Strange Fire Part 2

Yesterday, we looked at what "strange fire" actually meant. Based upon what happened to the sons of Aaron when they attempted to add some man made fire to the set apart fire provided by YHWH, it is safe to conclude that man made fire is not desired by YHWH. It cost the sons of Aaron their lives. While it may not cost us our physical lives today, it could be spiritually dangerous. I have seen many types of man made fire. I was aware of one denomination that created an entire list of do's and don'ts that were considered standards of holiness. For example, woman could not cut their hair, could not wear pants or shorts, could not use make up, or go outside without a pair of hose on. Men could not attend sporting events, bowling alleys, or wear shorts or shirts that exposed their elbows. Neither men or women could own a television, go to movies, or wear wedding rings if they were married. These were considered standards of holiness. Will you find them in the Set Apart Scriptures? The answer is "no." You have to do a lot of manipulation of texts and ignore the Hebraic root of the Scriptures to reach such conclusions.

Some might think it is just harmless to make up these type of rules. However, if you believe these man made rules are signs of being set apart to YHWH, you have created strange fire. When these type of rules are created, they become the standard by which people are admitted into fellowship as members. Most every denomination that ignores the standards set by YHWH have their own. What are the standards of being set apart established by YHWH? They are Sabbath remembrance, Torah study, keeping the Biblical feasts, keeping the dietary laws, loving Him with your entire person, and loving your neighbor as yourself. When YHWH says, "You shall be set apart because I am set apart," does He not have the right to determine what being set apart actually means? What right does man have to determine what being set apart is? Does the substitution of man's ideas for YHWH's commands ring any bells? Hint: Think about Eve in the Garden of Eden formulating her opinion in place of YHWH's command concerning the forbidden fruit.

Do not be fooled into thinking that man can create rules for "holiness." It is YHWH's standard that we should seek to obey. We will find those standards in His Word, and not in a church manual.