Bible Reflections From Scripture Union Volume OneSample

God’s Dazzling Glory Read Leviticus 9:1-24 Moses and Aaron then went into the Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown. Leviticus 9:23-24 When a village headman in Sri Lanka saw that the sea water was shaking, he immediately shouted to the people around to run up into the hills. He remembered his nightmarish experience in Chile when a deadly earthquake struck in 1982. Because his people obeyed, only one of the 5000 who lived in his area died when the tsunami hit on December 26, 2004. The oft-repeated phrase ‘as the Lord commanded’ stresses the importance of obeying the Lord’s regulations to the smallest detail. In today’s text, it’s very clear that obedience is a prerequisite to the appearance of God’s glory. God knew that the institution of sacrifices would become mere rites in time. Samuel had to rebuke King Saul when he disobeyed: 'To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.' (1 Samuel 15:22). Saul’s disobedience caused the Spirit of God to leave him. On the eighth day of Aaron and his sons’ ordination as priests, the Lord’s glory appeared and fire came out of His presence and consumed the burnt offering. The display of God’s mighty power awed and terrified the whole community. But nowadays we do not see such demonstration of His might. Does God no longer work in our midst? When drug addicts give up their drug taking and are transformed, God exhibits His power to rescue lives. We also know of businessmen who had cheated on their taxes paying all their overdue taxes in one lump sum when they accepted Christ. God still works today, both visibly and in unseen ways. God will demonstrate His glory when we are willing to obey Him. Why do we find it difficult to obey God? Pray that God’s glory will adorn your nation.