by Eric Holter on January 5, 2007
“For seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it; then the altar shall be most holy, and whatever touches the altar shall be holy.”
Exodus 29:37
“For we are the temple of the living God…”
2 Corinthians 6:16
Such incredible care was taken in the preparation, ordination and consecration of Aaron, his sons, and the altar for their use in the sacrificial ministry. These processes included washing procedures, proper clothes, the acceptable characteristics of the animals used, and how each of the animal’s inner parts were to be offered. These procedures and processes had to be followed perfectly when ministering in the tent of meeting. Once consecrated, the altar was most holy. Anything used in connection with the altar, whatever touched the altar, was holy and consecrated for use only on the altar. Consecrated holy things must not be used in common ways. They must be handled with reverence and care. The knife used to cut apart the ram must not be used to prepare a meal. The knife of the altar may only be used at the altar. Treating holy things as common or despising the procedures given for the altar were met with swift judgment without mercy–as Aaron’s sons discovered.
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by Eric Holter on December 5, 2006
“Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself. Yet He did not stretch out His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; and they saw God, and they ate and drank.”
Exodus 24:9-11
What an amazing sight enjoyed not only by Moses and Aaron but also Nadab, Abihu and the seventy elders. These men saw God. They saw a glimpse into the glory of heaven. They saw God standing upon a clear sapphire foundation. They saw Him with their own eyes–and did not die! What a privilege, what a sight. To see God Himself, to see Him in His glory is the ultimate desire of the human soul and the best result of our entire existence–to see Him (and not be struck down dead) is the successful end of our purpose for living. These men saw it–and then they ate and drank.
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by Eric Holter on February 10, 2005
“My son, eat honey, for it is good,
Yes, the honey from the comb is sweet to your taste;
Know that wisdom is thus for your soul;
If you find it, then there will be a future,
And your hope will not be cut off.”
Proverbs 24:13
This year my wife discovered and introduced me to at a terrific show on the Food Network called “Good Eats” It’s a cooking show. It’s informative and instructional like other cooking shows but it is so much better because its host, Alton Brown, provides extremely interesting historical and scientific information about the process of cooking. On top of that, the show is very entertaining, fun, silly, and captivating.
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by Eric Holter on January 5, 2005
“A sated man loathes honey,
But to a famished man any bitter thing is sweet.”
Proverbs 27:7
Proverbs 16:16 declares, “How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver.” If getting wisdom is better than getting gold, I can rejoice when God gives me hunger. Anyone who is hungry longs to eat and dreams of abundance. I think the desire for abundance is built into being human. Sometimes God actually give us abundance, but usually more hunger comes along with it. In this sense I am always going to be in a state of hunger. This is okay, because the abundance God intendeds for me, is with Him in heaven.
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by Eric Holter on August 15, 2004
“How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,
Who walks in his ways.
When you shall eat the of the fruit of your hands,
You will be happy and it will be well with you. ”
Psalms 128:1-2
God is the ultimate spice! When my ultimate intention and goal in life is to fear God and walk in His ways, His abundant blessings extend even to such simple things as increasing the enjoyment of eating food. In other words, a true engagement with the living God takes simple things like eating food and multiplies their enjoyment so that they become both richer and happier experiences in themselves – but also, and more importantly, they increase our enjoyment and deepen our delight in God Himself.
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