Death of Nadab and Abihu
10
📚And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, both took their censers, and put fire in them, and put incense on them, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he had not commanded them. 2 📚And fire came out from the LORD, and consumed them, and they died in the presence of the LORD.10:1-2 Judging from other verses in this chapter this event took place on the solemn day that Aaron and his sons began their ministry as described in chapter 9. The sin of Nadab and Abihu is not fully described. It is said only that they offered unauthorized fire in their censors. According to Lev 16:12 the fire used in censors to burn incense came from off the brazen altar that stood in the court of the tabernacle (this signifies that true prayer and worship are to have their source in the cross, the sacrifice of Christ). No other fire, such as one a person would start for his own use, was permitted for the burning of incense. Nadab and Abihu ignored this and offered their own fire.
Also the duty of burning incense ordinarily belonged to the high priest (Ex 30:7-9), and not to his sons. The incense spoke of the prayers of Christ (see Ex 30:6-9). Nadab and Abihu apparently without any instructions from anyone, on their own initiative, ignoring their father’s rights, offered incense. They paid the penalty for their rashness and arrogance. All this contains important lessons for all of us. Incense signifies prayer and worship (Ps 141:2; Rev 8:3).
God must be worshiped in the way He appoints, not according to what man thinks good (John 4:24; Heb 10:19-22). God is showing here how serious a sin false worship is. God’s holy anger is like a consuming fire against sin, including that sin (2 Thess 1:4-10; Heb 12:28-29; 2 Pet 2:1-3; Rev 20:15; Num 25:3).🪶
3 📚Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD spoke, saying, ‘I will be sanctified among those who come near me, and in the presence of all the people I will be glorified.’ ” And Aaron kept silent.
10:3 This gives an explanation of the death of Nadab and Abihu. They had no regard for the holiness of God, the sacredness of His presence. They were not thinking of the proper way of approaching Him, nor of His honour. Aaron understood this and so uttered not a word.🪶
4 📚And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel, Aaron’s uncle, and said to them, “Come near, carry your brothers away from the sanctuary, out of the camp”. 5 📚So they went near, and carried them in their tunics out of the camp, just as Moses said.
6 📚And Moses said to Aaron, and to Eleazar and to Ithamar, his sons, “Do not uncover your heads, or tear your clothes, so that you do not die, and so that wrath does not come on all the people. But let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, lament the burning which the LORD has kindled. 7 📚And you shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, so that you do not die; for the LORD’s anointing oil is on you”. And they did according to the word of Moses.
10:6-7 All this happened on the day that Aaron and his sons were anointed and consecrated. At that time they had received a command not to leave the entrance of the tabernacle for seven days (Lev 8:34-35). They had their holy turbans on and must not remove them; they wore their holy priestly garments and must not put them off (Lev 8:6-10).🪶
Instructions for priests
8 And the LORD spoke to Aaron, saying, 9 📚“Do not drink wine or strong drink, neither you nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of the congregation, so that you do not die. This shall be a regulation forever throughout your generations, 10 📚so that you may make a distinction between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean, 11 📚and that you may teach the children of Israel all the regulations which the LORD has spoken to them through Moses”.
12 📚And Moses spoke to Aaron, and to Eleazar and to Ithamar, his sons who were left, “Take the grain offering that remains from the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and eat it without yeast beside the altar; for it is most holy. 13 📚And you shall eat it in the holy place, because it is your due, and your sons’ due, from the sacrifices of the LORD made with fire; for so I am commanded. 14 📚And you shall eat the wave breast and lifted up shoulder in a clean place, you, and your sons, and your daughters with you; for they are your due, and your sons’ due. They are given out of the sacrifices of peace offerings of the children of Israel. 15 📚They shall bring the lifted up shoulder and the wave breast with the offerings of fat made by fire, to wave it as a wave offering before the LORD, and it shall be yours, and your sons’ with you, by a permanent regulation, just as the LORD has commanded”.
16 📚And Moses looked carefully for the goat of the sin offering, and found out that it had been burned. And he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the remaining sons of Aaron, and said, 17 📚“Why have you not eaten the sin offering in a holy place, since it is most holy, and God has given it you to bear away the guilt of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the LORD? 18 📚See, its blood was not brought inside the Holy Place. You should in fact have eaten it in a holy place, as I commanded”.
19 📚And Aaron said to Moses, “Look, today they have offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the LORD; and such things have happened to me. And if I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been accepted in the sight of the LORD?” 20 📚And when Moses heard that, he was content.