Leviticus 6:8-7:38
Dear RTB’ers,
The question: “Neither the sacrifice nor the fire was to fail. What lessons…?” The Lord must have felt strongly about this demand; He mentioned it three times! (Lev. 6:9,12,13)
When we first moved to Kentucky we lived in a large house with a heat pump (COLD pump!) and a wood-burning fireplace insert. The heat pump did little to keep the house warm, so we made extensive use of that fireplace insert. Most winters we would keep the fire burning in that wood-burning stove for months at a time. I would “bank” the fire at night, setting the air flow just right, then tend to the fire again first thing every morning. It took diligence and persistence on my part to keep that fire going, but the fire going out meant a colder house in the morning and the difficulty that often comes with lighting a fire anew. So I was doubly rewarded for my successful efforts and “punished” when my efforts failed.
John reminded us a few days ago that the sacrifice should not fail, but that all of the burnt offering should be consumed by fire. So the fire and the burnt offering go hand-in-hand. If the fire fails, the burnt offering fails. So the important item is keeping the fire going. There are probably a number of metaphors that we can use for the fire in our lives. The Holy Spirit immediately comes to mind, especially since He is shown as “tongues of fire” on Pentecost. So, how to keep the Holy Spirit fire alive within our lives? As above, diligence and persistence, but also, watchfulness – the Israelites could not simply “bank” their fire, since it was an open-air burn. They had to keep watch, continually adding wood to the fire to keep it going. Likewise, we need to be watchful of temptations that surround us, adding “wood” (prayer!) regularly to maintain a hot fire.
Come, Holy Spirit, heavenly Dove,
With all Thy quick’ning powers;
Kindle a flame of sacred love
In these cold hearts of ours.
Blessings!
See also: January 31 (2023) / Leviticus 6:8-9:24