Hello and welcome to today’s exciting Bible study on Leviticus 10. In this chapter, we will read and study about the profane fire of Nadab and Abihu – Aaron’s sons. According to biblical scholars, the events of Leviticus 10 occurred around 1445 B.C.
As usual, I encourage you to turn to Leviticus 10 in your Bible. Kindly invite the Holy Spirit to guide you as you read and study these chapters with me. I mention this in all the Bible Studies because it is only through the Holy Spirit that we get fresh revelation and knowledge to understand the word of God. No one else can teach you better than the Holy Spirit Himself. I am using the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, just in case you want to know.
Backstory on Leviticus 8 and 9
In Leviticus 8 and 9, we read about Moses consecrating Aaron and his sons before the Lord according to the Lord’s instructions and the beginning of the priestly ministry. The Lord’s fire consumed the offerings.
Now, without any further delay, let us study together and learn what Leviticus 10 is about, shall we?
Leviticus 10 Summary
Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took their own censers, added fire and incense to them, and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them to do. As a result, fire from the Lord consumed them, and they died in His presence.
Moses spoke to Aaron about the Lord’s instructions. The Lord had emphasized that He must be regarded as holy by those who approach Him and must be glorified before all the people. As a result, Aaron remained silent.
Moses then called Aaron’s uncle’s sons, Misahel and Elzaphan, to carry the bodies of Aaron’s deceased sons out of the camp. He commanded Aaron and his other two sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, not to uncover their heads or tear their clothes, as is customary in mourning, lest they also die and bring God’s wrath upon the entire community. Moses instructed them to let the remaining people mourn because of the fire from the Lord.
Additionally, Moses advised them not to leave the door of the tabernacle of meeting, as doing so could result in their deaths due to the anointing oil of the Lord being upon them. Aaron and his remaining two sons followed Moses’s instructions.
The Lord Himself spoke to Aaron, instructing him not to drink wine or any intoxicating drink when he and his sons went into the tabernacle of meeting; otherwise, they would die. This was to be a statute for all generations, establishing a distinction between the holy and the unholy, the clean and the unclean. Aaron and his sons were to teach the children of Israel all the statutes that the Lord had spoken to them through Moses.
Moses instructed Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, to consume the grain offering that was left from the offerings made to the Lord, emphasizing that it should be eaten without leaven in a holy place, as it was considered most holy and their due. They were also permitted to eat the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the heave offering in a clean place, along with their families, as part of their rightful share from the peace offerings.
Later, Moses checked on the goat of the sin offering and found that it had been burned up, leading him to express anger towards Eleazar and Ithamar for not having eaten it in a holy place, where it was meant to be consumed as an atonement for the congregation. Aaron defended their actions by explaining that, given the events of the day and their offerings, eating the sin offering would not have been accepted by the Lord. Moses, upon hearing Aaron’s reasoning, felt satisfied.
Leviticus 10 Commentary
1. Leviticus 10:1-2
The fire of God consumed all the offerings on the altar. However, Nadab and Abihu used their own fire, which they kindled themselves, before the Lord. Just because the Lord had anointed them as priests did not give them the right to disregard God’s laws. By using their own fire, they profaned the fire of God, and as a result, God’s fire consumed them, leading to their immediate death.
2. Leviticus 10:4-6
Aaron was not permitted to carry his sons, nor could his remaining sons carry their deceased brothers outside of the camp, as touching a dead person devoured by the Lord’s fire would make them ritually unclean. Moses had instructed Aaron and his sons not to mourn the death of Nadab and Abihu. This was because grieving for them would imply that God was unjust for consuming them with His fire.
3. Leviticus 10:9-10
Drinking intoxicating beverages is not a badge of honor; in fact, it is quite the opposite. Priests must approach the Lord with holiness. In today’s world, there is immense peer pressure to drink from colleagues, friends, and even at family gatherings. When you try to refuse, people often say things like, “Even Jesus drank wine” or “He turned water into wine.” However, these arguments are not valid justifications for tempting yourself as a believer. While having a drink once may not cause harm, it can easily lead to a habit and become an addiction, if we fail to exercise self-control. Therefore, it is best to not give any place to the devil.
Above all, our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit, and we must keep them holy and clean both spiritually and physically. We have been appointed as kings and priests unto the Lord through our Lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:6), and every priest is required to maintain their holiness.
4. Leviticus 10:16-20
Moses made a careful inquiry about the goat that was offered as a sin offering by the congregation. The goat was completely burnt and was not eaten in a holy place, nor was its blood brought inside the holy place. This made Moses angry, and he questioned Aaron’s remaining sons.
Aaron explained to Moses that he and his sons could not eat the sin offering on behalf of the people to make atonement for them, especially after the death of his own sons due to their sin and the Lord’s immediate judgment. He felt it would not be appropriate for them to make atonement for the people’s sin offering under these circumstances. Moses was satisfied with Aaron’s response.
It is worth noting that Aaron is Moses’s elder brother, which means that Aaron’s deceased sons were also Moses’s nephews. Nonetheless, it is commendable how they obeyed the Lord even after witnessing the death of their own kin. They could not openly mourn for them, as doing so would imply that God was unjust in executing His judgment.
Leviticus 10 Lessons/Revelations
What can we learn from Leviticus 10?
1. God is holy and wants to be worshipped in a holy way
Our God is holy, and we must approach Him based on His terms, not ours. This was the mistake of Nadab and Abihu. Just because they were anointed as priests, they believed they could offer their own fire. God desires us, even as believers today, to approach Him in a holy manner—through sincere prayer, pure worship, and by keeping ourselves from intentional sin.
We cannot sin intentionally, thinking that later we can ask God for forgiveness and continue praying as if nothing happened. This attitude only mocks God, and He will not be mocked. We should take our relationship with the Lord seriously, as well as our prayer time and worship, by remembering that we are approaching a holy God, not just another human being.
2. Obedience is better than sacrifice
Our sacrifices do not please the Lord as much as obedience does. Sacrifice without obedience is meaningless. If we truly love God, we must obey Him. We are not here to put on a show for others to see how we pray or the sacrifices we make. Instead, we can quietly obey the Lord in our daily lives, which is one of the best ways to honor God.
Aaron and his two remaining sons exemplified this. They did not tear their clothes or lament when Aaron’s other sons were killed due to their disobedience. That day, the fear of God fell upon everyone because of the severe consequences faced by the high priest’s (Aaron’s) sons. If this was the outcome for such a significant figure, imagine the implications for those who were not part of the priestly lineage during that time in the Old Testament. This illustrates why the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Had Nadab and Abihu feared the Lord, they would have kept themselves clean and not offered a profane fire, which resulted in their immediate death.
Conclusion
This concludes the bible study on Leviticus 10. I hope you enjoyed this free bible study and found it helpful in your Bible study journey. Feel free to share it with your friends and family. Also, share your thoughts and what the Holy Spirit has revealed to you about Leviticus 10. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. I will get back to you as soon as I can.
Until next time!