IS GOD PARTICULAR? by F. H. Tripp

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jun 18, 1896

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 22, No. 24.

IS GOD PARTICULAR?

By F. H. Tripp

BY F. H. TRIPP.

“And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.” Lev. 10:1, 2.

Nadab and Abihu were slain by the Lord, for their disobedience; for he had distinctly said that they should offer no strange incense upon his altar. “Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon.” Ex. 30:9.

This strange fire was something different from what God had commanded; it was of man’s kindling, and God manifested his disapproval of it by depriving them of their lives.

The fire kindled by the Lord was holy, and the Lord’s charge to his priests was to “put difference between holy and unholy.” Lev. 10:10. This, Nadab and Abihu had not done; they had offered the strange fire or incense in just the same way that God had commanded them to offer the holy; hence he was displeased, and slew them.

The same lesson is taught in Numbers 16 by the rebellion of Korah and his company:—

“And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown; and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them.” Verses 2, 3.

Now the Lord had separated Moses and Aaron for the priesthood, and Aaron had been anointed for that service, and they were therefore holy men. Yet the sons of Levi, because they had been separated from the congregation of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle, thought they were just as holy as Moses and Aaron, and had the same right to officiate in the priest’s office; but the Lord showed his displeasure by bringing upon them swift destruction. Verse 32. All this goes to prove that God is particular to have his people do just exactly as he says, and to put difference between the holy and unholy.

So also God has separated, set apart, sanctified, and pronounced holy, one day in each week, and has told us plainly which day it is; and yet men who profess to love him, and keep his commandments, tell us that “it makes no difference which day we keep, as long as we keep one; for all days are holy.”

That was just what Nadab and Abihu said by their offerings of strange fire. They said, by their acts, it makes no difference, as long as we make an offering. But the Lord looked upon it as an act of disobedience to his command, and slew them for the same.

Korah and his company said by their acts that one man is as holy as another, and that all are holy, every one. But God looked at it differently, as shown in Num. 16:32, by the earth opening her mouth and swallowing them up. So these men tell us it makes no difference which day we keep, for they are all holy; but, as in the cases cited above, God looks at it differently. He has named the day, and declared it holy, and says, “Remember” “to keep it holy.” It is obedience the Lord wants. This is shown again in 1 Samuel 15, where the Lord through his prophet Samuel commanded Saul to “go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.” Verse 3. And Saul went and smote the Amalekites; but, contrary to the word of the Lord, he saved Agag, the king, alive, with some of the spoils, that God had told him to utterly destroy:—

“But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them; but everything that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.” Verse 9.

Then the Lord spoke to Samuel in regard to Saul’s disobedience: “And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the Lord all night.” Verse 11. It always grieves God’s true servants when they see those who make pretensions of being his people acting disobediently.

It seems that Saul was made to believe that he had done the Lord’s bidding; for when Samuel came to him, he said, “I have performed the commandment of the Lord.” Verse 13. “And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?” Verse 14. Altho Saul was himself deceived by believing he had kept the commandment of the Lord, he could not deceive God’s true and faithful servant; for he knew, when he heard the bleating of the sheep and the lowing of the oxen, that the word of the Lord had not been obeyed.

Saul excused himself by saying, “The people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God.” Verse 15. Then said Samuel, “Stay, and I will tell thee what the Lord hath said to me this night.” Verse 16. “The Lord sent thee

on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.” Verse 18. “Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord?” Verse 19. And Saul said, “I have obeyed the voice of the Lord. . . . But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord. . . . And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.” Verses 20–22.

O, it is obedience the Lord wants of his people! When he gives direction, he expects, and demands, perfect obedience, and for men to make excuses, and apologize, as Saul did on this occasion, will not answer at all. What right had Saul to allow those sheep and oxen to be saved for a sacrifice, when the Lord had commanded they should be utterly destroyed?—None at all; he rebelled against the Lord’s command, and thought, by submitting to the voice of the people, to please God just as well. So we find men to-day fearing the people, and submitting unto men’s teaching, rather than God’s commands, thinking, perhaps, as Saul did, that the Lord would overlook it. Especially is this true as regards the Sunday sabbath, or first day of the week. The leaders are determined that that day shall be observed as the Sabbath, when the Lord has said distinctly, “The seventh day [not the first] is the Sabbath.” Many fear the people, as Saul did, and do not obey the Lord, but obey men instead.

This is rebellion against God’s law, and he says in his word that “rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.” 1 Sam. 15:23. So, by being stubborn, and not receiving the light that God has for his people, they become idolaters; that is, they worship something else beside the true God, the Creator. They worship the power that has given them this false sabbath, instead of God, who has given them the true; hence they reject the word of God; and will not God say to them, as he said to Saul, “Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee”?

David committed this same sin of disobedience when he went to bring the ark of God from Kirjath-jearim. This is the record:—

“And David went up, and all Israel, to Baalah, that is, to Kirjath-jearim, which belonged to Judah, to bring up thence the ark of God the Lord; that dwelleth between the cherubim whose name is called on it. And they carried the ark of God in a new cart out of the house of Abinadab; and Uzza and Ahio drave the cart. . . . And when they came unto the threshing-floor of Chidon, Uzza put forth his hand to hold the ark; for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him, because he put his hand to the ark; and there he died before God.” 1 Chron. 13:6–10.

Why was this? Was not David doing a good thing in bringing the ark of God “home to himself to the city of David”?—Yes; but he was not bringing it the way God ordered it to be carried. God had said the sons of Levi should bear the ark upon their shoulders, when it was removed from one place to another; and David, tho he knew this, had not paid any attention to it, but had placed it on the cart, instead of moving it as the Lord had directed. So he could not proceed with it to the end of the journey, but carried it aside into the house of Obed-edom, where it remained three months.

During that time it seems David realized his sin, and determined to obey the Lord in moving the ark in the future; for we find him saying, “None ought to carry the ark of God but the Levites; for them hath the Lord chosen to carry the ark of God.” 1 Chron. 15:2. “For because ye did it not at the first, the Lord our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought him not after the due order.” Verse 13.

When David decided to obey the Lord, he had no farther trouble in moving the ark; for we read that “the children of the Levites bare the ark of God upon their shoulders with the staves thereon, as Moses commanded, according to the word of the Lord.” Verse 15. “And it came to pass, when God helped the Levites that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, that they offered seven bullocks and seven rams.” Verse 26. “Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord, with shouting, and with sound of the cornet, and with trumpets, and with cymbals, making a noise with psalteries and harps.” Verse 28. “So they brought the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it.” Chap. 16:1. The Lord showed his approval, by helping the Levites that bare the ark, as soon as David decided to obey him in regard to the manner of its removal. God is therefore particular to have his orders and his laws explicitly obeyed. Many other instructions might be given. Can we, concerning any command of God, say that he is not particular? that we may transgress or alter them as we will? Will it stand the test of the judgment? Will God manifest his approval of such work?—Nay, verily, he will not. God requires perfect obedience.

New Bedford, Mass.