Lessons from Nadab and Abihu

Articles

Derek Long
08/12/18 - Biblical Authority

Lessons from Nadab and Abihu
By Derek Long
Leviticus 10 contains the record of the death of Nadab and Abihu. The text says, “Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. So fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. And Moses said to Aaron, ‘This is what the Lord spoke, saying: “By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified.”’ So Aaron held his
peace” (Leviticus 10:1-3). The Bible will continue to remind us of what happened to Nadab and Abihu after this account is given (Numbers 3:4; 26:61; 1 Chronicles 24:2). What lessons can we learn from the example of Nadab and Abihu?
1. God holds all men, even religious leaders, accountable to His law. Nadab and Abihu were sons of Aaron and priests within Israel (Exodus 28:1). God required them to pay attention to His laws and follow them. God would punish the religious leaders who failed to keep His laws in Israel. Today, God holds all people accountable to His law just as He did in ancient Israel (2 Corinthians 5:10).
2. God has the right to regulate the type of worship given to Him. God has always specified the kind of worship He would approve of. In Genesis 4, Cain and Abel both offer sacrifices to God. God accepts Abel and his sacrifice but rejects Cain and his sacrifice (Genesis 4:1-5). The New Testament teaches us Abel’s sacrifice was acceptable because it was offered by faith (Hebrews 11:4). Abel’s faith must have been the result of hearing some word of God concerning what to sacrifice (Romans 10:17). Cain’s sacrifice obviously was not offered by faith and thus was unacceptable to God. God gave the children of Israel instructions regarding how they were to worship Him. God gave a specific pattern to be followed in the construction of the tabernacle and its furnishings (Exodus 25:9, 40; 26:30). God gave specific commandments for the various sacrifices Israel was to offer to be pleasing to Him (Leviticus 1-7). God would provide Israel with a specific place where they should come to offer worship to Him (Deuteronomy 12).
In order for our worship to be pleasing to God, it must be offered according to the pattern. Nadab and Abihu offered incense before God but used profane/strange/unauthorized fire and God condemned them as a result. Today, we must be careful to only do those things in worship to God which He has authorized us to do (John 4:24).
3. The example of Nadab and Abihu reminds us we must have Bible authority for all we do. The New Testament is filled with statements teaching us the necessity of having Bible authority for everything we do and say. Colossians 3:17 says, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Other passages stressing the need for Bible authority would include 2 Timothy 1:13; 2 John 9; and many more. If we cannot find authority from God’s word
for an action we are engaged in, we must stop practicing it
lest we incur the wrath of God.
4. The example of Nadab and Abihu reminds us the silence of
God is not permissive. The Bible says of the fire offered by Nadab and Abihu it was profane and fire, “which He had not commanded them” (Leviticus 10:1). The Bible does not indicate God gave a specific prohibition against using the particular fire Nadab and Abihu used. Rather, the text indicates it was simply fire God had not told them to use. Today, many people argue they can engage in some Bible practice because “God doesn’t say not to.” In order to make sure our actions are pleasing in God’s sight, we must find where God authorized those actions and God does not authorize something by His silence. Doing something which God has not commanded, even if there is no direct prohibition against it, still incurs the wrath of God.
5. The example of Nadab and Abihu reminds us of the wrath of God. Many people today want to only focus upon the love and grace of God and forget “our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28-29). We must not fail to take into account God’s goodness or His severity if we are to have an accurate depiction of God in our minds (Romans 11:22). God’s wrath is poured out on people who do religious things without authority. God’s wrath is poured out on people who worship Him in a manner He has not authorized.
6. The example of Nadab and Abihu shows us the only way we can treat God as holy and glorify Him is by abiding within His authority (Leviticus 10:3). We cannot glorify God by doing something He has not authorized us to do.