Saturday, Oct. 26
Leviticus 10:1 – 11:47 Read it here
Aaron and his sons have now been ordained, clothed and authorized to function as priests for God’s people, blessing them, lifting up offerings for them, and going to God on their behalf.
Their authority is not unlimited, though, as they quickly find out.
Incense was a regular part of worship.
With the number of live and slaughtered animals around, it was a way to control the smells. Also, for a pre-literate people, sights and sounds and aromas were important for setting the mood for worship and providing sensory cues that this was, in fact, a special place and a special activity.
But somehow two of Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, take it upon themselves to make an unauthorized offering of incense, and God strikes them dead.
We don’t really know what it was that they did wrong here other than going beyond what God had commanded. We’re reminded of Genesis chapter 4 when God rejects Cain’s offering.
We will also see something similar, though without deadly results, in 1 Chronicles chapter 17 when King David wants to build a permanent structure to replace the Tabernacle. God tells him it isn’t time yet; the task of building the Temple will be left to Solomon.
We’re left with a reminder that what God asks of us is obedience, but becomes displeased when we get ahead of ourselves in trying to gain his favor through our own inventiveness.