Misplaced Love

Aaron was a man of amiable disposition, whom God selected to stand with Moses and speak for him…. God might have chosen Aaron as leader; but He who is acquainted with hearts, who understands character, knew that Aaron was yielding and lacked moral courage to stand in defense of the right under all circumstances, irrespective of consequences. Aaron’s desire to have the good will of the people sometimes led him to commit great wrongs…. The same lack of firmness for the right in his family resulted in the death of two of his sons…. Nadab and Abihu failed to reverence the command of God to offer sacred fire upon their censers with the incense before Him….

Here is seen the result of loose discipline. As these sons of Aaron had not been educated to respect and reverence the commands of their father, as they disregarded parental authority, they did not realize the necessity of explicitly following the requirements of God…. Contrary to God’s express direction, they dishonored Him by offering common instead of sacred fire. God visited them with His wrath; fire went forth from His presence and destroyed them.

Aaron bore his severe affliction with patience and humble submission. Sorrow and keen agony wrung his soul. He was convicted of his neglect of duty. He was priest of the most high God, to make atonement for the sins of the people. He was priest of his household, yet he had been inclined to pass over the folly of his children. He had neglected his duty to train and educate them to obedience, self-denial, and reverence for parental authority. Through feelings of misplaced indulgence, he failed to mold their characters with high reverence for eternal things. Aaron did not see, any more than many Christian parents now see, that his misplaced love and the indulgence of his children in wrong was preparing them for the certain displeasure of God…. His gentle remonstrance, without a firm exercise of parental restraint, and his imprudent tenderness toward his sons were cruelty in the extreme.7Testimonies for the Church 3:293-295.
Courage and Conflict p. 102
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Prayer Requests
—-I have prayer request for an elderly lady who fell and broke her hip and her leg she has a bad heart so they are afraid to operate on her. Her name is Deb. M
—-Please pray for Mary who is having a great many health issues. Rose
—-Please pray for our family. Buck
—-Please pray that the advertising done for our special Sabbath program will bring people into our church and lead people to Jesus. Kathy
—-Please pray to GOD for my complete healing and recovery from Parkinson’s disease. Myke
—-I would also like to have prayers for a friend of mine who is still struggling with the death of her husband and son. Name is Reta. A couple months or so ago he went to work and literally fell dead and a month later the son died. Maryanne
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Dear Friends,

A week or so ago, I was looking at some old photos and videos of when Ronnie Jay and Esther were in college. I was reminded of something that happened after Esther’s recital. All of the attendees were invited to the main level for refreshments. I asked Ronnie Jay if he would take pictures since I had left my camera at home. He handed me his camera, so I could click away at my heart’s content.

After I had taken quite a few pictures, I decided that I’d have a few tortilla chips and a glass of punch. I hung the camera around my neck (a big mistake for someone as klutzy as I) and balanced them on my lap. Esther’s professor came over to talk to me. This made me nervous as I’m a little shy and I also knew all of the troubles he had given Esther that year, but here he was praising her profusely. Suddenly, as I turned my head to look at him (he was behind the chair that was beside me) the nearly full cup of juice became airborne and overturned all over Ronnie Jay’s camera as well as all down the front of me.

I didn’t even think of my pale blue suit that was now wet and sticky. I had only one concern. I grabbed Ronnie Jay’s camera and looked around for some way to dry it. The professor rushed to get some paper towels. I followed. After drying it carefully, I found my son to tell him what had happened. I knew how much that camera meant to him as he loved to go out into the fields and woods and take pictures of various wild animals. He was very sweet about it and assured me that it was ok. He knew it was an accident. Then, after looking it over carefully, he took a picture of me (I looked very distressed) and put the camera in its case.

On the way home, he was assessing the damage. All seemed to work except the zoom was slower than normal. I offered to see if it could be fixed, but he thought it would be alright after using it for a while. How thankful I was that Ronnie Jay understood and forgave me!

How often we fall into sin just as easily as I overturned the sticky fruit punch. Soon we are covered with our sin just as surely as the camera and I was wet with sticky juice. Soon we are in the condition Isaiah described, “the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.” Isa 1:5, 6 We become alarmed and attempt to clean ourselves up, but we soon find we are unable to do so. As Jeremiah says, “Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.” Jer 13:23

Praise God! There is Someone Who can clean us up! He, Who gave His Life for us, not only forgives us, but He helps us to follow His example. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.” 1 John 1:9-2:6

Yet, although Our Loving God forgives, He does not always take away the consequences. Often the scars remain just as surely as the zoom on Ronnie Jay’s camera did not respond as quickly as it did before the sticky bath I gave it. They are reminders so we may not want to do wrong again and desire always to do the right. May we do those things that are pleasing in His sight is my prayer.

Rose