God's people will never measure up without obeying him.
2 So fire blazed forth from the LORD's presence and burned them up, and they died there before the LORD.
3 Then Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD meant when he said, 'I will display my holiness through those who come near me. I will display my glory before all the people.'" And Aaron was silent.
It is amazing how quick the gift of the priesthood and the benefits of "God with us" that the priesthood made possible was turned into a curse. It's no different than the way we treated the presence of God in Eden or how God's people turned their abundance in the promised land into a curse.
In the previous post we saw that God's glory was displayed when God's people were obedient in worshipping him but, like everything else that God gives us, we will see today that God's good gifts have always been rejected or perverted.
It seems like Nadab and Abihu worked together in their sinful actions. Instead of listening to God and worshipping him correctly they found within each other the same prideful spirit that would make them boldly disobey God. Disobedience in general is a bad thing but to disobey God in worship is a very callous behavior that God has already addressed on several occasions.
The two dead priest had many advantages in their lifetime, they were there when God rescued his people from Egypt, they were there when the Egyptians drowned, they were there when God descended on Mount Sinai and they were there when God shared a covenant meal with them. (Exodus 24:1-18) They were also there when their father made the golden calf for the people to worship.
A casual reading of the story in Leviticus 10 doesn't make it very clear just how wrong their actions were. This list compiled from the Warren Wiersbe Bible Commentary shows us clearly how wrong their behavior was:
- They were the wrong people to be handling the incense and presenting it to the Lord. This was the task of their father, the high priest. (Exodus 30:7–10).
- They also used the wrong instruments, their own censers instead of the censer of the high priest, sanctified by the special anointing oil. (Exodus 40:9).
- They acted at the wrong time, for it was only on the annual day of Atonement that the high priest was permitted to take incense into the Holy of Holies, and even then he had to submit to a special ritual. (Leviticus 16:1)
- They acted under the wrong authority. They didn’t consult with Moses or their father, nor did they seek to follow the Word of God, which Moses had received.
- They used the wrong fire, what Scripture calls "strange fire". The high priest was commanded to burn the incense on coals taken from the brazen altar. (Leviticus 16:12)
Serving God isn't something to be done by our own rules and by our own power. We cannot bring honor to God by our disobedience. If we truly believe that God is perfect and his ways are perfect then we should seek to follow his perfect ways so that we will become more like him.
We can't explain adequately why God gave Aaron a second chance to worship correctly (Exodus 32:1-25), a mercy that was also extended to Cain (Genesis 4:1-16) but Nadab and Abihu were killed immediately just as we also see in the early church. (Acts 5:1-11)
Divine justice is difficult for us to understand, from our point of view it seems to be administered unfairly, only God knows why mercy and grace are given in some circumstances but not always. God has the right to give to any of us whatever he wants and we have no right to complain or accuse him. (Matthew 20:1-16)
Luke 12:5 But I'll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, he's the one to fear.
Our world has reduced God to love and mercy so that they, and most of the church as well, can avoid the attributes of God that are seen as less perfect than the others. Jesus himself made it clear without apology that God's perfections includes his wrath, his justice and the right to elect those that would know him and be with him for eternity.
The failure of the Old Testament priest shows us the need that couldn't be met by an imperfect High Priest. The failures of the Old Testament priest grew so much that when Jesus comes to earth the High Priest and the priest under him are only holy in their own eyes.
1 Corinthians 10:11-13 These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age. 12 If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. 13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
The hope that the world gives is nothing more than hype. Their lies will get us nowhere in this life and it cannot stand next to the hope of the gospel that gives us a right relationship with God despite our failures.
Do you know the perfect High Priest that has the power to save and give you peace with God?
RELATED ARTICLES
3 Things You Should Know about Leviticus
(ligonier.org)
Is There A Wrong Way To Worship God? (davidjeremiah.blog)
