Lev 10:1 | MHM | STEP | Leviticus 10:1 – Death of Nadab and Abihu This passage describes the serious sin of Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, and the severe punishment they received. Although what they did might not seem so serious to us, God’s strong response shows that their action was very wrong in His eyes. The main problem was that they did not follow God’s specific instructions for worship and tried to serve Him in their own way. This event reminds everyone that God’s commands must be obeyed exactly, especially by those who serve as leaders. v. 1 : Nadab and Abihu offered “strange fire” before the Lord , which God had not commanded (Leviticus 10:1; Numbers 3:4 ). They tried to burn incense at a time when only Aaron was supposed to serve as priest. They acted out of pride, wanting to do the most important job right away, without asking for permission or following instructions. Also, they used fire that was not taken from the altar, but probably from an ordinary source, which was not allowed (Revelation 8:5 ), and maybe even used common incense. They both went in together, even though only one priest should burn incense at a time (Luke 1:9 ). They acted too quickly and without respect. There is also a hint that they might have been drunk, since God gives a law against drinking right after this event (Leviticus 10:8; Proverbs 31:5 ). Their sin was not a mistake or ignorance, but done in pride and carelessness, so it was punished severely (Leviticus 4:2-3; Numbers 15:30 ).

‏ Leviticus 10:1

Leviticus 10:1 – Death of Nadab and Abihu

This passage describes the serious sin of Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, and the severe punishment they received. Although what they did might not seem so serious to us, God’s strong response shows that their action was very wrong in His eyes. The main problem was that they did not follow God’s specific instructions for worship and tried to serve Him in their own way. This event reminds everyone that God’s commands must be obeyed exactly, especially by those who serve as leaders.

v. 1: Nadab and Abihu offered “strange fire” before the Lord, which God had not commanded (Leviticus 10:1; Numbers 3:4 ^a). They tried to burn incense at a time when only Aaron was supposed to serve as priest. They acted out of pride, wanting to do the most important job right away, without asking for permission or following instructions. Also, they used fire that was not taken from the altar, but probably from an ordinary source, which was not allowed (Revelation 8:5 ^b), and maybe even used common incense. They both went in together, even though only one priest should burn incense at a time (Luke 1:9 ^c). They acted too quickly and without respect. There is also a hint that they might have been drunk, since God gives a law against drinking right after this event (Leviticus 10:8; Proverbs 31:5 ^d). Their sin was not a mistake or ignorance, but done in pride and carelessness, so it was punished severely (Leviticus 4:2-3; Numbers 15:30 ^e).