What does it say?
Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron offered strange fire before the Lord; therefore, fire came out from the presence of the Lord and they died because of there irreverence. Aaron and his other sons (Eleazar and Ithamar) remained in the tent of meeting and did not become ceremonially unclean but their relatives came forward and carried the bodies outside the camp. The Lord commanded Aaron and his sons to never drink wine or strong drink when they come into the tent of meeting. Then the Lord commanded Aaron and his sons to eat the priest’s portion of the grain offering beside the altar but the breast of the wave offering and thigh of the sin offering they are to eat in a clean place. However, Aaron could not eat the sin offering because of the sadness in his heart, for he believe that he could not eat the offering when his heart was not right before the Lord.
What does it mean?
The third of the Ten Commandments of the Sinai covenant says:
You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain. ~ Deuteronomy 5:11 (NASB)
What does it really mean to take the name of the Lord in vain. To treat as vain is to treat as if worthless. Nadab and Abihu treated the commands of the Lord as if they were not good enough; therefore, they decided to add to the worship of the Lord with their own fire. Aaron and his other two sons demonstrated reverence for the Lord by not defying his commandments. An additional commandment given in this text is for the priest to not drink wine or strong drink when they come into the tent of meeting. This was so that they could accurately teach the Lord’s statutes to the people and have the cognitive ability to distinguish between the clean and profane. Aaron showed honor to the Lord when he did not eat the offering with a pure heart.
What shall I do?
I am not the Lord. Jesus Christ is Lord. He has given his statutes to his disciples and they have written them down for us in the books of the New Testament. We are to observe all that Jesus commanded. Therefore, I shall learn and observe all that Jesus Christ commanded and not add to or take away from what he commanded. For example: Jesus said to not resist an evil person and he gave situational examples. (Mt. 5:38-42) However, many explain this statute away. There are many other examples in the church today. However, the word of the Lord is holy; therefore, I shall learn to observe all that Jesus Christ commanded and teach others.
