The Peril of Privilege
W. Clarkson Leviticus 16:1, 2 And the LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the LORD, and died; Was it, then, necessary to contemplate the possibility of Aaron's dying at his post? Was he, the chosen servant of God, who had been so solemnly inducted into his office (chapters 8, 9), in actual peril of death as he ministered unto the Lord? Could he draw too near to God, so as to endanger his very life? It was even so. His two sons, Nadab and Abihu, had paid the extreme penalty of their sin in the service of Jehovah; "they offered before the Lord, and died" at their post. And if Aaron had violated the precepts here given, it is certain that from "the cloud upon the mercy seat" would have flashed the fatal fire which would have destroyed the high priest himself. We are not afraid now (1) of such condign and signal punishment as befell the sons of Aaron: God does not visit us thus in these days; nor (2) of coming too often or drawing too near to God. The barriers which then stood between the manifested Deity and the common people are removed. We may "come at all times" to the mercy-seat, and are in much greater peril of God's displeasure for "restraining prayer," than for intruding into his presence without need. Nevertheless, privilege has its own peculiar peril, and the penalty is very serious: it is death; not physical, but spiritual, eternal death. There may be in our case - I. PRESUMPTION FROM OFFICIAL POSITION. It is only too possible that those who "offer before the Lord" may come to regard their official duties as things which avail before him, independently of the spirit in which they are rendered. "Many will say,... have we not prophesied in thy Name... and in thy Name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you" (Matthew 7:22, 23). Many may say, "Have we not preached thy gospel, taught thy truth, evangelized in thy Name?" etc., and - trusting in their official works instead of looking to their inner spirit, and instead of attaching themselves to Christ in penitence and faith - be condemned at his bar. II. FORMALISM FROM FAMILIARITY. It is all too possible for those who "offer before the Lord" to die a spiritual death, because they lose all real and living appreciation of the things they say and do. There is a subtle but powerful tendency in the human mind to do mechanically and unintelligently that with which it is exceedingly familiar. Not even the most sacred words or solemn rites are proof against it. We may, at the desk, or pulpit, or even at the table of the Lord, take words upon our lips which find no answer in the soul. We may be obnoxious to our Lord's reproach (Matthew 15:8). To use sacred language without sacred feeling is to move away from the fountain of life; to have entered the precincts of habitual formalism is to have passed the outer portals of the kingdom of death. III. DISOBEDIENCE FROM DISREGARD TO THE WILL OF GOD. We are not bound to a rigid correspondence with every minute New Testament practice. There are some matters in which changed circumstances demand other methods. But we are bound to search the Scriptures to find the will of our Lord in the worship we render and the work we do for him. If we follow nothing better than "the traditions of men," or our own tastes and inclinations, we may find ourselves in the wilderness - a long way from the water of life. Whatever position we occupy in the Church of Christ, however much of "the honour that cometh from man" we may enjoy, it is essential that we: 1. Cherish the spirit of humility, and exercise a living faith in Jesus Christ. 2. Realize the truth we speak, and spiritually participate in the services we conduct. 3. Have supreme regard to the will of our Master, seeking to learn that will as devoutly, patiently, studiously, as we can. These things must we do "that we die not" before the Lord. - C. Parallel Verses KJV: And the LORD spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the LORD, and died; WEB: Yahweh spoke to Moses, after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before Yahweh, and died;