People say all the time, “I’m happy with my religion.” But the question should be, “Is God?”
What a glorious moment this was in the history of Israel! The priesthood had been instituted, like the grand opening of a new road right into heaven. God obviously had accepted Aaron’s first sacrifices by igniting them with His special fire out of the sanctuary, and, “When all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces” (Lev 9:24). But we can hardly catch our breath before—Oh no!—an epic tragedy! Every time there’s a great victory for the side of good, evil makes a move to destroy it. When the Sower plants good seeds one day, the Enemy works the night shift, sowing weeds. So here’s what happened. Aaron’s two older sons, Nadab and Abihu, the two that had been allowed on Sinai with their father and uncle Moses, plus Israel’s elders (Ex 24:1), broke the rules almost immediately. We read, “each took his censer and…offered profane fire before the Lord” (v 1). This profane, or strange, fire was theirs, not God’s. We talked about this when the Lord also forbade strange gods and strange incense. Man-made religion, instead of helping, is a roadblock to God, so imitations must be dealt with severely. Why? Because eternal destinies are at stake. Many religious folk will find themselves outside heaven’s door (Lk 13:23-30). But what happened here? “Fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord” (Lev 10:2). Man-made religious ideas plagued Israel all their days, and God was patient with them. But, on this first occasion, He showed what He thought of human substitutes for His divine provision. “By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy,” said the Lord (v 3). If you get things wrong about God and His way of salvation, it can be fatal. Eternally fatal.