Leaven Leaven

Volume 1 Issue 1 Worship Article 4

1-1-1990

The Tale of Two Brothers: Worship in Spirit and Truth The Tale of Two Brothers: Worship in Spirit and Truth

Edward Fudge

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Recommended Citation Recommended Citation Fudge, Edward (1990) "The Tale of Two Brothers: Worship in Spirit and Truth," Leaven: Vol. 1: Iss. 1, Article 4. Available at: https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leaven/vol1/iss1/4

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10 LEAVEN Winter 1990

TwoTALES OF

Two BROTHERSWorship in Spirit and Truth

By Edward Fudge

God's chief concern in worship is ourheart. We must go farther than that. Through-out the entire Bible, no one has ever approachedGDdin a spirit of genuine humility and reverenceand been turned away. Whether GDdis lookingfor worshipers or a king for Israel, his focusremains the same: man looks on the outwardappearance but the Lord looks on the heart (1Sam. 16:7; John 4:23). "But what about Nadaband Abihu?" For many of us, these two arehousehold names. Less well known, however,are Eleazar and Ithamar, whose story completesthe same chapter Nadab and Abihu's sagabegins.

The First TaleNadab and Abihu were the oldest sons of

Aaron, Moses' brother and Israel's first highpriest. Leviticus 10 relates how, on a particularday, Nadab and Abihu filled their firepans withincense, lit it with fire and offered it to God. Butinstead of approving their sacrifice, GDdwasdispleased. Fire fell from heaven and consumedthe two priests on the spot. The text says thatthey offered "strange fire" which GDd''had notcommanded."

Before we rush to their defense in

Edward Fudge is an attorney in Houston andan elder at the Bering Drive Church of Christ.He holds an M.A. from Abilene Christian Uni-versity and has published several articles,pamphlets and books on a variety of subjects.

sympathy, we ought to be aware of one thing.This is not the innocent error of two well-mean-ing greenhorns. Nadab and Abihu are notnewcomers in their dealings with GDd. Early inthe story ofIsrael's covenant with GDd,Nadaband Abihu had been among choice representa-tives who had intimate contact with GDd(cf.Exodus 24). After a vivid, public covenantceremony involving congregational recitations,sacred obelisks, altars and blood, GDdinvitedMoses, Aaron, Nadab and Abihu and 70 elders ofIsrael for a special audience. The Bible saysthese men went up on the mountain and sawGDdin his splendor and glory. They ate anddrank in his presence, an act of communionwhich in their culture was no less than sacra-mental. This momentous occasion should haveimpressed an indelible vision on the minds of allthose men present. It should have informed andmotivated all their worship from that day on.

But that is not all. Leviticus 9 tells howthe Aaronic priesthood was inaugurated -including, again, Nadab and Abihu. These men,with their brothers Eleazar and Ithamar andAaron their father, were consecrated and or-dained in an elaborate ceremony. At its conclu-sion, Aaron lifted up his hands and blessed thepeople. He and Moses entered the Tent ofMeeting. When they came out again, the Gloryofthe Lord appeared before all the people. GDdsent fire from heaven and consumed the burntoffering on the altar. "When all the people sawit," Scripture reports, "they shouted and fell ontheir faces."

This is the setting for the story of Nadab

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and Abihu's "strange fire" and subsequent death.The fire had fallen once already that day. Itsymbolizes God's holiness - and necessarily alsohis judgment. The same divine perfection thatpurifies and blesses the sincere heart condemnsand destroys the frivolous and irreverent.

But what ofthe "strange fire"? Use ofthe same adjective elsewhere suggests that thisfire was knowingly substituted in direct disobe-dience to a clear word from God (Ex. 30:9). Bethat as it may, we are not left to wonder aboutthe fundamental sin involved. Moses immedi-ately says to Aaron, "It is what the Lord spoke,saying, 'By those who come near me I will betreated as holy, and before all the people I will behonored'" (Lev. 10:3). The "strange fire" ofNadab and Abihu was but an outer manifesta-tion of a much deeper flaw. These two men, forall their history of special calling and blessingand fellowship with God, basically lacked respectfor the Almighty. It is as simple as that, and weare told so outright.

Perhaps other sins were involved as well.These two might have gone into the Tent ofMeeting when, or where, they ought not. Theymight have come to work intoxicated, or gottendrunk on the job (see the warning at verse 9).But whatever else was involved, the basic sinhere was irreverence. Nadab and Abihu did notrespect God. Their story forever reminds us thatit is a dangerous matter to treat God as ifhewere not!

The Second TaleWe must also read the rest of the chap-

ter, however, if we are to profit from its two-sided lesson. The following verses relate asecond tale of two brothers, also Aaron's priestlysons. The deaths of Nadab and Abihu unnervethe entire family, to put it mildly. But there iswork to be done, and Moses feels responsible tosee it through. So Moses advises Aaron and histwo surviving sons, Eleazar and Ithamar. "Eatthe grain offering," he reminds them. They alsoare to eat selected cuts of meat from the sinofferings. God has told them specifically to dothis not long before this fateful day (Lev. 6:24-26).

Needless to say, Moses was deeplyimpressed with the need to obey God carefully.He policed the precincts of the sacrificial site tosee that no detail went unobserved. Scripturesays that "Moses searched carefully for the goatof the sin offering, and behold it had been burned

All things praise thee. Lord may we 11

up! So he was angry with Aaron's surviving sonsEleazar and Ithamar, saying, 'Why did you noteat the sin offering at the holy place?' ... Youshould certainly have eaten it in the sanctuary,just as I commanded" (10:16-18).

Aaron had lost two sons already sincedaybreak, and he is not anxious to see his othertwo perish as well. He defended Eleazar andIthamar to his brother Moses. "Behold, this veryday they presented their sin offering and theirburnt offering before the Lord," he responded tothe great lawgiver. "When things like thishappened to me, if I had eaten a sin offeringtoday, would it have been good in the sight of theLord?" (10:19).

''Yes, we disobeyed the commandment,"he as much as said. "But under the circum-stances, how could we presume to eat the sinoffering today as if we were not sinners our-selves? After these things have happened?Would you take such a chance, Moses?" ''WhenMoses heard that," the Bible says, "it seemedgood in his sight" (10:20). Apparently it satisfiedGod as well, since he ordained Eleazar as thenext high priest upon the death of Aaron hisfather (Num. 20;25-28).

This same chapter thus contains twodifferent tales of two brothers, tales which showus different aspects of the God whose ways arehigher than ours and whose thoughts our ownlogic simply cannot contain. Here lie Nadab andAbihu, silent testimonial to the truth that God

The same divine perfection thatpurifies and blesses the sincereheart condemns and destroysthe frivolous and irreverent... .Nadab and Abihu did not re-spect God. Their story foreverreminds us that it is a dangerousmatter to treat God as if he werenot!

must be approached with reverence and awe,and that the very holiness which purifies thehumble also consumes the profane. But herealso stand Eleazar and Ithamar, living proofthatGod is far less concerned with external techni-calities than with the inner motives ofthe heart.Nor do they stand alone in the Old Testament, as

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we see in the story of Hezekiah's great Passover,perhaps 500 years later.

Hezekiah's Great PassoverNo king in Jerusalem was ever more

wicked than Ahaz. Apostate from the beginning,

...here also stand Eleazar andIthamar, living proof that God isfar less concerned with externaltechnicalities than with the innermotives of the heart.

his evil increased with the years. He erectedidolatrous shrines throughout Judea, then, withimpiety in reserve, he destroyed the templeutensils and "closed the doors of the house ofGod" (2 Chron. 28:22-25). Not surprisingly,Ahaz' death was welcomed by the godly inJerusalem, and he was buried without statehonors (28:26-27).

Yet from this wicked monarch came oneof Judah's most righteous kings, rememberedstill as "good" King Hezekiah. Crowned at age25, he immediately began spiritual reform. Hisfirst month in office, he repaired and re-openedthe house of God (29:1-3). Then he assembledthe priests and preached them a rousing sermon,challenging them to lead the nation in repen-tance and spiritual renewal (29:4-19). Theyresponded as he had hoped. Civil leaders soonjoined the holy revolution, and God's blessingsflowed (29:20-35). "Hezekiah and all the peoplerejoiced over what God had prepared for thepeople, because the thing came about suddenly"(29: 36) .

Next Hezekiah's vision enlarged inscope.to the nation. Realizing that Israel hadnot kept Passover for many years, he determinedto correct the error immediately. Plans could notbe made to celebrate during the First Month, asthe law prescribes, so Hezekiah called for anational assembly on the alternate date of choicea month later (30:1-4; see Num. 9:10-11).

The king dispatched heralds throughoutJudah and Israel, though his jurisdiction in-cluded only Judah. All of Israel was urged torepent and come to Jerusalem for Passover. Inthe northern kingdom, most people laughed atHezekiah's proposal and mocked his couriers,but a few men of Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun

"humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem"(30 :10-12).

Finally the great day arrived. Thepriests worked feverishly to consecrate all thepilgrims, but there were too many worshippersand the time was too short. The fire of reforma-tion had so spread that the priests could notcomplete the legal formalities (30:13-17).Hezekiah knew that many would not be properlyconsecrated according to the commandment, andhe also knew that their hearts were full of zealfor God. The good king interceded for themultitude, and asked God to accept the sincerityof their hearts despite the incorrect externals.His prayer was simple and to the point:

"May the good Lord pardon everyone whoprepares his heart to seek God, the Lord God ofhis fathers, though not according to the ...rules" (2 Chron. 30:18-19). Can we anticipatewhat happened next? "The Lord heard Hezekiahand healed the people" (30:20).

The spirit oftrue worship had fallen onthe people and they were unaware of the clock.They extended the feast an extra week, and theLevites and priests led praises "day after day."The Bible says "there was great joy in Jerusa-lem, because there was nothing like this inJerusalem since the days of Solomon the son ofDavid, king of Israel" (30:26). The chapterconcludes with this wonderful statement:

''The levitical priests arose and blessedthe people, and their voice was heard, and theirprayer came to God's holy dwelling place, toheaven" (30:27).

Once again, righteous intentions over-shadowed wrong formalities. True to his charac-ter throughout Scripture, God did not focus onthe outward appearance but looked at the heart.Ifthis is true in the Old Testament, it is particu-larly reinforced in the New Testament, andespecially by the words of our Lord himself. Letus look at two conversations of Jesus - firstwith some hostile Pharisees, then with a humblewoman of Samaria.

Vain WorshipJesus was in Galilee, where he had just

fed a multitude with a handful offood, hikedacross the Sea as if on dry land, calmed a stormwith his word, and by mere physical contact ofhis clothing, healed the sick from many towns.Now Pharisees, who had traveled all the waynorth from Jerusalem, came and asked him,

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"Why do your disciples transgress the traditionof the elders? For they do not wash their handswhen they eat bread" (Matt. 15:1-2). In goodrabbinic fashion, Jesus met their question withone ofhis own. "And why do you yourselvestransgress the commandment of God for the sakeof your tradition?" Then he explained. God hascommanded you to honor your father andmother, Jesus told the Pharisees with theirscribes. Yet, you maintain a tradition whichallows one to ignore his aged parents' needs by atechnicality in the way he stubs his Sabbathcontribution check. Jesus was outraged. "Youhypocrites!" he explodes. "Rightly did Isaiahprophesy of you, saying, 'This people honors mewith their lips, but their heart is far away fromme. But in vain do they worship me, teaching astheir doctrines the precepts of men."'

Jesus charged the Pharisees with twoevils. First, their worship is "vain." The wordmeans "empty" or ''hollow.'' It was vain becausethey honored God with their lips but not theirhearts. They cultivated pious tones and polishedeloquent phrases, but it had nothing to do withthe sentiment oftheir soul. It was empty andhollow and vain.

The Pharisees had a second problem.Their doctrines were born of human logic. Theold rabbis were truly wise and pious, but theycould not claim divine authority for their conclu-sions. The Pharisees had taken the best of therabbinical teaching and put it to the worst ofuses. Rather than teaching Scripture so as toenable the hearers to grow closer to God and toeach other, the Pharisees turned texts intoweapons to batter their fellow Jews. With theiranalytical minds, they wrapped heavy packagesoflogic, then laid their conclusions like giantbundles on their hearers' shoulders. It is littlewonder that the ordinary people responded withjoy when Jesus offered them relief as his dis-ciples, assuring them that his burden was easyand his load light (Matt. 11:27-30). Also unlikethe Pharisees with their "vain" or empty wor-ship, Jesus' fellowship with God was alwayspure, the product of a filial heart perfectlyattuned to the Father's will and glory. God seeksand welcomes worshipers whose hearts honorhim, as Jesus explained to the Samaritan womanwe consider next.

Worship In Spirit And In TruthYou recall the story as John relates it in

All things praise thee, Lord may we 13

chapter 4 ofhis Gospel. Jesus traveled throughSamaria en route to Galilee. He stopped at theSychar village well while the disciples went forfood. While Jesus waited, a woman came to drawwater. Jesus surprised her by asking for a drink.He offered her water that would never run dry.Their conversation turned to personal mattersand the woman, much-used but little loved untilnow, changed the topic. It was easier for her todiscuss religion in the abstract. "Where is theright place to worship?" she asked Jesus, aquestion about which Jews and Samaritans hadargued for centuries. "Is it Gerazim - orJerusalem?" True worship, Jesus responded,does not depend on being either here or there. Itis not "in Gerazim" or "in Jerusalem" thatmatters but "in spirit" and "in truth." What ismore, proclaimed Jesus, God seeks such wor-shipers, wherever they happen to live andwhatever their cultural forms.

"In Spirit"But what does it mean to worship "in

spirit" (or is it "in Spirit")? Scripture suggests atleast three ideas.

First, Jesus might simply mean that trueworship comes from the depth of the humanspirit and that it is not external (like that of thePharisees) in origin. God searches the heart,and he listens eagerly for praise and petitionsthat flowfrom the core of our beings.

Second, Jesus might mean that trueworship flows from the wellspring of the HolySpirit, who abides in an who believe in Jesus.John suggests as much elsewhere in noting thatthe Spirit gives life (John 6: 63) and quenches

To worship God in spirit (or"Spirit") is to worship from ourinner depths, prompted by theindwelling Spirit of Jesus,caught up in fellowship with theFather through union with thecrucified and risen Son.

the believer's thirst with an unending supply ofliving water (7: 37-39). This would also findsupport in Paul's similar teaching in suchpassages as Ephesians 6:18; Romans 8:26-27; 1Corinthians 14:12-17, as wen as Jude's (1: 20).

Third, and perhaps nearest John's mind,

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is the thought that to worship "in Spirit" is toapproach God as a believer in union with JesusChrist. For it is the Spirit who identifies andempowers Jesus (John 1: 32-33), mediates Jesus'presence (14:16-18), bears witness to Jesus(15:26) and glorifies him (16:14), who convictsthe world with reference to Jesus (16: 8-11) andregenerates believers in the first place (3: 3-5).Like God, who gives the Spirit without measure(3: 34), the Spirit cannot be predicted or con-trolled (3:8).

Combining these ideas, to worship Godin spirit (or "Spirit") is to worship from our innerdepths, prompted by the indwelling Spirit ofJesus, caught up in fellowship with the Fatherthrough union with the crucified and risen Son.

"In Trn th"What, then, is it to worship "in truth"?

Undoubtedly, the simplest meaning is also thebest. Throughout the New Testament, writersexpress by prepositional phrases notions forwhich we would use an adverb. "In truth" means"truly." John elsewhere exhorts us to love eachother, "not with word or tongue" but "in deed andin truth" (1 John 3:18). Paul notes that somepreach Christ "in pretense" but others "in truth"(Phil. 1:18). To worship "in truth" then is toworship genuinely, authentically.

It is not to perform ritual while ourminds are somewhere else, or to recite familiarwords which lack meaning through their discon-nection with our hearts. It is not to go throughformalities, however "correct," or to performparticular "acts" or to check off special "items."It is rather to present the sacrifice of praise andadoration and thanksgiving to the Father inwords that are sincere - and, to the extent weare able - to incarnate them with fitting ges-tures and postures and motions which accuratelyembody what our yearning hearts ache to say. Itis to express in words and deeds of homage thenew life we have in Jesus who is Truth (John14:6).

The Samaritan woman measured wor-ship by externals. Jesus directed her to lookinside. She was fixed on forms, but Jesus pointedher to substance. She thought God was inter-ested in outward appearances. Jesus told herwhat God really scrutinizes is the heart. As wehave seen, this truth is underscored by OldTestament narrative as well as by Gospel teach-ing. Whether we are considering the fate ofNadab and Abihu, or that of their less famousbrothers, Eleazar and Ithamar, we know thatGod looks humbled hearts and prostrate lives.Such that approach him do so in spirit and truth.

That is the purpose ofpraise - to re-spond to the experience of God's graceand power, to exalt the one who is seenand known to begracious and power-

ful, and to bear witness to all who hearthat God is God.

Patrick Miller

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