Numbers 16:36-40

The next thing was that Eleazar, and of course I am sure it was done by those that Eleazar appointed to the responsibility, was to gather up the 250 censers of the rebels. They were given specific directions regarding the fire. They not only had to gather up the censers, but they had to make sure that the coals were taken somewhere away from where the rebels had either done their thing, or maybe beyond the camp.

That spurs a question. Why pick up the censer but scatter the coals? He specifically says that the censers are holy, but He does not say the coals are holy. Is it possible that the coals did not come from under the altar from where they were supposed to come from, but that they did like Nadab and Abihu, and took coals from a common profane fire, and since it was not holy fire, it had to be distributed somewhere outside of the holy camp? We are going to come back to this later on, because this becomes very interesting. I do not know whether we will get to it in this sermon, but it begins to become very interesting a little bit later.

Numbers 16:36-40

It says very clearly in those four or five verses that the censers used by the rebels were holy. But even though it is not directly mentioned, the implication is that the fire used was not holy because of the way that it was treated. "Take it out there and scatter it," He said. We are going to review this because the activity that is commanded here involving the censer and the fire in this episode, when combined with the death of Aaron's sons in Leviticus 10:1, has important bearing toward understanding the requirements of holiness and the use of holy things.