Daily Scripture Reading Leviticus 9:15 - 10:7

When General Smith took over his new command, he began visiting all the units to assess the combat readiness of his army. While he was pleased with the number of weapons and ammunition at his disposal, he was not at all pleased with the discipline and behavior of the troops. Uniforms were dirty and torn. Coming to attention was lackluster and sloppy. The maintenance performed on the weapons was mediocre.

The general immediately fired most of the high-ranking officers who had allowed this sloppiness to occur. Soldiers who were caught wearing torn and dirty uniforms were punished strictly and publicly. When soldiers did not come to attention crisply and immediately, they were called out and forced to do a 30-mile hike.

The general’s method was harsh, but effective. The entire army immediately grasped that they needed to operate by a new, higher standard. Discipline and maintenance improved dramatically and quickly.

This is known as making an example early. It is often used in business and the military. Yahweh used this method.

The ninth chapter of Leviticus is part of a passage that explains the ordination of Aaron and his sons as the priests. On the eighth day of the process, Aaron offered a sin offering for himself and then sacrificed a burnt offering.

Lev. 9:15 ¶ Then he brought near the people’s offering and took the goat of the sin offering which was for the people and slaughtered it and offered it for sin, like the first.

Notice the word “people”. After offering a sin offering for himself, Aaron offered a sin offering for all the people.

Lev. 9:16 He also brought near the burnt offering and offered it according to the legal judgment.

Lev. 9:17 Next he brought near the grain offering and filled his hand with some of it and offered it up in smoke on the altar, besides the burnt offering of the morning.

Lev. 9:18 ¶ Then he slaughtered the ox and the ram, the sacrifice of peace offerings which was for the people; and Aaron’s sons handed the blood to him, and he splashed it around on the altar.

Once again we see the word “people”. This peace offering was for the nation of Israel, not just Aaron and his sons.

Lev. 9:19 As for the portions of fat from the ox and from the ram, the fat tail and the fat covering and the kidneys and the lobe of the liver,

Lev. 9:20 they now placed the portions of fat on the breasts; and he offered them up in smoke on the altar.

Lev. 9:21 But the breasts and the right thigh Aaron waved as a wave offering before Yahweh, just as Moses had commanded.

Lev. 9:22 ¶ Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them, and he stepped down after offering the sin offering and the burnt offering and the peace offerings.

Lev. 9:23 And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting. Then they came out and blessed the people. And the glory of Yahweh appeared to all the people.

Lev. 9:24 Then fire came out from before Yahweh and consumed the burnt offering and the portions of fat on the altar. And all the people saw it and shouted and fell on their faces.

Take note of the words “fell on their faces”. When the fire came out from Yahweh and consumed the burnt offering, it demonstrated Yahweh’s power. The Israelites had visible evidence that Yahweh’s power far exceeded their own. Thus, they experienced fear and fell on their faces.

Lev. 10:1 ¶ Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans and put fire in them. Then they placed incense on it and offered strange fire before Yahweh, which He had not commanded them.

Look at the word “strange”. Yahweh had specified the recipe that was to be used to make the incense that would be offered in the tabernacle (see Exodus 30:35-37). Nadab and Abihu used incense that was not authorized.

Lev. 10:2 And fire came out from the presence of Yahweh and consumed them, and they died before Yahweh.

Nadab and Abihu suffered immediate death.

This is an instance of Yahweh making an example early. It had been less than a year since Yahweh had given the instructions regarding which incense was to be used in the tabernacle. When Nadab and Abihu disobeyed that instruction, there was no mercy. They did not get a second chance. They suffered immediate death. The purpose of the immediate death was to impress upon the Israelites the importance of obeying every one of God’s commands.

Something similar happened in the early days of the church. Ananias and Sapphira sold a piece of property and pretended they donated all the proceeds to help the Christians. Their punishment for lying was immediate death. The purpose of their death was to teach all Christians that we need to take all of God’s commands seriously and make every effort to obey them completely. In other words, we should be afraid to disobey God.

Lev. 10:3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “It is what Yahweh spoke, saying,

‘By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy,

And before all the people I will be glorified.’”

So Aaron kept silent.

Look at the words “treated as holy”. God is not ordinary. He is unique. He is all-powerful. He demands obedience. We need to treat Him as such.

Lev. 10:4 ¶ Then Moses called to Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel, and said to them, “Come near, carry your relatives away from the front of the sanctuary to the outside of the camp.”

Lev. 10:5 So they came near and carried them still in their tunics to the outside of the camp, as Moses had said.

Lev. 10:6 Then Moses said to Aaron and to his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not uncover your heads nor tear your clothes, so that you will not die and that He will not become wrathful against all the congregation. But your relatives, the whole house of Israel, shall weep over the burning which Yahweh has brought about.

Lev. 10:7 You shall not even go out from the doorway of the tent of meeting, lest you die; for the anointing oil of Yahweh is upon you.” So they did according to the word of Moses.

Take note of the words “lest you die”. Aaron and his remaining sons would have been grieving because of the loss of their relatives. However, they could not perform the usual physical acts of expressing grief because they had been anointed. They had to fear Yahweh.

When Nadab and Abihu used the wrong incense in the tabernacle, they suffered immediate death. When Ananias and Sapphira lied, they suffered immediate death. This teaches us that we need to fear God and obey every one of His commands. There is no such thing as an optional command from God.

Are you afraid to disobey God?

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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”