What did Nadab and Abihu do that was so wrong?

[just-me]

Again, the KJV and the Complete Jewish Bible do not say the people shouted "for joy" - the glory of the Lord can also be for rejection of righteous judgment. They fell on their faces but it doesn't say they were praying like they should have been at the time. I might add if incense was to be burnt then the people were to be in prayer. I didn’t say that this was the correct time to burn the incense.



ELIN wrote; The Hebrew word used for "shout" (ranan) means "to cry aloud, sing."

According to Strong’s Concordance # 7442 shouted/ranan=”to creak (or emit a stridulous sound)” Usually equated with joy, or a sound of triumph, and I might add, it is leaving the option open to our understanding of the reality of the circumstance at the time. Not really knowing that ‘stridulous’ means, I went to the Webster dictionary and it means “Making a small creaking sound” relating to the word “stridulation”= “A small, harsh, creaking noise, as by some insects”

ELIN wrote; Where are they commanded to pray at that time so that they are in disobedience for shouting with joy instead of praying?

What I originally wrote concerning prayer was “In Exodus 30:7 & 8 we read (Nadab and Abihu understood also) that Aaron was chosen by God to be the one to burn incense, and the recipe for the incense was not to be different or duplicated according to Exodus 30:34-38. Note in verse 7 and verse 36 of this chapter that God said, “Where I will meet thee.” This, to me, is a clear indication that the burning of incense is representative of prayer in every case. Also God says in verse 36 “it shall be unto you most holy.” Now look into the time of prayer that we read Luke 1:10 relating it to the burning of incense. (Psalm 141:2, Acts 3:1, Acts 10:3 and 30)
If what I present to you is true, it is also interesting to note that Jesus was on the cross of Calvary between the times that the high priest was to offer this incense for burning, and the smoke being relative to prayers. (Malachi 1:11, Mark 15:25, Mark 15:34-38, Acts 2:15-18)” Restating this from my original post I never insinuated that the people were commanded to pray during this devastating time in Biblical history. Nevertheless, I appreciate you bringing it up because it is important to understand prayer was offered during the burning of incense.

Originally Posted by just-me
So without using my misinformation, could you enlighten me on the spiritual significance of Lev chapters 9-10, please?


ELIN wrote; that is found here in the Biblical Principles and Personal Applications presented.

ELIN wrote;The main point of misinformation on Nadab and Abibu is that what they did wrong involved the sacrifices.
It involved only incense.

I will differ in your address concerning the burning of strange incense for it was “strange fire” that is being addressed here not “strange incense” as stated earlier in Exodus 30:9. As I understand, the incense was already made according to the commandment of God and was at the disposal of Aaron when God commanded him to burn it. I don’t believe that they had to wait for it to be mixed during the time of the burning. Therefore the incense was correctly made.

Your comment of the blood sprinkled 7 times was only supposed to happen once without a connection to anything, according to what you state as completion?


ELIN wrote; to which chapter are you referring?

Here, I was quoting you, and didn’t understand your question, but I will refer to a scripture that you requested. Please keep in mind that the blood of the BULLOCK was to be sprinkled. Leviticus 4:5-7… this was for the Priest’s sin offering in verse 3 of this same chapter. Stating the different times and understanding as you wrote; ”But the whole book of Leviticus was given in one month”, I am addressing one day in that month.
I humbly request your retraction of your comment that I am spreading misinformation now that we have it straightened out. The entire purpose of this commentary is to relate it to ourselves, this day, not succumbing to a form and a fashion of worship, but true worship.

 

[Elin]

Again, the KJV and the Complete Jewish Bible do not say the people shouted "for joy" - the glory of the Lord can also be for rejection of righteous judgment. They fell on their faces but it doesn't say they were praying like they should have been at the time.
ELIN wrote; The Hebrew word used for "shout" (ranan) means "to cry aloud, sing."

According to Strong’s Concordance # 7442 shouted/ranan=”to creak (or emit a stridulous sound)” Usually equated with joy, or a sound of triumph, and I might add, it is leaving the option open to our understanding of the reality of the circumstance at the time.

Thanks for your complete response to my post.

The context of Lev 9 reveals:
v. 9 - Moses said (to Aaron), "This is what the Lord has commanded you to do, so that the glory of the Lord may appear to you."
v. 23 - Moses and Aaron blessed the people,
v. 23 - and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people,
v. 24 - fire from the Most Holy Place consumed the sacrifices,
v. 24 - the people shouted for joy and fell facedown (in adoration).

That's pretty clear, don't you think, that the fire was acceptance, not judgment?

We see fire from the Lord as acceptance in 1Ch 21:26, where David called on the Lord,
and the Lord answered with fire on the altar of burnt offering, and

in 2Ch 7:1 at the dedication of the Temply by Solomon, where fire came down from heaven and consumed their first burnt offering and sacrifices offered there, and the glory of the Lord filled the Temple.

This is the same as the fire of the Lord consuming the sacrifice at the first sacrifice offered by the newly-instituted priesthood in the new Tabernacle, showing God's acceptance of it.

ELIN wrote; Where are they commanded to pray at that time so that they are in disobedience for shouting with joy instead of praying?

What I originally wrote concerning prayer was “In Exodus 30:7 & 8 we read (Nadab and Abihu understood also) that Aaron was chosen by God to be the one to burn incense, and the recipe for the incense was not to be different or duplicated according to Exodus 30:34-38. Note in verse 7 and verse 36 of this chapter that God said, “Where I will meet thee.” This, to me, is a clear indication that the burning of incense is representative of prayer in every case.

Ex 30:36 - "Then the Lord said to Moses. . .'Grind some of it to powder and place it in front of the Testimony, where I will meet with you in the Tent of Meeting.' "

In Ex 30:36 above, God is referring to Ex 25:22, where he told Moses, "There above the cover between the cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony, I will meet with you and give you all my commands and instructions." See Lev 1:1.

The burning of incense is representative of prayer, but that is not because of the place God told Moses he would meet with him.
Moses was not the High Priest, and he didn't offer incense.

Also God says in verse 36 “it shall be unto you most holy.”

The grain offering (Lev 2:3) and the sin offering (Lev 6:25, 27) were also most holy.

Restating this from my original post I never insinuated that the people were commanded to pray during

this devastating time in Biblical history.

There seems to be some confusion here between

Lev 9 where the newly ordained High Priest offers his first sacrifices according to the commands of Moses, which God accepts by fire coming out of the Most Holy Place to consume them, which when the people saw it shouted for joy and fell facedown in adoration, and

Lev 10 where Nadab and Abihu offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, and God immediately judged and destroyed them with fire from the Most Holy Place.
They offered strange fire, and God judged them with fire.

The contexts are clear that the fire in Lev 9 is acceptance by God, while the fire in Lev 10 is the judgment of God.

So without using my misinformation, could you enlighten me on the spiritual significance of Lev chapters 9-10, please?

ELIN wrote; that is found here in the Biblical Principles and Personal Applications presented.

The main point of misinformation on Nadab and Abibu is that what they did wrong involved the sacrifices.
It involved only incense.

I will differ in your address concerning the burning of strange incense for it was “strange fire” that is being addressed here not “strange incense” as stated earlier in Exodus 30:9. As I understand, the incense was already made according to the commandment of God and was at the disposal of Aaron when God commanded him to burn it. I don’t believe that they had to wait for it to be mixed during the time of the burning.

Okay, we are agreed. I meant that they used strange fire to burn incense, rather than they offered sacrifice,
that God's judgment was not about the sacrifices, but about the fire used to burn the incense.

Your comment of the blood sprinkled 7 times was only supposed to happen once without a connection to anything, according to what you state as completion?

ELIN wrote; to which chapter are you referring?

Here, I was quoting you, and didn’t understand your question,

I was pointing out a symbolic meaning in the sprinkling of blood seven times.
Seven is the number of completion.
It prefigured the complete cleansing power of the blood of Christ.

I humbly request your retraction of your comment that I am spreading misinformation now that we have it straightened out.

I retract any comment that indicates you are the source of misinformation.
It was not my intention to accuse you of such.

 

[just-me]

I retract any comment that indicates you are the source of misinformation.
It was not my intention to accuse you of such.

I am happy that we agree. When I endeavored to understand why these two sons of Aaron got smoked, I knew that I had to concentrate on what they knew previously to Leviticus chapter ten. I knew that I could not endorse anything that happened after they were dead. I wanted to relate the attitude of proclaiming Christians today that might mistakenly try to justify themselves saying "where does it say that we can't do this or that?", neglecting what God has already said WHAT to do. This thread was started not by what I have read from another source, but what I have read strictly from the Bible. I am comforted that you understand that now.

 

[Stephen63]

@ just-me,

Do you think they did this because they thought they were the "preacher's kids", therefore they could get by with it? It is actually the first time written in Scripture that preachers kids got into trouble.

 

[john832]

Nadab & Abihu Leviticus 10:1 and 2

Exodus 19:22-25 One of the first things instituted, just before the 10 commandments were given, was that the priesthood should be ‘sanctified’ *(Hebrew qadash) meaning to be clean and separated from darkness into the light entering into a new structure. This would be done by ‘shin’, the 20[SUP]th[/SUP] letter of the Hebrew alphabet, representing the molar with three roots, I think as relating to the Trinity ‘Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.’ It is also mentioned that Moses and Aaron were the only two that God chose to come up the mountain in the Sinai desert. Even Aaron’s sons were not allowed. The four sons of Aaron were privy to all that happened to this point for in Exodus 6:20-23 we see the genealogy of Aaron and his sons. So Nadab, and Abihu knew that God had picked their father via Moses to be the high priest of Israel.
In Exodus 30:7 & 8 we read (Nadab and Abihu understood also) that Aaron was chosen by God to be the one to burn incense, and the recipe for the incense was not to be different or duplicated according to Exodus 30:34-38. Note in verse 7 and verse 36 of this chapter that God said, “Where I will meet thee.” This, to me, is a clear indication that the burning of incense is representative of prayer in every case. Also God says in verse 36 “it shall be unto you most holy.” Now look into the time of prayer that we read Luke 1:10 relating it to the burning of incense. (Psalm 141:2, Acts 3:1, Acts 10:3 and 30)
If what I present to you is true, it is also interesting to note that Jesus was on the cross of Calvary between the times that the high priest was to offer this incense for burning, and the smoke being relative to prayers. (Malachi 1:11, Mark 15:25, Mark 15:34-38, Acts 2:15-18)
So as the story of Nadab and Abihu continues, we can clearly see that these two knew what the Lord required, but had not received instructions as to what not to do. There is a spiritual significance to this that I will address later

It ain't real complicated...

Lev 10:1 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not.
Lev 10:2 And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.

Deu 12:29 When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land;
Deu 12:30 Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.
Deu 12:31 Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.
Deu 12:32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

God is not kidding, we do not serve Him any old way we want to. We must worship Him the way He says to.

 

[just-me]

@ just-me,

Do you think they did this because they thought they were the "preacher's kids", therefore they could get by with it? It is actually the first time written in Scripture that preachers kids got into trouble.

Hadn't thought about that. What is sure is that they were privy to the information Moses told their dad as others didn't who were not of the tribe of Levi. What I think is important is that they did what some of God's children are temped to do, and that is, to do things they were not specifically told not to do. As they were the preachers kids metaphorically as we all are also, being adopted into the priesthood through Christ, we fail to bear one another's burdens and even sometimes elevate ourselves into a place where God never intended us to be, never giving it a second thought to humble ourselves under the Mighty Hand of God. In all reality, I still have difficulty knowing what God wants me to do under any given situation. May God bless you in understanding His will for your life. We are all unique in His eyes.

 

[just-me]

Deu 12:32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

God is not kidding, we do not serve Him any old way we want to. We must worship Him the way He says to.

That is it in a nut shell. Thank you brother!

 

[Mark51]

On the eighth day Aaron began to officiate, with Abihu and his brothers assisting. (Leviticus 9:1-24) They witnessed the glorious manifestation of God’s presence. But, evidently before the day was over, the account says that “Nadab and Abihu took up and brought each one his fire holder and put fire in them and placed incense upon it, and they began offering before Jehovah illegitimate fire, which he had not prescribed for them. At this a fire came out from before Jehovah and consumed them, so that they died before Jehovah.” (Leviticus 10:1,　2) Their corpses were carried outside the camp by Aaron’s cousins at Moses’ instruction. Their father and remaining brothers were instructed by God to refrain from any display of grief over their being thus cut off from the congregation.- Leviticus 10:4-7.

Subsequently, Jehovah said to Aaron: “Do not drink wine or intoxicating liquor, you and your sons with you, when you come into the tent of meeting, that you may not die. It is a statute to time indefinite for your generations, both in order to make a distinction between the holy thing and the profane and between the unclean thing and the clean, and in order to teach the sons of Israel all the regulations that Jehovah has spoken to them by means of Moses.” (Leviticus 10:8-11) This seems to indicate that Nadab and Abihu were in a state of intoxication, which condition emboldened them to offer fire not prescribed. Such fire was likely illegal as to its time, place, or manner of offering, or it could have been incense other than of the composition described at Exodus 30:34,　35. Their inebriated condition did not excuse their sin.

 

[just-me]

Subsequently, Jehovah said to Aaron: “Do not drink wine or intoxicating liquor, you and your sons with you, when you come into the tent of meeting, that you may not die. It is a statute to time indefinite for your generations, both in order to make a distinction between the holy thing and the profane and between the unclean thing and the clean, and in order to teach the sons of Israel all the regulations that Jehovah has spoken to them by means of Moses.” (Leviticus 10:8-11) This seems to indicate that Nadab and Abihu were in a state of intoxication, which condition emboldened them to offer fire not prescribed. Such fire was likely illegal as to its time, place, or manner of offering, or it could have been incense other than of the composition described at Exodus 30:34,　35. Their inebriated condition did not excuse their sin.

What you say may be a possibility, but what I did was to incorporate scripture that was given before their death to find out what the real infraction was, and not involve any from after the event, relating it to what Christians would do today with that same frame of mind.

 

[just-me]

Could Nadab and Abihu be recorded in the Word of God just to show us today that we are vulnerable to add or subtract from God's perfection in our religion?

 

[just-me]

see posts 1,2,3 9,and 10 to know what went wrong. Question is, "Are we still doing this?"

 

[Laodicea]

Leviticus 10:1-2 KJV
(1) And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not.
(2) And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.

They new the commandment about what to do, they offered common fire in place of what was supposed to be offered. They offered common for the holy.

 

[Laodicea]

S the question is, in what ways may we be in danger of offering to God the common in place of the holy?

 

[RachelBibleStudent]

evidently the incense offered by nadab and abihu was called 'strange' or 'unauthorized' fire because it was not done by the right people or in the time and place God wanted it to be done...so that their attempt was 'foreign' to God's ceremonial system...

specifically only the high priest was supposed to enter the holy of holies...and only on the day of atonement...

some commentators have also suggested that nadab and abihu were drunk and that they did this due to impaired judgment...that is based on the giving of a command to the priests regarding alcohol shortly after the incident...

this story also provides a good lesson against work righteous attitudes...just like the wedding guest in jesus' parable who refused the wedding clothes and thought his own clothes were good enough...nadab and abihu assumed their own work of a spontaneous ceremony would be worthy...

 

[RachelBibleStudent]

oh and i left out one very important aspect...the high priest was only supposed to enter the holy of holies with the blood of a sacrifice...nadab and abihu did not do that...

likewise people today try to come before God in their own pious acts instead of by the blood of christ...

 

[just-me]

oh and i left out one very important aspect...the high priest was only supposed to enter the holy of holies with the blood of a sacrifice...nadab and abihu did not do that...

likewise people today try to come before God in their own pious acts instead of by the blood of christ...

The incense was already made, and was stored at the curtain separating the holy place from the holy of holies. Nadab and Abihu offered strange fire, not strange incense. Re-read Leviticus 10:1, nevertheless you are right in saying we try to come to Christ according to our own thoughts and desires. Read posts #1, 2, 3, 9, and 10. There is more that was wrong than just those two worshiping God in their way rather than God's way. It was very interesting for me as I put this study together. The internet didn't help me at all. I studied on this for about a month every day, praying to find out the truth about the matter. I couldn't take any scripture that applied to Nadab and Abihu after they were dead. I found my findings very enlightening. May God bless.

 

[just-me]

evidently the incense offered by nadab and abihu was called 'strange' or 'unauthorized' fire because it was not done by the right people or in the time and place God wanted it to be done...so that their attempt was 'foreign' to God's ceremonial system...

specifically only the high priest was supposed to enter the holy of holies...and only on the day of atonement...

some commentators have also suggested that nadab and abihu were drunk and that they did this due to impaired judgment...that is based on the giving of a command to the priests regarding alcohol shortly after the incident...

this story also provides a good lesson against work righteous attitudes...just like the wedding guest in jesus' parable who refused the wedding clothes and thought his own clothes were good enough...nadab and abihu assumed their own work of a spontaneous ceremony would be worthy...

It's been a while since anyone posted on this thread, and I had to respond to the enlightening comments that you presented. It is only Christ Jesus that can enter into God's presence for sure. The incense is the prayer Jesus made when He said "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." And then the curtain of the temple between the holy place and the holy of holies was torn permanently. The entire lesson of all that went wrong, was for us to see the truth in the statement Jesus made in
John 14:6 (KJV)
[SUP]6 [/SUP]Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

As we can see there is only one truth. As far as the incense and fire is concerned, the incense represents prayer; the fire represents what is destroyed. Our prayers mean much to God when our sins are destroyed according to the perfect plan of God. If we try to justify ourselves by our own virtues of self-denial, rather than by our high priest (Christ Jesus) we are hypocrites (pretenders) and are hiding our lack of sincerity by trying to look holy and sanctified. That's what Nadab and Abihu did. "Strange fire."

Hebrews 2:1-4 (KJV)
[SUP]1 [/SUP]Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.
[SUP]2 [/SUP]For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;
[SUP]3 [/SUP]How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
[SUP]4 [/SUP]God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?

Hebrews 4:1-2 (KJV)
[SUP]1 [/SUP]Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
[SUP]2 [/SUP]For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.

 

[Elin]

Drawing attention to Leviticus 10:16-19 both Aaron and Moses knew there had been mistakes made.

Not again!

The mistakes made had nothing to do with Nadab and Abihu.

You need to read Lev 10:1-2 again.

"Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu took their censors, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to his command. So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD."

Several things:

1) incense was burned only in the Holy Place on the gold altar of incense (Rev 8:3),
and only by the High Priest (Ex 30:7-9), which they were not;
2) it was immediately upon burning incense on the gold altar of incense in the Holy Place,
that fire came out from the Most Holy Place behind the curtain and consumed them;
3) Nadab's and Abihu's sin had nothing to do with offering sacrifice, it was because
they were not authorized to offer incense in the Holy Place;
4) Moses then commanded Aaron's remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar (Lev 10:16), to take the
grain offering left over from the mandatory morning burnt offering (Nu 15: 5,7, 28:3-4) and to eat it.

The account shows that the mistakes made had nothing to do with Nadab and Abihu,
who were already destroyed.

Moses was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar (Lev 10:16), not with Nadab and Abihu.

You misunderstand the plain account of Nadab and Abihu.

And since the Scriptures you present are to support your misunderstanding,
they are irrelevant to the correct understanding.

Following is what the account in Lev 10 shows, from the thread,
Leviticus: Seedbed of NT Theology in Bible Discussion Forum, here.

CHAPTER 10 -Priests Begin Their Ministry

Having established the first of his three-prong remedy for sin,
sutstitutionary penal atonement through the shedding of blood
in the five different sacrifices (chps 1-7), God then established the second prong
of this three-prong remedy, the priesthood as mediator between God and man (chp 8).

CHAPTER 10 - Strange Fire

In Chp 10,

• Nadab and Abihu offer worship to God of their own devising
• Israel learns the nature of God's exacting holiness
• we learn how contrary to our culture are God's ways, which are not our ways (Is 55:8-9)

The chapter is a picture of Jn 14:6: there is only one way to approach God which will avoid
the divine judgment--the way he has authorized--in Jesus Christ

v. 1 - Nadab and Abihu, Aaron's two oldest sons, who

• had been with Moses and the elders on Mt Sinai (Ex 24:1)
• had seen the Lord (Ex 24:11)
• had participated in the covenant meal in the presence of the Lord (Ex 24:11)

offered fire and incense in the Holy Place

v. 1 - contrary to the Lord's command.

• only the High Priest (Aaron) was to burn incense before the Lord in the Holy Place (Ex 30:7-8)
• only the High Priest could look on the holy things in the Holy Place (Nu 4:15, 20)
• used defiled coals which did not come from the divine fire (Lev 9:24) on the sanctified altar (Lev 8:24), as prescribed (Lev 16:12)
• did not approach the Lord in the prescribed manner (through the High Priest), see 2Sa 6:3-7; 1Ch 15:12-15
• worshipped God in their own way instead of God's prescribed way--will worship (Col 2:22-23, KJV)
• picture of God's response to all who do not approach him in the prescribed manner (through his High Priest, Jesus Christ - Heb 7:24--8:2)
• BIBLICAL PRINCIPLE: To escape divine judgment on sin, we must approach God in and through his High Priest, Jesus Christ (Jn 14:6).

v. 2 - fire from the presence of the Lord consumed the offenders, just as it had consumed
the sacrifices - see Heb 12:29

• because they knowingly (intentionally) sinned against the holy things (5:14), there was no sacrifice for their sin (Nu 15:30), they died in their guilt - see Josh 6:15-19, 7:1, 20-26
• picture of God's response to all the guilty who have no sacrifice (no faith in the blood of Christ--Ro 3:25) to cleanse their sin
• BIBLICAL PRINICPLE: Those who approach God must be holy (cleansed by the blood of Christ) because God is holy.
• To approach God in unholiness (outside faith in the blood of Christ--Ro 3:25) is to provoke his judgment on sin.

v. 2 - those who offered unauthorized fire died by fire

• punishment corresponds to the sin, according to the law of retaliation (Lev 24:19-20--an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth)

v. 3 - "This is what the Lord spoke of. . ." - throughout the whole Law
(e.g., Ex 19:10-13, 20-22, 24:1, 29:43-44, 34:14, Lev 8:35)

v. 3 - "Among those who approach me I will show myself holy;". . .(set apart, not like them.
I will be worshipped with holiness and reverence, exactly as I have prescribed.)

v. 3 - "in the sight of all the people I will be honored." (If I am not honored and
glorified by them, I will be honored and glorified upon them.) See Pharoah - Ex 14:4, 17-18

• BIBLICAL PRINCIPLE: God is (made) known by the judgments he executes. (Ps 9:16; Ex 7:5, 9:14, 10:2, 14:4, 18)
• God is sovereign. He has created all mankind for his glory. Those who do not choose to glorify him will glorify him against their choosing (including Satan),
• for God is loser to no man. (Lk 12:59)

v. 6 - High Priest, Aaron is forbidden to use public ceremonies of mourning
(must mourn silently, privately)

• to show greater value and affection for God and their work than for family and friends (Mt 22:36-38, 10:37, 12:47-48)
• to show he did not approve of the sin or disagree with the justice of God in its punishmnt, but agreed that God is right
  (Dt 32:4; Eze 18:25; Lk 7:29)
• shows the attitude and heart disposition of those who love God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength (Mk 12:30)

v. 6 - all Israel is to mourn publicly

• not only mourn the loss of their new priests, but especially mourn their sin of disobedience which provoked the wrath of God
• so they would be moved to conscientious obedience in the furure

The two separate regulations show two principles:

• BIBLICAL PRINCIPLE: To love God with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind and all our strength is to agree with God
  that all his ways are just and all he does is good (Dt 32:4; Ps 119:68).

• BIBLICAL PRINCIPLE: And to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength is also to consecrate our hearts to conscientious obedience to all that he commands (Jn 14:15, 21, 23).

This is the second time the house of Levi (Moses, Aaron) is required to separate themselves
from their families and agree with God's judgment on those families (golden calf - Ex 32:26-28),
and which is why they are now set apart (separated) for the priesthood (Ex 32:29).

PERSONAL APPLICATION: God delights in his saints (Ps 16:3; Is 65:19; Zep 3:17; 2Sa 22:20)
because they agree with (justify) him (Lk 7:29)

• particularly when they agree with him about (confess) their sin (1Jn 1:9; Ps 51:4),
  and with his chief purpose for man, which is to glorify him (1Co 10:31; Ro 1:21)
• God's enemies disagree with him (Lk 7:29-30; Rev 12:10; Ro 8:33-34)

v. 3 - Aaron, the High Priest, remained silent when the fire consumed his sons, Nadab and Abihu

• our high Priest, Christ, was silent (Is 53:7; Mk 14:61, 15:5; Lk 23:9; Jn 19:9) because he agreed with God's just judgment on our sin requiring the shedding of his blood in atonement (Heb 10:5-7)

• BIBLICAL PRINCIPLE: When God corrects us and those who belong to us for sin, we should be silent under the correction, and not quarrel with God, nor fault his justice, nor accuse him of wrong, but submit in all that he does (1Sa 3:18; 2Sa 15:26; Job 1:21).

v. 8 - God spoke to Aaron - God honored Aaron by speaking to him directly for the first time

v. 9 - God's prohibition of wine limited to the tabernacle, so they would not sin through lack of alertness and provoke his exacting justice

v. 10 - KEY VERSE: "You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean."

• BIBLICAL PRINCIPLE: We must separate the unclean (sin) from the clean (new nature) in our lives (Ro 8:13).

v. 11 - it was the duty of the priests and Levites to teach the Law of God to the people
(Dt 31:9-11, 33:8, 10)

v. 17 - Aaron's sons, the priests Eleazar and Ithamar, did not eat the sin offering
as required (6:26) to bear the guilt of the people

vv. 18-20 - Moses was satisfied with Aaron's reason for not eating the sin offering,
contrary to Moses' command

• bread eaten in mourning was unclean (Hos 9:4; Dt 26:14)
• Aaron feared that if he ate the sacred portion in mourning, God would have been displeased because it would have defiled him as High Priest
• Moses was satisfied that Aaron was not disobedient

SUMMARY - Chapter10

The death of Nadab and Abihu shows us something about:

the nature and character of God:

• his ways are not our ways
• the only worship acceptable to him is what is authorized by him

 

[just-me]

If anyone would like to read the Bible study on this subject without interruption, they can go to my web site. Thank you. Nadab And Abihu
If you are interested in the understanding that I thought Elin and I came to several weeks ago, feel free to investigate on how that happened with previous posts.

 

[Elin]

If you are interested in the understanding that I thought Elin and I came to several weeks ago, feel free to investigate on how that happened with previous posts.

Is that where our problem lies?

I assume you are referring to post #22, here, and also following:

There seems to be some confusion here between

Lev 9 where the newly ordained High Priest offers his first sacrifices according to the commands of Moses, which God accepts by fire coming out of the Most Holy Place to consume them, which when the people saw it shouted for joy and fell facedown in adoration, and

Lev 10 where Nadab and Abihu offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, whom God immediately judged and destroyed by fire from the Most Holy Place.
They offered strange fire, and God judged them with fire.

The contexts are clear that
the fire in Lev 9 is acceptance by God, while the fire in Lev 10 is the judgment of God.

So without using my misinformation,
could you enlighten me on the spiritual significance of Lev chapters 9-10, please?

That is found here in the Biblical Principles and Personal Applications presented.

The main point of misinformation on Nadab and Abibu is that what they did
wrong involved the sacrifices.
It did not involve sacrifice, it involved only incense.

I will differ in your address concerning the burning of strange incense for
it was “strange fire” that is being addressed here not “strange incense” as stated earlier in Exodus 30:9. As I understand, the incense was already made according to the commandment of God and was at the disposal of Aaron when God commanded him to burn it.
I don’t believe that they had to wait for it to be mixed during the time of the burning.

Okay, we are agreed. I meant that they used strange fire to burn incense,
not to offer sacrifice,

I think you misunderstand our agreement.

My disagreement with you is that what Nadab and Abihu did wrong was not about offering sacrifice,
it was about offering incense.

My agreement with you above is that they were destroyed for using strange fire,

but my disagreement that the strange fire was used for incense, and was not used for sacrifice,
as you maintain, remains.

Further, that it did not involve incorrect performance in the sacrifices of chp 9 is shown in that
the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people after they were offered.

God's glory appears to show his pleasure and acceptance, not to show his displeasure and rejection.
There is no basis for maintaining the sacrifices offered in chp 9 were displeasing to God, and
therefore, that what Nadab and Abihu did wrong involved the sacrifices in chp 9.

So then there is no basis for maintaining that what Nadab and Abihu did wrong involved the sacrifices
of chp 9.