Skip to content Strange Fire: The Importance of God's Instructions in Leviticus 10-12 Mar 2 · 14 min ...more
Strange Fire: The Importance of God's Instructions in Leviticus 10-12
March 2, 2026 · 14 min
Reflect on Nadab and Abihu's tragic error and the significance of following God's commandments.
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The Consuming Fire: Nadab and Abihu's Profane Offering 0:10 Good morning. Welcome to Stand on the Word Today, the consuming fire of God as we look at Leviticus chapters 10 through 12. Verse 45 of chapter 11, for I am the Lord who brings you up out of the0:22 land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. Now as we've, discussed previously, the book of Leviticus answered Moses's0:34 question that he, he posed to God, show me your way. And it was, also Leviticus was also kind of the the tabernacle's instruction manual. It's not a historical0:46 book of events like we saw in Exodus or like we're gonna see in numbers. As a result, there's only a few recorded historical events in the entire book, and we actually have 1 of them today in this0:58 passage. And that's really what I wanna focus on, during our time together today. Beginning in verse 1 chapter 10 of Leviticus, then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in1:10 it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them. Now the word profane is also translated as1:22 strange or foreign. It has the meaning of turning aside from the right way. Okay? Verse 2. So the so fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died1:34 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. So1:45 Aaron held his peace. Now this happened during that time of consecration as the, the priests were being consecrated for service unto the lord. Now let me ask you a a1:57 question. Have you have you ever used a compass? Alright? In total candor, I did not do well in my land navigation courses in the Marine Corps, but I2:09 did learn I did learn an important lesson that if you're off a little bit when you shoot your initial azimuth, when you start your course. If you're off just a little bit, you'll end up a long2:21 way off at the end. So how you start is extremely important. And here, the children of Israel are just starting out as a nation. And they they were a theocracy, meaning God was their ruler,2:33 and they were to follow him. Now he establishes the place where the people are to meet with him. He establishes the priest who are to represent the people before God, and he sets the2:44 rules on how that was to be done. Now remember, as we read back in chapter 8, verse 35, therefore, you shall stay at the door of the tabernacle meeting day and night for 7 days and keep the charge of the Lord so that2:56 you may not die for so I for so I have been commanded. So, again, that was during that period of consecration. So what did Nadab and Abihu do?3:09 Okay. So there are various, theories based on scripture, on what scripture says. It's kinda like investigating a crime scene based upon the evidence we have here. First, it appears that3:21 they were not authorized by their father, Aaron, to do what they were attempting to do. It it it's almost as if they said, wow, that was pretty neat, pretty cool what dad did. Let's try that. Some3:32 suggest the coals that they used were not from the altar as prescribed and or the incense that they used was not what the Lord had instructed. So it was strange or profane, So it was3:44 strange or profane fire, meaning turning away from what what had been prescribed by the Lord. There are a couple of other clues, that suggest they did a little bit more.3:56 Some believe that they may have attempted to enter the Holy of Holies, which was behind the altar of incense based upon what the Lord, tells Moses in Leviticus chapter 16 verse 2. And4:08 here's what it says, and the Lord said to Moses, tell Aaron, your brother, not to come at just any time into the holy place inside the veil before the mercy seat, which is on the ark, lest4:20 he die, for I will appear in the cloud above the mercy seat. Also based upon what the Lord told Aaron later in chapter 10, some scholars believe that Nadab and Abihu were4:32 intoxicated, which contributed to their improper behavior because they were impaired in, their thinking. Verse 8 of chapter 10. Then the Lord spoke to Aaron saying, do not4:43 drink wine or intoxicating drink, you nor your sons with you when you go into the tabernacle of meaning, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations4:55 that you may distinguish between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean. So their judgment being impaired possibly by intoxication. Now some might be tempted to5:07 say, well, that was the God of the Old Testament. Okay. Hebrews 13 8, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Now I understand, you know, we're talking5:19 about Old Testament in the physical realm, but that has application in the spiritual. God is holy. And even in in Peter, it says that god is holy. We're to be holy as5:30 well. Alright. A very similar occurrence happened in the New Testament. Alright. If you wanna talk about, you know, treating God casually. In Acts chapter 5, this was the very start of the New Testament church.5:42 Again, it's important where we start because if we're off at the beginning, we're gonna be way off at the end. Acts chapter 5 verse 1, but a certain man named Ananias and Sapphira, his wife, sold a5:54 possession, and he kept back part of the proceeds. His wife also being aware of it and brought a certain part of it and laid it at the apostle's feet. But Peter said to Ananias,6:06 why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the the land for yourself? While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was6:18 it not your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God. And after he heard these willsy words, he fell down and breathed his last.6:30 So great fear came upon all those who heard these things. And the young men arose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him. And then if we read on, we see the same thing happened to6:42 his wife. You know, we become very casual with the same things of god. And there is, I think, this idea in the age of grace that we, live in,6:54 that we can do whatever we want, that it's okay with god. God's call to holiness is just as real today as it was when Moses wrote the book of Leviticus. Now toPursuing Holiness: Sin Offerings and Set-Apart Living 7:06 be to be very clear, we are not saved because we act holy. We pursue holiness because we are saved. Now look at verse 16. Then Moses made careful inquiry7:18 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 you7:29 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 and to make atonement for them before the Lord? Alright? He's Moses is inquiring, why7:41 why have you deviated from the instructions I gave you? See, its blood was not brought inside the holy place. Indeed, you should have eaten it in the holy place as I commanded. And Aaron said to Moses,7:53 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 the8:04 sight of the lord? So when Moses heard that, he was content. So what's happening here? The sin offering, as we've looked at before, was to be eaten by the priest who offered8:16 it. Verse, 26 of Leviticus 6 says, the priest who offers it for sin shall eat it in a holy place. It shall be eaten in the court of the tabernacle of meeting. So Moses asked why8:28 why was it burned up rather than eaten as prescribed? There there are differing interpretations here of Aaron's response and Moses's reaction. 1 understanding which8:41 I tend to share, is that Aaron had an understanding here that it's not just the external actions going through the motions, but there is the the internal motivations, the the spiritual, the real8:53 aspects of this. Aaron and his remaining sons felt unworthy because of the sin and the judgment that god had just executed, and and they were spiritually shaken9:05 by what had just transpired. I mean, think about this for a moment. You know, your sons do something outside the, the the the instructions of the lord and they're consumed by fire. They're carried out. You have to9:17 stay in the place of the tabernacle. And I mean I mean, they're I'm sure their world was rocked. And and and even though Moses' response here, even though it9:29 was, a deviation from the instructions of God, Moses was content with Aaron's explanation saying, essentially, what good would it have done for me to go through the motions,9:40 because we are broken right now. Alright. Then, let's look at, chapter 11. This is, kind of about this is kind of the menu9:52 for what's on what's for dinner. This was, by the way, abrogated in the New Testament. It's no longer valid. Jesus was preparing the way for this change in, in Mark chapter 7 verse 15 when he said there is10:04 nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him, but things which come out of him. Those are the things that defile him. I mean, what a radical transformation going from the physical to the spiritual.10:16 It's not what goes in, it's what comes out. And then Peter received this, revelation regarding what to eat in Acts chapter 10, where the Lord cleared the way for gumbo10:28 and jambalaya. But in verse 10 of, of chapter 10 of the book of Acts, then he became very hungry and wanted to eat. But while they made ready, he fell into a trance. And he saw heaven opened and an10:40 object like a great sheet bound at the 4 corners descending to him and let down to the earth. In it were all kinds of 4 footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the10:52 air. And a voice came to him, rise, Peter. Kill and eat. But Peter said, not so, lord, for I have never eaten anything common or unclean. And a voice spoke to him again the second time.11:04 What god has cleansed, you must not call common. Now we know that there were this was, just preparing the way for the Gentiles to receive the11:15 gospel. But let's go back just as we understand as we've read that application in the New Testament. Let's let's go back here to where we are in Leviticus. Why what were the reasons for these dietary11:27 restrictions? It was twofold. Right? There were health considerations. And the other aspect of this, more importantly and spiritually speaking, was a line of distinction between Israel11:39 and the other nations. Alright? It's all about alignment with god, holiness being set apart to god. As Jesus said in the New Testament, we're we're11:51 in the world, but we're not of the world. We're to be transformed by the renewing of our mind as Paul wrote in Romans. Chapter 12 covers the, ceremonial cleansing12:03 following childbirth, which, serves as a reminder of the sin nature that is transmitted to each person. It's just the nature of mankind. We're fallen and we're all born in sin. It is12:15 because of the fallen nature of man. Alright. Father, we thank you for your word, and and thank you, father, for giving us understanding through the holy spirit of the application of your12:27 word to our lives. Lord, this word is here for a reason. If it were not necessary, if it were not important, why were why would it have been preserved in the canon of scripture? Why was it recorded?12:38 Lord, it's not just for historical purposes, but it is for the understanding that you are a holy god and you have called us to holiness. May our hearts be gripped by that. Even12:50 today, what we place our eyes on, what comes out of our mouths, what we meditate upon, lord, may it be acceptable to you. For we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.13:03 Alright. Thanks for joining me this morning. Until next time. Keep standing on the word.13:10 Today's study comes from the Stand on the Word Bible Reading Plan available for free at f r c dot o r g slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day,13:21 you can read through the entire Bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at f r c dot org slash bible.In this video 0:00 The Consuming Fire: Nadab and Abihu's Profane Offering7:01 Pursuing Holiness: Sin Offerings and Set-Apart Living
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