The Fire

“The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.”  Leviticus‬ ‭6:13‬ ‭KJV‬‬

One little sentence with utmost importance! The simple duty of the priest to maintain the fire; keep it stoked; to never let it go out! Did they comprehend the importance of their obligation?

Do we know the ramifications of letting our fire die out?

One would think fire is fire. Where we get our fire and WHO we burn for is critical!

At least in God's eyes!

“And Nadab and Abihu died, when they offered strange fire before the Lord.”

‭‭Numbers‬ ‭26:61‬ ‭KJV‬‬

They had let their fire go out and substituted a fire not of God, thinking they could get by; discounting the importance of holy fire! Compromise in the camp for which they paid the price. 

We will too.

Sin puts the fire out.

It brings about the hardness. The cold dead heart of unrepented sin can and will take you over the line as long as you choose to stay in your sin. 

In reading in Leviticus of all of the sacrifices and offerings required for payments of sin what comes to mind is that Jesus paid it all! Such immense and unspeakable gratitude for His sacrifice. He paid it once and for all; His the perfect sacrifice! 

That should light the fire in the deadest heart!

Yet we deny our sins, bury them and burn with strange fire. We believe He does not see or care. We think because we once said some words at an altar we are okay. 

“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭64:6‬ ‭KJV‬‬

We love our sin more than we love God, and believe we will lose more than we will gain by repentance. It should not be so!

“Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me, and keep My commandments.”

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭20:5-6‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Key words:

 "hate Me" & "love Me"

“Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us: for we are exceedingly filled with contempt.”  Psalms‬ ‭123:3‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Oh Father, bring us to repentance! Only You can show us the error of our ways! Please do not turn Your Head from us! Have mercy, LORD, in Your Son's precious name, I pray! Amen!

Even so - MARANATHA!