When a Confirming Fire Turns into a Consuming Fire
J. Gerald Harris
Leviticus 10:1-7
Aaron and his sons submitted to the divinely appointed procedure for induction into the priests' office (Lv 8:36). After the service of consecration, Aaron, the high priest, initiated his ministry in a most solemn and sacred manner. After he completed the administration of his first offerings as high priest, the Bible states, "The glory of the Lord appeared unto all the people. And there came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces" (Lv 9:23-24). This fire signified a divine approval and acceptance of the sacrificial service conducted by Aaron and his sons. The people responded to the new order of things by prostrating themselves in reverence and by shouting praise to the Lord God of Israel.
Yet how quickly the ecstasy turned into tragedy! Only the chapter divisions separate the most startling of contrasts. In Leviticus 10:1 there is the mention of a "strange fire." But by Leviticus 10:2, the confirming fire of an approving God turned into the consuming fire of an angry God.
In a moment no longer than it takes a flash of lightning to streak across the heavens, the fire of God fell upon Nadab and Abihu. While they were busily ministering in the tabernacle, God sent a fire from heaven that devoured them. Unfortunately, they had engaged in their priestly privileges without any regard for the requirements and the responsibilities incumbent upon them. Therefore, in the account of Nadab and Abihu the tragedy that comes through disobedience to the Word of God is evident. The Holy Scripture declares, "Let the priests also which come near to the Lord, sanctify themselves, lest the Lord break forth upon them" (Ex 19:22). This chapter records the "breaking forth" of God upon a willfully disobedient and careless priesthood.
I. The Disobedience of Priests
...
J. Gerald Harris
Leviticus 10:1-7
Aaron and his sons submitted to the divinely appointed procedure for induction into the priests' office (Lv 8:36). After the service of consecration, Aaron, the high priest, initiated his ministry in a most solemn and sacred manner. After he completed the administration of his first offerings as high priest, the Bible states, "The glory of the Lord appeared unto all the people. And there came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces" (Lv 9:23-24). This fire signified a divine approval and acceptance of the sacrificial service conducted by Aaron and his sons. The people responded to the new order of things by prostrating themselves in reverence and by shouting praise to the Lord God of Israel.
Yet how quickly the ecstasy turned into tragedy! Only the chapter divisions separate the most startling of contrasts. In Leviticus 10:1 there is the mention of a "strange fire." But by Leviticus 10:2, the confirming fire of an approving God turned into the consuming fire of an angry God.
In a moment no longer than it takes a flash of lightning to streak across the heavens, the fire of God fell upon Nadab and Abihu. While they were busily ministering in the tabernacle, God sent a fire from heaven that devoured them. Unfortunately, they had engaged in their priestly privileges without any regard for the requirements and the responsibilities incumbent upon them. Therefore, in the account of Nadab and Abihu the tragedy that comes through disobedience to the Word of God is evident. The Holy Scripture declares, "Let the priests also which come near to the Lord, sanctify themselves, lest the Lord break forth upon them" (Ex 19:22). This chapter records the "breaking forth" of God upon a willfully disobedient and careless priesthood.
I. The Disobedience of Priests
...
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