“But I do it to honor God,” or some variation of that sentiment is the normal reaction when one is shown in God’s Word that what one is doing “in God’s name” and “for God’s glory” is an abomination to Him and forbidden in His Holy Word.  Only God can determine right and wrong, good and evil.  God can be overruled only by a superior God.  Therefore, one who does what the Biblical God forbids has done what Lucifer tried to do but failed–become greater than God, in other words, be superior to God.  Therefore, professing Christians who defy the Biblical God have declared themselves to be superior Him.  As a result they produce “strange fire.”

The expression “a sacrifice of fire unto the Lord” is used 58 times in the Scriptures.  It refers to the Old Testament Law that required the sacrifice of an animal to the Lord to atone for one’s sins committed over the previous year.  Let us examine the use of such a “sacrifice of fire unto the Lord” and determine how one presents “strange fire” which, He makes clear, is an abomination in His eyes.

In Numbers 26 we are told that God’s first high priest was Aaron whose mother was the daughter of Levi, the head of the priestly tribe named after him.  Her name was Jochebad.  She gave birth to three children: Aaron, Moses and Miriam.  Moses would become God’s first prophet while Aaron would become His first priest.  God established the Levitical priesthood as a monarchy, meaning that Aaron’s sons would be priests, as would their sons, as would their sons, and so on with each generation.  The eldest son would be become the chief priest upon the death of his father.  His younger male siblings would each serve in turn according to their birth order. Until the elder priest died, his first son would occupy the office of head priest.

Aaron’s sons were named Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, in that order.  By birth, Nadab was next in line for head of the priesthood.  Upon reaching a certain age male Levites automatically entered into the priesthood and served all the other tribes of Israel as their priests.

In Numbers 3;4 we find that Nadab and Abihu, Aaron’s first two sons, had reached the priesthood age and had been “anointed” and “consecrated” into the priestly office in which they were assigned certain duties, one of which was offering “sacrifices of fire unto the Lord” on behalf of the people who brought animals to be sacrificed to the Lord as burnt offerings.  In Leviticus 10:1,2 we are told that Nadab and Abihu offered “strange (improper) fire” unto the Lord.  As a result, fire came out of the alter and killed them.  Though we are not told the nature of their “strange fire” sin, by examining another such examples of priestly sin we might get an idea of how they offended the God they were ordained and consecrated to serve.

In I Samuel 2:12 we find the story of Eli the priest of God’s and his two sons whose names were Hophni and Phinehas.  In verse 12 it is written: “Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial (worthlessness/destruction); they did not know the Lord.”  Nevertheless, because they were male Levites they were priests of God who were serving at Shiloh.  We do know what made Eli’s sons contemptable in the eyes of God.  In verses 13-16 we are told that they did not follow the law of God concerning what part of the sacrifices they were allow to partake.  Instead of determining how much and of which part of the sacrifice would be allotted the by chance, they demanded the best parts before the sacrifice took place.  “Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord” because it showed that they “abhorred the sacrifice of the Lord” (vs 17).  Because Eli did not discipline them, both were killed in battle and the Ark of the Covenant was captured.  Upon hearing of the travesty, Eli fell off his stool, broke his neck and died.  Because he had allowed their sins to continue, Eli was also guilty.  The fire that consumed the sacrifice symbolized the sacrifice the Word (Jesus of Nazareth–Jn. 1:1-4) would make for all of humanity many years later.  By sinning Hophni, Phinehas, Nadab and Abihu showed distain for the sacrifice and, symbolically for the future Messiah–Jesus of Nazareth.  It is possible that Nadab and Abihu had been guilty of the same sin as Hophni and Phinehas.

In the eyes of God, the type of sin the committed did not matter.  Sin on the part of a priest set the wrong example for the people.  Priest were the cream of the spiritual crop, having been born and reared in a God-centered family and environment.  They had been given much,  and unto whom much is given, much is required (Lk. 12:48).  Priests were supposed to be God’s light to the Israelite people.  Their words and walk were to serve as examples of His holiness.  As the Apostles Peter and Titus remind us, God’s true saints are all priests unto Him–a holy and peculiar people (I Pet. 2:9/Titus 2:14) whose lives must be exemplary because others take their walk as their cue.  Which brings us to the other group–the non-priests–who are to emulate the priests in word, thought and deed.  To these people–the holy and peculiar saints of God–the requirements placed on the original priesthood apply to them also.  To the true saint, WHAT IS GOOD ENOUGH TO SATISFY MAN IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO SATISFY GOD. WHEN DEALING WITH GOD–WHO GAVE HIS SON AS A RANSOM FOR OUR SOULS– “GOOD ENOUGH” IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH.  TRUE HOLINESS IS REQUIRED OF BOTH THE MINISTRY AND THEIR CONGREGATIONS.  

In the next posting we will examine some examples in which religious people believed that “good enough” would satisfy the creator of the universe God Who gave the best He had, Who in turn paid the ultimate price for the souls of men.  We will see that man’s idea of “good enough” will not satisfy God’s stated requirement for the salvation of mankind.  L.J.