The Word and Fire

As we have made a journey from Passover to Pentecost, I have been blessed to be mired in the Book of Leviticus. This actually marks the third month of study, with no end in sight. And I am head over heels in love. It seems like a life time ago that we were sitting in Biblical Theology and Exegesis class at Concordia Irvine with Dr. Brighton. Not just our favorite class because the professor was so excited to teach Greek that he actually caught himself dancing, but because we were taught to see the red thread of Scripture running throughout the entire Bible. We all joked that we couldn’t see Jesus in the monotony and quagmire of Leviticus - of course, Dr. Brighton showed us to be wrong. But these last few months have become such a passionate love affair. The kind where silence is beautiful. Depth is real. And even though one another is known so well, that there is still a surprise around every corner that brings deep joy.

As Christians, so many of us forget our heritage and identity. We often see in Black & White instead of 4K. We understand that during Holy Week, Jesus became the ultimate fulfillment as our Passover Lamb. But we miss the fulfillment of Pentecost that we celebrate in a week’s time. At the first Pentecost, the Torah was given. The very Word of God. And at the fulfillment of Pentecost, the Word of God comes to dwell in us, the Spirit of the Living God. At the celebration of the first Pentecost -we recognized that we had been slaves and in our freedom, we had to reclaim our identity. God had to tell us who we were and what it meant to be His. And as we celebrate the fulfillment of Pentecost, we have to claim the same promise that Paul writes in Colossians 1:13-14.

But the more time spent in Leviticus, the deeper the understanding that I have come to see, that it’s always been about Word and Fire. To boil three months of study down to just a few words will only present the beautiful simplicity, and not the complexity of what God is doing. But a brief picture is this –  

In days of old (and even in some cultures, religions and traditions today), people have always wanted to see God. In other traditions, a god would show themselves to a human being. That place would become a shrine as an altar was built (a window between the two worlds) and an offering given. Then an idol would be built which would represent that god, a means by which the god would continue to show himself. An ongoing theophany if you will, called “the face of god.” An idol was a means of presence and access. 

Yet we read when God appears to His people, an altar is built, but there are no idols. The rest of the world called this plain stupid because how do you access God without an idol? How could you see “the face of God” without an idol?

Instead - God gives us The Name. His Name becomes the means of access. And so the only place the Name of God was spoken was at the benediction of the divine service (morning and evening worship in the Tabernacle, and later the Temple). Atonement was made for the forgiveness of sins and the climax of the worship service would be when the priest would stand in front of the altar of God and place the Name of God on His people through the "Aaronic benediction." People would then bear the Name of God, carrying the Name back to their families, their homes, and every day lives.

One of the most beautiful pictures of this was the first time that the divine service was instituted in Leviticus 8. While it may seem a boring read at first, it is the beauty of God always choosing to dwell in the midst of His people. He has never been content to be a God who is far away, but rather comes near to us. The great reversal. As the Tabernacle is consecrated, purified, everything is instituted... Once and only once at the very beginning, do we see that the Blessing is given in the middle of the service and not just the end. Moses and Aaron then go back to the Holy Place, and they come to pronounce the Blessing again - to place the Name of God upon His people as they are book-ended in this double blessing and fire races out from the Holy Place simultaneously to the altar where Moses and Aaron stand.

One miracle after the next after the next. The fire and cloud of glory that had led the people after the first Passover (the Great Rescue) through the dessert. That had taken residence on Mount Sinai as the Word of God was given, then came to dwell in the midst of the people in the Tabernacle. And this beautiful grace given to us as God instituted a place to meet with us, not in secret, but in public. Concealing His glory so it could be Revealed in His Name...

So when the fulfillment of Pentecost came 50 days after the fulfillment of Passover and the Resurrection of Jesus... This is not a new picture to the people of God. For in the same way that on the day the divine service was instituted in Leviticus 8 (on the 8th day), as the church is “born,” again fire comes. This time not to rest upon the altar, but now upon each of His people. Where heaven literally meets earth, as the Spirit of God resides in us. And the very first thing that happens? The Word of God is spoken. The Good News of Jesus Christ is proclaimed in every language. As the Name of God rests upon us and The Spirit of God dwells within us - we now have the privilege to carry the Name to the ends of the earth. 

It’s always been about the Word and Fire.