Have you ever had a first-day-on-the-job adventure – or perhaps misadventure? Ask me some time about my first day as a vacuum cleaner salesman (notice the sneaky way of finding out who is reading my e-bulletin). For me it was both a first and last day! Thankfully, I lived to tell the tale. This Sunday we will hear of a couple of guys who experience a first and last day on their new job, but it was left to Moses to tell us about it. As Pastor Andrew preaches from the end of chapter 9 through the first few verses of Chapter 10 in Leviticus we will hear of Nadab and Abihu’s first day on the job as priests. How and why did it all go so horribly wrong?
Before answering that question put yourself in the context and consider what Israel had just gone through. In chapter 8 we read of the ordination of Aaron and his sons to the priesthood. By the end of chapter 9 we have the first offering and the coming of God’s power and fire, inciting shouting and awe from the people. It was a glorious time for the people of Israel. It was a time of new beginnings; having just been delivered from slavery in Egypt, and the people receiving detailed instructions on worship and sacrifice. God had camped himself in the middle of it all and established a way for an unholy people to draw near to him and be made holy. As the priesthood was ordained and sacrifices established, the people must have thought back to the promise delivered through Moses that God was making them a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. With sins forgiven, God’s presence so obvious, and his promises seeing fulfillment, it must have given God’s children a sense of immense blessing and celebration.
A lot can go through our heads when we start any new endeavor, perhaps especially a new job. Will I figure it all out? The new duties, relationships, and bosses all require a level of skill and understanding from us heretofore untested. So, in most cases, we attempt to listen and step carefully. We hang on every word of our boss and aim to deliver. As for our newbie priests Nadab and Abihu, Aaron’s eldest two sons, I am pretty sure that was not their approach. Moses writes: “Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord”(10:1). Though it is not clear to what motivated them to make such an offering, it is pretty clear they were not careful. The consequences where swift and serious: “fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. (10:2)” What a contrast! We have just witnessed Aaron’s proper offering and the Lord consuming it with his own fire, and now an improper offering and the Lord’s fire again consuming – but this time the priests! I think the key words for us come at the end of verse 1. Regardless of their motivations, Nadab and Abihu offered something that the Lord “had not commanded.” Moses then reminds us in verses 3 and 4 that God’s holiness and glory are not to be trifled with. I wonder how you feel about this story. Does it leave you unsure of your standing before the Lord? Does it leave you frustrated or even angry with a God who would deliver such a consequence? I think it is helpful to remind ourselves that the Lord had blessed Israel and its priests with clear instructions, and the principle that “to obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Sam 15:22). Like Nadab and Abihu we all too often invent ways of making ourselves acceptable before the Lord. We think of all types of things we can do for the Lord, and various efforts we can make to please him. Thankfully, like with Israel, his instructions to us are clear: trust in Christ, the author and finisher of our faith!
Much love,
Pastor Gary
As we gather for Sunday worship, we want you to meet with God and be transformed by the Word. Prepare your heart by reading the passage and listening to the songs for Sunday.