“Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took a censer and put fire in it, and put incense on it and offered fire to the Lord without permission, which he had not commanded them” (Leviticus 10:1).
Beginning with Adam and Eve’s courageous experiment in independence from God, every member of the human race has struggled with the same problem. Somehow, we cannot trust that God really means business when He reveals His will for the way things are to be done. We cannot resist the idea that his requirements are arbitrary, unreasonable, and legalistic – and no harm will be done if we choose to do things differently.
The story of Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10 is the most vivid example of how displeased God is with the human desire to act according to His will without regard to His instructions. Aaron’s sons, the high priests, Nadab and Abihu, set fire in their incense burners that was “unauthorized.” The text does not specifically state how their fire was a violation of God’s command, but they certainly would have known. They knowingly did what he had not ordered them to do. And because the Lord could not allow such disrespect on such a great occasion, “fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord” (v.2). No doubt this was shocking to everyone, especially to his father Aaron, as God showed his people that his instructions were to be taken absolutely seriously.
Whether you like it or not, there is a connection between character of god and this God’s command. When God has given any instruction to regulate our behavior then we cannot disrespect it Word without disrespect Him. There is no such thing as “devout disobedience”.
In our thoughts on obeying the gospel, we have pointed to the importance of the question, “What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30). This is the question we should be most willing to give God the answer to. Whatever our preferences regarding God Needed Need, the only thing that matters is what it is does There is a need – and the only way to know this is through Scripture. We may not understand God’s reasoning for setting things the way they are, but we must respect His right to do so. It is to be hoped that we will regard him more respectfully than Nadab and Abihu.
“Understanding can wait, but obedience cannot” (Geoffrey Grogan).
Gary Henry – WordPoints.com AreYouaChristian.com
