Consumed and Gone

Leviticus 10 Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. And fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.

This act wasn’t one of ignorance, it was one of defiance against the way things God said were to be done.  The “strange fire” could have been pride.  They rushed in during a holy time to offer their own offering, one of their own doing.  They offered their own fire, so to speak, in the presence of God’s fire.

Any time we offer our own good in the presence of our Good God, it will be consumed.  Our own good is not acceptable, it’s sinful, it’s laced with pride and self-absorption and “look at me” mentality.  That is not acceptable in his presence.

In his presence we should enter in humble, in adoration, on our knees as we bow our hearts, our desires, and our thoughts before a holy God.

One reference says had these guys done this ignorantly, they could than have offered a sin offering.  But they did this arrogantly, and pride has no place in his presence. 

At all.