Approaching God His Way

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Mr. M

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Leviticus 10:
1 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not.

2 And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.

3 Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.
 

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Leviticus 10:
1 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not.

2 And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.

3 Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.

I'm not sure why this is "controversial." It kind of goes without saying. :rolleyes:
 
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Running2win

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Leviticus 10:
1 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not.

2 And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.

3 Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.

Looks like they were drunk too.

8The LORD then spoke to Aaron, saying, 9“Do not drink wine or strong drink, neither you nor your sons with you, when you come into the tent of meeting, so that you will not die—it is a perpetual statute throughout your generations— 10and so as to make a distinction between the holy and the profane, and between the unclean and the clean, 11and so as to teach the sons of Israel all the statutes which the LORD has spoken to them through Moses.”
 
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Aussie Pete

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Leviticus 10:
1 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not.

2 And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.

3 Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.
It depends on what you mean by strange fire. If it is just incense and other practices related to tabernacle or temple worship, that is not longer relevant.
 
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A_Thinker

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Leviticus 10:
1 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not.

2 And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.

3 Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.
I once read a commentary on the relationship between God and Israel under the Law (in the Old Testament).

The commentator characterized that relationship as like "living next to a nuclear reactor". IOW, one wrong move ... and all hell could break loose.
Recall Uzzah and the Ark of the Covenant.

The ultimate purpose of Israel's OT relationship with God was to illustrate to humanity that we needed a BETTER relationship/covenant to survive, thereby readying us for the New Covenant in Christ.

Hebrews 8

6 Now, however, Jesus has received a much more excellent ministry, just as the covenant He mediates is better and is founded on better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been without fault, no place would have been sought for a second. 8 But God found fault with the people and said:

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah.

9 It will not be like the covenant
I made with their fathers
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of the land of Egypt,
because they did not abide by My covenant,
and I disregarded them, declares the Lord.

10 For this is the covenant I will make
with the house of Israel
after those days,
declares the Lord.

I will put My laws in their minds
and inscribe them on their hearts.

And I will be their God,
and they will be My people.

11 No longer will each one teach his neighbor or his brother,
saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know Me,
from the least of them to the greatest.

12 For I will forgive their iniquities
and will remember their sins no more.”

13 By speaking of a new covenant, He has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.
 
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Maria Billingsley

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Leviticus 10:
1 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not.

2 And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.

3 Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.
Like Christian fire tunnels ?
 
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mlepfitjw

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@Minister Monardo, and everyone you have all asked and made some good comments. Never read the old testament that much before in my life, that is to say never completed it.

The only thing that really stands out to me in this short text is that fire that consumed the two and they died. (It's said that the things old testament was a shadow of things to come) (Colossians 2:16-17).

In this text verse 2 And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.

The only thing that taken from it is how when we come to the LORD, and believe on him, that we are able to die to our self and live by the spirit, unto the LORD and to the Lord Yeshua Christ, who baptizes in spirit and fire. How we die in Christ Yeshua, and are raised again in Christ.

Matthew 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

Maybe it's reading to much into the text! I dont know, have a blessed rest of the day.
 
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Mr. M

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I'm not sure why this is "controversial." It kind of goes without saying. :rolleyes:
And yet, many continue to worship carelessly!
"This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come near me"

Isaiah 29:
13 Therefore the Lord said:
Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths
And honor Me with their lips,
But have removed their hearts far from Me,
And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,
14 Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work
Among this people, a marvelous work and a wonder;
For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,
And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.

Hebrews 10:22. Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having
our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

The lesson is controversial only for those who do not give heed!
 
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Mr. M

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An interesting question might be, what do you see others doing that you do not do thinking it is strange fire?
All believers should avoid speaking presumptuously, that is not having heard from the Lord on the
matter, as if it were an offering of "strange fire".
James 1:19. Know this, my dear brothers and sisters: let every person be quick to listen,
slow to speak, and slow to anger.
Ephesians 4:
29 Let no harmful word come out of your mouth, but only what is beneficial for building others up according to the need, so that it gives grace to those who hear it.
30 Do not grieve the Ruach ha-Kodesh of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
31 Get rid of all bitterness and rage and anger and quarreling and slander, along with all malice.
32 Instead, be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other just as God in Messiah also forgave you.
 
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Jipsah

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It depends on what you mean by strange fire. If it is just incense and other practices related to tabernacle or temple worship, that is not longer relevant.
Seriously, I have no idea what "strange fire", as used in this thread, means.
 
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Mr. M

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It depends on what you mean by strange fire. If it is just incense and other practices related to tabernacle or temple worship, that is not longer relevant.
Also translated profane, and unauthorized, the concern is following instructions, obedience. While a reader is often drawn to this unusual expression in the first verse, The third verse contains, more importantly, a word from the Lord which Moses states to Aaron in verse 3:
3 Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them
that come near me, and before all the people I will be glorified.
And Aaron held his peace.

The horrific tragedy of seeing his two sons incinerated is condensed into "Aaron held his peace".
The Grace that we share can now be contrasted with such verses as:

Hebrews 4:16. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy,
and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 10:22. Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts
sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

As to the matters relating to worship or service in the inner sanctuary, this is very relevant.
Revelation 8:.
3 Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much
incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was
before the throne.
4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from
the angel’s hand.
A gathering of the faithful remained outside the holy place in prayer when the priest entered
the sanctuary, until he returned.
This can be noted in Luke 1, when the angel visits Zacharias:

Luke 1:21. And the people waited for Zacharias, and wondered that he lingered so long in the temple.

So the incense may be an outward manifestation and appear symbolic, it points to the need
for earnest prayer support for all ministry endeavors. In his epistles, Paul regularly made request for prayers and supplications on behalf of his ministry.


The requirements for the authorized incense were very precise and considered most holy.
Exodus 30:

34 And the Lord said to Moses: “Take sweet spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, and pure frankincense with these sweet spices; there shall be equal amounts of each.
35 You shall make of these an incense, a compound according to the art of the perfumer, salted, pure, and holy.
36 And you shall beat some of it very fine, and put some of it before the Testimony in the tabernacle of meeting where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you.
37 But as for the incense which you shall make, you shall not make any for yourselves, according to its composition. It shall be to you holy for the Lord.
38 Whoever makes any like it, to smell it, he shall be cut off from his people.”

The smoke of the incense protected the high priest when he came near the ark of the covenant to make atonement. Again, representing the need for prayer support.
Leviticus 16:
12 Then he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from the altar before the Lord, with his hands full of sweet incense beaten fine, and bring it inside the veil.
13 And he shall put the incense on the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the Testimony, lest he die.
Consider it a matter of life and death!
 
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Der Alte

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Seriously, I have no idea what "strange fire", as used in this thread, means.
Leviticus 10:1
1 Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, which he had not commanded them.
Numbers 3:4
4 But Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD when they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests in the lifetime of Aaron their father.
Numbers 26:61
61 But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD.
 
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Greengardener

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I once read a commentary on the relationship between God and Israel under the Law (in the Old Testament).

The commentator characterized that relationship as like "living next to a nuclear reactor". IOW, one wrong move ... and all hell could break loose.
Recall Uzzah and the Ark of the Covenant.

The ultimate purpose of Israel's OT relationship with God was to illustrate to humanity that we needed a BETTER relationship/covenant to survive, thereby readying us for the New Covenant in Christ.

Hebrews 8

6 Now, however, Jesus has received a much more excellent ministry, just as the covenant He mediates is better and is founded on better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been without fault, no place would have been sought for a second. 8 But God found fault with the people and said:

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah.

9 It will not be like the covenant
I made with their fathers
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of the land of Egypt,
because they did not abide by My covenant,
and I disregarded them, declares the Lord.

10 For this is the covenant I will make
with the house of Israel
after those days,
declares the Lord.

I will put My laws in their minds
and inscribe them on their hearts.

And I will be their God,
and they will be My people.

11 No longer will each one teach his neighbor or his brother,
saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know Me,
from the least of them to the greatest.

12 For I will forgive their iniquities
and will remember their sins no more.”

13 By speaking of a new covenant, He has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.
There is comfort in knowing we can boldly come to the throne of grace as is mentioned in Hebrews 4. But interesting enough, Hebrews 12 is where we find that "our God is a consuming fire," for which reason we should serve Him acceptably with reverence and godly fear. Hopefully that whole mental framework would help us not be tempted to offer unauthorized fire, but instead believe and obey Him.
 
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Saint Steven

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Seriously, I have no idea what "strange fire", as used in this thread, means.
I agree. I have no idea what this is in reference to. I have read the entire OT, but don't recall reading this, or what the significance was.

A little more reading on the subject revealed that the "strange fire" was the use of an unauthorized fire for the offering. Apparently there was a prescribed way to do this which was not followed to the letter, and God incinerated them for it. Which seems harsh to me, but seemed to fit the times. I'm glad that we are no longer under the law.

With that in mind, I have no idea what this topic is about, or how to answer the title question. Strange fire deserves swift judgment?

We aren't really told how strange the fire was. - lol
It seems that it was only slightly off. Not all that strange?
But God felt unglorified, so incineration seemed the only reasonable option.
Which makes absolutely no sense to me. But what do I know? (nothing)
 
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Saint Steven

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Maybe it was to show that God is to be deeply respected with careful attention to obedience and not treated casually or as common. God is GOD with nothing common about His ultimate uniqueness.
Wouldn't that make him dependent on us in some sense? Can't he be God without our respect, or approval. Do we not ultimately become his judge in this regard?
 
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mlepfitjw

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Also translated profane, and unauthorized, the concern is following instructions, obedience. While a reader is often drawn to this unusual expression in the first verse, The third verse contains, more importantly, a word from the Lord which Moses states to Aaron in verse 3:
3 Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them
that come near me, and before all the people I will be glorified.
And Aaron held his peace.

The horrific tragedy of seeing his two sons incinerated is condensed into "Aaron held his peace".
The Grace that we share can now be contrasted with such verses as:

Hebrews 4:16. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy,
and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 10:22. Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts
sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

As to the matters relating to worship or service in the inner sanctuary, this is very relevant.
Revelation 8:.
3 Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much
incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was
before the throne.
4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from
the angel’s hand.
A gathering of the faithful remained outside the holy place in prayer when the priest entered
the sanctuary, until he returned.
This can be noted in Luke 1, when the angel visits Zacharias:

Luke 1:21. And the people waited for Zacharias, and wondered that he lingered so long in the temple.

So the incense may be an outward manifestation and appear symbolic, it points to the need
for earnest prayer support for all ministry endeavors. In his epistles, Paul regularly made request for prayers and supplications on behalf of his ministry.


The requirements for the authorized incense were very precise and considered most holy.
Exodus 30:

34 And the Lord said to Moses: “Take sweet spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, and pure frankincense with these sweet spices; there shall be equal amounts of each.
35 You shall make of these an incense, a compound according to the art of the perfumer, salted, pure, and holy.
36 And you shall beat some of it very fine, and put some of it before the Testimony in the tabernacle of meeting where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you.
37 But as for the incense which you shall make, you shall not make any for yourselves, according to its composition. It shall be to you holy for the Lord.
38 Whoever makes any like it, to smell it, he shall be cut off from his people.”

The smoke of the incense protected the high priest when he came near the ark of the covenant to make atonement. Again, representing the need for prayer support.
Leviticus 16:
12 Then he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from the altar before the Lord, with his hands full of sweet incense beaten fine, and bring it inside the veil.
13 And he shall put the incense on the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the Testimony, lest he die.
Consider it a matter of life and death!

Interesting scriptures, thank you for sharing.

Exodus 30, reminds me of,

John 12:3 Where "Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus' feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with fragrance."

Here are some more prayer support scriptures.

Philippians 4:6 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."

James 5:6 "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."

1 Thessalonians 5:16 "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
 
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Saint Steven

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Also translated profane, and unauthorized, the concern is following instructions, obedience. While a reader is often drawn to this unusual expression in the first verse, The third verse contains, more importantly, a word from the Lord which Moses states to Aaron in verse 3:
3 Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them
that come near me, and before all the people I will be glorified.
And Aaron held his peace.

The horrific tragedy of seeing his two sons incinerated is condensed into "Aaron held his peace".
The Grace that we share can now be contrasted with such verses as:

Hebrews 4:16. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy,
and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 10:22. Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts
sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

As to the matters relating to worship or service in the inner sanctuary, this is very relevant.
Revelation 8:.
3 Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much
incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was
before the throne.
4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from
the angel’s hand.
A gathering of the faithful remained outside the holy place in prayer when the priest entered
the sanctuary, until he returned.
This can be noted in Luke 1, when the angel visits Zacharias:

Luke 1:21. And the people waited for Zacharias, and wondered that he lingered so long in the temple.

So the incense may be an outward manifestation and appear symbolic, it points to the need
for earnest prayer support for all ministry endeavors. In his epistles, Paul regularly made request for prayers and supplications on behalf of his ministry.


The requirements for the authorized incense were very precise and considered most holy.
Exodus 30:

34 And the Lord said to Moses: “Take sweet spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, and pure frankincense with these sweet spices; there shall be equal amounts of each.
35 You shall make of these an incense, a compound according to the art of the perfumer, salted, pure, and holy.
36 And you shall beat some of it very fine, and put some of it before the Testimony in the tabernacle of meeting where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you.
37 But as for the incense which you shall make, you shall not make any for yourselves, according to its composition. It shall be to you holy for the Lord.
38 Whoever makes any like it, to smell it, he shall be cut off from his people.”

The smoke of the incense protected the high priest when he came near the ark of the covenant to make atonement. Again, representing the need for prayer support.
Leviticus 16:
12 Then he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from the altar before the Lord, with his hands full of sweet incense beaten fine, and bring it inside the veil.
13 And he shall put the incense on the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the Testimony, lest he die.
Consider it a matter of life and death!
Very informative, thanks.
I'm still at a loss to understand what the topic title question has to do with this, or how it would apply here and now. (will we be incinerated without prayer cover?)

Aaron's sons were incinerated for their error, which may have been a minor one. I fail to see that their incineration was called for. A horrifying story really. Topic readers and respondents seem to not grasp the real situation here.

On the bright side, they still had their tunics on (amazingly), so at least their nakedness was hidden.

Leviticus 10:4-5
Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel, and said to them, “Come here; carry your cousins outside the camp, away from the front of the sanctuary.” 5 So they came and carried them, still in their tunics, outside the camp, as Moses ordered.
 
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