The Sin Of Nadab & Abihu – Part One
Leviticus 9:22-10:7
The O.T. is of much value to the Christian, written for our learning, a great source of hope - Ro 15:4 “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Written for our admonition, that we might not make similar mistakes - 1 Co 10:11 “Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.” This includes even the book of Leviticus. It is a dry book too many, but of value to all. Its name is derived from Levi, from which tribe came the priests. It is primarily a handbook for priests under the Law of Moses. Reading it helps the Christian to better understand The Book Of Hebrews. Though, primarily a book outlining priestly rituals, it does record an incident involving the two sons of Aaron: Nadab and Abihu. What happened to them can provide valuable lessons for us. What did happen and what we can learn from it will serve as the basis for this study.
Let’s begin by reading about the incident involving Nadab and Abihu and the circumstances leading up to their actions. The consecration of Aaron and his sons as priests had just been completed - Lev 8-9. In Lev 9:22-24, the glory of the Lord appeared when Aaron blessed the people, “Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them, and he came down from offering the sin offering and the burnt offering and the peace offerings. And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting, and when they came out they blessed the people, and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the pieces of fat on the altar, and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.” Fire came out from before the Lord. The fire consumed the fat on the altar. The people shouted and fell on their face.
Having thus provided the setting of our lesson we start with the profane fire offered by Nadab and Abihu. They offered a fire not commanded by the Lord - Lev 10:1 “Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, which he had not commanded them.” It is called a “strange” fire (cf. KJV, NASB). The NIV and ESV translates it as “unauthorized” fire. -- It is important to note that it was something the Lord had not commanded! Fire went out from the Lord and devoured them - Lev 10:2 “And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD.” Compare the fire of Lev 9:24a “And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the pieces of fat on the altar,” with that of Lev 10:2. One indicated God’s acceptance, the other, God’s rejection. One indicated God’s blessing, the other, God’s curse. Why was God displeased? Several explanations have been offered:
They put hot coals in their censers which were not from the altar of burnt offering - Lev 16:12 “And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and he shall bring it inside the veil”; Exo 30:9 “You shall not offer unauthorized incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering, and you shall not pour a drink offering on it.” The prohibition against intoxicating drinks which followed lead some to believe they may have been drunk - Lev 10:8-10 “And the LORD spoke to Aaron, saying, "Drink no wine or strong drink, you or your sons with you, when you go into the tent of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean,” Their attempt to enter the Holy Place at an inappropriate time - Lev 16:1-2 “The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the LORD and died, and the LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat.” -- Their sin may have been a combination of these things, but verse one notes that it was doing that which God had not commanded
Note Moses’ explanation for what happened. Those who approach God must regard Him as “holy” - Lev 10:3a “Then Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD has said, 'Among those who are near me I will be sanctified,” “Holy” means “to set apart, consecrated”; i.e., to treat as special. Evidently the actions of Nadab and Abihu did not so respect God. God must be “glorified” before all - Lev 10:3b “and before all the people I will be glorified.'" This word means “to honor”. The actions of Nadab and Abihu therefore did not honor God. How does one honor God? One honors God by being in full submission to His commands and instructions.
Now note Moses’ further instructions to Aaron. Nadab & Abihu’s bodies were to be removed outside the camp - Lev 10:4-5 “And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, "Come near; carry your brothers away from the front of the sanctuary and out of the camp." So they came near and carried them in their coats out of the camp, as Moses had said.” Aaron and his surviving sons were not to grieve while still consecrated for service - Lev 10:6-7 “And Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar his sons, "Do not let the hair of your heads hang loose, and do not tear your clothes, lest you die, and wrath come upon all the congregation; but let your brothers, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning that the LORD has kindled. And do not go outside the entrance of the tent of meeting, lest you die, for the anointing oil of the LORD is upon you." And they did according to the word of Moses.”
It must have been very difficult for Aaron to lose his two sons in this way, on an occasion that should have been a time of great rejoicing for him. Since these things were written for our admonition (1 Co 10:11), what lessons might there be for us regarding the worship of God...? Let’s look at a few of these. When we approach God in worship, we must do only what He has commanded. This was the main mistake made by Nadab and Abihu - Lev 10:1. When we offer something God has not commanded we do not regard Him as holy - Lev 10:3 nor do we truly glorify Him - Lev 10:3. If God is holy and truly worthy of glory how can sinful man know what God desires as acceptable worship? Can sinful man read the mind of God? If so, then God is not all that holy (i.e., set apart)! If so, then God is not all that different from man and therefore not worthy of glory! Indeed, man cannot know without Divine revelation how God ought to be worshipped and glorified - Isa 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” This is one reason why I choose not to use mechanical instruments in worship. In the New Testament, only singing is specified - Ep 5:19 “addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart,”; Co 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” To offer praise with mechanical instruments would be something God has not commanded and would be presumptuous on our part. To do so would be trying to second-guess God. If God wanted such, He would have told us. Since He didn’t, we respect Him by offering only what He commands. What about God’s approval of mechanical instruments in the Old Testament? Here we can learn from the example of Moses. At one time, God told him to strike the rock to obtain water - Exo 17:6 “Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink." And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.” Later, God told him to speak to the rock - Num 20:8 ‘"Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle."’ When Moses did the second time what God said to do the first time he failed to “hallow” (show reverence) to God - Num 20:11-12 “And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them."’ He lost the right to enter the Promised Land - Num 20:12; Deu 32:51-52 “because you broke faith with me in the midst of the people of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, and because you did not treat me as holy in the midst of the people of Israel. For you shall see the land before you, but you shall not go there, into the land that I am giving to the people of Israel."’ What can we learn from the example of Moses? We must do what God has revealed for the time appropriate for us. God may have approved of instrumental music in the past, but He commands singing in the New Testament. We cannot simply say, “God allowed it in the past”, therefore it must be ok today.
We will continue this lesson by looking at some other applications from our text regarding the priority of God.
Leviticus 9:22-10:7
The O.T. is of much value to the Christian, written for our learning, a great source of hope - Ro 15:4 “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Written for our admonition, that we might not make similar mistakes - 1 Co 10:11 “Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.” This includes even the book of Leviticus. It is a dry book too many, but of value to all. Its name is derived from Levi, from which tribe came the priests. It is primarily a handbook for priests under the Law of Moses. Reading it helps the Christian to better understand The Book Of Hebrews. Though, primarily a book outlining priestly rituals, it does record an incident involving the two sons of Aaron: Nadab and Abihu. What happened to them can provide valuable lessons for us. What did happen and what we can learn from it will serve as the basis for this study.
Let’s begin by reading about the incident involving Nadab and Abihu and the circumstances leading up to their actions. The consecration of Aaron and his sons as priests had just been completed - Lev 8-9. In Lev 9:22-24, the glory of the Lord appeared when Aaron blessed the people, “Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them, and he came down from offering the sin offering and the burnt offering and the peace offerings. And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting, and when they came out they blessed the people, and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the pieces of fat on the altar, and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.” Fire came out from before the Lord. The fire consumed the fat on the altar. The people shouted and fell on their face.
Having thus provided the setting of our lesson we start with the profane fire offered by Nadab and Abihu. They offered a fire not commanded by the Lord - Lev 10:1 “Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, which he had not commanded them.” It is called a “strange” fire (cf. KJV, NASB). The NIV and ESV translates it as “unauthorized” fire. -- It is important to note that it was something the Lord had not commanded! Fire went out from the Lord and devoured them - Lev 10:2 “And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD.” Compare the fire of Lev 9:24a “And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the pieces of fat on the altar,” with that of Lev 10:2. One indicated God’s acceptance, the other, God’s rejection. One indicated God’s blessing, the other, God’s curse. Why was God displeased? Several explanations have been offered:
They put hot coals in their censers which were not from the altar of burnt offering - Lev 16:12 “And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and he shall bring it inside the veil”; Exo 30:9 “You shall not offer unauthorized incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering, and you shall not pour a drink offering on it.” The prohibition against intoxicating drinks which followed lead some to believe they may have been drunk - Lev 10:8-10 “And the LORD spoke to Aaron, saying, "Drink no wine or strong drink, you or your sons with you, when you go into the tent of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean,” Their attempt to enter the Holy Place at an inappropriate time - Lev 16:1-2 “The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the LORD and died, and the LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat.” -- Their sin may have been a combination of these things, but verse one notes that it was doing that which God had not commanded
Note Moses’ explanation for what happened. Those who approach God must regard Him as “holy” - Lev 10:3a “Then Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD has said, 'Among those who are near me I will be sanctified,” “Holy” means “to set apart, consecrated”; i.e., to treat as special. Evidently the actions of Nadab and Abihu did not so respect God. God must be “glorified” before all - Lev 10:3b “and before all the people I will be glorified.'" This word means “to honor”. The actions of Nadab and Abihu therefore did not honor God. How does one honor God? One honors God by being in full submission to His commands and instructions.
Now note Moses’ further instructions to Aaron. Nadab & Abihu’s bodies were to be removed outside the camp - Lev 10:4-5 “And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, "Come near; carry your brothers away from the front of the sanctuary and out of the camp." So they came near and carried them in their coats out of the camp, as Moses had said.” Aaron and his surviving sons were not to grieve while still consecrated for service - Lev 10:6-7 “And Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar his sons, "Do not let the hair of your heads hang loose, and do not tear your clothes, lest you die, and wrath come upon all the congregation; but let your brothers, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning that the LORD has kindled. And do not go outside the entrance of the tent of meeting, lest you die, for the anointing oil of the LORD is upon you." And they did according to the word of Moses.”
It must have been very difficult for Aaron to lose his two sons in this way, on an occasion that should have been a time of great rejoicing for him. Since these things were written for our admonition (1 Co 10:11), what lessons might there be for us regarding the worship of God...? Let’s look at a few of these. When we approach God in worship, we must do only what He has commanded. This was the main mistake made by Nadab and Abihu - Lev 10:1. When we offer something God has not commanded we do not regard Him as holy - Lev 10:3 nor do we truly glorify Him - Lev 10:3. If God is holy and truly worthy of glory how can sinful man know what God desires as acceptable worship? Can sinful man read the mind of God? If so, then God is not all that holy (i.e., set apart)! If so, then God is not all that different from man and therefore not worthy of glory! Indeed, man cannot know without Divine revelation how God ought to be worshipped and glorified - Isa 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” This is one reason why I choose not to use mechanical instruments in worship. In the New Testament, only singing is specified - Ep 5:19 “addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart,”; Co 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” To offer praise with mechanical instruments would be something God has not commanded and would be presumptuous on our part. To do so would be trying to second-guess God. If God wanted such, He would have told us. Since He didn’t, we respect Him by offering only what He commands. What about God’s approval of mechanical instruments in the Old Testament? Here we can learn from the example of Moses. At one time, God told him to strike the rock to obtain water - Exo 17:6 “Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink." And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.” Later, God told him to speak to the rock - Num 20:8 ‘"Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle."’ When Moses did the second time what God said to do the first time he failed to “hallow” (show reverence) to God - Num 20:11-12 “And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them."’ He lost the right to enter the Promised Land - Num 20:12; Deu 32:51-52 “because you broke faith with me in the midst of the people of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, and because you did not treat me as holy in the midst of the people of Israel. For you shall see the land before you, but you shall not go there, into the land that I am giving to the people of Israel."’ What can we learn from the example of Moses? We must do what God has revealed for the time appropriate for us. God may have approved of instrumental music in the past, but He commands singing in the New Testament. We cannot simply say, “God allowed it in the past”, therefore it must be ok today.
We will continue this lesson by looking at some other applications from our text regarding the priority of God.
