“Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu put coals of fire in their incense burners and sprinkled incense over them. In this way, they disobeyed the Lord by burning before him the wrong kind of fire, different than he had commanded. So fire blazed forth from the Lord’s presence and burned them up, and they died there before the Lord. 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. Then Moses called for Mishael and Elzaphan, Aaron’s cousins, the sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel. He said to them, “Come forward and carry away the bodies of your relatives from in front of the sanctuary to a place outside the camp.” So they came forward and picked them up by their garments and carried them out of the camp, just as Moses had commanded. Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not show grief by leaving your hair uncombed or by tearing your clothes. If you do, you will die, and the Lord’s anger will strike the whole community of Israel. However, the rest of the Israelites, your relatives, may mourn because of the Lord’s fiery destruction of Nadab and Abihu. But you must not leave the entrance of the Tabernacle or you will die, for you have been anointed with the Lord’s anointing oil.” So they did as Moses commanded. Then the Lord said to Aaron, “You and your descendants must never drink wine or any other alcoholic drink before going into the Tabernacle. If you do, you will die. This is a permanent law for you, and it must be observed from generation to generation. You must distinguish between what is sacred and what is common, between what is ceremonially unclean and what is clean. And you must teach the Israelites all the decrees that the Lord has given them through Moses.” Then Moses said to Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, “Take what is left of the grain offering after a portion has been presented as a special gift to the Lord, and eat it beside the altar. Make sure it contains no yeast, for it is most holy. You must eat it in a sacred place, for it has been given to you and your descendants as your portion of the special gifts presented to the Lord. These are the commands I have been given. But the breast and thigh that were lifted up as a special offering may be eaten in any place that is ceremonially clean. These parts have been given to you and your descendants as your portion of the peace offerings presented by the people of Israel. You must lift up the thigh and breast as a special offering to the Lord, along with the fat of the special gifts. These parts will belong to you and your descendants as your permanent right, just as the Lord has commanded.” Moses then asked them what had happened to the goat of the sin offering. When he discovered it had been burned up, he became very angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s remaining sons. “Why didn’t you eat the sin offering in the sacred area?” he demanded. “It is a holy offering! The Lord has given it to you to remove the guilt of the community and to purify the people, making them right with the Lord. Since the animal’s blood was not brought into the Holy Place, you should have eaten the meat in the sacred area as I ordered you.” Then Aaron answered Moses, “Today my sons presented both their sin offering and their burnt offering to the Lord. And yet this tragedy has happened to me. If I had eaten the people’s sin offering on such a tragic day as this, would the Lord have been pleased?” And when Moses heard this, he was satisfied.”
Leviticus 10:1-20 NLT
God doesn’t expect men to be perfect but he does expect them to be holy. Their holiness isn’t capable of generating salvation from their sins, but it is capable of participating with God’s plan for salvation. He expects people to do what they can, to set themselves apart and participate in God’s goodwill. It is to this end that the levitical laws were given and it is to this day end that the levitical priesthood was made. To be holy is to be set apart. The laws were clear and the ability to follow them was not hindered. Aaron’s sons did not do so. They performed their priestly duties without viewing them as a holy or sacred task. This is why God spoke to Aaron directly his command that their must be a distinction that is made between the sacred and the common. The priesthood isn’t performed out of familiarity. It is not a right, but a privilege, and the mistreatment of it is not acceptable. To treat it this way would send a message to the people that God’s holiness is a farce. This is why their replacements were not allowed to show grief regarding their deaths. It was important, for the sake of the people, that they show that Nadab and Abihu, by their flippant behavior, chose to die. In this way, their death could bring life.
God’s Expectation of Men: God expects men to be holy, not perfect, and participate in God’s plan for salvation.
Purpose of Levitical Laws and Priesthood: The Levitical laws and priesthood were established to promote holiness and set people apart for God’s goodwill.
Consequence of Disrespecting Priesthood: Nadab and Abihu’s disrespectful treatment of the priesthood resulted in their deaths, serving as a warning to the people about the seriousness of God’s holiness.
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