The beginning of Leviticus 10 ends the story of Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron the high priest. They were consumed, turned to toast by the glory of God. They offered God unholy fire. The previous nine chapters of Leviticus contain instructions regarding how God wanted things done in the sanctuary, but apparently these two were not paying attention. They approached with unholy fire, strange fire, not the fire God had prescribed.
So what's this all about? God told them to use the fire from the altar. Did they grab a torch on their way and light it from a camp fire? Is fire not fire? Doesn't it look the same and burn the same?
Like that strange fire do you ever wonder if we, who call ourselves Christians, serve Jesus in a spirit that is not His? Is there any other explanation for why so many unbelievers shrug at Islam; Hinduism, Buddhism, New Age etc. but become irritated, absolutely angry with the church, not Jesus, but the church?
Proposition one. Is there a greater mystery in the Universe than the origin of life? There are empty, loud and boisterous arguments, but we have no universal consensus that passes reasonable scrutiny. One and one is two, but zero plus zero has yet to yield an answer. We're here, so something happened.
Proposition two. For two thousand years there have been, and still are those who say that Jesus Christ died for you and me and was resurrected from the grave. Who can explain that? If our inability to explain it means it did not happen than what about proposition one?
Would you agree we have a mystery? The world loves mysteries, but here are the two greatest mysteries, yet many people aren't interested. Why?
Do they say, "If proposition two is true, what impact has it made on the world?"
When skeptics look at church history, watch the News, read the paper, see a car with a Christian bumper sticker cut them off etc. etc. what do they think? Is it not right for those who do not believe in God to expect those who do believe in God to live like it?
Do we hurt the Gospel by our advocacy for Christ? Are we called to live a higher life; not to tell someone else what they should or shouldn't do, not to boast about paying tithes or going on missionary trips, or leading our own ministry, but to simply live our lives as if the only opinion that mattered, was God's? What would that look like? Would our agendas and motivation take a drastic turn if we sought to please God, instead of one another?
I want to live the life God has given me for Christ, but I worry, yes worry, that I may be pushing God's claims in the spirit of the devil. Am I coming to God's altar with strange fire?
Imagine you are standing there with Aaron, looking at two pieces of toast who were formerly your sons. Do you know what Moses said to Aaron? “This is what the LORD meant when he said,"
‘Through those who are near me I will show myself holy,
and before all the people I will be glorified.’
The Bible tells us the way to God is a narrow path and few will find it. Can you spin that to say we're all going to be with God, most of us, fifty percent of us? It says few. Towards the end of the story who is Jesus speaking to me when He says, "Depart from me for I never knew you." The Bible tells us judgment will start in the church. We're going to stand before God alone.
Yes, I worry what kind of fire I bring before the Lord. Do you?
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