WHEN THE EIGHTH DAY ARRIVED

In ancient times the custom of circumcising a baby boy always happened on the eighth day after his birth. This was the appointed day.

Now God was planning on dwelling among His people and these were the times of the official birthing of the new nation of Israel. It was as if Israel had just been born!

So it just seemed appropriate that the first day of worship in the wilderness tabernacle also happened on an eighth day. It was actually on the 8th day after the end of the seven days that had been a set apart period of time in which the anointed priests had rested and spent some extra time alone with God.

What a significant day for the first worship in the Wilderness Tabernacle to begin.  It was as if on this eighth day the whole nation of Israel was being marked for God.  It was to be a very special day in every way!

This long awaited eighth day was the designated time for the all of the worship to officially begin in the newly dedicated and consecrated tabernacle.

I’m sure all of Israel was excited and anticipating an awesome event.

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to our every Thursday bible study called COME AS A CHILD.  This week’s lesson will continue with more details about the events that transpired with the Aaronic priesthood after their initial ordination period and on the first day of worship in the wilderness tabernacle when Aaron’s two sons (Nadab and Abihu) presented strange fire on the altar of God. You may follow the scripture passage that relates by reading Leviticus Chapter 10.

We have already discussed some of these details; but today we will go into more details and a further explanation of the things that happened with Aaron after this happened.

If you missed last week’s lesson you may find it here:  YOU ARE THE ANOINTED ONES – COME AS A CHILD – LESSON 215

AN UNEXPECTED TURN

Sometimes you just can’t see a train coming down the tracks. This day that was supposed to be a day of great joy turned tragic instead. The tragedy happened because two of the sons of Aaron who had been ordained (his oldest sons who would have eventually followed in Aaron’s place as high priests after his death who had also been with Aaron and Moses and seen God with their own eyes at the base of at Mt. Sinai) were destroyed by fire from God because they brought strange fire into the Holy of Holies.

IN THE WRONG PLACE AT THE WRONG TIME

Our study did not go into great detail before; but it should be noted that these two sons had no right to enter the Holy of Holies.

It was something that only the High Priest could do, and only on the Day of Atonement.

Aaron had properly gone about his duties in the tabernacle on that morning. He had performed the proper offering of the incense already. There was absolutely no need for these two sons to duplicate this high priest’s task at all.

A CASE OF MEN PLAYING GOD

The two sons of Aaron had simply taken God’s matters into their own hands instead of following God’s specific and careful instructions.

Nadab and Abihu, should they even have needed to offer the incense (which they did not,) would have been required to use a portion of the eternal fire from heaven for offering incense (but it was Aaron’s place to do this, not theirs.)

Any incense that was used had to be that which had been set aside and chosen and consecrated and blessed beforehand for use of the priestly ministry. These two out of order men brought their own incense; incense that did not belong in the temple.

They also used their own fire; not God’s fire.

These two priest were totally out of order.

It was forbidden and they knew this; but they entered the Holy of Holies against God’s strict instructions.

Everything they did was out of order. Everything they did was wrong and none of it was what they had been instructed to do.

OTHER MISCONDUCT WAS SUSPECTED

Some have suspected (because of the next instructions Moses later received from God) that they were also drunk and intoxicated.

With all of these perverted actions, the sacrifices for removing the sins of the priesthood before they offered the sacrifices for removing the sins for the whole congregation was not accepted by God.

These two men were burned by fire from heaven because God could not allow wrong procedures in the offering for atonement of sins. A whole nation’s redemption was at stake because of the careless actions of these two priests.  It could have been worse; God could have easily wiped out the whole nation.

NOTHING WAS DONE ACCORDING TO GOD’S PLAN

Here God was setting an example through the wilderness tabernacle and the Aaronic priesthood for the beginnings of salvation by painting a picture through symbolism of the sacrifices in the wilderness tabernacle of what salvation was truly like.

Now these two unthinking priests had let their own imaginations come to play in the midst of God’s plan for mankind.

It could not be allowed. All of the sacrificial system would be amiss right from the very beginning.

TYPICAL OF MEN LETTING THEIR THOUGHTS BE LED BY SATAN

This is so clearly a picture of how Satan takes over the thoughts in our minds sometimes. These two thought they were doing a zealous and religious act.

They thought they could add to God’s commandments and make the worship more enticing and richer.

How foolish of them not to realize that men’s ways are like filthy rags before God. Without the proper covering of the atonement through proper sacrifice; nothing that man had to offer was pleasing to God.

Of course God could not accept their terrible offering; it would have ruined everything right from the very beginning of the whole plan for total redemption of mankind.

SAME OLD TRICK; NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN

This is how Satan works.

He messes with men’s minds and fills their heads with rubbish and presents ideas that seem to come from their own high superior intelligence. They actually think they are right sometimes. Perhaps these sons were in a drunken stupor and a ritual state that made them think they were right too. Just one thing……they totally forgot about God Who would have been the object of all the worship they were doing; had they done it correctly.

God’s mind is so far above any of the highest intelligence of mankind. Our ways are not acceptable in the least. It is only the sacrificial blood of Jesus that covers us and makes our offerings acceptable. This is the only way that any of us are able to stand in the holiness of God; and Nadab and Abihu were no exception to the rule.

I’m sure God was sad to have to destroy two of Aaron’s most accomplished sons; especially since they had been so very close to the throne of God and so very close to following Aaron’s ministry; but think of the alternative. A totally corrupted priesthood right from the start. They could not be allowed to continue because they did not understand the very basic elements of true worship.

The first order in any worship is obedience and respect for God. If you can’t bring that no ritual on earth is going to help you.

IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN EVEN WORSE

There have been other theories about Nadab and Abihu that many noted scholars have put forth.

Some even think these two men were using the fact that they would inherit the priesthood after Aaron as a stepping stone to gain control of the priesthood; and that their actions were actually a type of “coup” designed to seize the priesthood away from Aaron and Moses.

Maybe they let the power of the whole situation and the fact that the wilderness tabernacle was going to be the center of all of the whole nation go to their heads.

Maybe the wrong moves were simply a plot and an act of treason against their leaders and they were trying to gain control of the people through the power of the priesthood. They obviously only understood rote ritual and had no true concept of the true way to worship God.

DAVID FEARED THIS WHEN HE FIRST PROPOSED THE TEMPLE

If you go back and read Psalm 30:13 where many years later King David was writing about the dedication of the Temple; you come to realize that it was a prayer to God asking that his own son (Solomon) would not be guilty of the foolishness of Aaron’s sons; but that he would be true to God and worship him with true intentions.

We hear after Aaron’s sons deaths of how Aaron remained silent, and we hear David’s plea to God that says “that my whole being might sing hymns to you and never be silent.”

David clearly wanted to be in a state of rejoicing when the Temple was first dedicated to God. Aaron probably had anticipated the same thing; but now all we hear from him is silence.

THE PROBLEM WITH THE SECOND PART OF THE SACRIFICE

With God things are usually all or nothing.  He wants our complete submission and when only part of something is done His way; we fail.  This had happened with the priesthood of Israel.  I’m sure Moses was deeply troubled.

Moses comes to check on Aaron and the rest of his sons after this time of tragedy.

He wants to be sure the rest of the priesthood is still solid and that they are performing just as they should be performing.

This is when Moses sees that the second sacrifice which the priests were supposed to eat has been burned instead of eaten. Moses gets upset about this; yet another thing that seems to be out of order.

This part of the offering was called a “fellowship” offering. When a priest ate it; he was said to be “in fellowship with God” because God had accepted the first offering that was put on the altar for forgiveness of sins.

On this day however, God had not accepted the offering at all. He had destroyed Aaron’s sons instead.

KEEPING THE LETTER OF THE LAW

Moses had been so determined for everything else to go on as planned and that nothing else should be fumbled. He was totally set on the letter of the law here.

At first he seemed to be upset with Aaron and his sons and he discussed this with Aaron.

KEEPING THE INTENT OF THE LAW

In his own words and in his own way (Aaron was known for being one to negotiate peace in all circumstances) Aaron answered Moses and told him the facts as they had been revealed to him by God.

Obviously Aaron had done some serious praying.  Aaron had been thinking more about the intent of the law instead of the letter of the law.

Aaron was considering what God had done and all the things that had displeased God. God had NOT accepted the offering because it had been offered in such a careless and disrespectful way. It was not a true sacrifice because it did not have the requirements for atonement. The deaths of the two men that Aaron loved so much was proof of that.

The first part of the sacrifice had followed the routine rituals of men; but not the pure unadulterated rituals of men seeking after God’s own heart.  It was the difference between men doing things for duty and men doing things out of love.  The rituals were simply the tools for expressing love and respect; and love and respect had not been expressed.  Nothing could fix that at this point; even if they went on through with the rest of the ritual.

It would have been wrong for Aaron and all the other priests to have eaten from an offering that God had not accepted. That was why they had to burn the sin offering.

AN UNDERSTANDING IS REACHED BETWEEN MOSES AND AARON

This explanation seemed to satisfy Moses.

From that point forward, it became clear to Moses that Aaron was also hearing clearly from God. This was what Moses was concerned about and after that conversation; Moses left it alone and waited to see what God would do next.

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