Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

It is the end of the separation period and the time for consecration had come. It was the first day after their seven days of being set apart. Moses called everyone together, gave instructions, and told them that the glory of the Lord would appear – he had no real proof it would, he was trusting that it would.

Aaron was to bring a young bull as a burnt offering. The Israelites were to bring a goat as a sin offering and a calf and a lamb, in their first year and unblemished, as a burnt offering. And a bull and a ram as a peace offering. And a grain offering mixed with oil. Everything was brought together and everyone drew near to watch.

Aaron offered for his sin and burnt offering. Then made the offering for the people. The blood was brought to Aaron and he dipped his finger in the blood, putting it on the horns of the altar and poured the blood at the base. The fat was burnt on the altar in its entirety. The flesh and hide were burnt outside the camp. He did this for all the sacrifices, following the procedures exactly. Then Aaron lifted his hand toward the people and blessed them. Finally, he came down from the altar, from offering the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offerings.

Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of meeting together. Then they came out. Then they blessed the people. And then the glory of the Lord appeared to everyone there. Fire came out. It is taught that it came from the ark above the mercy seat, went to the altar inside the holy place, then came out of the holy place and went to the altars outside the holy place. The fire touched each altar whether for flesh or incense. From that moment onward, it was this holy fire from God Himself that was burning on the altars. It was commanded to never let it go out, remember? Because they were using the fire provided by God. All they needed to do was to keep feeding it. The tradition is that it lasted until the time of the Temple of Solomon (when a specific king put it out. We’ll get there eventually).

This fire from God consumed the offerings that were smouldering on the altars (to be burnt up entirely). This was the ultimate proof of God’s approval of all that was done. God Himself was consuming the offerings. Of course, in a natural and normal reaction to seeing this amazing sight, the people fell on their faces and shouted. They were filled with reverence, awe, and fear. But like with other manifestations it wouldn’t last long. They were good at letting themselves REACT to manifestations of the Lord, but not letting those manifestations alter their HEARTS.

“And Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu each took his censer, and they put fire in them and placed incense on it; then they presented before Yahweh illegitimate fire, which he had not commanded them.” (Leviticus 10:1)

Many translations say these sons brought ‘strange fire’. They brought it and were punished for it by being consumed by the fire of God (in Numbers it will happen again to 250 others). No one really knows what this exactly is. There are many opinions on it. Rabbeinu Bahya teaches that according to the plain teaching of the text ‘they introduced alien, i.e. man-made, fire into the sacred precincts’. That the requirement was to take fire from the Altar and burn incense on that. Also that the fire of the Altar was to totally consume the offering, so ‘they demonstrated a lack of faith, not trusting G’d to make heavenly fire descend on the sacrifices and able to consume the sacrifices; this is why they brought additional fire to consume the incense’ (Vayikra 10:1).

Haamek Davar taught the sons brought the fire of enthusiasm of the love of God. They came when not commanded, going about it when not commanded – but not prohibited – and did not stop and got consumed by the glory of God, having been desperate and willing to keep going into God no matter the consequence.

Da’at Zekenim teaches that they had already been warned not to use such fire (man-made) citing Exodus 30:9 – but that verse refers to strange INCENSE. They may then have been using a strange mixture of incense, not the proscribed one the Lord was VERY particular about.

Other Rabbis have pointed out that since the section that comes DIRECTLY afterward is about not being intoxicated, the thing Aaron’s sons had done wrong was to come into the tabernacle while intoxicated. Others have taught they were seeking the same recognition that Aaron and Moses had just received, and had gone to offer at a time and in a way not commanded as a ‘me too’ or ‘look it me’ moment.

God made everything about the tabernacle from the material to the offerings to the methodology of the offerings to the time of day of the various offerings to be a picture of Jesus’ sacrifice. This whole endeavour was a picture of God’s plans for salvation. This wasn’t humanity’s idea. This was divine thought made physical. No human has any right to tamper with the symbolism at any time for any reason. God is righteous. It is we who must conform. This was also the first day for these sacrifices as priests, so the judgment on these sons was also setting the precedent for all following generations. Unfair? No. These two men had been present with Moses, Aaron, and the seventy elders when God revealed Himself. They had just spent seven days in this tabernacle being sanctified. They had seen the fire of God supernaturally come out and consume the sacrifices. They had been given much and from them much was expected. It was righteous judgment.

They died and Moses told Aaron not to say ANYTHING about it. To keep his mouth shut. Aaron was high priest and representing God in this situation. Opinion was not required. Personal grief and suffering was not to stand in the way of required action. We must always do what God says is right to do. Moses called on relatives (sons of Aaron’s uncle) to take the bodies away. Moses commanded Aaron and his other two sons not to grieve, tear their clothes, or to leave the tabernacle. They had a job to do.

God now spoke to Aaron. It may have been through Moses, like usual. But it also could have been direct communication with Aaron – he was, after all, now the high priest. God spoke to him about drawing a clear line between the holy and the unholy. Intoxication was unholy when doing things before the Lord. There is STRONG implication that intoxication was unclean and soberness was clean. However, this isn’t a command to never be intoxicated, but overall it seems to be a bad idea. In the New Covenant, we’re free from the Law, but it seems unwise to ever get drunk because our service could be needed at any time.

God spoke to Aaron and his sons, telling them to take their portion from the grain offering, and the breast from the wave offering, and the thigh of the heave offering, and to eat them in the holy place. When Moses came and inquired into all the details of the sacrifices (remember, this was the first and he wanted nothing missed), he found the goat of the sin offering still on the altar. Moses was angry because they hadn’t eaten the sin offering in the holy place. Aaron struck back pointing to his position and rights and what he had suffered through. I’ll admit I have no clear revelation on this point. Looking into traditional teaching it is all about what priest offered what and when it was to be offered/eaten, and it seems to be very much about Aaron being right about the specifics of the offering and Moses being wrong because he generalized. In any case, Moses heard Aaron and was content about what had been done.

Summary

Key Players: Aaron, Nadab, Abibu, Moses

Key Themes: Offering, Acceptance, Improper Actions

Key Verse(s): Leviticus 9:1-7,  22-24; 10:1-3, 8-11