Nadab and Abihu

Who? Abi-who?

Glad you asked! Nadab and Abihu were two of the four sons of Aaron, the brother of Moses, in the Old Testament. After the people of Israel came out of Egypt and came to Mount Sinai, God gave them the instructions for the building of the Tabernacle, and the priesthood, and the sacrifices. Aaron and his four sons - along with Eleazar and Ithamar (and their sons after them), were to be the priests.

I was reading about their ordination this morning (all five of them). It took seven full days (Leviticus 10). Then, on the eighth day (that's significant!), when they were to begin their service, Nadab and Abihu decided not to do what God told them to do, not to listen to the Word of God, but do what they wanted. The took their censers and offered "unauthorized fire" before the Lord. And they were consumed by fire. Big deal? It was to God. Don't mess with God's holiness. Their priestly career didn't even last one day! I knew that story; what I did not remember was that it happened so suddenly - on their first full day of priesthood!

It reminded me of Genesis. God created all things in six days, and on the seventh day, He rested. Then, right away (on the eighth day?), we read that Adam and Eve decided to do things their own way, not listen to the Word of God, and ate the forbidden fruit. And God had said, On the day you eat of it, you shall surely die. They did. Not physically (like Nadab and Abihu), but spiritually (a greater death than physical death). Their relationship with God was broken. 

Both happened right away. Sin (and satan!) wastes no time. It reminded me of something GK Chesterton (I think) said: Heterodoxy cannot wait and is always in a hurry; Orthodoxy is patient and waits for the Lord. And, I would add, listens to the Word of God. A good reminder for us, this Lenten season.