THE PROFANE FIRE OF NADAB AND ABIHU
“Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. So fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. And Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord spoke, saying: ‘By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified.’ ” So Aaron held his peace.
Then Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, “Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp.” So they went near and carried them by their tunics out of the camp, as Moses had said.
And Moses said to Aaron, and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons, “Do not uncover your heads nor tear your clothes, lest you die, and wrath come upon all the people. But let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the Lord has kindled. You shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die, for the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you.” And they did according to the word of Moses.
Conduct Prescribed for Priests
Then the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying: “Do not drink wine or intoxicating drink, you, nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, that you may distinguish between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean, and that you may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the Lord has spoken to them by the hand of Moses.”
And Moses spoke to Aaron, and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons who were left: “Take the grain offering that remains of the offerings made by fire to the Lord, and eat it without leaven beside the altar; for it is most holy. You shall eat it in a holy place, because it is your due and your sons’ due, of the sacrifices made by fire to the Lord; for so I have been commanded. The breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the heave offering you shall eat in a clean place, you, your sons, and your daughters with you; for they are your due and your sons’ due, which are given from the sacrifices of peace offerings of the children of Israel. The thigh of the heave offering and the breast of the wave offering they shall bring with the offerings of fat made by fire, to offer as a wave offering before the Lord. And it shall be yours and your sons’ with you, by a statute forever, as the Lord has commanded.”
Then Moses made careful inquiry about the goat of the sin offering, and there it was—burned up. And he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron who were left, saying, “Why have you not eaten the sin offering in a holy place, since it is most holy, and God has given it to you to bear the guilt of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord? See! Its blood was not brought inside the holy place; indeed you should have eaten it in a holy place, as I commanded.”
And Aaron said to Moses, “Look, this day they have offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the Lord, and such things have befallen me! If I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been accepted in the sight of the Lord?” So when Moses heard that, he was content.”
Hoo Boy! Talk about a misplaced sense of entitlement! God has chosen Aaron and his sons to minister in the Tent of Meeting; unfortunately, two of Aaron’s sons figure that they can now “behave anyhow” as the Ghanaians would say. From God’s subsequent commands, it is obvious that Nadab and Abihu have either sneaked alcohol into the Tent of Meeting or they have slipped out against God’s orders and gotten drunk. Once boozed up, they have then decided to show off by loading their censors with incense and waving them around in the Tent of Meeting to show how important they are. Bad move! God looks down, points His finger, and ZAP! No more Nadab and Abihu!
“And Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord spoke, saying: ‘By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified.’ ” So Aaron held his peace.” LESSON #1: DON’T DISRESPECT GOD! Aaron had better hold his peace; he is the one who has raised two rebellious sons with no regard for the Lord. Aaron’s family has not learned much since the golden calf incident. Moses orders Aaron’s cousins to carry what’s left of Nadab and Abihu out of the camp. What we don’t see is any instructions for burial; perhaps there isn’t enough left to bury and it’s better to leave the ashes out in the desert.
God forbids Aaron and his sons from leaving the Tent of Meeting or from mourning this loss; however, all the Israelites are enjoined to grieve in their place. Next, God commands Aaron and his sons, “Then the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying: “Do not drink wine or intoxicating drink, you, nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, that you may distinguish between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean, and that you may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the Lord has spoken to them by the hand of Moses.” Wake up, Aaron! God is holding priests to a higher standard. Pagans might get drunk during their religious rituals, but God’s ministers need to remain sober and vigilant.
Moses then gives instructions about the grain offerings and the wave offerings, but now there is a new problem. Aaron has been so distracted by the death of two sons that he has left the entire goat for the sin offering burning and now it is completely burned up. “Why have you not eaten the sin offering in a holy place, since it is most holy, and God has given it to you to bear the guilt of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord? See! Its blood was not brought inside the holy place; indeed you should have eaten it in a holy place, as I commanded.”
Is Aaron repentant? Are you kidding? Once more, Aaron gives mealy-mouthed excuses. “And Aaron said to Moses, “Look, this day they have offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the Lord, and such things have befallen me! If I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been accepted in the sight of the Lord?” So when Moses heard that, he was content.”
This ridiculous statement totally ignores the fact that Nadab and Abihu were drunk and disorderly, carrying out an act that God had not commanded. These two were not struck down because they were obedient to the Lord but because they were showing off and disrespectful. Aaron and his sons were to eat the sin offering to bear the guilt of the congregation and to make atonement for them before the Lord. Had Aaron and his sons obeyed God’s commands, there should not have been any problem. Aaron’s excuse is merely the latest in a long line of excuses, excuses Aaron has been making his entire life. If Aaron’s actions were computer software, this would be Golden Calf 2.0.
APPLICATION: We read this and think, “These guys must be a special kind of stupid! Why would anybody disobey an all-powerful God?” Well, people have been disobeying God ever since the human race got started. Why do you think Noah wound up on that boat with all those animals? It was not because his neighbors were so great. What is so sad about this story is the character of Aaron, or lack thereof. Moses has complained to God that he doesn’t speak well, and Aaron has become Moses’s spokesman; however, when it comes to character, Aaron is sadly lacking. And Aaron has also failed as a father. This probably is not the first time that Nadab and Abihu have gotten sloppy drunk, disgracing Aaron and themselves in the process.
Is it possible that Aaron’s dead sons have learned their disrespect for God from their father? Children are amazing mimics, copying parents far more closely than those parents would generally like. Reading the scriptures closely, you get the impression that Aaron loves to dress up and show off, but he does everything he can to avoid taking responsibility for his actions. These days, we may blame social media for being a bad influence on our children; however, what examples are we giving? The tragedy of Nadab and Abihu didn’t begin the day they showed up for worship service drunk; it started when they were little. Has Aaron been secretly drinking? Who knows? But the tragedy of Nadab and Abihu is a family tragedy, not an individual one. May God help us so that we will set Godly examples for our children!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help all of us to parent our children wisely so that they learn to fear and respect You. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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