Observation: In one of the scarier moments of the bible, the Lord strikes down Nadab and Abihu, Aaron's two eldest sons. This happens during a sacrifice in which the Lord has appeared and directly consumed the offerings being given, and it happened because Nadab and Abihu took actions that were not what the Lord had commanded.
At first, it seems harsh to kill two people for making a procedural mistake. However, these actions being described were much more serious. First, the components themselves had not been prepared and thus were not holy. Second, these two were usurping the position of Moses and Aaron, who were instructed by the Lord to lead this process. In other words, what was really happening was Nadab and Abihu had decided that they (not God) could and should make decisions about what should occur, that they themselves should have a more prominent and active role, and that prior teaching from the Lord about holiness were optional.
Application: More and more today, I am concerned that our church brings a lot of unauthorized fire before the Lord, and just like Nadab and Abihu we do it because we think we are honoring the Lord when actually we are defying and ignoring him.
However, Jesus has changed this dynamic. By coming down to us, Jesus created a new path and a new model for relationship with the Lord ... a path defined by faith and not process or the Law. Therefore, maintaining that relationship is how we are near God, as he called out in verse 3.
Certainly we care a lot less about presenting the right sacrifices, with the right preparation, before the Lord today. I am not talking about burnt livestock in the temple, but about our tithes, our worship, our prayer, and our messages. However, Jesus is now the new way to present ourselves before the Lord. Jesus is the lamb offering, our belief and faith in Jesus as Messiah is our permission to enter into the Kingdom of God, and our prayers of hope and songs of praise are the proper incense and pleasing aroma rising up to heaven.
Today, "unauthorized fire" involves all those out there who are trying to come before the Lord, but without Jesus. They enter the sanctuary without purification, following the wrong procedure, ignoring the Lord's plan, and burning the wrong incense.
What a wonderful revelation this is today, that once again we see Jesus create the way for all of us to enjoy and presence of the Lord, to live within his blessing and comfort, and to dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Prayer: Lord, as always, your plan is perfect, and even when we read of something that might be confusing or scary we see that the truth was always that you were preparing mankind for reconciliation through Jesus Christ. Thank you for your wonderful plans, and your amazing love. Amen.
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