Leviticus 10:1-20

3. THE SIN AND PUNISHMENT OF NADAB AND ABIHU 10:1-20

a.

THEIR SIN Leviticus 10:1

b.

THEIR PUNISHMENT Leviticus 10:2

c.

THE WARNING Leviticus 10:3

d.

DISPOSAL OF THE BODIES Leviticus 10:4-7

e.

INSTRUCTIONS TO AARON AND HIS SONS Leviticus 10:8-11

f.

DISPOSAL OF THE OFFERINGS Leviticus 10:12-20

TEXT 10:1-20

1

And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took each of them his censer, and put fire therein, and laid incense thereon, and offered strange fire before Jehovah, which he had not commanded them.

2

And there came forth fire from before Jehovah, and devoured them, and they died before Jehovah.

3

Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that Jehovah spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.

4

And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said unto them, Draw near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp.

5

So they drew near, and carried them in their coats out of the camp, as Moses had said.

6

And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Let not the hair of your heads go loose, neither rend your clothes; that ye die not, and that he be not wroth with all the congregation: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which Jehovah hath kindled.

7

And ye shall not go out from the door of the tent of meeting, lest ye die; for the anointing oil of Jehovah is upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses.

8

And Jehovah spake unto Aaron, saying,

9

Drink no wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tent of meeting, that ye die not: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations:

10

and that ye may make a distinction between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean;

11

and that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which Jehovah hath spoken unto them by Moses.

12

And Moses spake unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons that were left, Take the meal-offering that remaineth of the offerings of Jehovah made by fire, and eat it without leaven beside the altar; for it is most holy;

13

and ye shall eat it in a holy place, because it is thy portion, and thy sons-' portion, of the offerings of Jehovah made by fire: for so I am commanded.

14

And the wave-breast and the heave-thigh shall ye eat in a clean place, thou, and thy sons, and thy daughters with thee: for they are given as thy portion, and thy sons-' portion, out of the sacrifices of the peace-offerings of the children of Israel.

15

The heave-thigh and the wave-breast shall they bring with the offerings made by fire of the fat, to wave it for a wave-offering before Jehovah: and it shall be thine, and thy sons-' with thee, as a portion for ever; as Jehovah hath commanded.

16

And Moses diligently sought the goat of the sin-offering, and, behold, it was burnt: and he was angry with Eleazar and with Ithamar, the sons of Aaron that were left, saying,

17

Wherefore have ye not eaten the sin-offering in the place of the sanctuary, seeing it is most holy, and he hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before Jehovah?

18

Behold, the blood of it was not brought into the sanctuary within: ye should certainly have eaten it in the sanctuary, as I commanded.

19

And Aaron spake unto Moses, Behold, this day have they offered their sin-offering and their burnt-offering before Jehovah; and there have befallen me such things as these: and if I had eaten the sin-offering to-day, would it have been well-pleasing in the sight of Jehovah?

20

And when Moses heard that, it was well-pleasing in his sight.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 10:1-20

180.

Just what is involved in strange fire? Strange as compared with what?

181.

Was the sin in the choice of the fire or in the attitude of those who offered it?

182.

From where did the fire originate that devoured them? Where were they when they died?

183.

Moses interpreted the death of Aaron's sons as being a vindication of what?

184.

Evidently Nadab and Abihu were not near the Lord. Explain. What did Aaron say to Moses-' words?

185.

Who were Mishael and Elzaphan? Why call on them for this task?

186.

Why weren-'t their coats consumed by the fire?

187.

What is meant by the phrase: Do not let the hair of your head hang loose?

188.

Why not mourn these deaths?

189.

How long were Aaron and his sons to stay with the tabernacle?

190.

Were Nadab and Abihu drunk when they were slain?

191.

Just what is involved in the use of the terms clean and uncleanholy and common?

192.

Please notice the vast import of Leviticus 10:11. Discuss the full work of the priests.

193.

What possible purpose did Moses have in giving careful instructions to Aaron and his sons as in Leviticus 10:12 ff?

194.

Moses was upset about the goat of the sin offering. What was the problem? What was the answer of Aaron?

PARAPHRASE 10:1-20

But Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, placed unholy fire in their censers, laid incense on the fire, and offered the incense before the Lordcontrary to what the Lord had just commanded them! So fire blazed forth from the presence of the Lord and destroyed them. Then Moses said to Aaron, This is what the Lord meant when He said, I will show Myself holy among those who approach Me, and I will be glorified before all the people, And Aaron was speechless. Then Moses called for Mishael and Elzaphan, Aaron's cousins, the sons of Uzziel, and told them, Go and get the charred bodies from before the tabernacle, and carry them outside the camp. So they went over and got them, and carried them out in their coats as Moses had told them to. Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, Do not mourndo not let your hair hang loose as a sign of your mourning, and do not tear your clothes. If you do, God will strike you dead too, and His wrath will come upon all the people of Israel. But the rest of the people of Israel may lament the death of Nadab and Abihu, and mourn because of the terrible fire the Lord has sent. But you are not to leave the tabernacle under penalty of death, for the anointing oil of Jehovah is upon you. And they did as Moses commanded. Now the Lord instructed Aaron, Never drink wine or strong drink when you go into the tabernacle, lest you die; and this rule applies to your sons and to all your descendants from generation to generation. Your duties will be to arbitrate for the people, to teach them the difference between what is holy and what is ordinary, what is pure and what is impure; and to teach them all the laws Jehovah has given through Moses. Then Moses said to Aaron and to his sons who were left, Eleazar and Ithamar, Take the grain offeringthe food that remains after the handful has been offered to the Lord by burning it on the altarmake sure there is no leaven in it, and eat it beside the altar. The offering is most holy; therefore you must eat it in the sanctuary, in a holy place, It belongs to you and to your sons, from the offerings to Jehovah made by fire; for so I am commanded. But the breast and the thigh, which have been offered to the Lord by the gesture of waving it before Him, may be eaten in any holy place. It belongs to you and to your sons and daughters for your food. It is your portion of the peace offering sacrifices of the people of Israel. The people are to bring the thigh that was set aside, along with the breast that was offered when the fat was burned, and they shall be presented before the Lord by the gesture of waving them. And afterwards they shall belong to you and your family, for the Lord has commanded this. Then Moses searched everywhere for the goat of the sin offering and discovered that it had been burned! He was very angry about this with Eleazar and Ithamar, the remaining sons of Aaron. Why haven-'t you eaten the sin offering in the sanctuary, since it is most holy, and God has given it to you to take away the iniquity and guilt of the people, to make atonement for them before the Lord? he demanded. Since its blood was not taken inside the sanctuary, you should certainly have eaten it there, as I ordered you. But Aaron interceded with Moses. They offered their sin offering and burnt offering before the Lord, he said, but if I had eaten the sin offering on such a day as this, would it have pleased the Lord? And when Moses heard that, he was satisfied.

COMMENT 10:1-20

Leviticus 10:1-2 We do want to understand as best we can the exact nature of the sin of these two sons of the high priest. It would seem to be the sin of presumption on several counts: (1) they did not have a word from God concerning the time they chose to burn the incense. They presumed to enter the holy place and burn incense for a reason that did not originate with God; (2) they did not wait until they were within the holy place to burn the incense. Just why they would walk in the outer court with incense burning in their censers can only be accounted for in the assumption that they were drunk, the place was wrong; (3) the fire was wrongthis was the count upon which God struck them dead. They had evidently approached the door of the tabernacle when the same fire that kindled the sacrifice on the altar of burnt offering flashed across the mercy seat and across the golden altar to consume those who presumed on God's law without knowing itor better statedthose who knew His will but for reasons best known to them, chose to ignore it. The specific sin was using fire not from the altar to kindle the fire for the incense. Cf. Leviticus 16:12. To obey is better than sacrifice regardless of the intentions for the sacrifice.

Leviticus 10:3 Moses sees a very literal fulfillment of the words of Exodus 19:22; Exodus 28:41; Exodus 29:44. God will either be sanctified (i.e. set-apart) by obedience or by punishment of those who draw near to Him as priests. Increase of privilege involves increase of responsibility and of danger. Aaron accepted the evaluation of his brother.

Leviticus 10:4-7 Uzziel was the youngest brother of Amram, the mother of Moses and Aaron, therefore his sons were second cousins to the slain. (Cf, Exodus 6:18-22) Their sin was public; their death was public; their burial must also be public. What an awesome scene! Word must have spread rapidly throughout the camp. The area around the tabernacle must have soon been crowded with curious worshippers. When Mishael and Elzaphan reached for the dead bodies they knew at once it was God who did it, for the priestly coats were not burnedonly the instrument of the sin was punished. Like the unclean portion of the sacrifice the bodies must be removed from the camp. We see some definite similarities in this action to the impression the death of Ananias and Sapphira made upon the whole church and the community of Jerusalem. Cf. Acts 5:1-11.

Moses was very explicit in his instructions about mourning. There was to be no expression of griefunder the penalty of death and the threat of death to the whole congregation; they were to suppress their grief. They were not to mourn, i. e. to give outward expression to their deep sorrow. We believe Aaron and his remaining sons must have felt the deepest pain. Indication of this follows in the fact that Aaron and his sons did not eat the meat of the sin offering because they were just not hungryso they burned it. Cf. 16-20. Willing, personal submission to God's clearly revealed will is ultimately a real relief to the saved. A genuine recognition of God's control in the affairs of men has a wonderful calming influence upon us. This was the response of Job (Job 1:18-21) and of David (2 Samuel 12:15-23) and it can be ours (Romans 8:28).

The service within the tabernacle must be completedHis ministers must remain within the tabernacle until it is done. The anointing oil separated Aaron and his sons to the service of God and there was no one else to take their place! Burying the dead is never as important as following the will of the Lord!

Leviticus 10:8-11 It seems to be particularly meaningful that the Lord spoke to Aaron and not to Moses. It was Aaron, not Moses, who was responsible for the actions of his sons. A calm, clear head and heart are needed as men minister about sacred things. The Lord is mercifully strict. Lest ye die seems unduly severe, but Satan is not easy with those who follow him. He has but one end for his followersdeath. The reason for this prohibition is seen in the little expression, You are to distinguish between the holy and the common. Such would have to do with moral as well as physical distinctions. The Corinthians had a similar problem, because they were filled with wine they could not make such moral evaluations and were sick and some dead. In addition to making such decisions these men were the only means God had for dispensing His word among His people. They were His teachers. Cf. Deuteronomy 24:8; Malachi 2:7. When we are responsible for the proper decision of right and wrong among others and when they look to us as teachers we must not, we cannot, fail them. We shall be responsible for their death as well as our own.

Leviticus 10:12-15 It would seem that Moses is concerned that the needs of the day be met even if personal tragedy had struck. Or it could be that he wanted to encourage Aaron and his sons in their continued service. He was saying in essence: take up your duties, you still have all the rights and privileges God gave you earlier. How good are the words of C. H. MacKintosh just here:

There are few things in which we are more prone to fail than in the maintenance of the divine standard when human failure has set in. Like David, when the Lord made a breach upon Uzzah because of his failure in putting his hand to the ark, he was afraid of God that day, saying, -How shall I bring the ark of God home to me?-' (1 Chronicles 13:12). It is exceedingly difficult to bow to the divine judgment and, at the same time, to hold fast the divine ground. The temptation is to lower the standardto come down from the lofty elevationto take human ground. We must ever carefully guard against this evil, which is all the more dangerous as wearing the garb of modesty, self-distrust, and humility. Aaron and his sons, notwithstanding all that had occurred, were to eat the meat-offering in the holy place. They were to do so, not because all had gone on in perfect order, but because it is thy due, and so I am commanded. Though there had been failure, yet their place was in the tabernacle; and those who were there had certain dues founded upon the divine commandment. Though man had failed ten thousand times over, the word of the Lord could not fail; and that word had secured certain privileges for all true priests, which it was their place to enjoy. Were God's priests to have nothing to eat-no priestly food, because failure had set in? Were those that were left to be allowed to starve, because Nadab and Abihu had offered strange fire? This would never do. God is faithful, and He can never allow any one to be empty in His blessed presence. The prodigal may wander and squander and come to poverty, but it must ever hold good that in my Father's house is bread enough and to spare.

And the wave breast and the heave shoulder shall ye eat in a clean place; thou and thy sons, and thy daughters with thee: for they be thy due, and thy sons-' due, which are given out of the sacrifices of peace-offerings of the children of Israel. by a statute forever, as the Lord hath commanded (Leviticus 10:14-15). What strength and stability we have here! All the members of the priestly family, daughters as well as sonsall, whatever be the measure of energy or capacity, are to feed upon the breast and the shoulderthe affections and the strength of the true Peace-offering, as raised from the dead, and presented, in resurrection, before God. This precious privilege is theirs as given by a statute forever, as the Lord hath commanded. This makes all sure and steadfast, come what may. Men may fail and come short, strange fire may be offered, but God's priestly family must never be deprived of the rich and gracious portion which divine love has provided and divine faithfulness secured by a statute forever.

Leviticus 10:16-20 What was the objection of Moses? Was it justified? How did Aaron answer him? Why was Moses content with Aaron's answer? Moses does not address himself directly to Aaron, but to Eleazar and Ithamar who were personally responsible for the infraction. According to Leviticus 6:26-29 the remains of the sin offering were to be eateninstead these two burned it! It was a privilege to share in the forgiveness of the worshipper and you have missed it, is the thought of Moses. He expands on it in Leviticus 10:17-18. The blood was not brought into the holy place and sprinkled before the veil. You certainly ought to have done it! You have failed yourselves, the congregation and God! The first answer of Aaron has to do with the fact that he and his sons up to the death of Nadab and Abihu had kept the law without exception. Whereas Moses addressed his sons, both men knew Aaron was ultimately responsible, Aaron says in essence: Behold, even today they (Eleazar and Ithamar) have obeyed the Lord and have offered the sin offerings and the burnt offeringsconsider what we have done as well as what we haven-'t done. Aaron freely admits his deficiency but pleads for patience and mercy because of such things as these have befallen me i.e. because of the sudden death of his sons. Aaron is saying he and his sons felt unworthy to share in the momentous responsibility of bearing the iniquity of the congregation in the act of eating the sin offering. In a very real sense Aaron is entering into the spirit of the sacrifice as well as the letter. He is saying he and his sons did not feel up to the task of taking upon themselves the iniquity of the congregation. There must have been something emotionally exhausting about identifying with the sins of the worshipper. Because of their grief, loss, shockAaron and his sons were not able to fulfill this task. Such an explanation satisfied Moses and he held his peace. This chapter began with the violation of the law of sacrificeit ended with the same act. Death the result of the oneacceptance or permission the result of the other, but how vastly different were the motives.

FACT QUESTIONS 10:1-20

237.

What was the basic motive behind the sin of Nadab and Abihu? Explain.

238.

What is meant by strange fire?

239.

Mention the two possible ways God can bewill be, sanctified in the eyes of the people.

240.

Show how Exodus 19:22; Exodus 28:14; Exodus 29:44 relate to this chapter.

241.

Did Aaron know of the motives of his sons? Why accept Moses-' explanation of their punishment?

242.

Who was Uzziel? Why involve him and his family?

243.

Those who buried the bodiesand all othersknew these deaths were supernaturalhow so?

244.

Discuss the similarities of this incident and that of Acts 5:1-11.

245. Why did God prohibit mourning? Is God saying the father and brothers were to feel no sorrow? Discuss.

246.

Show how the words of our Lord, Let the dead bury the dead have real application here.

247.

Why did God speak to Aaron about the non-use of wine and strong drink in the tabernacle service?

248.

What was involved in discerning between the holy and the common?

249.

The priests had a large responsibility beyond officiating at the sacrifices. What was it?

250.

Discuss the comment of C. H. MacKintosh on Leviticus 10:12-15.

251.

Moses objected to the use of a goat in the sin offeringwhat was the objection?

252.

Show how the explanation of Aaron really answered the problem.