LYRICS FOR TODAY'S SONGS
CCLI License # 1613304

November 12 | Leviticus 9 - 10 ISG

Leviticus 9-10 (ESV)
1 On the eighth day Moses called Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel, 2 and he said to Aaron, “Take for yourself a bull calf for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering, both without blemish, and offer them before the LORD. 3 And say to the people of Israel, ‘Take a male goat for a sin offering, and a calf and a lamb, for a burnt offering, 4 and an ox and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before the LORD, and a grain offering mixed with oil, for today the LORD will appear to you.’” …6 And Moses said, “This is the thing that the LORD commanded you to do, that the glory of the LORD may appear to you.” 8 So Aaron drew near to the altar and killed the calf of the sin offering, which was for himself…12 Then he killed the burnt offering…15 Then he presented the people's offering …and offered it as a sin offering… 16 And he presented the burnt offering… 17 And he presented the grain offering... 18 Then he killed the ox and the ram, the sacrifice of peace offerings for the people. 22 Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them…23 And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting, and when they came out they blessed the people, and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people.24 And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the pieces of fat on the altar, and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.10:1 Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, which he had not commanded them. 2 And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. 3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD has said: ‘Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.’” And Aaron held his peace.4 And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, “Come near; carry your brothers away from the front of the sanctuary and out of the camp.” 6 And Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar his sons, “Do not let the hair of your heads hang loose, and do not tear your clothes, lest you die, and wrath come upon all the congregation; but let your brothers, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning that the LORD has kindled. 7 And do not go outside the entrance of the tent of meeting, lest you die, for the anointing oil of the LORD is upon you.” And they did according to the word of Moses.8 And the LORD spoke to Aaron, saying, 9 “Drink no wine or strong drink, you or your sons with you, when you go into the tent of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. 10 You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean, 11 and you are to teach the people of Israel all the statutes that the LORD has spoken to them by Moses.”

The Text in Context
In Leviticus 8–9 the priests have been ordained and sacrificial worship has been initiated with “Aaron and his sons [doing] everything the Lord commanded through Moses” (Lev. 8:36; see also 8:9, 13, 17, 21, 36; 9:10, 21). God shows his pleasure by sending fire to consume the offering on the altar while the people shout for joy (Lev. 9:24). Everything has gone beautifully. But in Leviticus 10 the opposite takes place. Nadab and Abihu worship “contrary to [God’s] command” (Lev. 10:1), and God shows his displeasure by sending fire to consume Nadab and Abihu (Lev. 10:2–3), causing Aaron to become silent and the people to mourn (Lev. 10:3, 6). Thus obedience has changed to disobedience; shouts of joy have turned into silence and mourning; the fire of God’s pleasure has become the fire of God’s wrath. The death of Aaron’s sons leaves the reader stunned. Something has gone wrong. This chapter explains why: they have failed to respect the holiness of God.

Historical and Cultural Background
The ceremonial vestments of the high priest bestowed on him “dignity and honor” (Exod. 28:2). The Hebrew word for “priest” (kohen), and its cognates in Ugaritic, Aramaic, and Phoenician,1 could also be used of pagan priests (Gen. 41:45; 1 Sam. 5:5; 2 Kings 11:18; Jer. 48:7). In Mesopotamia and Egypt, cultic functionaries (loosely “priests”) sometimes wore a headdress or other clothing indicating their status as such. Some also wore animal masks or costumes that symbolized the deity (see image of water basin). In contrast, Yahweh was not to be symbolized by any image.

Fire from Heaven
9:24 Fire . . . from the presence of the LORD . . . consumed the burnt offering. This happens on the first occasion that Aaron is allowed in the tent of meeting. Perhaps Aaron and Moses have gone into the tent to pray that God will fulfill the promise of showing his glory (v. 6). If so, God dramatically complies. By consuming the still-smoldering offerings on the altar, God expresses approval of the sacrifices for Aaron and the people. God similarly shows his approval by visibly consuming sacrifices at Elijah’s contest with the prophets of Baal and at the dedication of Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 18:38; 2 Chron. 7:1–3).

10:1 Nadab and Abihu . . . offered unauthorized fire. Nadab and Abihu are Aaron’s two oldest sons (Exod. 6:23). They have just been ordained with Aaron and their two brothers as priests (Lev. 8; cf. Exod. 28:1). The “censers” (or “firepans” [NASB]) are used by priests to carry live coals and incense in tabernacle worship (Lev. 16:12; Num. 16:7, 17). “Incense” is not the term for frankincense (see Lev. 2:1), and its composition is uncertain, though it provides a similarly fragrant smoke. The “unauthorized fire” is literally “strange/different fire” (cf. NET, NLT). The term zar is used of non-Israelite foreigners (Exod. 29:33) and things inappropriate or illegitimate (strange gods, a strange woman). Nadab and Abihu’s actions violate the command of Exodus 30:9: “Do not offer on this altar any other [strange] incense.” What is wrong here? We can only speculate. Do they encroach upon the holy of holies, thus making the fire unlawful?
Leviticus 16:1–2 alludes to this incident in warning Aaron not to enter the most holy place behind the curtain except on the Day of Atonement, suggesting that this may have been the offense of Aaron’s sons. Ordinary priests cannot enter it at all. But if the essential sin is encroachment of sacred space, it is odd that Leviticus 10 emphasizes the fire and does not mention the encroachment. Conceivably, this fire is “foreign” because it is from a pagan-derived ritual.2 Richard Hess points to ritual texts from thirteenth-century BC Emar, where the installation of a priestess involved fire (“a torch”) and intoxicating drink (cf. Lev. 10:9), to suggest that the sin in Leviticus 10, which follows chapters on the ordination of priests (Lev. 8–9), is the use of pagan (foreign) rites. Or, more simply, the coals may be “strange” because they have been taken from a profane source outside the tabernacle rather than the altar.

Theological Insight
The appearance of the glory of the Lord in the sacred space of the tabernacle is a highly significant theological event. A similar thing happens at the end of the book of Exodus when the tabernacle had first been built. At that time God’s glory is manifested when the fire cloud fills the tabernacle (Exod. 40:34–35). This is a visible sign that God approves of the newly constructed holy place and will indeed tabernacle in that place. This happens again when Solomon dedicates the temple. God’s glory manifests itself and consumes the burnt offerings and sacrifices on the altar (2 Chron. 7:1–3). This too signifies God’s approval of a newly built holy place.
In Leviticus 9:23–24 the manifestation of God’s glory and God’s public consumption of Aaron’s offering on the altar similarly show God’s approval. God is a consuming fire (Exod. 24:17). Had God disapproved, he could easily have used his fire cloud to consume the Aaronites and even the assembly around the tabernacle (see Lev. 10:1–2; Num. 16:35). But God instead shows his approval of Aaron and the sacrificial worship of the newly installed Aaronic priesthood by shooting a flame out from his fiery presence to consume the smoldering sacrifices placed by Aaron on the altar on the occasion of his first act of worship as a priest (Lev. 9:24).
The priest himself plays a role in atonement: his eating the sin offering helps to “take away [or “bear”] the guilt of the community by making atonement for them” (Lev. 10:17). How does this work? Evidently, impurity absorbed by the offering is symbolically transferred to and dissipated in the priest as God’s representative when he eats of it. Compare the “scapegoat” on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:21). Symbolically the holy priest’s eating the sin offering symbolizes holiness swallowing up impurity.

References:

Sprinkle, Joe. Leviticus and Numbers (Teach the Text Commentary Series). Grand Rapids, Michigan, Baker Academic, 2015.

Gane, Roy. Leviticus, Numbers: The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004.

Guide Questions
1. Compare the events of Leviticus 9 to Exodus 24. What similarities do you see that relate to the appearance of YHWH?
2. Why and what is the significance of the fire consuming the burnt offering? (Leviticus 9:22-24) How would you relate this with the pillar of fire in Exodus 14:24 and Numbers 14:14 to the presence of YHWH?
3. In the case of Nadab and Abihu (10:1-3), what do you think caused their deaths? What characteristics of God were displayed in this passage? What can you say about Deuteronomy 4:24; 9:3 and Hebrews 12:29?
4. How does this account in the context of the presence of God strike a parallel incident with 1 Corinthians 11?
5. In practical terms, what does it look like for Christians to live out Leviticus 10:3?


Prayer

1. Pray for specific prayer requests.
2. Pray for a new place of worship for 2024.
3. Pray for our people to invite guests on Thanksgiving.