A glance at Exodus 4, 14-16 and 27-28 will show us how was called:
"And the anger of the Lord was kindled against , and Hs said, Is n
not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well, and
also behold he cometh forth to meet thee, and when he seeth thee he will
be glad in his heart. And thou shalt speak unto him and put words in
his mouth; and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will
teach you what ye shall do; and he shall be thy spokesman unto the people"
Thus Aaron was called of God; and in all ages when God has had a people
on the earth, His servants have been duly called of Him and ordained,
and the stamp of His approval has been placed on their labors in signs
and wonders and miraculous manifestations.
LACK OF AUTHORITY.
Not only are the Scriptures teeming with evidence that the servants
of God were duly authorized, call ed and ordained, to officiate in the
ordinances of His house in all ages of which the Bible gives us any ac-
count, but the fact stands out in bold relief, that in every instance
where men dared to act without authority the Lord manifested His dis-
pleasure in a just rebuke for their presumption; as in the case of
King recorded in I Sam, 13, 8-13: "And he tarried seven days ac-
cording to the set time that had appointed, but Samuel came not
to Gilgal and the people were scattered from him. And Saul said, Bring
hither a burnt offering to me and peace offerings. And he offered the
burnt offering. And it came to pass that as soon as he had made an end
of offering the burnt offering, behold Samuel came; and Saul went out
to meet him. And Samuel said What hast thou done? and Saul said Be-
cause I sawst that the people were scattered from me and that thou
camest not within the days appointed, and that the Phillistines gathered
themselves together at Michmash; therefore said I: The Phillistines will
come down now upon me to Gilgal and I have not made supplication unto
the Lord; I forced myself therefore and offered a burnt offering. And
Samuel said to Saul: Thou hast done foolishly; thou hast not kept the
commandment of the Lord thy God which He commanded thee; for now would
the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel forever, but now thy
kingdom shall not continue. The Lord hath sought Him a man after His
own heart and the Lord hath commanded him to be Captain over His people
because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee." And thus
he lost his kingdom and his life through daring to officiate in the
priest's office without authority. Nor did , king of Judah re-
ceive any better recognition, for though he had gained the favor of
heaven in his earlier days through obedience to the commands of God,
yet in after years when proud and haughty and flushed with victory, he
essayed to officiate in the Priest's office, as shown in the following:
"But when he was strong his heart was lifted up to his destruction, for
he transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into the temple of
the Lord to burn incense upon the alter of incense. And , the
priest went in after him and with him four score priests of the Lord that
were valiant men. And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto
him: It pertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the Lord,
A glance at Exodus 4, 14-16 and 27-28 will show us how was called:
"And the anger of the Lord was kindled against , and Hs said, Is n
not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well, and
also behold he cometh forth to meet thee, and when he seeth thee he will
be glad in his heart. And thou shalt speak unto him and put words in
his mouth; and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will
teach you what ye shall do; and he shall be thy spokesman unto the people"
Thus Aaron was called of God; and in all ages when God has had a people
on the earth, His servants have been duly called of Him and ordained,
and the stamp of His approval has been placed on their labors in signs
and wonders and miraculous manifestations.
LACK OF AUTHORITY.
Not only are the Scriptures teeming with evidence that the servants
of God were duly authorized, call ed and ordained, to officiate in the
ordinances of His house in all ages of which the Bible gives us any account, but the fact stands out in bold relief, that in every instance
where men dared to act without authority the Lord manifested His displeasure in a just rebuke for their presumption; as in the case of
King recorded in I Sam, 13, 8-13: "And he tarried seven days according to the set time that had appointed, but Samuel came not
to Gilgal and the people were scattered from him. And Saul said, Bring
hither a burnt offering to me and peace offerings. And he offered the
burnt offering. And it came to pass that as soon as he had made an end
of offering the burnt offering, behold Samuel came; and Saul went out
to meet him. And Samuel said What hast thou done? and Saul said Because I saw that the people were scattered from me and that thou
camest not within the days appointed, and that the Phillistines gathered
themselves together at Michmash; therefore said I: The Phillistines will
come down now upon me to Gilgal and I have not made supplication unto
the Lord; I forced myself therefore and offered a burnt offering. And
Samuel said to Saul: Thou hast done foolishly; thou hast not kept the
commandment of the Lord thy God which He commanded thee; for now would
the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel forever, but now thy
kingdom shall not continue. The Lord hath sought Him a man after His
own heart and the Lord hath commanded him to be Captain over His people
because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee." And thus
he lost his kingdom and his life through daring to officiate in the
priest's office without authority. Nor did , king of Judah receive any better recognition, for though he had gained the favor of
heaven in his earlier days through obedience to the commands of God,
yet in after years when proud and haughty and flushed with victory, he
essayed to officiate in the Priest's office, as shown in the following:
"But when he was strong his heart was lifted up to his destruction, for
he transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into the temple of
the Lord to burn incense upon the alter of incense. And , the
priest went in after him and with him four score priests of the Lord that
were valiant men. And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto
him: It pertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the Lord,
