Leaven Volume 1 Issue 1 Worship Article 4 1-1-1990 The Tale of Two Brothers: Worship in Spirit and Truth Edward Fudge Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leaven Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, Christianity Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Fudge, Edward (1990) "The Tale of Two Brothers: Worship in Spirit and Truth," Leaven: Vol. 1 : Iss. 1 , Article 4. Available at: https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leaven/vol1/iss1/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Religion at Pepperdine Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Leaven by an authorized editor of Pepperdine Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]. Fudge: The Tale of Two Brothers: Worship in Spirit and Truth 10 LEAVEN Winter 1990 Two TALES OF Two BROTHERS Worship in Spirit and Truth By Edward Fudge God's chief concern in worship is our sympathy, we ought to be aware of one thing. heart. We must go farther than that. Through- This is not the innocent error of two well-mean- out the entire Bible, no one has ever approached ing greenhorns. Nadab and Abihu are not GDdin a spirit of genuine humility and reverence newcomers in their dealings with GDd. Early in and been turned away. Whether GDdis looking the story ofIsrael's covenant with GDd,Nadab for worshipers or a king for Israel, his focus and Abihu had been among choice representa- remains the same: man looks on the outward tives who had intimate contact with GDd(cf. appearance but the Lord looks on the heart (1 Exodus 24). After a vivid, public covenant Sam. 16:7; John 4:23). "But what about Nadab ceremony involving congregational recitations, and Abihu?" For many of us, these two are sacred obelisks, altars and blood, GDdinvited household names. Less well known, however, Moses, Aaron, Nadab and Abihu and 70 elders of are Eleazar and Ithamar, whose story completes Israel for a special audience. The Bible says the same chapter Nadab and Abihu's saga these men went up on the mountain and saw begins. GDdin his splendor and glory. They ate and drank in his presence, an act of communion The First Tale which in their culture was no less than sacra- Nadab and Abihu were the oldest sons of mental. This momentous occasion should have Aaron, Moses' brother and Israel's first high impressed an indelible vision on the minds of all priest. Leviticus 10 relates how, on a particular those men present. It should have informed and day, Nadab and Abihu filled their firepans with motivated all their worship from that day on. incense, lit it with fire and offered it to God. But But that is not all. Leviticus 9 tells how instead of approving their sacrifice, GDdwas the Aaronic priesthood was inaugurated - displeased. Fire fell from heaven and consumed including, again, Nadab and Abihu. These men, the two priests on the spot. The text says that with their brothers Eleazar and Ithamar and they offered "strange fire" which GDd''had not Aaron their father, were consecrated and or- commanded." dained in an elaborate ceremony. At its conclu- Before we rush to their defense in sion, Aaron lifted up his hands and blessed the people. He and Moses entered the Tent of Meeting. When they came out again, the Glory Edward Fudge is an attorney in Houston and ofthe Lord appeared before all the people. GDd an elder at the Bering Drive Church of Christ. sent fire from heaven and consumed the burnt He holds an M.A. from Abilene Christian Uni- offering on the altar. "When all the people saw versity and has published several articles, it," Scripture reports, "they shouted and fell on pamphlets and books on a variety of subjects. their faces." This is the setting for the story of Nadab Published by Pepperdine Digital Commons, 1990 1 Leaven, Vol. 1 [1990], Iss. 1, Art. 4 All things praise thee. Lord may we 11 and Abihu's "strange fire" and subsequent death. up! So he was angry with Aaron's surviving sons The fire had fallen once already that day. It Eleazar and Ithamar, saying,'Why did you not symbolizes God's holiness - and necessarily also eat the sin offering at the holy place?' ... You his judgment. The same divine perfection that should certainly have eaten it in the sanctuary, purifies and blesses the sincere heart condemns just as I commanded" (10:16-18). and destroys the frivolous and irreverent. Aaron had lost two sons already since But what ofthe "strange fire"? Use of daybreak, and he is not anxious to see his other the same adjective elsewhere suggests that this two perish as well. He defended Eleazar and fire was knowingly substituted in direct disobe- Ithamar to his brother Moses. "Behold, this very dience to a clear word from God (Ex. 30:9). Be day they presented their sin offering and their that as it may, we are not left to wonder about burnt offering before the Lord," he responded to the fundamental sin involved. Moses immedi- the great lawgiver. "When things like this ately says to Aaron, "It is what the Lord spoke, happened to me, if I had eaten a sin offering saying, 'By those who come near me I will be today, would it have been good in the sight of the treated as holy, and before all the people I will be Lord?" (10:19). honored'" (Lev. 10:3). The "strange fire" of ''Yes, we disobeyed the commandment," Nadab and Abihu was but an outer manifesta- he as much as said. "But under the circum- tion of a much deeper flaw. These two men, for stances, how could we presume to eat the sin all their history of special calling and blessing offering today as if we were not sinners our- and fellowship with God, basically lacked respect selves? After these things have happened? for the Almighty. It is as simple as that, and we Would you take such a chance, Moses?" ''When are told so outright. Moses heard that," the Bible says, "it seemed Perhaps other sins were involved as well. good in his sight"(10:20). Apparently it satisfied These two might have gone into the Tent of God as well, since he ordained Eleazar as the Meeting when, or where, they ought not. They next high priest upon the death of Aaron his might have come to work intoxicated, or gotten father (Num. 20;25-28). drunk on the job (see the warning at verse 9). This same chapter thus contains two But whatever else was involved, the basic sin different tales of two brothers, tales which show here was irreverence. Nadab and Abihu did not us different aspects of the God whose ways are respect God. Their story forever reminds us that higher than ours and whose thoughts our own it is a dangerous matter to treat God as ifhe logic simply cannot contain. Here lie Nadab and were not! Abihu, silent testimonial to the truth that God The Second Tale The same divine perfection that We must also read the rest of the chap- purifies and blesses the sincere ter, however, if we are to profit from its two- sided lesson. The following verses relate a heart condemns and destroys second tale of two brothers, also Aaron's priestly the frivolous and irreverent... sons. The deaths of Nadab and Abihu unnerve the entire family, to put it mildly. But there is Nadab and Abihu did not re- work to be done, and Moses feels responsible to spect God. Their story forever see it through. So Moses advises Aaron and his reminds us that it is a dangerous two surviving sons, Eleazar and Ithamar. "Eat the grain offering," he reminds them. They also matter to treat God as if he were are to eat selected cuts of meat from the sin not! offerings. God has told them specifically to do this not long before this fateful day (Lev. 6:24- 26). must be approached with reverence and awe, Needless to say, Moses was deeply and that the very holiness which purifies the impressed with the need to obey God carefully. humble also consumes the profane. But here He policed the precincts of the sacrificial site to also stand Eleazar and Ithamar, living proofthat see that no detail went unobserved. Scripture God is far less concerned with external techni- says that "Moses searched carefully for the goat calities than with the inner motives ofthe heart. of the sin offering, and behold it had been burned Nor do they stand alone in the Old Testament, as https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leaven/vol1/iss1/4 2 Fudge: The Tale of Two Brothers: Worship in Spirit and Truth 12 LEA YENWinter 1990 we see in the story of Hezekiah's great Passover, "humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem" perhaps 500 years later. (30 :10-12). Finally the great day arrived. The Hezekiah's Great Passover priests worked feverishly to consecrate all the No king in Jerusalem was ever more pilgrims, but there were too many worshippers wicked than Ahaz. Apostate from the beginning, and the time was too short. The fire of reforma- tion had so spread that the priests could not complete the legal formalities (30:13-17). ...here also stand Eleazar and Hezekiah knew that many would not be properly Ithamar, living proof that God is consecrated according to the commandment, and far less concerned with external he also knew that their hearts were full of zeal for God.