10:1What was the “wrong kind of fire” that Nadab and Abihu Offered before the LORD? The fire on the altar of burnt offering Was never to go out (6:12, 13), implying that it was holy. It is Possible that Nadab and Abihu brought coals of fire to the altar from another source, making the sacrifice unholy. it has also been suggested that the two priests gave an offering at an Unprescribed time. Whatever explanation is correct, the point is that Nadab and Abihu abused their office as priests ina flagrant act of disrespect to God, who had just reviewed with them precisely how they were to conduct worship. As leaders, they had special responsibility to obey God. In their position, they could easily lead many people astray. If God has commissioned you to lead or teach others, never take that role for granted or abuse it. Stay faithful to God and follow his instructions.
Life Application Study BibleLeviticusChapter 10
Leviticus 10
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 171, 172
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The Sin of Nadab and Abihu
110 Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu put coals of fire in their incense burners and sprin- Kled incense over them. In this way, they disobeyed the LORD by burning before him the wrong kind of fire, different than he had commanded. 2So fire blazed forth from the LORD’s presence and burned them up, and they died there before the LORD.
3Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD meant when he said,‘I will display my holinessthrough those who come near me.I will display my glorybefore all the people.o”And Aaron was silent.
4Then 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.” 5So they came forward and picked them up by their garments and carried them out of the camp, just as Moses had commanded. 6Then 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. 7But 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.
Instructions for Priestly Conduct
88Then the LORD said to Aaron, % 9You 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. 10You must distinguish between what is sacred and what is common, between what is ceremonially unclean and what is clean. 11And you must teach the Israelites all the decrees that the LORD has given them through Moses.” 12Then 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 itina 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. SYou 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.” 16Moses 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. 17“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.* 18Since 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.” 19Then 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 [had eaten the people’s sin offering on sucha tragic day as this, would the LORD have been pleased?” 20And when Moses heard this, he was satisfied. 3. Instructions for the people
Textual footnotes
- 10:6 Or by uncovering your heads.
- 10:7 Hebrew Tent of Meeting; also in 10:9.
- 10:17 Or to make atonement for
Life Application Notes 5 notes
10:2Aaron's sons were careless about following the laws for sacrifices. In response, God destroyed them with a blast of fire. Performing the sacrifices was an act of obedience. Doing them correctly showed respect for God. it is easy for us to grow careless about obeying God, to live our way instead of God’s. But if one way were just as good as another, God would not have commanded us to live his way. He always has good reasons for his commands, and we always place ourselves in danger when we consciously or carelessly disobey them.
10:8-11The priests were not to drink wine or other alcoholic beverages before going into the Tabernacle. If their senses were dulled by alcohol, they might repeat Nadab and Abihu’s sin and bring something unholy into the worship ceremony. In addition, drinking would disqualify them to teach the people God’s requirements of self-discipline. Drunkenness was associated with pagan practices and the Jewish priests were supposed to be distinctively different.
10:10,11This passage (along with 19:1, 2) shows the focus of Leviticus. The Ten Commandments recorded in Exodus 20 were God’s fundamental laws. Leviticus explained and supplemented those laws with many other guidelines and principles that helped the Israelites put them into practice. The purpose of God's laws was to teach people how to distinguish right from wrong, the sacred from the common, the clean from the unclean. The nation who lived by God’s laws would obviously be set apart, dedicated to his service.
10:16-20The priest who offered the sin offering was supposed to eat a portion of the animal and then burn the rest (6:24-30). Moses was angry because Eleazar and Ithamar burned the sin offering but did not eat any of it. Aaron explained to Moses that his two sons did not feel it appropriate to eat the sacrifice after their two brothers, Nadab and Abihu, had just been killed for sacrificing wrongly. Moses then understood that Eleazar and Ithamar were not trying to disobey God. They were simply afraid and upset over what had just happened to their brothers.
Charts, profiles & sidebars from the printed pages
Personality profile · page 171
Some brothers, like Cain and Abel or Jacob and Esau, get each other in trouble. Nadab and Abihu got in trouble together. Although little is known of their early years, the Bible gives us an abundance of information about the environment in which they grew up. Born in Egypt, they were eyewitnesses of God’s mighty acts of the Exodus. They saw their father, Aaron, their uncle, Moses, and their aunt, Miriam, in action many times. They had firsthand knowledge of God's holiness as few men have ever had, and, for a while at least, they followed God wholeheartedly (Leviticus 8:36). But at a crucial moment they chose to treat with indifference the clear instructions from God. The consequence of their sin was fiery, instant, and shocking to all. We are in danger of making the same mistake as these brothers when we treat lightly the justice and holiness of God. We must draw near to God while realizing that there is a proper fear of God. Don't forget that the opportunity to know God personally is based on his gracious invitation to an always unworthy people, not a gift to be taken for granted. Do your thoughts about God include a humble recognition of his great holiness?
Strengths and accomplishments
• Oldest sons of Aaron
• Primary candidates to become high priest after their father
• Involved with the original consecration of the Tabernacle
• Commended for doing “everything the LonD had commanded” (Leviticus 8:36)
© Treated God’s direct commands lightly
Weakness and mistake
Lesson from their tives
• Sin has deadly consequences
• Where: The Sinai peninsula © Occupation: Priests-in-training
• Relatives: Father: Aaron. Uncle: Moses. Aunt: Miriam. Brothers: Eleazar and Ithamar
Vital statistics
“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” (Leviticus 10:1, 2).
Key verses
The story of Nadab and Abihu is told in Leviticus 8—10. They are also mentioned in Exodus 24:1, 9; 28:1; Numbers 3:2—-4; 26:60, 61.
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