Scripture Notes – A Bad Mistake (Leviticus 10)

Nadab and Abihu, sons of Moses’ brother Aaron, have just been consecrated as priests along with their father (the high priest) and brothers. They are set aside for God’s work, to be holy, to enter into God’s presence, to obey God’s will, and to teach the people of Israel about God and His plan for them. God, through Moses, has given the priests detailed instructions for proper worship and sacrifice. He has told them exactly what He wants from them now that He is dwelling among His people in the Tabernacle.

So what do Nadab and Abihu do first thing? They decide to innovate. They take unholy fire with incense before God. They disregard God’s instructions and do their own thing. Apparently, they think that they know better than God, that their ways are better than what He has laid out for them.  And this badly mistaken attitude gets Nadab and Abihu killed. Instead of God’s fire consuming the incense, it consumes them. They die instantly before God.     

We might shudder at this a bit, thinking God is being harsh. But what He is really doing is showing the extreme gravity of disobedience. Nadab and Abihu’s bad mistake was much more than a mistake. It was a deliberate sin, an act of free will that chose to disregard what God had specifically commanded. Nadab and Abihu deserved punishment, and their father and brothers had to learn a hard lesson from it.

We must remember, too, that God does not give us commands and regulations simply because He is arbitrary. What He commands us to do or not do is for our own good. It is closely intertwined with our nature, who we are as human beings. God created us. He knows us better than we know ourselves. So when He gives us an order, it is because we truly need it to be in a right relationship with Him and to fulfill the purpose He has for us. Therefore, we must obey and follow God’s ways rather than our own.

Scripture Notes: A Lenten Psalm (Psalm 22)

As we enter into Lent this coming week, we may wish to select a passage from Scripture to hold before our eyes throughout this penitential season, to reflect on, to sink deep into. We should allow God to speak to us through His Word, opening our hearts to listen to Him and responding with prayer and love. One good possibility for Lenten meditation may be Psalm 22, the very psalm that Jesus begins to recite as He hangs on the cross.

“My God, why hast Thou forsaken me?” the psalm begins, and the psalmist continues to pour out his heart and express his pain. Yet at the same time, he trusts in God. He looks to the past, knowing that God has never failed His people. He casts himself upon God even when everything is at its worst. He knows that God is his help and will not actually abandon him no matter what his situation looks like. And he believes with all his heart that God will deliver him and the people.

God “has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;” the psalmist declares, “and He has not hid His face from him, but has heard, when he cried to Him.” Indeed, God remains with us, hearing us and loving us. But we must remain with God, listening to Him and loving Him. Perhaps this should be our Lenten vow.