A Consuming Fire

  Editor's Note: This article was written by my dear friend and brother, Patrick. I have known him for just over a year now, and yet he has played a profound role in my life and on my thinking. His connection of the passages in Leviticus 10 and Hebrews 12 teach us of the importance of a recognition of God's position in relation to the humble offering of the fruit of our lips. I hope that the thoughts present in this article impact your heart in the way you approach worship as they did me. "Our God is great, and greatly to be praised!"

A Consuming Fire

        The record of Nadab and Abihu is one that is well known. In Leviticus 10 the sons of Aaron are said to have offered “strange” (KJV) or “profane” (NKJV) fire to God, the consequence for this being that they were consumed with fire by the Lord. This event is often used by the Church to teach against the use of mechanical instruments while we sing, and for good reason. The use of instruments is not authorized in the New Testament and the use of them in worship should be considered “strange” or “profane” in the same way as Nadab and Abihu’s fire. Unfortunately, the verse following their demise is often overlooked when we read this passage. To not read this verse is to miss the entire point of this account of Nadab and Abihu. In verse 3 of chapter 10 Moses offers Aaron the Lord’s reasoning for why his sons were destroyed: “By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified” (NKJV). Nadab and Abihu did not approach the Lord with the proper respect and their profane offering did not glorify Him, and they suffered the consequences. The Old Testament is rife with examples of individuals who behaved in this manner. The death of Uzzah for laying his hands on the Ark of the Covenant in 2 Samuel 6. King Uzziah burning incense on the altar of the Lord in 2 Chronicles 26. King Belshazzar’s feast using the vessels and sacraments from within the temple in Daniel 5. This is by no means an exhaustive list. All of these individuals defiled themselves by approaching the Lord with the improper attitude and all of them paid the price. Even Uzzah, who may have had "good intentions” in trying to prevent the Ark from falling off the cart, was not spared the consequence of his transgressions.

            There is a passage in the New Testament that parallels the account of Nadab and Abihu in Hebrews 12. The parallel is so strong in fact that I at times wonder if the Hebrew writer had the narrative in mind when they were writing by inspiration. Hebrews 12:28-29 reads “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire” (NKJV). The parallelism is evident in three ways. First, that we must regard God as holy and glorify Him through the use of reverence and godly fear. Second, that approaching God in this way is necessary to worship acceptable in contrast to the unacceptable worship of Nadab and Abihu. Third, that there are fiery repercussions awaiting those that would not show the Lord the proper veneration. This is something that is often overlooked about the Lord in favor of a more loving, compassionate, merciful portrayal. Do not misunderstand, the Lord is all of those things, but sometimes we forget who it is we belong to and what He will do if we separate ourselves from Him. It was not love or compassion that consumed Nadab and Abihu or struck Uzzah dead. God was not being merciful to the inhabitants that He destroyed at Sodom and Gomorrah. We need to realize that to approach the Lord with the improper attitude is a sin like any other and is thus subject to retribution as any other sin. The last verse of Hebrews 12 should be taken as a warning to us if we are not regarding the Lord as holy and are not properly glorifying Him.

         When we do approach God, we must always consider our attitude in approaching Him regardless of when that may be. When we are in worship, instead of becoming fixated on the one person who is singing out of key, focus on the words. Remember that you are not gathered together to hear voices making music in harmony with one another, but rather you are gathered to lift your voice in praise to the Almighty God that He may be glorified with your song. When we go to pray or when you pray alone, humble yourself before you would ask our God for anything, bearing in mind that His answer may not always be the one you want. When we partake of the sacraments during the Lord's Supper, center your mind on why, lest you partake in an “unworthy manner” and bring judgement on yourself as Paul warned the Corinthians. Remember the horrific suffering Christ the Son of God endured so we could be forgiven of our sins and spared the punishment we all so rightly deserve. Don’t let your mind wander about with the cares of the world and let the Lord’s Supper become some routine ritual we all fulfill because we have to. When we face temptation, remember both the joy that awaits us if we are faithful and the horrors that await us if we are not. To do these things with the proper attitude is to regard God as holy and it will not only glorify Him but will enable us to deepen our relationship with God. James tells us to “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (NKJV). James’ idea is reiterated in Matthew’s statement “he who humbles himself will be exalted” (NKJV). If we humble ourselves before God showing Him all the proper reverence and godly fear, only then will we be pleasing to Him. Only then He will draw near to us and exalt us. This is only possible if we regard God as holy. This idea is perhaps best summated in the Lord’s command in Leviticus 11: “You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy” (NKJV).