWED THE INSTRUCTIONS: Aaron carried out the instructions that he received with equal precision.  He did not neglect a step in the process or make up new steps along the way.  It involved a lot of work and attention to detail but Aaron did the job with excellence.  I find that one of the greatest hindrances to obedience in my life is simply laziness.  I have a tendency to simply let so many details in my life just slip by.  A commitment to obedience must be a commitment to excellence and doing things to the very best of my ability.  There was a certain order in which things had to be done and Aaron did them in exactly that manner.  He was not distracted from the task before him but performed his job with excellence.

GOD BLESSED THEIR EFFORTS: After Aaron finished his preparations he went in to the tent of the meeting and asked for God to bless the people.  Moses and Aaron both realized that their work was not all about them but that there were many other people who were directly affected by what they did.  Leaders must constantly keep this truth in mind.  Their actions are multiplied in the people that they serve.  Because Moses was faithful in his instruction and Aaron was obedient in his actions all of the people had a blessed experience with God.  God came down and consumed the offering and revealed His glory to the entire congregation.  As a result of this experience the people fell on their face in worship before the Lord.  The natural result of faithfulness and obedience is that we draw near to God and the result of drawing near to God is worship.  When God’s leaders are faithful, God’s glory is revealed and God’s people are blessed with an opportunity to worship.

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