Reflection for Shemini
“Perfecting Holiness”
Mark 7:1-23
Acts 5:1-11; 10:1-35; 11:1-18
2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1
1 Peter 1:14-16
excerpted from TorahScope Apostolic Scriptures Reflections
In this week’s Torah reading (Leviticus 9:1-11:47), after the consecration of Aaron and his sons for service unto the Holy One at the Tent of Meeting and various altars, the text turns to the dramatic incident of Nadab and Abihu. They profaned the Lord by their cavalier approach to offer sacrifice, without first receiving His command:
“Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer, and put fire in it, and laid incense on it, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he had not commanded them. Fire came out from before the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD” (Leviticus 10:1-2, WMB).
Obviously, Nadab and Abihu did something terribly wrong, to initiate the wrath of God, which led to their premature deaths. Since the text turns to a description about not imbibing in alcoholic beverages, in conjunction with ministering to the Lord, some commentators have drawn the conclusion that these two had been intoxicated:
“You and your sons are not to drink wine or strong drink whenever you go into the Tent of Meeting, or you will die. This shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. You are to make a distinction between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean. You are to teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD has spoken to them by Moses” (Leviticus 10:9-11, WMB).
Naturally, when the Jewish Sages sought out an appropriate parallel passage from the Prophets, the infamous incident involving Uzzah’s seemingly reflective response during the relocation of the Ark of the Covenant, is what was chosen (2 Samuel 6:1–7:17). However, as the description concludes, there is no reference to alcohol, but rather what is described as “irreverence” (NASU)[1] as the Ark was being destabilized:
“When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached for God’s ark and took hold of it, for the cattle stumbled. The LORD’s anger burned against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by God’s ark” (2 Samuel 6:6-7, WMB).
Later, we see how King David, distraught over the death of Uzzah, discovered that it was the responsibility of the Levites to actually carry the Ark of the Covenant. David felt indirectly responsible for Uzzah’s death, and followed the proper procedures in order to ultimately get the Ark to the Temple Mount:
“Then David said, ‘No one ought to carry God’s ark but the Levites. For the LORD has chosen them to carry God’s ark, and to minister to him forever.’ David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem, to bring up the LORD’s ark to its place, which he had prepared for it” (1 Chronicles 15:2-3, WMB).
Turning to the Apostolic Scriptures for a paralleling passage about dramatic deaths which take place—during what one would suspect to be a time of spiritual activity, similar to serving at the altar or transporting the Ark of the Covenant—the infamous scene of Ananias and Sapphira comes to my mind. These purported Believers in the Messiah Yeshua, simply wanted to at least appear to be godly or holy before their peers. In the record, however, one finds how God was more concerned about what transpired in a person’s heart, than what appeared to occur before human eyes. Their deaths were used by Him to instill a holy fear in those familiar with the circumstances:
“But a certain man named Hananiah, with Shappirah his wife, sold a possession, and kept back part of the price, his wife also being aware of it, then brought a certain part and laid it at the emissaries’ feet. But Peter said, ‘Hananiah, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the price of the land? While you kept it, didn’t it remain your own? After it was sold, wasn’t it in your power? How is it that you have conceived this thing in your heart? You haven’t lied to men, but to God.’ Hananiah, hearing these words, fell down and died. Great fear came on all who heard these things. The young men arose and wrapped him up, and they carried him out and buried him. About three hours later, his wife, not knowing what had happened, came in. Peter answered her, ‘Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.’ She said, ‘Yes, for so much.’ But Peter asked her, ‘How is it that you have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.’ She fell down immediately at his feet and died. The young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her by her husband. Great fear came on the whole assembly, and on all who heard these things” (Acts 5:1-11, WMB).
Upon recollecting these different scenes, from the days following the consecration of the Tabernacle, to the attempt to move the Ark of the Covenant, to the early days of the First Century Messianic movement—the underlying common theme for the lives of Nadab, Abihu, Uzzah, and Ananias and Sapphira, was an apparent lack of a holy fear of the Almighty Creator. It appears that despite places of unique privilege as the sons of Aaron, or chosen to be involved in the relocation of the Ark of the Covenant, or being intimately involved with the Apostles of Yeshua—each of these people were pretenders, in the sense that none of them seemed to truly believe that the Lord was not only watching their actions, but most importantly, observing their hearts. Clearly, the admonition to be holy as declared in this week’s Torah portion was not something fully embraced:
“For I am the LORD your God. Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any kind of creeping thing that moves on the earth. For I am the LORD who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44-45, WMB).
The original admonition, by Moses to the Ancient Israelites, to be holy because God is holy—was not just for a selected few, but rather is a requirement of all who call upon Him. One fairly simple way, to show the respect and fear the Lord desires for His people, is detailed in the prohibitions about eating things which are not considered clean or edible. Within Shemini, not only did the Lord detail a list of creatures which were edible and fit, but also creatures which were not fit. These prohibitions require a simple act of obedience to avoid unclean meats, as a demonstration of holiness.
By the time of the Apostolic era, the Apostle Peter actually quoted from this text, in order to challenge his readers to be aware of the lusts of the eyes (“appetite”). If God wanted His people to be concerned with a much more simple facet of life like what they ate—he would surely want them to be concerned with areas of ethics, morality, and sexuality:
“as children of obedience, not conforming yourselves according to your former lusts as in your ignorance, but just as he who called you is holy, you yourselves also be holy in all of your behavior, because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’ [Leviticus 11:44, 45]” (1 Peter 1:14-16, WMB).
Knowing that 1 Peter 1:14-16 quotes Leviticus 11:44-45—summarizing the purpose of the dietary laws—is quite interesting. Peter’s writing may clue one into the vision he experienced in the city of Joppa, prior to his declaring the good news to the centurion Cornelius:
“Now there was a certain man in Caesarea, Cornelius by name, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, a devout man, and one who feared God with all his house, who gave gifts for the needy generously to the people, and always prayed to God. At about the ninth hour of the day, he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God coming to him and saying to him, ‘Cornelius!’ He, fastening his eyes on him and being frightened, said, ‘What is it, Lord?’ He said to him, ‘Your prayers and your gifts to the needy have gone up for a memorial before God. Now send men to Joppa, and get Simon, who is also called Peter. He is staying with a tanner named Simon, whose house is by the seaside. When the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier of those who waited on him continually. Having explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa. Now on the next day as they were on their journey and got close to the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray at about noon. He became hungry and desired to eat, but while they were preparing, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and a certain container descending to him, like a great sheet let down by four corners on the earth, in which were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild animals, reptiles, and birds of the sky. A voice came to him, ‘Rise, Peter, kill and eat!’ But Peter said, ‘Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.’ A voice came to him again the second time, ‘What God has cleansed, you must not call unclean.’ This was done three times, and immediately the thing was received up into heaven. Now while Peter was very perplexed in himself what the vision which he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon’s house, stood before the gate, and called and asked whether Simon, who was also called Peter, was lodging there. While Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, ‘Behold, three men seek you. But arise, get down, and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them.’ Peter went down to the men, and said, ‘Behold, I am he whom you seek. Why have you come?’ They said, ‘Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous man and one who fears God, and well spoken of by all the Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to invite you to his house, and to listen to what you say.’ So he called them in and provided a place to stay. On the next day Peter arose and went out with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him. On the next day they entered into Caesarea. Cornelius was waiting for them, having called together his relatives and his near friends. When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, fell down at his feet, and worshiped him. But Peter raised him up, saying, ‘Stand up! I myself am also a man.’ As he talked with him, he went in and found many gathered together. He said to them, ‘You yourselves know how it is an unlawful thing for a man who is a Jew to join himself or come to one of another nation, but God has shown me that I shouldn’t call any man unholy or unclean. Therefore I also came without complaint when I was sent for. I ask therefore, why did you send for me?’ Cornelius said, ‘Four days ago, I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour, I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing and said, “Cornelius, your prayer is heard, and your gifts to the needy are remembered in the sight of God. Send therefore to Joppa and summon Simon, who is also called Peter. He is staying in the house of a tanner named Simon, by the seaside. When he comes, he will speak to you.” Therefore I sent to you at once, and it was good of you to come. Now therefore we are all here present in the sight of God to hear all things that have been commanded you by God.’ Peter opened his mouth and said, ‘Truly I perceive that God doesn’t show favoritism; but in every nation he who fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him” (Acts 10:1-35, WMB; cf. 11:1-18).
Many of our Christian brothers and sisters have interpreted Peter’s vision, as God’s annulment of the Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 dietary laws. The challenge with this view is that it is not substantiated from Peter’s actual words after being shown the vision. In his meeting with Cornelius, Peter recounted how the Lord had showed him a vision, and specifically how “God has shown me that I must not call any person common or unclean” (Acts 10:28, HCSB). Peter’s vision did not at all regard God abolishing the dietary laws, but instead was an emphasis of how all people had been made clean by the sacrifice of Messiah Yeshua. Just as the Prophet Ezekiel was shown how various unclean animals could represent the sins of Israel (Ezekiel 8:9-10), so do the animals on the sheet represent the sinful behavior of the nations—now remitted by Yeshua’s atonement not just for Israel—but all of humanity!
So might I ask, in this season of Counting of the Omer leading us toward Shavuot or the Feast of Weeks—whether you are seeking holiness and truly fearing the omniscient Creator—how are you working out your salvation with fear and trembling? (Philippians 2:12). Do you take your walk with the Messiah flippantly, or are you sincere in being led by the Spirit as you walk by the Spirit? If you know Him and have been brought into the community of the faithful, are you taking your relationship for granted like Nadab and Abihu might have? Or, if you have been given some privileges by those in positions of authority like perhaps Uzzah, are you irreverent in any way? How about saying things or making pledges without recognizing that your word means something, and should not be abused as Ananias and Sapphira discovered?
The Apostle Paul addressed the Corinthian assembly with some very stark questions which challenged them when it came to relationships, and how they were approaching their relationship with the Messiah. Note how he described how Believers should avoid the unclean, and not yoke themselves in relationships with the unholy and profane. The concluding admonition was simply to perfect holiness in the fear of God:
“Don’t be unequally yoked with unbelievers, for what fellowship do righteousness and iniquity have? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? What agreement does Messiah have with Belial? Or what portion does a believer have with an unbeliever? What agreement does a temple of God have with idols? For you are a temple of the living God. Even as God said, ‘I will dwell in them and walk in them. I will be their God and they will be my people’ [Leviticus 26:12; Jeremiah 32:38; Ezekiel 37:27]. Therefore ‘“Come out from among them, and be separate,” says the Lord. “Touch no unclean thing [Isaiah 52:11; Ezekiel 20:34]. I will receive you. I will be to you a Father. You will be to me sons and daughters,” says the Lord Almighty.’ Having therefore these promises, beloved, let’s cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Open your hearts to us. We wronged no one. We corrupted no one. We took advantage of no one” (2 Corinthians 6:14-7:2, WMB).
These verses offer a great set of concepts to meditate upon and consider, as we all seek the Almighty this week. Might we all seek Him and His holiness, as we are reminded by Yeshua Himself to do the following, in order to receive not only spiritual blessings, but everything we need each day for living:
“Therefore I tell you, don’t be anxious for your life: what you will eat, or what you will drink; nor yet for your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food, and the body more than clothing? See the birds of the sky, that they don’t sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you of much more value than they? Which of you by being anxious, can add one moment to his lifespan? Why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They don’t toil, neither do they spin, yet I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today exists and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, won’t he much more clothe you, you of little faith? Therefore don’t be anxious, saying, ‘What will we eat?’, ‘What will we drink?’ or, ‘With what will we be clothed?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first God’s Kingdom and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore don’t be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day’s own evil is sufficient” (Matthew 6:25-34, WMB).
May we each day seek to perfect our holiness, in the peace which only He can offer!
NOTES
[1] Heb. shal; “disdain, irreverence” (William L. Holladay, ed., A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament [Leiden, the Netherlands: E.J. Brill, 1988], 370).
