The reason why Aaron’s two sons were struck down (10:1) was because they were unclean people and they entered the holy place of God. God had made a way for them to enter his presence, but they did not go by that way. They sought access to God in their own way. What they, and the rest of the people, needed to recognise was the extent of the chasm between clean and unclean. Unless God’s people understood the difference between clean and unclean, they would not appreciate what God would do to bridge the chasm. Moreover, if they did not understand the difference between clean and unclean, there was a risk that they would defile the sacred space that they now had access to. So, God built into every aspect of Israelite life various customs that would habituate them to this distinction. God instituted laws about what they wore, what they ate, how they groomed themselves, how they farmed and so forth, all designed to habituate then to distinguish between clean and unclean. God was training them to be habitually sensitive to what would defile the sacred space that he was inviting them into. This line between clean and unclean, right and wrong, is of course a line that human beings have always been prone to smudge and redefine for themselves. We all do it. We too easily accommodate practices that pollute God’s dwelling place, that is, our hearts. Are you imbibing material through your ears and eyes without even considering the effect that it might be having on you or without considering what God thinks about such things?
Reflect on your intake of literature, media, personal influences and so forth.
Read Leviticus 11
