Leviticus 10:1-3
1 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, which he had not commanded them. 2 And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. 3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord has said, ‘Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.’ ” And Aaron held his peace.
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If you ask the average Christian, the names of Nadab and Abihu are not familiar. Perhaps they might remember them as guys from the Old Testament. Perhaps they might even have in the back of their minds that those two guys died for something. But I doubt that many of us have taken a great deal of time to really think about what happened here and how it should make us respond to God. That is a shame.
The story is simple. In the middle of a glorious celebration, the dedication of the tabernacle and establishment of the Aaronic priesthood, Aaron’s two sons, both recently-anointed priests, disobey God’s commands. They offer to God an act of worship that God did not command. They took liberties for themselves. And God killed them for it. Immediately afterward, Moses turns to Aaron and points out to him that the two young men had not sanctified God, they had not seen God as holy.
Now, there are several ways that we can apply this biblical event to our lives; but let me point us to one simple direction. We who read this need to develop a new appreciation for God’s holiness. What God did in this event was perfectly right, because all that God does is perfectly right. Thus, we understand that nothing outweighs God’s holiness and his glory.
What does it mean that God is holy? It means several things, but one part of God’s holiness is his absolute purity. God is so completely, so totally pure that nothing we can do could ever live up to that standard. His purity is actually dangerous for us, because God’s purity demands the destruction of that which is impure—namely you and me.
Think about it with this imperfect analogy. Some of you recall having a mother or grandmother who had one of those nice sitting rooms. This was the room in the house where nobody was actually allowed to go. The carpet was perfect. The furniture was spotless. No way were we to go play in there. And under no circumstances whatsoever were we allowed to take food or drinks into that room. That room was important. It was set apart from the rest. It, in a very miniscule way, depicted holiness for us.
Now, imagine yourself as a grubby-faced, muddy-footed teenager who knows about the special room. Imagine that you tromp in there with your dirty feet, dirty hands, and even the most forbidden thing in the world—food. You carry a sloppy Joe in the room and begin to chow down. You wipe your greasy fingers on the sofa, grind your muddy shoes into the carpet, and spill your sticky and stain-making Kool-Aid all over the coffee table and floor.
What have you done? You have walked into the room and treated it as though it is not special at all. You have treated it as common or even below. You have also insulted your mom or grandma or whoever keeps this special room for herself. You have defiled the room. You have shown contempt. You and I both know, you would be punished, and rightly so.
Now, take that concept of the special room, and multiply it by infinity. God is not just a little holy. He is not just a little perfect. He is infinitely perfect. To insult his holiness is not to cause only a tiny offense. To insult or defame God’s holiness is to commit a crime of infinite significance. It deserves immediate punishment, instant justice.
What Nadab and Abihu did at the tabernacle was to begin the concept of worshipping God without any sense of God’s holiness. They, whether they meant to or not, came into the sanctuary, and by offering unauthorized fire, they tromped in with muddy shoes, propped their feet up on the coffee table, and made a mess. They showed the people of Israel that God was not any more special than any of us. They showed that anybody can come up with as good an idea as God for how God should be worshipped. They showed that God’s commands and restrictions didn’t matter.
What was God to do? His name, his glory, and his holiness are the most important things in the entire universe. Not only is God’s glory more important than Nadab and Abihu, the score isn’t even close. These two violated God’s standards and threatened to teach an entire nation not to see God as holy. So God did what was absolutely right. God flashed fire forth from the altar, and he consumed Nadab and Abihu where they stood.
Now, what should you and I take from this? Tremble at God’s holiness. Realize that you and I are so dirty in comparison to God’s perfection that we are not worthy to look at him, to touch him, to breathe his air, to sing his songs, to read his word, to speak his name. We cannot stand before him, not at all. Let that give you a newfound awe and respect for your God.
Don’t let this fly over your head. Let the truth of the last paragraph make you kneel down and with tear-filled eyes give thanks to God for his grace. He has chosen, by his mercy and his love and for his glory to reach down and save sinners. God has chosen to save a guy like me—dirty, filthy, crude, and evil to the core. It cost God a tremendous price, the sacrifice of his Son who willingly paid my penalty and offered me God’s righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). But God, by his mercy, has done the impossible and made me and anyone who will come to Jesus able to worship him even though his holiness should consume me even faster than Nadab and Abihu.
Finally, this Sunday, count yourself privileged. God has allowed you to sing his praise, pray to him, give to his offering, and listen to his word. God has allowed you to know of his offer of grace in Jesus. God allows you to stand in his presence. God allows you to worship him. You’re not clean on your own. You and I do not deserve it ourselves. God, however, has done something amazing. So, thank God. And, when you enter the sanctuary and the hymns or choruses start, when the word is read, tremble just a little at the thought of standing in grace before a holy God.
Pastor Travis Peterson 