True Worship and Stewardship

The readings today strip away every false religion that keeps an outward form while the heart remains crooked. Nadab and Abihu drew near with a fire God had not commanded, and judgment fell at once. So we are warned that the worship of God is not ours to invent. Cyprian says, “The sons of Aaron also, who set upon the altar a strange fire not commanded by the Lord, were at once blotted out in the sight of the avenging Lord.” The Lord is merciful, as the psalm teaches, and in fear we may trust in His word; yet His mercy is not permission for self-chosen devotion.

Isaiah therefore exposes the fast that keeps the mouth pious and the hands unjust. To abstain from bread while withholding bread from the hungry is fraud before God. To bow the head while binding another man with harsh dealing is not worship but mockery. Theophilus says plainly: “Loose every band of wickedness, dissolve every oppressive contract, let the oppressed go free, and tear up every unrighteous bond.”

This joins naturally to the Lord’s warning about stewardship. Our money, our food, our houses, even our authority over others, are not truly ours; they are entrusted for a short hour, and an account will be required. The rich man who feasted without mercy and the steward who handled another’s goods both stand as a warning. What men praise—display, wealth, reputation, religious appearance—may be foul before God, who knows the heart.

Therefore let your trust in God become obedience: plain prayer, honest dealings, a restrained appetite, and open-handed care for the poor. This is clean fire on the altar.