[Leviticus 10] When Leaders Sin and Suffer. In this chapter, Aaron’s sons, Nadab, and Abihu die before the Lord. There are powerful lessons here regarding how to avoid their fate in your situation. We will also learn how to respond and maintain our composure when we see things happen to leaders and subordinates in our own ministries. Moses and Aaron maintained their composure in a terrible situation, and the people were protected, and the integrity of God’s testimony preserved. It is a challenging yet beneficial lesson that every one of us will benefit from at some time or another in our lives.
[Lev 10:1-20 KJV] 1 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. 2 And there went out fire from the LORD and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. 3 Then Moses said unto Aaron, This [is it] that the LORD 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, Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp. 5 So they went 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, Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD hath kindled. 7 And ye shall not go out from the door of the Tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: for the anointing oil of the LORD [is] upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses. 8 And the LORD spake unto Aaron, saying, 9 Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the Tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: [it shall be] a statute for ever throughout your generations: 10 And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean; 11 And that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses. 12 And Moses spake unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons that were left, Take the meat offering that remaineth of the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and eat it without leaven beside the altar: for it [is] most holy: 13 And ye shall eat it in the holy place, because it [is] thy due, and thy sons’ due, of the sacrifices of the LORD made by fire: for so I am commanded. 14 And the wave breast and 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. 15 The heave shoulder and the wave breast shall they bring with the offerings made by fire of the fat, to wave [it for] a wave offering before the LORD; and it shall be thine, and thy sons’ with thee, by a statute for ever; as the LORD 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 Ithamar, the sons of Aaron [which were] left [alive], saying, 17 Wherefore have ye not eaten the sin offering in the holy place, seeing it [is] most holy, and [God] hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the LORD? 18 Behold, the blood of it was not brought in within the holy [place]: ye should indeed have eaten it in the holy [place], as I commanded. 19 And Aaron said unto Moses, Behold, this day have they offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the LORD; and such things have befallen me: and [if] I had eaten the sin offering to day, should it have been accepted in the sight of the LORD? 20 And when Moses heard [that], he was content.
Because of the chapter break in this narrative, we might assume that the events of chapters nine and ten happened at different times. In fact, if you read it straight through, you will see what happened and gain understanding about what took place here. In chapter nine, God comes down in His glory and activates the Tabernacle worship. Supernatural fire comes out from the Holy of Holies and consumes the sacrifice on the brazen altar. The people fall down with a great shout and worship before the Lord, and we transition to the next chapter.
While the people are still on their faces and fire from God is yet kindled on the Brazen Altar, Nadab and Abihu, for inexplicable reasons, take matters into their own hands. There is a suggestion in the text that perhaps they were intoxicated at the time. With the people in awe and fear before the Lord, Nadab and Abihu grab censures, place “strange” fire in them, and offer it before the Ark of the Covenant, not on the Brazen Altar but on the Altar of Incense in the Holy place. They were in such a hurry that they didn’t bring fire from the brazen altar as the law required, and, as subordinate priests, they weren’t even allowed to go before the Ark of the Covenant. Only the High Priest could go before the Ark of the Covenant and then only once a year after an elaborate ritual of cleansing and sacrifice. What was going on here? Nadab and Abihu saw the people’s reaction to the supernatural things taking place and stepped in to take the glory to themselves. In the vernacular of the day, they were grandstanding – operating in what my spouse Kitty calls a performing spirit.
God is a jealous God. What you allow to come between you and God – God will remove. When you place yourself between God and man, when you take honor to yourself, you put yourself unnecessarily at risk. In Christian culture, this unadvised behavior occurs all the time. Ministers allow themselves to be seen as a class apart, holding the people at arm’s length, maintaining a celebrity status. The very concept of clergy/laity carries the connotation of false glory. The word clergy comes from the Greek word “cleros,” which means “sacred.” The term “laity” comes from the word “laos,” which means common.
Remember the laws regarding clean and unclean? When something common or unclean touches something holy – then the holy thing becomes ceremonially unclean. Nadab and Abihu took “strange fire” and approached the Ark of the Covenant. If they had been allowed to continue, the Ark itself would have been contaminated. Again, the fire that was intended to be used in the Tabernacle was initially kindled supernaturally by God. Jewish tradition says this fire was maintained and preserved from this day (in chapter 9) until the dedication of Solomon’s temple. Thus, Nadab and Abihu were slain for approaching the Ark presumptuously. However, we also, as born again believers, are kings and priests unto God and are tasked with approaching God’s presence. The writer of Hebrews attests to this:
[Heb 10:19-23 KJV] 19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 21 And [having] an high priest over the house of God; 22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the profession of [our] faith without wavering; (for he [is] faithful that promised;)
Bear in mind that in approaching God, we are not asking Him to sanction us so we can take the glory to ourselves. Instead, we are asking Him to sanctify us and cleanse us, thereby making us fit for His service. Nadab and Abihu attempted to take the glory of God to themselves in an inappropriate act of self-aggrandizement. Pagan priests were revered as demi-gods, and without doubt, Nadab and Abihu were attempting to elevate themselves to cult status.
When these two men suffered the consequences of their actions, we see in vs. 4-6 that their families were not allowed to grieve or to identify more with the loss than with the honor of God that was preserved and vindicated in their death. Family ties are often stronger than spiritual fidelities. We often see supposedly firm believers choose family over faith and faithfulness to God. It is a common sentiment expressed in church culture, almost at the level of scripture that “the church is built upon the family…” This is entirely wrong. The church is not built upon the family, and family is not the central focus of the church (although in Christian culture, this is quite common). Jesus brings this up in the book of Matthew and clarifies what the priorities of a believer are to be.
[Mat 12:48-50 KJV] 48 But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? 49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.
[Mat 10:37 KJV] 37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
[Mat 19:29 KJV] 29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
Remember, these men who died before the Lord were Moses’ nephews as well. We have to ask ourselves if it comes to choosing between family, faith, and fidelity to God, are we prepared to put God first even if it means losing those relationships? This is not speculative or theoretical. It happens all the time, and we need to preemptively make those decisions. In vs. 7-11, we see that Moses and Aaron were forbidden to grieve; they were also to remain in the Tabernacle and not go out even to comfort their families. Here again, arises the issue of identification. The anointing oil was upon them. Christ is in you, but the anointing is on you. What is the difference? There are roles you will step into and particular moments when God manifests in your life or a specific activity carried out before the people. This is a time to be circumspect about what you say, what you do, and not do anything to project a cavalier or casual attitude about the things of God. Today in the church, there is an anything-goes attitude where seeker-sensitive churches compete against one another over which group is the hippest, the most casual, the most laid back. We need to remember who we represent and who we are standing before when we gather together.
Amid this chaos, Moses draws Aaron and his remaining sons’ attention back to their duty as priests (vs. 12-15). Interestingly, he speaks to them about the “priest’s portion.” Was this a time to talk about the priest’s compensation from the sacrificial offerings?
Can you imagine a pastor conducting an open casket funeral service and stopping to take an offering? God does not hold Himself to the mandates of political correctness or popular opinion. Nadab and Abihu are not even buried, and Moses, in effect, is negotiating the compensation package of Aaron and his sons before the sun goes down. This should tell us something about God’s character concerning the fear of man and man’s opinion about what should and should not be taking place in terms of propriety at any given time in the service of the Lord.
In vs. 12-15, Moses commands Aaron and his remaining sons to sit down and eat the sacrifices that were prepared just before Nadab and Abihu’s deaths. The eating of the priest’s portion was Aaron and his son’s compensation for their service. The people were taught that it was acceptable and desirable that Aaron and his sons receive their portion. The people would give to the Lord, but the Lord would then assign a portion of the gift to the priesthood. It is reminiscent of a prophetic word God gave me as I was transitioning from the business world to the full-time prophetic ministry: “the people will throw the money at Jesus’ feet, and He will take it up and throw it at your feet…” It was humbling to hear that then, and it still is today.
As they are going about to obey, Moses realizes (v. 16) that something was not carried out correctly with respect to the sin offering. Moses is concerned and upset that they had broken the pattern God had set. Many ministers do this today. They boast about not taking offerings or receiving offerings and criticize those who do. These people are trying to be more holy than the scriptures themselves – this is nothing but self-righteousness. God has a pattern and a plan. Moses demands an explanation from Aaron, and Aaron throws up his hands and begs for tolerance in light of the death of his sons that very same day. Moses was capable of compassion, for he listened and was content, and obviously, God was as well for that was the end of the matter.
What is the take away for us in this chapter? Upheaval happens among God’s people occasionally. Leaders sin, and other leaders handle it poorly and make mistakes and sometimes outright err. This often prompts and provokes mass defections from a group or a church, and people’s lives are uprooted, and many times churches and ministries close down. I want you to notice that in all of this, the people were silent. They had already experienced the consequences of their own disobedience when they rebelled and complained, but at this moment, they are not pointing the finger but waiting reverently for order to come and God to take them past this painful experience. We would do well to follow this example when we experience similar problems in the groups we are part of.
