You Know Better (Leviticus 10:1-7)

Leviticus 10:1–7 NLT

1 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. 2 So fire blazed forth from the Lord’s presence and burned them up, and they died there before the Lord. 3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord meant when he said, ‘I will display my holiness through those who come near me. I will display my glory before all the people.’ ” And Aaron was silent. 4 Then 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.” 5 So they came forward and picked them up by their garments and carried them out of the camp, just as Moses had commanded. 6 Then 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. 7 But 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.

PICTURES

This was NOT accidental!

At first glance we might be tempted to think that God overreacted over a mistake or a slip up on the part of Nadab and Abihu. But, as the story unfolds, it really is CLEAR that they KNEW the error of their ways. They knew it was wrong, but did it anyway...

We’ve all been guilty of this!!!

The definition of sin is to know better, but do it anyway...

James 4:17 NLT

17 Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.

1 John 3:4 NLT

4 Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God.

We have ALL been there...

WE KNOW what we should or should not do, but we have done the opposite

It’s easier to ask for forgiveness then permission (this assumes that it is something we probably SHOULDN’T be doing in the first place...

Romans 3:23 NLT

23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

So, I have jumped a little ahead, but wanted to get that out of the way early. They didn’t make an error, they blatantly sinned against the command of God. They failed to be HOLY!

They were specifically told WHAT to do and HOW to do it

There were already instructions on how to make the incense

Exodus 30:34–38 NLT

34 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Gather fragrant spices—resin droplets, mollusk shell, and galbanum—and mix these fragrant spices with pure frankincense, weighed out in equal amounts. 35 Using the usual techniques of the incense maker, blend the spices together and sprinkle them with salt to produce a pure and holy incense. 36 Grind some of the mixture into a very fine powder and put it in front of the Ark of the Covenant, where I will meet with you in the Tabernacle. You must treat this incense as most holy. 37 Never use this formula to make this incense for yourselves. It is reserved for the Lord, and you must treat it as holy. 38 Anyone who makes incense like this for personal use will be cut off from the community.”

Note the reminder in in verse 36 - THIS MUST BE TREATED IN A HOLY WAY!!!!

There were instructions on WHEN to burn the incense AND WHO WOULD BURN IT!

Exodus 30:7–8 NLT

7 “Every morning when Aaron maintains the lamps, he must burn fragrant incense on the altar. 8 And each evening when he lights the lamps, he must again burn incense in the Lord’s presence. This must be done from generation to generation.

NOTE: the incense was to be burned in the MORNING and EVENING. BUT ALSO NOTE… IT WAS AARON WHO WAS TO BURN THE INCENSE!

Please notice, that over time this changed (during the 2nd temple period under Herod) where other priests, aside from the high priest could burn incense. BUT AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME, IT WAS ONLY THE HIGH PRIEST (AARON) WHO COULD PERFORM THIS DUTY

So, what do we have here in this story?

We are told that Nadab and Abihu disobeyed and burnt fire that the Lord did not command

Leviticus 10:1 NLT

1 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.

What happened?

Well a possible mix of things (or all of these options below)

They used incense that was “foreign” or not the prescribed incense

They might have offered it at the wrong time of the day

They used THEIR own incense burners - as opposed to ones that had been set aside to be used

Some have suggested that they might have been drunk

The text continues to forbid drinking on behalf of the priests. Some have said that maybe they got drunk and their lack of self control caused them to do what ought not be done

They got too close to the most holy place

Leviticus 16:1–2 NLT

1 The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron’s two sons, who died after they entered the Lord’s presence and burned the wrong kind of fire before him. 2 The Lord said to Moses, “Warn your brother, Aaron, not to enter the Most Holy Place behind the inner curtain whenever he chooses; if he does, he will die. For the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—is there, and I myself am present in the cloud above the atonement cover.

Given how Leviticus 16 unfolds as a reminder of the events of Leviticus 10, some suggest that the 2 sons of Aaron got too close to the most holy place

5. They participated in acts that they were NOT prescribed by God to do! Remember, this was to be Aaron’s job! And, although they were ordained as priests, they were NOT Aaron (nor the high priest) and therefore they ASSUMED more authority and responsibility than they should have.

Although we do not know exactly what they did, I am comfortable concluding that they were clearly disobedient in SOMETHING. I, personally, believe that they burned the wrong incense AND CLEARLY did the job that was prescribed to someone else. THEY DID NOT STAY IN THEIR LANE!

But, no matter what the reason was, it is CLEAR that they were disobedient

Their role was to be a role that modeled obedience to the ways of God as God’s ordained priests!

1 Samuel 15:22 NLT

22 But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.

Hosea 6:6 NLT

6 I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings.

Micah 6:8 NLT

8 No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

OBEDIENCE IS BETTER THAT SACRIFICE! And these 2 sons of Aaron were disobedient.

They were ordained for a purposed

The purpose of the priests was to model obedience

Really, the purpose of the priest was to model HOLINESS

HOLINESS is what distinguishes God’s people from the world’s people

q’desh = sanctified or SET APART

To be HOLY is to be SET APART!

This is why there are all the laws for the people. They were to be SET APART from the world around them. The way the world lives is/was contrary to God’s ways. Whether it be mold, or skin infections, or meat that is eaten, or sexual practices. God has reason to say some things are good and some things are not good. And, in following God in those details, the people would be DIFFERENT or SET APART from the world around them. It also was a display of how God deals with our sinfulness

That it must be identified and then cut out so that we can be set apart to shine God’s goodness to the world!

Priest were set apart to show a distinction between holy and mundane!

The priests were to be examples of this. Of following God, or being set apart, of demonstrating obedience, of living life differently!! OF BEING HOLY!

In Leviticus 8 we read how the priests had been ordained. They had been set apart by God, for God’s purposes, to serve the people and to serve the world. They were ordained as God has prescribed in Exodus 29

But, shortly after this ceremony, the sons of Aaron forgot their purpose. They PURPOSEFULLY rebelled and did things their own way...

What’s the BIG DEAL?

I imagine there is a lot that can be said about this.

Those set apart by God, for God’s purposes to serve God and bless the world ought to remember this. Don’t make light of holiness

But, I’d like to make it more simple than that...

YOU CAN’T EXPECT BLESSING AND BE DISOBEDIENT!!!

YOU CANNOT EXPECT BLESSING AND ACT IN REBELLION!!!

We want the blessings of God, we want that priviledge, and often demand it as a RIGHT

But, that blessing comes with GREAT responsibility - the responsibility to CONTINUALLY be set apart!

We ask God to bless us

Bless our marriage

Bless our community

Bless our family

Bless our business venture

Bless...

And yet, we continue acting in sin!

We want the privileges of Holiness without the RESPONSIBILITY to ACTUALLY BE SET APART!

You cannot be HOLY with no distinction

Hebrews 12:14 “14 Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.”

We must continue to be distinct and set apart.

But, also, we must stay in OUR LANE…

There is only 1 High Priests

According to Hebrews, Jesus is our Great High Priest

Hebrews 7:26–27 NLT

26 He is the kind of high priest we need because he is holy and blameless, unstained by sin. He has been set apart from sinners and has been given the highest place of honor in heaven. 27 Unlike those other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices every day. They did this for their own sins first and then for the sins of the people. But Jesus did this once for all when he offered himself as the sacrifice for the people’s sins.

Hebrews 8:6 NLT

6 But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises.

Hebrews 8:1–2 NLT

1 Here is the main point: We have a High Priest who sat down in the place of honor beside the throne of the majestic God in heaven. 2 There he ministers in the heavenly Tabernacle, the true place of worship that was built by the Lord and not by human hands.

Jesus is our High Priest and he MEDIATES or grafts us in to the NEW COVENANT and he INTERCEDES on our behalf.

He still calls us to be Holy and set apart, yes.

BUT IT IS HIS EFFORTS WORKING IN US AND THROUGH US THAT DO THIS.

The sons of Aaron got misled. They, for whatever reason, believed that they could take a role upon themselves that they COULD NOT DO.

So it is with us!! Yes, we need to STOP being rebellious and allow GOD to set us apart and make us holy. YES

BUT, God does this THROUGH Jesus our HIGH PRIEST.

Jesus, through the POWER of his Spirit MAKES US HOLY. We MUST accept the invitation to participate in that effort.

2 Peter 1:3 NLT

3 By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.

Let our HIGH PRIEST be our HIGH Priest

Follow HIS leading

Follow HIS guidance

Follow HIS spirit

And do not demand a blessing if you are KNOWLINGLY sinning!!

The Road to Holiness is PAVED with OBEDIENCE!!