Lev. 10: Nadab and Abihu: Out in a Blaze of Glory

So its a pretty shocking beginning to chapter 10.

Nadab and Abihu, the anointed ones and sons of Aaron, put some fire in their censers and added incense. However, the word says they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to His command. As they were walking in, fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them. Engulfed them, and they died.

Moses, whose tongue was no longer as tied as before he went before Pharaoh, had something to say immediately. He quotes the things God said previously:

"Among those who approach me
I will show myself holy;
in the sight of all the people
I will be honored."

So interesting that this was his first reaction. Mine was not like that. My first reaction was, "Whoa, over-reaction. God killed these two guys for such a small reason." But then I re-read Moses' quote from God. A small unholiness is still unholiness. The key word there is "holy." We can not forget how holy God is, and apparently Nadab and Abihu did. They were priests in training, and had witnessed the power and display of God numerous times, as sons of Aaron and nephews of Moses. They took the commands of God lightly. Commands that were very serious. They died because they were bringing unholiness into an holy environment. The result of this is, and has previously been, death.

Aaron remained silent. Of course. What can you say when you see your sons burned to death by God himself. You can't help but feel a little rejected. After Moses has his cousins carry the bodies away, Moses tells the anointed ones not to mourn. The Israelites can mourn, but those who lost their close relatives could not. They still bore the LORD's anointing and had to focus on the task...the holy task at hand.

God, presumably feeling a need to sort of explain Himself...or teach, then tells Aaron that the priests were not to drink wine while on duty. Perhaps this is what Nadab and Abihu did. It would have lowered their guard, and made their work become sloppy and caused them to flout God's solemn commands. Moses then tells the priests there just how important it is to distinguish between the holy and the common, the clean and the unclean. And that they must teach the Israelites the commands of the LORD, as given by Moses.

Moses then tells Aaron and the remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar to go ahead and finish the job and eat the offering. But they don't. They burned it. When Moses calls them on this in his anger, Aaron brings up that point that whoever offers the sacrifice should eat it, and Nadab and Abihu offered it, albeit wrongly, so he felt it inappropriate for his fearful and upset other sons to eat it.

I think the most important section here is the idea that Moses emphasizes the distinction between the holy and unholy...the uncommon and the common. God has a history already of this. He set apart Abraham. He makes place for the consecration of certain days, certain people...in a way, the priesthood is a microcosm of the nation of Israel in the realm of the rest of the population of the earth. There is life and death. There is holiness and unholiness (sin). There is a priesthood and laity.