“Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective fire pans, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. And fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. Then Moses said to Aaron, “It is what the Lord spoke, saying,
‘By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy,
And before all the people I will be honored.’”
So Aaron, therefore, kept silent.”
Leviticus 10:1-3
What a most alarming introduction to a chapter. This is shocking!
How in the world did Aaron’s sons end up this way?
- Observation 1 – In the previous chapter, the glory of the Lord had just filled the tabernacle. This is very important in understanding the context of what takes place here. The Lord previously, in Exodus 40, would not let Moses into the tabernacle. This was obviously a shock to Moses and Aaron, but it’s important as it relates to this story above. The fact is, God is holy. That means that in order for His holiness to be tame, God must be feared and obeyed. This fear is worship and obedience is without question. Moses knew this, and he articulated God’s commands ad nauseum.
- Observation 2 – The fire that was offered to the Lord was strange, and was not what God had commanded. This is the key to the judgment in the passage. Remember when the Israelite’s were protected during the last plague of Egypt? It was there where Moses gave specific instructions from God to the people of Israel, “…they shall take some of the blood [of the lamb] and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.” If there was a rogue or maverick Israelite who put some strange blood or another animal’s blood outside what He commanded on their door posts, then they would not have been spared the wrath of God. These were clear instructions, and the Israelites obeyed. In the case of Nadab and Abihu, the fire they offered was strange, and was disobedient.
- Observation 3 – Fire came down from the Lord and consumed them, and they died. This is immediate judgment. There are no questions asked, no opportunity for repentance, nothing. God’s judgment was swift, it was violent, and it was final.
- Observation 4 – Moses speaks to Aaron words of sober truth. He clarified three very important elements for Aaron: (1) God can be approached (2) when God is approached, He is to be treated as holy, and (3) God will be honored publicly.
- Observation 5 – Aaron did not speak. He was silenced. Elsewhere in Scripture, you see this same picture, “The LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before Him.” – Habakkuk 2:20.
What difference does this make for us today?
- Application 1 – Don’t be presumptuous…
- God’s glory was full in the temple. This is not a picture of the sun, or some cosmic light. This is the glory of God that is more resplendent, more awesome, more radiant, and more consuming than anything imaginable. Nadab and Abihu knew the method to approach God, and they failed. They were presumptuous with their respective fire pans, and they received in the end the judgment of their actions. Presumptuous simply means to do something without permission or without good reason. It’s essentially arrogance, and acting out of one’s own desires. At its root is pride. Pride is the cancer of presumption.
- Application 2 – Obey God’s Word & teach His Word…
- Application 3 – God’s judgment will be public & it is certain…
- God will one day publicly bring judgment upon all those who not in Christ.
- While God’s judgment is not always immediate, it is certain.
- For those who are not followers of Jesus, you will face the judgment of eternal separation from the fellowship and presence of God. This judgment will be swift, it will be violent, and it will be eternal. This is the horrifying sober truth.
- For those who are followers of Jesus, all your deeds done in the body will be judged. This is not a judgment pertaining to your fellowship with God, but rather a judgment upon how you lived your Christian life and your subsequent eternal reward.
- God will only be approached in fear and obedience. Scripture teaches that the only way to approach God is through Jesus Christ. There is no other way.
- Application 4 – Christ obeyed God perfectly and is our High Priest…
- God has provided a way to approach Him through His Son Jesus Christ.
- We now have not only access, but bold access to the Father through Jesus.
- Now, through faith in Christ, we can live this life through the power of the Holy Spirit–walking daily in dependence upon His convicting, humbling, and changing power within us!