Don't Let The Fire Go Out (Youth)

Leviticus 6:11–13 “And he shall put off his garments, and put on other garments, and carry forth the ashes without the camp unto a clean place. And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not be put out: and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order upon it; and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings. The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.”

Historical/Cultural Background and Context

We are looking at Leviticus 6:8-13  “Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,  “Command Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the law of the burnt offering: The burnt offering shall be on the hearth upon the altar all night until morning, and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning on it.  And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and his linen trousers he shall put on his body, and take up the ashes of the burnt offering which the fire has consumed on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar. Then he shall take off his garments, put on other garments, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place.  And the fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not be put out. And the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order on it; and he shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings. A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out.

IF WE ARE GOING TO STAY ON FIRE FOR GOD, WE NEED TO…

6:9 the burnt offering Burnt offerings were offered to make atonement and played an important part in public worship (Num 28–29). The offering served to restore relationship to God or to please God. Burnt offerings also played a role in the procedures for cleansing various ritual impurities (e.g., Lev 12:6–7; 14:19–20; 15:30). See 1:1–17; and note on 1:3.

The text mentions three times the need for a continual fire (vv. 9b, 12, 13),

Leviticus 6:9 “Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt offering: It is the burnt offering, because of the burning upon the altar all night unto the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be burning in it.”

Leviticus 6:12 “And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not be put out: and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order upon it; and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings.”

Leviticus 6:13 “The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.”

emphasizing that this offering was to be burning continually.

    UNDERSTAND THE SUPERNATURAL FIRE IN THE TABERNACLE This fire at the wilderness tabernacle was supernaturally lit from God, it supernaturally came down from heaven. The bible says in Leviticus 9:23-24   “And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of meeting, and came out and blessed the people. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people, 24 and fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.”  Now I want you to see this in your mind. This altar has been built in the outer court.  It is the brazen altar. The sacrificed has been placed on the altar, and a fire supernaturally falls out of heaven.  It lights that sacrifice, and it lights that altar.  And the bible says, this fire is never to go out.

    1    UNDERSTAND WHAT THE FIRE OF GOD IS We need to understand what the fire of God is. 

In the natural, fire is defined as:  combustion or burning, in which substances combine chemically with oxygen from the air and typically give out bright light, heat, and smoke. Or, a strong feeling of excitement to ignite or as to cause excitement

Today, I want to discover the spiritual and the powerful implications of the fire of God because I think many people in the church have prayed for the fire of God.  And we most certainly need it, but we don’t understand what we are praying for.

Fire symbolizes many things in the bible. 

Fire symbolized the holiness of God.  When Moses received the ten commandments on Mount Sinai, the bible says that the whole mount was lit with fire. Exodus 19

In Genesis 9 we come to understand that fire can represent the judgment of God, because it was fire that fell down upon Sodom and Gomorrah for their immorality and unrighteousness. When God pours out judgment, he pours out fire, you can see it over and again in the Bible.  In fact, people who end up in hell, end up in a place of torment.  The bible says a place of everlasting and unquenchable fire.   No one in their right mind would pray for God to bring the fire of judgment on them.

And then, the fire of God in the bible represents God’s presence for the church.  Because the Word says “A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out.”   In Leviticus, for the Jews, it symbolized that God was with them.  God said, “I am going to bring a fire to the nation of Israel and this fire will represent my presence to you.” And so, he lit this fire in the desert.

Exodus 3:2–6 “And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.”

Exodus 40:38“For the cloud of the Lord was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.”

Application - Our Dependency is Upon God’s Presence. We Need it desperately and contiually

When we pray for the fire of God, we are literally calling down the presence of God.  When we ask God to send his fire, we are literally asking God to send his presence.  When we say, Lord we need your fire. We aren’t saying we need your judgment. We are saying we need your presence, because if we can get in your presence, everything is going to be all right. If we can get in His presence, all things are possible, mountains will have to move, and seasons will have to change. So, when you pray for the fire of God you are calling down the presence of the Lord.

In the New Testament, there is a further purpose of the fire of God revealed. 

The fire of God in the New Testament is the empowerment of God for service.  John the Baptist spoke of Jesus ministry: 

Matthew 3:11 “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

 On the day of Pentecost, in Acts 2 a supernatural fire fell from heaven, and it empowered those present for service.  A few chapters later in Acts, even the enemies of the church had this testimony of those Spirit empowered on fire believers, it said, they turned the world upside down.

The new testament Fire not only meant a supernatrual power, but passion for the things of God. You can have power but loose the passion

I encourage you to stay on fire for God. I am convinced now more than ever that the world needs a church that is on fire. Not some dead, dry, barely surviving church…but a church that is on fire for Jesus! In Power and in Passion!

Into to Tension. You see, the fire gave the children of Israel hope, that as long as it was burning, as long as there was fire in the camp, the people knew that Gods presence was with him. The Jews desperately needed that fire of God’s presence.  They had to maintain the fire.  As long as the fire was there, God was present.  It doesn’t matter who attacks you, as long as the fire of God is with you, you have God to defend you. It doesn’t matter what desert you are walking through, as long as the fire of God is with you, he will guide you through.  It doesn’t matter how difficult things get, as long as the fire is with you- you are going to survive. The Tension In The Text

Israel’s Fire Went out

And as you further your studies, you will find out that the fire burned for over eight centuries.  It burned without going out. It burned continuously. The source of that fire had literally been God himself.  It burned for 8 centuries.  But in about 586 B.C. we read where a king named Nebuchadnezzar came and conquered the Jews. They had become so rebellious. They were full of so much insurrection and iniquity, that Nebuchadnezzar came and conquered the Jews. He sacked Jerusalem. He took the king and his sons and he slew the king’s sons right before his eyes, and then he put the king’s eyes out. He went into the temple and he destroyed the temple, and he took that brazen altar where that flame had been burning for eight centuries and he put out that fire. And what happened when that fire went out. When that fire went out… The Jews bondage came The Jews pain came The Jews struggle came And I am going to tell you if the fire ever goes out in America. You think we have trouble now. If we ever let the fire go out we are done as a nation. We can never let the fire go out.  I am telling you that in America we need the fire of God’s presence more than ever before.  Because if we don’t have the fire of God’s presence we are in trouble. I never read again where that fire was supernaturally lit.  I never read again where fire came down from heaven and lit the brazen altars. Men lit fires but God never lit a fire again. It seemed that after the supernatural fire of God had come, and it was snuffed out by Nebuchadnezzar that it was gone for good and for sure.  Because  God had instructed the people not to let the fire go out. And the fire went out. Then, for hundreds of years nothing happened. From Malachi to Matthew 400 years of nothing. No prophetic voice No light No revelation. It was the darkest time, as for hundreds of years there was no fire from heaven. If we are going to stay on fire for God, we must  

Contrast of “Fire” and “Altar”

“The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.” Then there are two things in the text—“fire” and “altar.”

There would be times in Israel’s history where there would be altars, but no fire. That is the deadly possibility; that is the fatal reality. The world is not dying for want of a creed, but for want of faith. We are not in need of more prayers, we are in need of more prayerfulness. If the little knowledge we have—how small it is the wisest men know best of all—were turned to right use, fire in its happiest influences would soon begin to be detected by surrounding neighbours and by unknown observers. Of what avail is it that we have filled the grate with fuel if we have not applied the flame? Does the unlighted fuel warm the chamber? No more does the unsanctified knowledge help to redeem and save society. We need the fire as well as the altar. What is needed now is a fire that will burn the altar itself—turn the marble and porphyry and granite and hewn soft-stone all into fuel that shall go up in a common oblation to the waiting heavens.

It is also possible to have fire and no altar, as well as have an altar and no fire. This is also a mistake. We ought to have religious places and Christian observances, locality with special meaning, resting-places with Heaven’s welcome written upon their portals. There is a deadly sophism lurking in the supposition that men can have the fire without the altar, and are independent of institutions, churches, families, places, Bibles, and all that is known by Christian arrangement for common worship. We are not meant to be solitary worshippers. When a man says he can read the Bible at home, I deny it. He can partially read it there, he can see some of its meaning there; but society is one, as well as is the individual, in some degrees and in some relations. There is a religion of fellowship as well as of solitude. Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together: there is a touch that helps life to gather itself up into its full force; there is a contagion which makes the heart feel strong in masonry. When a man says he can pray at home, I deny it—except in the sense that he can there partially pray. He can transact part of the commerce which ought to be going on continually between heaven and earth, earth and heaven; but there is a common prayer—the family cry, the congregational intercession, the sense that we are praying for one another in common petition at the throne of grace.

And then if you are going to stay on fire for God,  

  3    UNDERSTAND THAT THE FIRE HAD TO BE MAINTAINED Someone had to maintain the fire.  It was up to the hungry priests of those days.  The priest who were hungry for God’s presence had to maintain it.  God would bring it, but if they didn’t maintain it, it wasn’t going to stay. A lot of people want God to come.  But they have no interest in maintaining the fire and maintaining the presence of the Lord.   They want to camping with Jesus from time to time. They want to warm themselves by the campfire…a little marsh mellow…a little sweet from Jesus.  They want to come in and feel a little fire and then walk out and leave.  But there are some of you reading this and you don’t just want a momentary encounter with God. You don’t just want to come up on the fire warm yourself and then watch it go out. There are some of you that down inside of you, you are saying, “I have to have the presence of God in my life, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, Including that extra day for leap year. It was up to the priest to maintain it. He had to prepare wood and put it on that fire.  He had to sacrifice upon that fire.  And if they would not do it, the fire would go out. The fact of the matter is, the fire stayed because the priest were hungry for God’s presence.

But How Do I maintain The Fire?

Proposition Statement:

Our text gives us three keys to maintaining the fire of God. If we will apply them we will be guaranteed to keep the fire Burning on the Altar of our lives.

Remove The Ashes

There is a lot of symbolism in this passage.     •    The symbolism of the ashes The priest were instructed to carry out the ashes everyday. They would obviously set the embers to one side.  They would put on pure clean linen garments.  The priest would take a pan, and they would take those ashes outside the camp.  Most of us understand that the burnt offering is symbolic of Jesus.  He is our Passover Lamb, the one and only perfect sacrifice.  But the carrying out of the ashes has great significance for us as well. Why? Sometimes we get to a point in our life where say to ourselves, “This is nothing but a bunch of ashes. Everything I love has been destroyed.”  Your life looks like the street of New York after Nine Eleven. So, you ask the questions, who is going to clean up the mess? Who can take these ashes, and bring beauty out of it. His name is Jesus.  Isaiah 61:3b  “To give them beauty for ashes,”

repentance

self denial

distractions

Anything that hinders the fire

what are the ashes?

God recycles clay but he discards ashes,

Clay is the human part of man, even though it is natural and temporary, it has a purpose for our existence. It gets sick, feels pain, and even sins, it has to to do with the outer carnal part of out being. It allows us to function in this world. God robed himself in flesh for a time.

What God is concerned with destroying is the works of the flesh. The sin. The weight. The things that so easily hinders our walk with God. The failures of the past, our mistakes, traumas, grief. Burn them on the altar and take away the ashes. Remove the impurities.

Sack cloth and ashes- type of mourning a loss.

We are not to mourn what the fire has consumed. Ashes of regrets

Beauty for Ashes

Oil of Joy for mourning

Garment of Praise for the spirit of heaviness

Fan the flames

Take up the ashes.—

“He shall take up the ashes which the fire has consumed”:—

By the figure which grammarians call ellipsis, or breviloquence, “ashes” is used for the material out of which ashes came, as Isa. 47:2, speaks of grinding “meal” (Ainsworth). The wood was underneath the burnt-offering. This being done, the ashes were to be placed by themselves, for a little time, “beside the altar.” All eyes would thus see them and take notice of them, before they were carried out into a clean place. Probably there were two reasons for this action.

1. The fire was thus kept clear and bright, the ashes being removed. God thereby taught them that He was not careless as to this matter, but required that the type of His justice should be kept full and unobscured.

2. The ashes were shown for the purpose of making it manifest that the flame had not spared the victim, but had turned it into ashes. It was not a mere threatening when the angels foretold that Sodom and Gomorrah were to be destroyed for their sin; their doom (2 Pet. 2:6) is declared to have come on them, “turning them to ashes.” So here, all that was threatened is fulfilled. There the ashes lie; any eye may see them. The vengeance has been accomplished! The sacrifice is turned into ashes! Justice has found its object! The Lord’s arrows are not pointless; He performs all His threatenings, for He is holy. “O Lord God of hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto Thee? or to Thy faithfulness round about Thee?” (Ibid.)

Add Fresh wood every morning

    •    The symbolism of our High Priest Our high priest Jesus, pure and clean, has carried our ashes our sins away from us.  Hebrews 4:14  “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.” Ashes represent…what we used to be…what we were… the times we messed up…the things that we did that came to nothing.  But what Jesus did, pure and clean, on a hill called Calvary, he took our sins away. He was pure, I was impure.  He was clean, I was unclean.  But Jesus is the one who can straighten out a life.  He carries out the mess. Did he do any clean up work in your life?  He sure did in mine!     •    The symbolism of bringing a new sacrifice everyday The priest were instructed to bring a new sacrifice everyday. To take the old out and to bring the new in. To put new wood everyday. To take the old ashes out and put the new wood in.

To take the old sacrifice out and put the new in.  And it was symbolic of the fact that when Jesus became our sacrifice.  And because of His sacrifice, the Lord’s mercies would become new every morning.  If the sacrifice worked yesterday…it works today. If he healed yesterday…he heals today. If he delivered from crack yesterday…he can do it today.  If he can put your world back together yesterday…he can do it today.   If he can do it today…he can do it tomorrow.  Because his mercies are new every morning.  Is anybody glad that when you got up this morning, you found new mercy?  I am. Even when we didn’t deserve it.  New mercy. And the priest was instructed like this:  You take those old ashes out every day, and you bring me something fresh every day.  Today, we don’t bring in a sacrifice of goats and bullocks and turtledoves. However we can bring a sacrifice of praise.  Hebrews 13:15  “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips,  giving thanks to His name.” That is the beauty of a relationship with Christ, it is new every day.  I don’t want you hanging out with yesterday’s ashes, and yesterday’s stuff.  You see sometimes in church we try to bring yesterday’s praise, and yesterday’s worship.  But we need to give him our fresh praise every day. And when we do he gives us his anointing, his power, his presence.  But you see, the fire had to be maintained back in those days just as we have to maintain it today.

Praise

Worship

word

Prayer fuels the fire

Five quick keys to maintaining the fire.     •    Worship I have discovered that churches and people that know how to really worship have the fire.     •    Word Every time you read the Word, you are putting wood on the fire of your life.     •    Willingness to obey God in all things It is not just enough to read the Word, it is about obeying the Word     •    Witness The reason why the Spirit was given was to make you a witness.  There is no secret service Christian that has the fire for long.  It is supposed to be like a river flowing from God through you to others     •    Walking with Christ How you actually live everyday will make a huge difference. Let’s keep the fire burning! Stay on fire for God!

III. DIVINE ENDOWMENTS REQUIRING THE CO-OPERATIVE WATCHFULNESS OF MEN. The priest’s eye would need to be often turned to the altar fire: “every morning” it needed care.

1. A watchful life is imperative if we would maintain godliness within.

2. Neglect will allow the extinction of the Divinest gift. Only neglect—

(1) daily prayer;

(2) daily reading of the Scriptures;

(3) daily fellowship with Christ;

(4) daily watching against temptation. Fail in these duties, and the “fire” will expire. “Every morning” bring wood to the fire!

IV. DIVINE ENDOWMENTS ENDURING ONLY WHERE ACTIVELY MAINTAINED. That fire did expire! At the destruction of the Temple by Nebuchadnezzar.

1. May the Divine life in a soul go out?

2. May the Christian’s “first love” become extinct?

3. May the holy aspirations of a child of God droop?

4. May all sacred ardour, in prayer, in consecration, die away? “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” “See that ye make your calling and election sure.” (W. H. Jellie.)

Lay the burnt Offering in order upon it

Self denial

sacrifice

brokenness

Worldliness

Altar Call/Conclusion (Renew The Fire)

It is not enough to kindle a fire: we must renew it. “The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.” Did not some men burn once who are cold now? Have not some men allowed the holy flame to perish? and is not their life now like a deserted altar laden with cold white ashes? Once they sang sweetly, prayed with eagerness of expectation, worked with both hands diligently, were always open to Christian appeal, focalised their lives in one poignant inquiry—Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do? I know of no drearier spectacle than to see a man who still bears the Christian name on the altar of whose heart the fire has gone out. That is a possibility. Lost enthusiasm means lost faith; lost passion means lost conviction. (J. Parker, D.D.)

If you have never expereinced the fire:

UNDERSTAND THAT THE FIRE OF GOD IS STILL AVAILABLE FROM HEAVEN 2000 years ago we began to see hope of heavens fire once again, as we hear the introduction from a man named John the Baptist.  In Matthew 3:11 ““I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”   John said there is one coming and he is going to bring a re-ignition of the fire that is in the Old Testament. But that old testament fire was confined to one place.  The New Testament fire would be worldwide. But 2000 years ago, there were 120 who had gathered in that upper room.  They had trusted in Christ and man did the fire fall. Acts 2:4 “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.  They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.  All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”  That fire didn’t fall in the desert. It didn’t fall on the brazen altar. God said, now I am putting that fire on men and women. I am putting it on a man and on a woman.  If you are reading this you need to say to yourself, “I want that fire! I want the Holy Spirit and fire!” When you are calling down the fire of God.  You are not calling down some cute little religious experience.  You are not calling down something that just makes you shake a little bit or have an emotional experience.  You are calling down the fire of God.  Jesus said, I am going to immerse you in the Holy Spirit.  I am going to baptize you in the fire of my presence. I have had people tell me, pastor, why are you so passionate? When you preach, why don’t you just stay calm. You run around like there is a fire.  There is a fire.  His words are shut up inside me like a fire.  The fire is on the inside.  It started burning 2000 years ago.  It’s still burning in various people across this world. It is what our nation and world needs today!  I am concerned about our nation.

Songs

Set a fire down in my soul that I cant explain

Fire Fire Fire

Leviticus and Numbers (Vers. 10–12)

Vers. 10–12. The priest shall put on his linen garment.—

Sacred attire:—

I. IN HOLY ATTIRE THEY SERVE AT THE ALTAR.

1. Suggestive of the essential holiness of Christ.

2. Symbolic of their derived purity and righteousness.

3. Indicative of the spirit of service.

II. IN ALTERED GARMENTS THEY BEAR THE ASHES FROM THE SANCTUARY.

1. The changed tone of feeling in the ministrant.

2. The altered scenes which a Christian frequents. (W. H. Jellie.)

The priest’s garments:—

The linen garment is the type of purity, as we see in the Book of Revelation 19:8. The priest is the emblem of the Redeemer in his perfect purity coming to the work of atonement. The word for garment means a suit of clothes. It takes in the linen breeches, as well as all the other parts of the priest’s dress. His whole suit is to be the garb of purity. It is not glory; these are not the “golden garments.” It is holy humanity; it is Jesus in humiliation, but without one stain of sin. There is a special reason for the direction as to the linen breeches. It is meant to denote the completeness of the purity that clothes him; it clothes him to his very skin, and “covers the flesh of his nakedness” (Exod. 28:42). It was not only our unrighteousness and our corrupt nature that Jesus was free from, but also from that other part of our original sin which consists in the imputed guilt of Adam. The linen breeches that “covered the nakedness” of the priest, lead us back at once to our first parents’ sin, when they were naked and ashamed in the garden, after the Fall. Here we see this sin also covered. (A. A. Bonar.)

By no Levitical rite or service was Christ, as “the Lamb of God,” more perfectly typified, than by the daily sacrifice. It significantly prefigured Him in His death, the satisfaction He yielded to the Father, and His intercession in behalf of men. It is Christ, then, that we have here; and—

I. IN THE PERFECTNESS OF HIS CHARACTER. The lamb was without spot; and He was without blemish. And this is what He needed to be. And yet He was more. He was marked not only for the absence of all defect, but for the presence of every excellence. He was absolutely and universally perfect. This was the case with the affections He cherished, the dispositions He cultivated, and the virtues He practised. Only what is perfect can satisfy an infinitely perfect God. All, therefore, that is defective and unholy is forbidden a place on His altar. God’s requirement extends to what is internal as well as to what is external. He demands “truth in the inward parts” as well as integrity in the outward life. The demand was fully met by Jesus. But what God required in the offering, He required also in those for whom it was presented. Only as we are personally what God requires, in righteousness of walk before Him, can we occupy the position to which we are invited, appreciate and enjoy the blessings of salvation, and fulfil the purposes of our high calling. But we may be that; provision for our being so has been made. Strengthened, therefore, with might by the Spirit in the inner man, there is no duty that we may not fulfil, and no appropriation of offered blessing that we may not make. But God not only strengthens for service; He Himself works in us, and for us, and by us—leading us to will and to do according to His good pleasure.

II. We have Christ here in HIS COMPLETENESS OF DEDICATION TO THE FATHER AND TO MEN. The lambs were, with the exception of the skin, wholly consumed by the fire; and Christ gave Himself to God for us. The primary object of His incarnation and mission to earth was—to glorify the Father. The path might be rugged, but leading to the glory of the Father, He cheerfully trod it; the Cross might be ignominious, but ensuring the glory of the Father, He gave Himself up to it. He made of Himself a whole burnt-offering to God. But it was a twofold gift He made of Himself when He laid Himself upon the altar. “He gave Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour (Eph. 5:2). He loved me, and gave Himself for me.” One of the purposes for which He became our substitute, delivered us from the dominion of evil, and endued us with Divine strength, was, that we might walk in His steps, and, in our measure, yield ourselves to God as He did. But is this being done? It is on record that, during the late civil war in America, and when victory was swaying from side to side, that commissioners from the Confederate States sought and obtained an interview with President Lincoln, with the view of trying to effect an arrangement for the independence of the territory they represented. They knew the tender-heartedness of Mr. Lincoln, and appealed to him to stay the effusion of blood which, at the moment, was flowing in torrents. They were willing to forego several of the States for which they had hitherto fought, if he would consent to the remainder being independent. They pleaded with him for hours, and made use of the strongest arguments and considerations they could adduce to gain their object. When they had finished, the president, who had patiently listened to all that had been said, raised his hand, and then bringing it down with emphasis on the map which lay before him, replied, “Gentlemen, this Government must have the whole.” And so God says, regarding the inner kingdom of every human heart. He will allow no partition or division there. The whole is His by right, and He will suffer no one to share with Him the throne He has erected for His own occupancy.

III. By the daily burnt-offering we are minded of CHRIST’S ACCEPTABLENESS TO THE FATHER. The lamb was an offering of a sweet savour unto God, in which He had delight, and from which He derived satisfaction. And He was ever pleased with Christ. But is this remembered as it should be? Christ is much more thought of as providing for men’s necessities than for God’s requirements; as appeasing justice than as giving delight to Him from whom He came; as ministering peace to the troubled than as satisfying the Father’s heart. But what Christ was to God, believers are intended to be, in their measure, also. Is this now, to any extent, the case? Has God satisfaction in all who call themselves by the name of His Son? Has He joy in that which you lay upon His altar, in the services that you fulfil, and in the measure of resemblance which you bear to His Beloved? Then Christ is brought before us here in the position He ever occupies on our behalf. A lamb was always before God, and Christ ever liveth to make intercession for us. Now, where Christ is in reference to the Father He ought to be in reference to all who bear His name. Only as this is the case, as He is ever before you, occupying the vision of your faith, filling the sphere of your life, and engaging your feelings and thoughts, will you become assimilated to His likeness and meet for His presence and glory above. (Jas. Fleming, D.D.)

Ver. 13. The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar.—

Divine fire humanly maintained:—

I. DIVINE ENDOWMENTS COMMITTED TO THE CONTROL OF MEN. As in the instances of that “fire,” supernaturally originated on that altar, and then left in man’s hands, so with—

1. Pure sympathies implanted within man.

2. Revelation in the Scriptures.

3. Quickened life in the regenerated soul.

4. Spiritual endowments to the believer.

5. Sacred affections in the Christian heart.

6. Holy enthusiasm firing an earnest nature. From God they come: but man has them in his hands.

II. DIVINE ENDOWMENTS ENTRUSTED TO THE PRESERVATION OF MEN. The priests had to keep that “fire” alive, or it would expire.

1. Having received the gifts of God we are responsible for their maintenance.

2. How solemn the priestly office, which all are called to perform: feeding the Divine “fire” in our souls continually!

The fire upon the altar:—

“The fire shall ever be burning.” I take the words as typical of our common life, and its common duties and opportunities. It is only a shallow mind that can think without being awed of the privilege or the responsibility which belongs to us as custodians of a light that may be dimned or desecrated in our keeping, but cannot die; so much stronger is it and more enduring than ourselves. Yet the words suggest, too, that if our life be as the fire, it must be as the fire in its intensity and purity. It is not worth having if it is dull and cold and heartless, if it is not enkindled with zeal and generosity.

I. THE FIRE OF ENTHUSIASM. It was said of Sir Walter Raleigh, “He can toil terribly”; and I think, if the great souls of the past could speak to you in tones that would command your interest, they would say that whatever good they did upon earth was achieved at the cost of strong resolve and strenuous effort.

II. THE FIRE OF INDIGNATION. It is not enough, right as it is, to love what is good. We must hate, we must spurn the evil. The wicked are always a discredited minority; and if the good had only the courage of their opinions, the wicked would never have the courage of theirs.

III. THE FIRE OF PERSONAL SANCTITY. The flame which consumes the dross of the world must itself be bright and beautiful. It must be “a burning and a shining light.” Yes, and it must be “ever burning”; it must “never go out.” It was the law of the Vestal Virgins in old time that night and day they should watch with sleepless care the everlasting fire upon the altar of the goddess. No calamity that could happen to the State was so terrible as if through their fault that fire should become extinct. But there was one essential condition of their watching: they must themselves be chaste; should any one of them break the Divine law of chastity, it was death for her and for him who made her break it. And oh! let us resolve that “the fire shall ever be burning upon the altar” of this school, which is so dear to us. Let it be bright, fierce, and lambent. Let it burn away the selfishness which lies at the heart of so many an one who knows it not. (J. E. C. Welldon, M.A.)

Habitual piety:—

I. PIETY MUST BE HABITUAL TO PROVE THAT IT IS REAL.

1. Whatever is chief in the heart will be ever showing itself in the life.

2. We shall thus surely and thus only verify and carry out the Scripture descriptions of godliness.

II. PIETY MUST BE HABITUAL IN ORDER TO BE PROGRESSIVE.

1. The attainment of holy character is by degrees.

2. These advances can only be attained by constant well-doing.

III. PIETY MUST BE HABITUAL IN ORDER TO BE USEFUL.

1. If there be inconsistency or fitfulness, a painful sense of insincerity will be felt by those to whom the truth may be addressed.

2. With habitual piety, how much greater weight, pathos, and earnestness will there be.

3. An unconscious yet speaking power is in such godliness.

IV. HABITUAL PIETY GIVES A DIGNITY AND ELEVATION TO THE WHOLE OF LIFE. It was a noble testimony that the son of J. A. James bore of his father: “I never found in him anything inconsistent or unworthy.” What a wreath to lay on that honoured tomb! Conclusion: See to it that the fire be ever burning. What Christian workers should we have then—lips touched with a live coal, because the heart is glowing with the sacred flame. What Churches should we have then—not formal and languishing, but strong in godliness and increasing in numbers. What households should we have then—where the younger members would prove their appreciation of devout sincerity and the attractiveness of lofty example. Individual influence would be benign as that of the Australian tree which destroys infection, and breathes health around; and the whole spiritual scene would be beautiful and fragrant, as “a field that the Lord hath blessed.” Cherish the sacred fire, if it is within. As the Parsees with the precious sandalwood keep alive the ever-burning flame in their temples, so with precious passages of Divine truth and prayer seek to keep alive and vigorous the name of love. (G. McMichael, B.A.)

The altar fire a symbol of regenerating grace:—

1. In its source or origin.

2. In its tendency.

3. In its nature and properties.

4. In its permanency.

5. In its perpetuity. Lesson: Be diligent in the use of the means of grace—

1. Prayer: secret, family, social.

2. Study of Bible.

3. Meditation.

4. Attendance on the ordinances. (G. F. Love.)

Fuel for heart flames:—

“I’ll master it,” said the axe, and the blows fell heavily on the iron; but every blow made his edge more blunt, till he ceased to strike. “Leave it to me,” said the saw, and with relentless teeth he worked backward and forward on its surface until they were all worn down or broken; then he fell aside. “Ha! ha!” said the hammer, “I knew you would not succeed; I’ll show you the way.” But at his first stroke off flew his head, and the iron remained as before. “Shall I try?” said a flame of fire. They all despised the flame, but he curled gently round the solid bar, and embraced it, and never left it, until, under his irresistible influence, it was so melted as to take the form of any mould you please. If hard hearts are to be won for Jesus, they must be melted, not hammered. No power has been found so effective as love for taking self-trust and self-righteousness out of men.

I. LET US SEEK TO FAN THE FLAME. Of the Baptist our Lord said, “he was a burning and a shining light.” Blessed eulogy! may it be earned by each one of us. “Burning and shining”—our very ideal of a minister; a hot heart with a clear head; impetuosity and prudence blended; zeal and knowledge linked in holy wedlock. The motto on David Brainerd’s banner, and the prayer in his heart, ever was, “Oh, that I were a flaming fire in the service of my God.” We have as our model Him who could say, “The zeal of Thine house hath eaten Me up”; and while we profess to be His followers, we dare not rest satisfied with the “icy torpor” and “decorous coldness” which are, alas! the usual temperature of too many professors. We do not wish to be for ever praying for the smouldering embers to be blown into a flame, for we covet a steady furnace heat, and no mere fitful zeal, which, like the fire from the horse’s hoof, dies in the moment of its birth. Most of us know the sad experience of preaching with the fire burning only amid grey ashes. We cannot expect much blessing while this is the case. If the gospel is to have a mighty effect upon the congregation, it must pass through the fire of an intense spiritual life in the preacher; and this life we feel we must have. And what a boon will it be to us also! What purifying force there is in consuming zeal and passionate love of souls! How it burns up all unworthy and selfish motives! This holy fire has also an educating force; by it the soul is transfigured, and made to enjoy a grand outlook. It awakens the intellect as nothing else can; it quickens the sensibilities of inferior minds, and makes them capable of achievements which, without it, they would never have dreamed of. John Howard had no commanding intellect, but what he had was illuminated with Divine light, and thus his name became immortal. Thomas Chalmers had always an intellect so commanding as to grasp a planet in its span; but it needed the grace of God to so illuminate the mind of Chalmers that he could write his astronomical discourses, and grasp, not a planet merely, but myriads of worlds as a boy handles his marbles, and move “like a strong swimmer in a stormy sea.” Divine fire in the soul kindles a light in the intellect, elevates every natural faculty, and makes it a handmaid to the Spirit of God; it burns every bond that Lies the tongue, and makes men orators who else were dumb. This, too, will give us the most attractive characters. It is said that the slopes of a volcano supply soil so fruitful that the richest vines flourish best upon them; when the heart is full of holy fire the life is sure to be adorned with the rich graces of the Spirit, productive of that fruit which glorifies our Father in heaven. And yet to have the heart throb with a might pulse of love—to have a holy passion thrilling and burning in every artery and vein will, in all probability, involve much trial. Every cherished idol of the heart must submit to the action of this fire. It will consume all that is consumable. Upon sin in the soul it will have no mercy. It will probably involve, too, the scorn of some whose friendship we fain would cultivate.

II. LET US NOW GATHER A FEW MATERIALS TO FEED IT. Scientific men are asking, “What is to be the fuel for coming ages?” “What will our great-great-great-grandchildren sit around instead of our household fire?” One authority suggests as a source of heat, when coal is exhausted, the beating of the tidal wave on the shore. Happily the Christian Church need not trouble herself with any conjectures as to the fuel which is to feed her fires. The light and love invested in the covenant of graces ages back will never be exhausted until every elect soul glows with love to God, and every redeemed wanderer is lighted back to his Father’s home. Does not even Nature speak to us upon this matter of earnestness in our Master’s work? The sun is earnest: in his path he never lingers, in his course he never halts: the stars never falter in their race, never swerve from their round; the sea is constant in its ebb and flow, unchanging in eternal change. All Nature says, “The King’s business requires haste”; and the man who is not in earnest when about “the King’s business” is out of gear with the universe, and is a blot in the creation of God. Our age speaks to us, we live in the cumulated light of succeeding ages. Our age, too, is telling upon ages yet to be—nay, upon eternity itself. Is there not inspiration, too, in the memory of our early vows? If we would be full of Divine energy, let us labour after a strong sense of the love of God in Christ. All the love of eternity meets here as in a focus, and if we only seek full and deep communion with it our lives will not lack the holy fire. There is one other thought which ought ever to arouse our spirits and inspire our hearts with zeal and courage in our holy warfare. We are on the winning side. Victory is surely ours. (W. Williams.)

The fire upon the altar:—

The term “fire” in Scripture language is commonly employed to express the judgment, Of God upon sin (Heb. 12:29; Psa. 50:2; 2 Thess. 1, &c.); and accordingly, when the Jewish worshipper (the veil being off his heart) contemplated the altar’s heaven-kindled flame, and bore in mind the Divine edict for its preservation, he was given to understand that the judgment of God was held in abeyance, that the Divine arrangements for turning aside that judgment from the contrite sinner though revealed to hope, were not consummated in fact, and, that as the fire, day by day, swallowed victim after victim, and burned still as fierce as ever, that victim had not yet been laid thereon whose blood should quench in mercy the fire maintained in justice. Well—“God is the Lord who hath showed us light; bind the sacrifice with cords, even to the horns of the altar”—the victim has been found and accepted; “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter”; His blood is “shed for many for the remission of sins,” and the fire is gone out—God Himself hath “put it out”: “for by one offering He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified,” and, “through the offering of the body of Christ once for all,” mercy and truth, righteousness and peace have met together, and like the wings of the mystic cherubim, they shadow the mercy-seat of God—the throne of Divine grace. Well, the fire is “gone out”—God Himself hath “put it out,” but in so doing He hath kindled another. Accordingly, when the fire of Divine justice died away in the offering up of Christ, the flame of Divine love shot upwards upon the altar-hearts of the Lord’s redeemed; it was and is kindled from above, for love begets love, and “we love Him because He first loved us.” This is the heavenly fire which kindles upon the altar of the heart, the sacrifice of the affections; it is the fruit of satisfied justice; it is the movement of Divine mercy, besprinkling the soul with the all-awakening, all-cleansing blood of Jesus, producing a responsive movement of the soul to God, by the drawings of the Spirit of grace, and lighting up a flame in its Divinely occupied recesses, not to be extinguished by the deepest waters of trial. “It shall never go out.”

1. In time of trial and affliction it shall not go out; for “in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion: in the secret of His Tabernacle shall He hide me.”

2. In seasons of spiritual depression it shall not go out; “O my God, my soul is cast down within me,” &c.

3. In the hour of temptation it shall not go out; “for God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able; but will, with the temptation, also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

4. When life, too, is waning, and the night of death is setting in, and the blighting chill is paralysing the frame as it enters the deep and dark river, it shall not go out; for “love is strong as death”; and “many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it.” (H. Hardy, M.A.)

The continual burnt-offering:—

This ordinance reminds us that Christ, as our Burnt-offering, continually offers Himself to God in self-consecration in our behalf. Very significant it is that the burnt-offering stands in contrast in this respect with the sin-offering. We never read of a continual sin-offering; even the great annual sin-offering of the Day of Atonement, which, like the daily burnt-offering, had reference to the nation at large, was soon finished, and once for all. And it was so with reason; for in the nature of the case, our Lord’s offering of Himself for sin as an expiatory sacrifice was not and could not be a continuous act. But with His presentation of Himself unto God in full consecration of His person as our Burnt-offering it is different. Throughout the days of His humiliation, this self-offering of Himself to God continued; nor, indeed, can we say it has yet ceased, or ever can cease. For still, as the High Priest of the heavenly Sanctuary, He continually offers Himself as our Burnt-offering in constantly renewed and constantly continued devotement of Himself to the Father to do His will. (S. H. Kellogg, D.D.)

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Use of means:—

That fire on the altar was lighted originally from heaven; it was lighted, it is supposed, from the bright glory that was in the cloud, and ultimately dwelt in the Tabernacle between the cherubim; but while lighted from heaven it was kept burning by human appliances. God never dispenses with means; He gives grace, and expects us to use means. So that text that many pervert, “My grace is sufficient for you,” some people practically read as if it were, “My grace is a substitute for you.” Now it is not so; it is sufficient for you, but it never will be a substitute for you. God does not canonise indolence. He lights the spark that is in the heart from heaven, and He expects that, by prayer, by reading, by thought, you will keep it constantly burning. (J. Cumming, D.D.)

Conscientious performance of holy duties:—

Be conscientious in the performance of holy duties. A fire which for awhile shoots up to heaven will faint both in its heat and brightness without fresh supplies of nourishing matter. Bring fresh wood to the altar morning and evening, as the priests were bound, for the nourishment of the holy fire. God in all His promises supposes the use of means. When He promised Hezekiah his life for fifteen years, it cannot be supposed that he should live without eating and exercise. It is both our sin and misery to neglect the means. Therefore let a holy and humble spirit breathe in all our acts of worship. If we once become listless to duty we shall quickly become lifeless in it. If we languish in our duties we shall not long be lively in our graces. (S. Charnock.)

The perpetual fire:—

So careful is God of this continual burning, that, if you mark, it is reported over and over (see vers. 9, 12). To this end, the priest’s care was to feed it with wood, and see to it day and night, and with no other fire might either sacrifice, or incense, be burned and offered to God. This fire was carefully kept upon the altar to the captivity of Babylon, and afterward found again of Neh. 2; 2 Macc. 1:18, 19. Of like from hence might grow that great honour and regard, which the heathens had fire in, whereof we read often. The Athenians in their Prytaneo, and at Delphos, and at Rome, of those Vestal Virgins continual fire was kept, and of many it was worshipped as a God. The Persians called it Orismada, that is, holy fire; and in public pomp they used to carry it before kings with great solemnity. What might be the reason why God appointed this ceremony of continual fire upon the altar, and how may we profit by it?

1. First, there was figured by it the death of Christ from the beginning of the world; namely, that He was the Lamb slain from the beginning for mankind, and by this shadow they were led to believe that although as yet Christ was not come in the flesh, nevertheless the fruit of His death belonged to them, as well as to those that should live when He came, or was come; for this fire was continual and went not out, no more did the fruit of His passion fail to any true believer, even from the beginning. But they were saved by believing that He should come, as we are now, by believing that He is come.

2. Also this fire came from heaven (chap. 9:24), and so should Christ in the time appointed. This fire was ever in, and never went out, and so is God ever ready to accept our sacrifices and appointed duties, ever ready to hear us and forgive us, but we are slow and dull, and come not to Him as we ought.

3. No other fire might be used but this, and so they were taught to keep to God’s ordinances, and to fly from all inventions of their own heads. For ever it was true, and ever will be true, “In vain do men worship Me, teaching for doctrines men’s precepts.” Our devices, seem they never so wise, so fit, so holy and excellent, they are strange fire, not that fire that came from heaven, not that fire that God will be pleased withal or endure. This fire coming first from heaven, and thus preserved, still preached unto them by figure, that as well did their sacrifices and services duly performed according to the law please God, as that did when first God sent His fire from heaven to consume it, in token of approbation, which surely was a great comfort to their consciences and a mighty prop to fainting, fearing weak faith.

4. This fire thus maintained and kept with all care, and “not suffered ever to go out,” taught them, and still may teach us, to be careful to keep in the fire of God’s holy Spirit, that it never die, nor go out within us. The fire is kept in by honest life, as by wood, by true sighs of unfeigned repentance, as by breath or blowing, and by meek humility, as by soft ashes. Oh, that we may have care to keep it in! what should I say? This continued fire taught then, and, though it be now gone and abrogated, may still teach us now, to be careful to keep in, amongst us, the fire of God’s Word, the true preaching of His truth, to the salvation of our souls.

5. For the fire hath these properties—it shineth and giveth light, it heateth, it consumeth, it trieth: so the preaching of the gospel.

“Thy Word is a lantern unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” St. Peter calleth it “a candle in a dark place,” and many Scriptures teach the shining light of it.

The heat in like sort: “Did not our hearts burn within us, whilst He talked with us, and opened the Scriptures? The fire kindled, and I spake with my tongue,” saith the Psalm; and as fire it pleased the Holy Spirit to appear at Pentecost, to show this fruit of effect of the Word preached by their mouths, it heateth the heart to all good life, and maketh us “zealous of good works.”

The dross of our corruption by degrees it washeth, the stubble of our fancies it “burneth up and consumeth,” so that we abhor the sins we have been pleased with, and hate the remembrance of evil passed.

6. Lastly, it trieth doctrine, and severeth truth from error; it trieth men, and discovereth hypocrites. All worthy motives to make us careful to preserve this fire perpetually amongst us whilst we live, and in a holy zeal to provide for it also when we are dead. So shall we live being dead; nay, so shall we assuredly never die, but with immortal souls, and never-dying tongues, praise His name that liveth for ever, and will have us with Him. (Bp. Babington.)

A fire easily perpetuated:—

At Kildare a memorial fire was kept up in honour of St. Bridget for seven hundred years, and extinguished in the thirteenth century by order of an Archbishop of Dublin. It is easier to keep up the outward fires of superstition than the Divine fire on the altar of the heart.

The constancy of religion:—

David Livingstone, who did so much toward opening up the dark continent of Africa, told the following story. When he was a boy, a faithful Christian man called him to his death-bed and said, “My son, make religion the everyday business of your life, and not a thing of fits and starts.” Livingstone’s life shows that he followed the advice to the day of his death, even to his last hour, which was spent on his knees in prayer to Him to whom he had so often gone for comfort.

Keeping the fire burning:—

In Florence good housewives use cakes of vine-refuse to keep the fire in when they are away from home. These cakes cannot yield much heat or create a blaze, but they feed sufficient fire to save lighting it again. Do not many obscure, untalented, but quietly sincere believers answer just this purpose in our churches? In dull and dead times they preserve “the things which remain and are ready to die”; they detain the heavenly flame, which else would quite depart, and though the best they can do is but to smoulder in sorrow at the declension of the times, yet they are not to be despised. When, in happier days, the fire of piety shall burn with renewed energy, we shall be grateful to those who were as the ashes on the hearth, and kept the dying flame alive.

Need for constant piety:—

Some Christians are like those toys they import from France, which have sand in them; the sand runs down, and some little invention turns and works them as long as the sand is running, but when the sand is all out it stops. So on Sunday morning these people are just turned right, and the sand runs, and they work all the Sunday; but the sand runs down by Sunday night, and then they stand still, or else go on with the world’s work just as they did before. Oh! this will never do! There must be a living principle; something that shall be a mainspring within; a wheel that cannot help running on, and that does not depend upon external resources.

Rekindling the spiritual fire:—

Epiphanius maketh mention of those that travel by the deserts of Syria, where are nothing but miserable marshes and sands, destitute of all commodities, nothing to be had for love or money; if it so happen that their fire go out by the way then they light it again at the heat of the sun, by the means of a burning-glass or some other device that they have. And thus in the wilderness of this world, if any man have suffered the sparks of Divine grace to die in him, the fire of zeal to go out in his heart, there is no means under the sun to enliven those dead sparks, to kindle that extinguished fire again, but at the Sun of Righteousness, that Fountain of Light, Christ Jesus. (J. Spencer.)

Constant light:—

Many hypocrites are like comets, that appear for awhile with a mighty blaze, but are very unsteady and irregular in their motion; their blaze soon disappears, and they appear but once in a great while. But true saints are like fixed stars, which, though they rise and set, and are often clouded, yet are steadfast in their orb, and shine with a constant light. (Pres. Edwards.)

A constantly burning lamp:—

Any man or woman, however obscure, whose life is clean, whose words are true, whose intention is to help God in His world, kindles a light which never goes out.

Leviticus: An Introduction and Commentary g. Burnt Offerings (6:8–13)

Whereas previous sections had dealt with the kinds of sacrifices that God required from his people, the remainder of chapter 6 and the whole of chapter 7, which form a distinct unit in the Hebrew text, comprise a manual of sacrificial procedure addressed to the priesthood. Following normal ancient Near Eastern priestly patterns, this material would be in written form from the very beginning. While the regulations cover the categories of offerings occurring in Leviticus 1:1–6:7, they do so with particular emphasis upon the eating of the sacrificial meat, and the extent to which the worshipper could participate with the priest at such meals. Aaron and his sons (9), as custodians of the priestly traditions, are instructed in the Law (Heb. tôrâ), a term meaning ‘direction’ or ‘instruction’ (cf. Lat. doctrina), which occurs at the head of passages in Leviticus 6:8–7:38 dealing with particular laws or groups of laws.

The priests are instructed to keep the altar fire burning continually (9–13), since the burnt offering had to be disposed of completely on the altar. The sacrifice now described is the continual burnt offering or tāmîd of Exodus 29:38–42, presented morning and evening for the community as a whole. This ceremony reminded the Israelites of their need for continuous worship of the Lord, and assured them of his constant vigilance on their behalf. The believer in Jesus Christ is freed from the necessity of observing prescribed ritual procedures as he walks with the Lord, and can rejoice in God’s presence and protection wherever he happens to be. The regulations governing the altar fire merely focus attention upon one aspect of the officiating priest’s duties, and are not intended to supplant the instructions already given in Leviticus 1:1–17. The priest was told that he had to keep the sacrificial animal all night on the hearth (9), this latter expression being better translated ‘on its firewood’. The fat from the sacrifice would drip down on the altar fire and enable it to burn until the following morning, at which time the priest was to follow the ritual prescribed for the removal of the fatty ashes. He wore a linen tunic and breeches for that task (cf. Exod. 28:39–42), linen being the material favoured for clothing by ancient Near Eastern priests, and when the ashes had been placed beside the altar he had to change into his other garments (11) and take the ashes to a clean refuse-heap outside the camp (cf. 4:12). In the meantime it was still his responsibility to keep the altar fire burning, adding more wood if necessary. It appears unlikely that ashes would be left to accumulate beside the altar for any length of time, as some commentators have suggested. Sabbath prohibitions regarding the kindling of fires (Exod. 35:3) did not apply to the tabernacle. Because there were two daily offerings, the altar fire burned continually (13). An ‘eternal flame’ can be amenable to a great deal of symbolism, or none at all. For the ancient Hebrews it typified, among other things, God’s presence among his people (cf. Exod. 13:21–22), and his own demands that his covenant nation should worship him alone. Some Christians have seen in this continuous fire the obedience of Jesus Christ our High Priest, who in obedience to the point of death (Phil. 2:8) offered himself as the perfect sacrifice for human sin.

The emphasis upon the fire ritual will doubtless have impressed the reader with two interesting facts. First, even in so apparently menial a task as the removal of ashes from the altar, it was the officiating priest, and not a deputy, who performed it. Secondly, for this work this same man had to be attired in a different form of dress from that worn in the holy place. There is always a dignity and an importance attached to the performance of the tasks which the Lord assigns to his servants, no matter how trivial the work may appear to be. The way in which one appears physically before God frequently betrays one’s attitude of mind (cf. Matt. 22:11–14). Indifference and casual behaviour are unacceptable when we are commanded to have our loins girded for service, however lowly that particular service might seem. As far as the priest in this section is concerned, his ministry on one and the same occasion could range from the emptying of altar ashes to the declaration that atonement had been made. Whatever the occasion, he was prepared both in appearance and intent, and by his versatility and readiness serves as a model for the Christian ministry in its widest sense.

Old Testament 6:8-13: The Burnt Offering

The Burnt Offering

6:9. burnt offering kept burning through the night. This section begins the instructions to the priests concerning the sacrifices that have been described in the previous chapters. The burnt offering was the last sacrifice to be offered for the day, and the regulations here specify that it should burn all night, with cleaning of the altar to take place in the morning. In this way petition on behalf of Israel can continue throughout the nighttime hours.

Courson’s Application Commentary, Old Testament Volume 1 (Genesis–Job) Leviticus 6:8–12 (a)

Leviticus 6:8–12 (a)

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt offering: It is the burnt offering, because of the burning upon the altar all night unto the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be burning in it. And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and his linen breeches shall he put upon his flesh, and take up the ashes which the fire hath consumed with the burnt offering on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar. And he shall put off his garments, and put on other garments, and carry forth the ashes without the camp unto a clean place. And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not be put out:

The fire on the altar was never to go out. Has the fire that once blazed in your heart and radiated from your life concerning the things of God been somewhat quenched? If so, go back to the Lord and offer Him your body as a burnt offering morning and evening. Dedicate yourself anew to Him and once again He will ignite your soul. Go for it in your witness, in your worship, in your work for Him. And light the darkness once again.

Leviticus 6:12 (b), 13

… and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order upon it; and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings. The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.

We will burn for the Lord through the burnt offering of sacrifice only to the degree that we share with Him the peace offering of fellowship. I can’t help but wonder how many of the children of Israel took the Lord up on His invitation to celebrate and commune with Him over the peace offering. But then, I wonder how many of us accept His invitation to dine with Him at the Table of Communion…

Evangelical Commentary on the Bible B. Priestly Regulations (6:8–7:38)

B. Priestly regulations (6:8–7:38). Having considered the offerings presented by believers, we now need to see how the priests carried out the ritual stipulations.

After a day of worship when carcasses and ashes had accumulated from the burnt offerings, the priests and Levites on duty dressed in linen clothes and removed everything that remained, placing it beside the altar (6:8–13). By keeping the hearth clean, the fire could burn well. They then changed to ordinary clothes and carried the refuse outside the camp while the tabernacle was still standing. Once the temple was built, the ashes and carcasses were taken out through the Dung Gate at the south wall and deposited in a clean place in the valley. In the early days, the area was called the Valley of Hinnom (Heb. gê hinnōm) but in time, the area took on symbolic significance; because of the continual smoke going up from this valley, it became the symbol for the ultimate destiny of unbelievers (Gehenna; Matt. 5:22).

The priests were also expected to ensure a continual fire at the altar of burnt offering in front of the tabernacle. One could make a gift of wood, so that a good supply of it was on hand at all times.

For each grain offering presentation, the officiating priest offered its memorial portion, with incense and oil, so that it burned on the altar as a pleasing aroma to the Lord (2:1–2; 6:14–23). What was left over was food for the priests.

Further instructions pertained to the anointing of priests. Each one to be anointed had to bring one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a grain offering, half of it to be presented in the morning and the other half in the evening at the times of the national burnt offering (Exod. 29:38–42). The priest was thereby reminded that his service was on behalf of the people of Israel. The flour was to be mixed with oil, incense was placed upon it, and it was burned completely on the altar; none was used for food.

The blood of the sin offering on behalf of a priest who had sinned as well as that offered by the representatives of the nation was taken into the tabernacle (later the temple) and sprinkled on the curtain in front of the ark of the covenant (6:24–30). The flesh of these offerings was not to be eaten; after the fat and innards had been placed upon the altar and the blood had been offered, the carcasses were taken outside the camp (later to the Valley of Hinnom) and burned.

The flesh of the sin offerings of the civil authorities as well as the laypeople could be eaten by the priests in the courtyard. Eating any part of the flesh made a person holy. If any blood was spattered on a garment, it had to be washed within the courtyard. Care was even taken when cooking the sin offering: (1) if prepared in a clay pot, then the pot had to be destroyed as there was no way to remove the blood which had seeped into the clay crevices; (2) if in a bronze pot, then the pot could be scoured clean, rinsed, and reused. Care was taken with this offering because it was sacred.

The fat and inner organs of the ram of the guilt offering (7:1–10) were to be burned on the altar along with its fat tail. Since the blood of this animal was not taken within the tabernacle, the priests could eat its flesh. What remained of the carcass was then taken outside the camp and burned.

The regulations for the priests regarding the thanksgiving or peace offering (7:11–36) have already been discussed (3:1–16): the priests could have the breast of any thanksgiving offering, while the officiating priest shared in the cakes of the grain offering as well as the right thigh of the animal offered as a thanksgiving offering.

Leviticus: An Introduction and Commentary (Sklar) ii. The Law of the Continual Burnt Offering (6:9b–13)

ii. The law of the continual burnt offering (6:9b–13)

This ‘law’ (RSV) concerns the continual burnt offering (6:9b). The offering is first described in Exodus 29:38–42 and consisted of two one-year-old lambs, along with their grain and drink offerings. One lamb would be offered in the morning and the other in the evening. By presenting them as burnt offerings, the Israelites acknowledged their need of atonement (Lev. 1:4) and requested that the Lord shine his favour on them (see at 1:9).

This law addresses two practical consequences of such an offering. First, since the offering would be smouldering throughout the night, the priest would have to clear the ashes in the morning (vv. 9–11). To do so, he had to wear his holy priestly clothes, so that he could have contact with the holy altar (v. 10a; cf. Exod. 28:42–43). After placing the ashes beside the altar on the east (v. 10b; cf. 1:16), the priest would change into regular clothes, since he was about to leave the tabernacle area (cf. Ezek. 44:17, 19). He would then carry the ashes outside the camp to a place that was ceremonially pure (NIV ceremonially clean, v. 11), an appropriate location for ashes from the holy altar (cf. 4:12; Num, 19:9).

The second practical consequence of this offering was the need for a fire to be kept burning on the altar continuously (v. 13). The priest was therefore to build up the fire every morning and lay the burnt offering on it (v. 12a). He would also add the fat of the fellowship offerings throughout the day, thus feeding the fire and aiding in the burning of the burnt offering (v. 12b).

Meaning

The text mentions three times the need for a continual fire (vv. 9b, 12, 13), emphasizing that this offering was to be burning continually. And since the offering’s purpose was to seek the Lord’s favour, this law taught the priests that they and the Israelites were to have a posture of continual dependence and worship before him (cf. Ps. 127:1; Deut. 6:5), a posture that the modern believer is also to have (cf. Matt. 22:37; 2 Cor. 12:9–10; Phil. 4:13).

At the same time, in order for the fire to burn continually, the priests would need to perform their duties diligently. If they did not, the worship of God would suffer (cf. 1 Sam. 2:12–36). This passage is therefore a strong exhortation to priestly faithfulness (cf. 1 Tim. 4:12–16) and, specifically, to intercede on Israel’s behalf for the Lord’s favour and help (cf. Eph. 1:15–23; Phil. 1:3–4; Col. 1:3–5). Israel’s priests did this by means of an animal offering, but Jesus, our great High Priest, does this by means of the perfect sacrifice of himself, by which he has eternally secured the Lord’s favour for ‘those who come to God through him’ (see Introduction, pp. 73–74; see also Heb. 7:25–27; 10:11–14; cf. Rom. 8:34–39).