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beginning in chapter 9 at verse 
22 to the end of chapter 10. So 8 to 10 is a unit and basically 
it is the institution or installation of the priesthood. The priesthood 
has been spoken of previously in the book of Exodus, specifically 
in chapters 28 and 29. And here we come and we've seen 
the commands given to the sons of Aaron relative to the sacrificial 
system, both the sacrifice as they pertain to the individual 
worshiper, and then the sacrifice as they pertain to the priest. 
And here in chapters 8 to 10, we see them take up their official 
duties and engage in ministry. So as I said, we'll pick up reading 
in chapter 9 at verse 22. Then Aaron lifted his hand toward 
the people, blessed them, and came down from offering the sin 
offering, the burnt offering, and peace offerings. And Moses 
and Aaron went into the tabernacle of meeting, and came out and 
blessed the people. Then the glory of the Lord appeared 
to all the people, and fire came out from before the Lord, and 
consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When all 
the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces. Then 
Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and 
put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire 
before the Lord, which he had not commanded them. So fire went 
out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the 
Lord. And Moses said to Aaron, This is what the Lord spoke, 
saying, By those who come near me I must be regarded as holy, 
and before all the people I must be glorified. So Aaron held his 
peace. Then Moses called Mishael and 
Elzaphan, the sons of Uziel, the uncle of Aaron, and said 
to them, Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary 
out of the camp. So they went near and carried 
them by their tunics out of the camp, as Moses had said. And 
Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons, do not 
uncover your heads nor tear your clothes, lest you die and wrath 
come upon all the people. But let your brethren, the whole 
house of Israel, bewail the burning which the Lord has kindled. You 
shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of meeting, 
lest you die, for the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you. 
And they did according to the word of Moses. Then the Lord 
spoke to Aaron, saying, Do not drink wine or intoxicating drink, 
you nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of 
meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever 
throughout your generations, that you may distinguish between 
holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean, and that you 
may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the Lord 
had spoken to them by the hand of Moses. And Moses spoke to 
Aaron, and to Eleazar, and to Thamar, his sons who were left. 
Take the grain offering that remains of the offerings made 
by fire to the Lord, and eat it without leaven beside the 
altar, for it is most holy. You shall eat it in a holy place, 
because it is your due and your sons' due of the sacrifices made 
by fire to the Lord. For so I have been commanded. 
The breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the heave offering 
you shall eat in a clean place, you, your sons, and your daughters 
with you. For they are your due and your 
sons' due, which are given from the sacrifices of peace offerings 
of the children of Israel. The thigh of the heave offering 
and the breast of the wave offering they shall bring with the offerings 
of fat made by fire to offer as a wave offering before the 
Lord. And it shall be yours and your sons with you by a statute 
forever as the Lord has commanded. Then Moses made careful inquiry 
about the goat of the sin offering, and there it was, burned up. 
And he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron, 
who were left, saying, Why have you not eaten the sin offering 
in a holy place, since it is most holy? And God has given 
it to you to bear the guilt of the congregation, to make atonement 
for them before the Lord. C. Its blood was not brought 
inside the holy place. Indeed, you should have eaten 
it in a holy place, as I commanded. And Aaron said to Moses, Look, 
this day they have offered their sin offering and their burnt 
offering before the Lord, and such things have befallen me. 
If I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been accepted 
in the sight of the Lord? So when Moses heard that, he 
was content. Amen. Well, as I said, we've 
seen the legislation concerning the sacrifices. And just by way 
of review, in chapter 1, you have the burnt offering. In chapter 
2, you have the grain offering. In chapter 3, the peace offering. Chapter 4 to chapter 5, you have 
the sin offering. And then chapter 5 to 6, you 
have the guilt offering. And that, again, is how it applies 
to the individual worshiper, the Israelite. And then, in chapters 
6 and 7, you see the instructions for the priests with specific 
reference to those sacrifices. So you've got the burnt offering, 
the grain offering, the sin offering, the trespass offering, the peace 
offering. And then there is a summary, 
if you look back at chapter 7, specifically at verses 37 and 
38. It says, this is the law of the 
burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the trespass 
offering, the consecrations, and the sacrifice of the peace 
offering. which the Lord commanded Moses on Mount Sinai on the day 
when he commanded the children of Israel to offer their offerings 
to the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai. So that concludes the 
section with reference to the legislation concerning sacrifice. Now a very good question was 
asked last week, how many times did the average Israelite actually 
worship animals? That's a tough question to answer. I looked at, well I asked, I 
don't want to throw him under the bus, Pastor Barcelos, he 
didn't know. I said, it's a tough question, 
and he said, yep. And then I looked at several 
websites. I came across a bit from Nine Marks, which is somewhat 
representative of the approach that I saw in both Jewish and 
in Christian sources in terms of how often the average Israelite 
sacrificed in the Old Testament. And this fellow named Bobby Jameson 
said, a handful of times a year, all Israelites were commanded 
to gather together before the Lord at his tabernacle for the 
festivals of the Passover, first fruits, and so on. Apart from 
these festivals, the regular offering of sacrifices was carried 
out by the priests. And individual Israelites came 
to the tabernacle and later the temple only when they needed 
to offer a specific sacrifice for sin or impurity. So again, 
pretty vague and pretty ambiguous. There's no sort of mandate. Every 
time you did this, then you would come to the tabernacle or temple. 
So it's a very tough thing to nail down. He goes on to say, 
in other words, for Israel, corporate worship was a special, few times 
a year occasion. Worship, understood as exclusive 
devotion to the Lord, was something that Israelites were called to 
practice around the clock, according to Deuteronomy 6. But in the 
sense of having intimate access to God's presence, worship was 
restricted to specific people, places, and times. God dwelled 
among his people, yes, but that presence was restricted to the 
tabernacle and guarded by the priests. So again, I think we 
see a fundamental difference in terms of Old Covenant and 
New Covenant. They met for worship, but they 
didn't necessarily sacrifice animals. If you look at Hebrews 
chapter 9, or 10 rather, you see a vivid contrast between 
Old and New Covenant. So if it is, in fact, the case 
that this access as it is, we see the tabernacle and then the 
temple, and then it's highly regulated in terms of priestly 
conduct, In chapter 10 of the book of Hebrews, in verse 19, 
therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood 
of Jesus, by a new and living way which he consecrated for 
us through the veil that is his flesh, and having a high priest 
over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart and 
full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an 
evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. We have 
this access to God, free and full access, in the New Covenant 
that was not enjoyed universally among Old Covenant Israel. So 
just by way of a brief observation, what we have in the New Covenant 
is a betterment, an advancement of what they had in the Old Covenant. 
And that is simply a biblical proposition. Hebrews 7 and 8 
specifically indicate that the New Covenant is a better covenant 
with better promises that affords a better hope. But back to Leviticus 
chapters 8 to 10. Essentially what we have is the 
ordination of the priesthood in chapter 8, verses 1 to 36. And then secondly, the ministry 
of the priesthood in chapter 9, verses 1 to 24. And then thirdly, 
the judgment on the priesthood in chapter 10, verses 1 to 20. So again, it's a unit in terms 
of the priesthood beginning their regular ministry. We won't look 
at every jot and tittle along the way, but overview in terms 
of what's going on in chapters 8 to 10. So if you look specifically 
at chapter 8, the ordination of the priesthood, we notice 
in the first place the command of God in verses 1 to 5 specifically. So notice, and the Lord spoke 
to Moses, saying, Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the 
garments, the anointing oil, a bowl as the sin offering, two 
rams, and a basket of unleavened bread. And gather all the congregation 
together at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. So Moses did as the 
Lord commanded him, and the congregation was gathered together at the 
door of the tabernacle of meeting. And Moses said to the congregation, 
This is what the Lord commanded to be done. So this command of 
God is obvious, and we've seen that all throughout the book 
of Leviticus up to this point. We've seen it all the way back 
to chapter 25 in the book of Exodus when this legislation 
began in terms of the public worship of God. The building 
of the tabernacle was not left up to Moses. The building of 
the tabernacle was not left up to a vote by the congregation 
of Israel. Where are we going to put the 
furniture? How are we going to construct this? No, God commanded 
the specifics relative to the actual meeting place or dwelling 
place, and then he gives the specifics in terms of the priesthood. And we see that all throughout 
chapter 8, this command of God. This is what the Lord commanded, 
or as the Lord had commanded Moses. You see that here in verse 
4. You see it again in verse 5. 
And then in chapter 8, you see it in verse 9. Verse 9, 13, 17, 21, 29, 34, 
and 36. So we see the divine initiative 
behind divine worship. It's not left up to man, but 
rather God specifies and God determines how it is that man 
is supposed to approach Him. As we look here too at chapter 
8, notice specifically at verse 2. You see something concerning 
the grace of God. It says, Notice those first two 
words, and think God's grace. Take errand. Now, Aaron has been mentioned 
in the book of Leviticus up to this point, specifically the 
sons of Aaron. The sons of Aaron is, in fact, 
the priesthood. Remember, it's a Levitical tribe. 
Aaron is going to function as the high priest. But we really 
haven't heard a lot about Aaron taking the lead since chapter 
32 in the book of Exodus. Remember in chapter 32 in the 
book of Exodus, the people of God were weary waiting for Moses. And so they appeal to Aaron to 
rectify that situation. So Aaron says, give me your gold, 
and he throws the gold into the forge, and he builds a calf. 
So he is not the initiator of that calf worship, but he certainly 
facilitates it. The fact that God says, take 
Aaron and his sons with him, underscores God's grace. It underscores 
forgiveness. It underscores the reality of 
the blood of Jesus Christ, his son, which does cleanse us from 
all sin. Never forget, those who were 
genuinely saved in this old covenant setting were saved by the blood 
of the Lord Jesus Christ. The blood of the bulls and the 
goats, they typified, prefigured, and foreshadowed the Lamb of 
God who takes away the sin of the world. In many respects, 
this take Aaron is something like we see with Peter after 
his denial of the Lord Jesus Christ. We get to the book of 
Acts, we see restoration fully demonstrated when it's Simon 
Peter who stands up on the day of Pentecost to preach that wonderful 
sermon. So Peter denies the Lord, and 
we might think that, oh, there's no more usefulness for Simon 
Peter in the kingdom of God. And yet it's Simon Peter that 
functions largely as the hero of the first half of the book 
of Acts, in terms of the human instrumentality that God employs. So we have the role of Aaron 
in Exodus chapter 32, and here we have the restoration of Aaron 
in the sacrificial system. So Aaron functions as a high 
priest dependent upon the very sacrifices and the tabernacle 
that he is to stand in service of. And then God gives specific 
instructions and then we see the obedience of Moses to God 
in verses 4 to 5. And then we see that carried 
out specifically in verses 6 to 30 in what we've already seen 
in terms of the description and the preparation concerning the 
priesthood. We're seeing it implemented. 
We're seeing it installed. We're seeing it ordained. We're 
seeing it come to fruition in terms of the life of Israel. 
So you've got the garments described in verses 6 to 9. Again, we've 
seen that in the book of Exodus. We see that as well in the book 
of Leviticus. If you notice, verse 8, there 
is this reference to the Urim and the Thummim. in the breastplate. We've seen that in Exodus chapter 
28 and verse 30. It's kind of a curious and intriguing 
statement. It's literally the lights and 
perfections. And they are used to receive 
oracles from God according to Numbers 27-21, Deuteronomy 33-8, 
1 Samuel 23-28, and then Ezra 2-63. There's no hint of how they function. 
Most commentators and scholars suppose they were some sort of 
a stone or a pair of stones by which the priest engaged in receiving 
revelation from God. So you've got the garments described, 
and then you've got the anointing conducted in verses 10 to 13. 
The priests are anointed. They're consecrated. They're 
set apart for service to God. As we see at the end of this 
chapter, once that happens, they're supposed to remain in that state 
for a period of seven days. So there's a normal status for 
the priest. When he goes to Walmart, he's not in that particular status. But when he's consecrated and 
set apart for that service, he is to remain near the tabernacle. He is to remain on duty or on 
his post, as it were. So he is anointed for service. 
And then the sacrifices are repeated in chapter 8, verses 14 to 30. You've got the sin offering in 
verses 14 to 17, and then notice the burnt offering in verses 
18 to 21, and notice how God receives that according to verse 
21. Then he washed the entrails and 
the legs in water, and Moses burned the whole ram on the altar. 
It was a burnt sacrifice for a sweet aroma, an offering made 
by fire to the Lord as the Lord had commanded Moses. So that's 
a bit of encouragement along the way. as we read concerning 
the installation or the ordination of the priest to service. Remember 
that God had specified when these sacrifices are offered up it 
would be a sweet smelling aroma, a sweet aroma unto the Lord. 
So the fact that this is happening encourages us as we read that 
things are moving along according to plan. And then after the burnt 
offering, you have the peace offering. And Wenham suggests 
that this follows the prescriptions of Exodus 29, 19, and broadly 
corresponds to the ritual for the peace offering outlined in 
Leviticus 3. So in verses 22 to 30, it doesn't 
designate that it's a peace offering, but when you compare it with 
chapter 3, it does look like that's indeed what it is, the 
peace offering. And then notice the summary statement 
at the end of chapter 8 concerning the priestly service. You have 
the portion for the priests in verses 31 and 32. Remember, the 
priests participated in terms of eating the meat that was burned 
unto God. The only one they didn't partake 
in was the burnt offering. The only thing the priests got 
from the burnt offering was the skin. But in terms of the burnt 
offering, the entirety of the animal, except for the skin, 
of course, and the offal was offered up to God. But all the 
other sacrifices the priests were able to participate at. 
The peace offering, the priest and the individual got to participate 
in eating that particular meat. It was a fellowship or a sort 
of a communion meal. So notice in 31 and 32, Moses 
said to Aaron and his sons, boil the flesh at the door of the 
tabernacle of meeting and eat it there with the bread that 
is in the basket of consecration offerings, as I commanded, saying, 
Aaron and his sons shall eat it. What remains of the flesh 
and of the bread you shall burn with fire. Remember, the priests 
did not receive a parcel of land. The Levites didn't get a tribal 
allotment in terms of land. But what they did get was provision 
through the sacrificial system so that they could eat and so 
that they can drink and so that they could live and participate 
in community life in Old Covenant Israel. And then notice in verse 
33, and this comes up later in chapter 10, notice verse 33, 
you shall not go outside the door of the tabernacle of meeting 
for seven days until the days of your consecration are ended. 
For seven days he shall consecrate you. So I would imagine it would 
have been shift work, I would imagine there would have been, 
you know, Team A, Team B, whatever the case would be, so that they 
could spell one another and relieve one another. But there was this 
transition from sort of normal life as a priest, they were free 
to marry, they were free to you know, have children and all that 
sort of thing, but when they were on duty, they were on duty. 
They were away and they were supposed to function and perform 
in that particular capacity. And then notice the purpose for 
the priests in verse 34. As He has done this day, so the 
Lord has commanded to do, to make atonement for you. And notice 
in verse 15, that same sort of emphasis, it is to make atonement 
for it. Remember, whenever we see that 
word atonement, it gives the rationale behind this sacrificial 
system. And it speaks concerning two 
things. One, the absolute holiness of God, and two, the utter depravity 
of man. In order to breach the chasm 
that exists between God and man, there needs to be atonement. 
There needs to be the satisfaction of divine justice, and that's 
where the sacrificial system comes to play. So it is through 
that blood there is remission, through that blood there is cleansing, 
through that blood there is restoration, and through that blood there 
is what God has promised in terms of blessing to his people. And 
then notice this particular warning in verses 35 and 36. It does foreshadow the events 
in chapter 10. So verse 34, I'm sorry, verse 
35, Therefore you shall stay at the 
door of the tabernacle of meeting day and night for seven days 
and keep the charge of the Lord, so that you may not die. For 
so I have been commanded." So Aaron and his sons did all the 
things that the Lord had commanded by the hand of Moses. Lenin says, 
a warning is given about the necessity of exact obedience 
to divine prescriptions for worship. Keep the Lord's watch so that 
you do not die. It was not the first time such 
a warning had been given. Exodus chapter 19. Remember, 
God tells the children of Israel, don't come near the mountain 
or you will die. Again, what are we supposed to 
glean from that? God's burning, majestic holiness 
and man's utter sinfulness. You don't just wander into the 
presence of a holy God as an unholy sinner. If the book of 
Leviticus tells us anything, it tells us that can never happen. 
We must come through a priest. We must come through a mediator. We must come with sacrificial 
blood. He goes on to say, that warning 
is repeated here. It anticipates and explains the 
disaster that overtook Nadab and Abihu, who presumed to offer 
fire which he had not commanded. So that's the ordination of the 
priesthood there in chapter 8. Now moving on to chapter 9, you 
see the actual ministry of the priesthood. You see them move 
from that state of being instructed being reminded, being prepared, 
being anointed, being clothed, and getting ready for the actual 
task. And now the heading there that 
the New King James supplies is absolutely correct. The priestly 
ministry begins. So what began in Exodus chapter 
25 with a lot of instruction, with a lot of details, with a 
lot of specificity, has now come to fruition and realization, 
and now the sacrificial system begins at the hands of these 
consecrated priests. Notice first the command of Moses 
in verses 1 to 7. Basically he commands essentially 
what he's already said in verses 1 to 4a. And then notice the 
promise that Moses gives in 4b, for today the Lord will appear 
to you. This is not for naught. This 
isn't just a religious exercise. This isn't just externalism. 
This just isn't a a thing that we do once in a while to sort 
of get our emotional juices flowing. No, God's going to appear. God's 
going to come. God's going to meet with you. 
And again, when you think from Old Covenant into New Covenant, 
and you see the privileges that are ours in terms of Lord's Day 
worship in the house of God. We've seen it in the book of 
Ephesians, in Ephesians chapter 2, at verses 18 and 22. We come 
to the Father, through the Son, by the Spirit. We have Christ 
in the midst of the lampstand according to Revelation chapter 
1. We have access. We have His presence. We have 
His nearness. The psalmist in Psalm 73 says, 
As for me, the nearness of God is my good. And the people of 
God in the Old Covenant are promised that blessing. For today the 
Lord will appear to you. That would have encouraged them. 
that would have built them up, that would have given them that 
eagerness and that readiness to engage in all that was before 
them so that they could meet with God Most High. And then 
you see that specifically that they obey according to verses 
5 to 7. So they brought what Moses commanded 
before the tabernacle of meeting, and all the congregation drew 
near and stood before the Lord. Then Moses said, This is the 
thing which the Lord commanded you to do, and the glory of the 
Lord will appear to you. And Moses said to Aaron, go to 
the altar, offer your sin offering and your burnt offering, and 
make atonement for yourself and for the people. Offer the offering 
of the people and make atonement for them as the Lord commanded." 
So they rehearse the instructions, they give the specific directions, 
and then you see the compliance of the priests in verses 8 to 
21. So you see the connection, and you see the rhyme and reason, 
and you see the way that Moses, under the inspiration of the 
Holy Spirit, is constructing the narrative. To us, it seems 
like endless amount of detail, but it's detail that leads us 
to that pinnacle of blessing. And for them, I doubt, I mean, 
for them, the unconverted, it was probably tedious detail, 
but for the converted, it was glorious detail. It's these things 
that bring us into the presence of our great God. It's these 
things that gain us access into the presence of our great God. 
So notice the compliance of the priests in verses 8 to 21. They 
first offer the sin offering in verses 8 to 11, and then the 
other offerings according to verses 12 to 21. You've got the 
burnt offering, verses 12 to 14, the sin offering, verses 
15 to 17, and then the peace offerings in verses 18 to 21. Remember the sin offering had 
to do with those things that were unintentional. Unintentional 
sins on the part of the Israelite. So they bring that with reference 
to God Almighty. And then after having offered 
up these offerings, after having given up these sacrifices, we 
see fulfillment. So chapter 9 verses 22 to 24 
is again a pinnacle or an apex going all the way, or crowning 
all the way from Exodus chapter 25. Now, prior to that, obviously, 
but Exodus 25.1 is when the legislation begins in terms of God's dwelling 
amongst His people. In fact, turn back there for 
just a moment. Exodus chapter 25, verse 8, one 
of those very important passages in Holy Scripture. Exodus chapter 25 verse 1, then 
the Lord spoke to Moses saying, speak to the children of Israel 
that they bring me an offering. Then he gives this list of things 
that they bring to the Lord, it's a free will offering, bring 
this so that we can build this tabernacle. Verse 8, and let 
them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them. According 
to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle 
and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it." This 
is essentially repeated in chapter 29 in the book of Exodus. You 
can look at chapter 29, specifically at verse 43. And there I will meet with the 
children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory. 
So I will consecrate the tabernacle of meeting and the altar. I will 
also consecrate both Aaron and his sons to minister to me as 
priests. I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will 
be their God. And they shall know that I am 
the Lord their God, who brought them up out of the land of Egypt, 
that I may dwell among them. I am the Lord their God. And 
we saw how the book of Exodus ended on a tension, a note of 
tension. Exodus 40 verses 34 and 35. So they build the tabernacle, 
they follow the divine instructions as mediated to them by Moses. 
The structure is built, the glory cloud comes down, but no one 
can enter into this house. It is a dwelling place, but it 
hasn't become a meeting place. So Leviticus advances that. It goes from dwelling place of 
God to meeting place of God. So look at Exodus 40 at verse 
34. Then the cloud covered the tabernacle 
of meeting and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And 
Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting because 
the cloud rested above it. and the glory of the Lord filled 
the tabernacle." So the book ends on a note of tension. Leviticus 
then begins on the resolution to that tension. The resolution 
comes through sacrifice, the resolution comes through priesthood, 
and now that's been activated, and we see God's fulfillment 
and God's blessing in chapter 9 at verses 22 to 24. So in verse 
22, after the sacrifices are offered up, notice that there 
is a priestly blessing. So verse 22, then Aaron lifted 
his hand toward the people, blessed them, and came down from offering 
the sin offering, the burnt offering, and peace offerings. The blessing 
was probably what we read in Numbers chapter 6. The Lord bless 
you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine 
upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance 
upon you and give you peace or some variation thereof. So the 
priest gives this benediction, this blessing from God most high. But then notice we have the resolution 
of the problem in Exodus chapter 40. So according to verse 23, 
Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of meeting. So the 
dwelling place of God has become the tabernacle of meeting. Now 
I know it's spoken of as the tabernacle of meeting prior to 
this, but it's been activated, it's been actuated, it's been 
realized. So Moses and Aaron went into 
the tabernacle of meeting and came out and blessed the people. 
And then notice, then the glory of the Lord appeared to all the 
people. So what he promised, he fulfills. What He promised in terms of 
the manifestation of His glory to dwell in the midst of His 
people and to meet with His people has been realized. So that Exodus 
25.8 purpose that was specified in the building of the tabernacle, 
repeated along the way, seen all throughout the preceding 
chapters here, we see it come to fruition. So the glory of 
the Lord appeared to all the people. And then notice verse 
24, and fire came out from before the Lord. You've really got to 
take these chapters in unison. I mean, these are big chunks 
to be sure, but when you remember that it's a unit. If you stopped 
reading chapter 9 and then picked up chapter 10 next week, you'd 
miss the significance of the fire of the Lord. The fire of 
the Lord is a great blessing when it's sent because of obedience. But that same fire of the Lord 
is lethal if it is sent because of disobedience. There's an obvious 
contrast between God's acceptance of the sacrifice at the end of 
chapter 9 and His rejection of the sacrifice in chapter 10. 
You have to see that if you disobey, you do not receive the blessing 
of God. If you obey, you receive the 
blessing of God. It's just that simple. But in 
verse 24 of chapter 9, fire came out from before the Lord and 
consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. That's 
acceptance. That's blessing. That's divine 
approval. That's God's approbation of what 
they had done in terms of the implementation of the sacrificial 
system through a consecrated priesthood that was functioning 
the way that it had been commanded to do. And again, when we look 
at this and when we ponder the significance of this in the Old 
Covenant setting, there's blessings for obedience. When we jump into 
the New Covenant, that same principle is there. There's blessings for 
obedience. The church of Jesus Christ can 
be assured that when she does what she's supposed to do as 
regulated by the Word of God, then the promises associated 
with New Covenant worship are hers to be received. We don't 
have to have mystical experience. We don't have to have emotional 
charges. We don't have to have a feelings-oriented 
ministry. We walk by faith. We walk by 
faith in God's Word, and we know that when we walk in obedience 
to Him, He makes good on His promise to be in the presence 
of His people. So here you've got the fire comes 
out from before the Lord and consumes the burnt offering and 
the fat on the altar. And then notice the response 
from the people. When all the people saw it, they 
shouted and fell on their faces. This is the presence of God. 
This is what it evokes. This is what it promotes. And 
I think that as you appreciate this, again, jumping into the 
New Covenant, it ought not to be frivolity and levity and joking 
and jocularity in the presence of God. There should still be 
that fear of the Lord, that joy in the presence of the Lord, 
and a wholesome, holy shout in His midst. Wenham makes this 
observation concerning this fire from the Lord that signals his 
divine approval. He says, on three other occasions 
God showed his approval of a burnt offering by sending heavenly 
fire to burn it up. When the birth of Samson was 
announced to Manoah and his wife, Judges 13. When Solomon dedicated 
the temple, 2 Chronicles 7. And when Elijah challenged the 
prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, 1 Kings 18, Leviticus 9.24 says, The word translated shout means 
a loud cry, usually one of joy. It is often coupled with other 
words expressing praise and joy at God's ways and works. These 
episodes show that the worship of God involves a total response 
of man to God. The presence of God was greeted 
with a shout, not silence. More than that, they fell on 
their faces. God's greatness and holiness 
cannot be ignored. He must be acknowledged by our 
whole being. Nothing less is adequate." I 
think that's a very appropriate comment in light of what's happening 
there. And if you follow the trajectory 
beginning in Exodus 25, this is a glorious crown upon their 
spirit wrought effort to come into the presence of a holy and 
glorious God. It really is amazing and it really 
does summarize or define for us that God's promises are true. That is, his promise of his special 
presence among his people, it's realized and it's actuated here. 
Now that brings us then to the judgment on the praised hood. 
Nothing lasts forever, and while there was great blessing in chapter 
9, we see as well this fire and its lethal nature, which demonstrates 
that God is not to be trifled with. You don't mess with his 
commands. You don't innovate, you don't 
get creative, you don't try to pare off edges, you don't try 
to add a little panache here, because you aren't satisfied 
in what has been prescribed. The case of Nadab and Abihu speaks 
very powerfully to the doctrine of the regulative principle of 
worship. Now, as we come to the case of Nadab and Abihu, we obviously 
see it is judgment on the priesthood, but the context, the fact that 
these two men do what they do in this context, really is illustrative 
of the sinner's heart. We have been through, we didn't 
actually go through detailed legislation. We took big chunks. Remember, we're just sort of 
consolidating. We spent most time on the burnt 
offering as sort of the pattern for the rest of the offerings. 
But when you go through the burnt offering and you sort of see 
how it's done, it seems a bit redundant for us on this side 
of it to just keep going through each one of those particular 
offerings. But they did. And these were priests, and they 
had charge of this. And as I've already shown you 
in chapter 8, and it's not confined to chapter 8, how many times 
do we have, as the Lord commanded Moses? If anything, Nadab and 
Abihu are typical of us. Typical of every sinner after 
them, every redeemed sinner after them. We get the commandment 
of God. We receive the blessing of God. And then we think, you know what? 
I'm just going to switch it up a little bit. I'm going to tailor 
it and modify it for my own purposes a little bit. I'm just going 
to massage the commands so that I can get a bit more out of it 
than otherwise was intended. That seems to be what's behind 
the scenes. And we don't know the specifics 
in terms of Nadab and Abihu, but what we do know is that they 
departed from the command of God. which should underscore 
the principle we aren't supposed to depart from the command of 
God, whether it's in Exodus 25 to 40 or it's in the New Testament 
epistles written by Paul and Peter and James and John. In 
other words, what those men write concerning our approach to God 
in worship is binding on us. We don't have the right To say, 
you know what? I want bongos in worship. I want puppets in worship. I 
want to repel. You know, as the pastor, I kind 
of always wanted to repel in and have the head mic. You know, 
wear my leather jacket or ride my Harley in. And just sort of 
speak to the people of God in that way. That's not authorized. That's as much strange fire in 
a new covenant era as is the strange fire that Nadab and Abihu 
offers up. Strange fire is strange fire, 
whatever covenant you happen to find yourself in. And strange 
fire, very simply, is a departure from the revealed will of God 
Most High. So the New Covenant is as powerful 
on this regular principle of worship as is the Old Covenant. 
Different in terms of positive law, different in terms of the 
manner in which we approach, but the same in terms of the 
reality that our God is a consuming fire. And that you're not to 
add to the Word. You're not to take away from 
the Word. You're not to supplement the Word. You're not to sort 
of tailor the Word to fit your particular needs. Look at Deuteronomy 
chapter 12. Hopefully a familiar passage 
for all of us at this point. Deuteronomy chapter 12. The section, 
the chapter, is on the necessity of the central sanctuary. In 
other words, you're supposed to come to where God demands 
you come for worship. And so in chapter 12, verse 32, 
you have this summarizing statement. Whatever I command you, be careful 
to observe it. You shall not add to it, nor 
take away from it. Had you been on the plains of 
Moab when Moses rehearses that, if you'd have said, hey Moses, 
why? Moses could have just said, Nadab and Abihu. That would have 
been enough reminder in terms of that principle of Deuteronomy 
12.32 to hopefully seal it in your heart. So you've got the 
detailed legislation in chapter 1.1 to chapter 9.21, and then 
you've got the divine approval or approbation in chapter 9.22 
to 24. In other words, what God says works. I don't want to sound 
overly pragmatic, but that's the simple reading when you look 
back to chapter 9 verses 22 to 24. Everything he promised in 
Exodus, that this would be a sanctuary. Everything he promised, that 
his dwelling place would be a meeting place. Everything he promised 
by way of atonement. wrought by sacrifices offered 
up by a consecrated priesthood. All of it was designed by God 
to bring God into the midst of the people, to bring the people 
into the midst of God, to make this a meeting place between 
God and His people. So then notice this judgment 
on Nadab and Abihu in verses 1 to 3. You've got the problem, 
verse 1. Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons 
of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense 
on it, and offered profane fire before the LORD." Now there's 
various suppositions as to what that means. Some suggest, based 
on Leviticus 16, that it had to do with the way they dealt 
with, I think it's 16, I want to say around 12, has to deal 
with the incense. Others suggest that it's intoxication. If you look at 10.8, we'll see 
that in a few moments. Notice, then the Lord spoke to 
Aaron saying, not to Moses, but to Aaron. Why? Because Aaron's 
now the functioning high priest. It had been Moses up until this 
point. There had been no priesthood. Moses, in that prophetic mediatorial 
role, takes the lead. So God instructs Moses on how 
to instruct Aaron. Well, now that Aaron's been ordained 
and Aaron is now the high priest, God speaks directly to Aaron. 
And so God says specifically to Aaron, do not drink wine or 
intoxicating drink, you nor your sons with you, when you go into 
the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die. I don't think that's 
without warrant. I think there is a connection. 
Obviously, that was not supposed to happen. Was that Nadab and 
Abihu's specific sin? Did they get hammered before 
they offered up this strange fire? I don't know. The text 
doesn't tell us. But some have supposed that was 
their offense. But as well if you look at Leviticus 
chapter 16, specifically at verse 1. Leviticus 16 verse 1 attaches 
the day of atonement to God's wrath in chapter 10 at verses 
1 and 2. So notice 16.1. Now the Lord 
spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron when 
they offered profane fire before the Lord and died. And the Lord 
said to Moses, tell Aaron, your brother, not to come at just 
any time into the holy place inside the veil before the mercy 
seat, which is on the ark, lest he die, for I will appear in 
the cloud above the mercy seat. So look at verse 12. Look at 
verse 12 in chapter 16. 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. So suppositions concerning this 
strange fire run in three ways. First, this verse, 1612, that 
they messed up when it came to the incense and the fire and 
all that sort of thing. There might be some merit to 
that. We see some connection in terms of terminology. The 
intoxication that's condemned in chapter 10, verse 8. But the 
fact that the author, under the inspiration of the spirit, links 
the day of atonement with the wrath of God poured out upon 
Nadab and Abihu leads others to believe that Nadab and Abihu's 
sin was that they tried to go into the Holy of Holies. They 
weren't authorized. It was the high priest alone. 
The high priest alone was supposed to go in there. That's the position 
I favor, but again, I certainly wouldn't bet large sums of money 
on it. But back to chapter 10, whatever 
the specifics are involved in the strange fire, we have the 
main offense prescribed or stated or demonstrated very clearly 
at the end of verse 1. Which he had not commanded them. Which he had not commanded them. 
So the detailed legislation, the approval by God, all of that, 
and they said, we're going to do what we want to do. We're 
going to do what we think is best. We're going to modify this 
and we're going to offer up this profane fire or this strange 
fire before the Lord. And then notice, this, which 
he had not commanded them, stands in sharp contrast to the many 
emphases on that which the Lord had commanded them throughout 
the context and the book. I think anybody would be hard-pressed 
to read the Old Testament or read specifically the laws dealing 
with the worship of God and say, Well, you know, he kind of left 
these things up to his people. You know, he trusted their ability 
and their savvy to navigate and negotiate. That's not the lesson 
at all. The lesson is that God is holy 
and you're not, and the only way to come into his presence 
is through a bloody knife and a smoking altar. That's the way 
you're supposed to come. It's the manner that he has prescribed. 
It is the manner that he has ordained. And so then notice 
the judgment in verse 2. So fire went out from the Lord. 
Same exact language as 924. Fire came out from before the 
Lord. Well in 924 it consumed the burnt 
offering. Here it devoured them. So again, you don't mess with 
God. You don't trifle with God. You don't disobey God. You don't 
sort of innovate with reference to God. So the particular judgment 
here, the fire of judgment, is predicated on this lack of obedience 
offered by Nadab and Abihu when they were set apart, anointed, 
and consecrated for the work of ministry that God had ordained. So verse 2, So fire went out 
from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. Now immediately on the heels 
of that, Moses makes this very sterling observation. Moses said 
to Aaron, This is what the LORD spoke, saying, By those who come 
near me I must be regarded as holy, and before all the people 
I must be glorified. In other words, Aaron, this shouldn't 
shock you. This shouldn't surprise you. This God of absolute unrivaled 
sovereign power, majesty, and holiness, who is in fact a consuming 
fire, which Moses will report in Deuteronomy 4, and which Paul 
will rehearse in Hebrews chapter 12, this shouldn't surprise you. In other words, those who come 
near me, I must be regarded as holy. That's not up for debate. 
That's not, you know, if you want to, you can treat him as 
holy. But he likes jokes, and he likes sort of levity, and 
he likes your, you know, just your emotional feelings. No, 
you treat him as holy. And before all the people, I 
must be glorified. So worship that is not consistent 
with God does not bring glory to God, and therefore it is unauthorized. Therefore it is strange fire, 
or it is profane fire before God Most High. And on the heels 
of that, notice that Aaron held his peace. Aaron didn't have 
any ground to complain. Aaron couldn't, well, my sons, 
my babies, my boys, think about what just happened there. This 
is going to help you understand at the end of this particular 
chapter, when Moses presses Aaron, why didn't you eat the sin offering? 
It looks like you're disobeying God. You're supposed to eat the 
sin offering. What does Aaron say? God just 
killed my sons. I wasn't sure that I should eat 
the sin offering. Because it doesn't appear to 
have averted God's wrath. We offered up this sin offering 
for our sins. It didn't look like it worked, 
because Nadab and Abihu, my babies, have been consumed by fire. He 
said babies, but hard as a father or mother not to think of your 
kids, even adult kids, as your babies. You always remember them 
with that fondness and affection. So when you see a passage like, 
so Aaron held his peace, don't forget these are real human beings. Aaron loved Nadab and Abihu. They probably played soccer or 
football. whatever they would have played 
back then. You know, he watched them grow up. He watched them 
hit puberty. He watched them, you know, graduate. 
He watched all this stuff. And now he just watches them 
be consumed by fire from the presence of God Most High because 
they got creative in worship. So Moses tempers this, or tamps 
this, sort of possible response. So what happens? Aaron holds 
his peace. And then notice the command of 
the priests in verses 4 to 7. Then Moses called Mishael and 
Elzaphan, the sons of Uziel, the uncle of Aaron, and said 
to them, come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary 
out of the camp. Get these dead bodies out of 
here. Get these dead men out of here. The priests were not 
supposed to have contact with dead bodies. The high priest 
was strictly prohibited. The not high priest, the regular 
priest, they were OK provided that they were near relations. 
And so these men are told to carry your brethren from before 
the sanctuary out of the can. Imagine the scene, brethren. 
You move from chapter 9, where God sends fire, consumes your 
sacrifices, you see it, you fall down with a shout to praise God 
Almighty. And then Nadab and Abihu come 
up, they take their kick at the can, fire comes down, but it's 
not the sacrifice this time, it's Nadab and Abihu. What sort 
of message do you think that instilled in those priests that 
were standing there? Probably, we ain't gonna do what 
they did. We're gonna make sure we follow 
these details to the letter. So they're charged with taking 
those bodies out of the camp at this particular time. And 
then notice they are chastened or rather reproved or quieted 
or silenced with reference to the mourning rites. Notice in 
verse 6. And Moses, well, verse 5, they went near and carried 
them by their tunics out of the camp as Moses had said. Again, when you read this, you 
go, wow, that's a powerful image. Yeah, it is a powerful image. 
And what does that powerful image convey? God's holy. You don't 
mess with God. You come to God the way God specifies, 
and it's a blessing. It is joyful. It is wonderful. But if you come to God in an 
unauthorized manner, if you and your arrogance or your pride 
want to sort of twist things around or shake things up, our 
God is not to be trifled with. So notice in verse 6, Moses said 
to Aaron, and to Eleazar, and to Thamar, his sons, do not uncover 
your heads, nor tear your clothes, lest you die, and wrath come 
upon all the people. But let your brethren, the whole 
house of Israel, bewail the burning which the Lord has kindled. So 
essentially, he says to the priests, I think Alter gets it right, 
that is, you are not to perform any of the conventional gestures 
of mourning. Now think about what's happening 
here. God doesn't say, okay, that's it, it's over. Everybody 
go home. It's still on. They're still worshiping. They're 
still in the presence of God. Get the bodies out of here. Priests, 
you continue to do what you're supposed to do. The rest of Israel, 
go ahead and be well, and go ahead and mourn. But we're not 
canceling a worship service over Nadab and Abihu. We're going 
to continue on. And that's why the emphasis later 
on in the chapter on Moses telling the priest to eat the sacrifices. 
They didn't conclude. This wasn't, you know, over. 
I would imagine if a bolt of lightning zapped through our 
sanctuary in, you know, 35 minutes into the sermon, we'd probably 
cancel the rest of the service. We'd probably say, you know, 
that's it. It's probably time to go home, 
especially if a couple of people got whacked. If I got whacked, 
you can say, OK, yeah, I think that's it. We're done for today. 
You'd kind of think that would happen. That's not what's happening, 
brethren. God's in their midst. God's in 
their midst and He says, get the bodies out of here. Priests, 
discipline yourselves. You're still on duty. The rest 
of the people can mourn. And then notice, verse 7. Well, 
I'll read alter. That is, you are not to perform 
any of the conventional gestures of mourning, for your sons have 
perished in violating the very trust of the sanctuary that has 
been given to you and your descendants. Instead, you may allow the people 
as a whole to take up the burden of mourning. And then notice 
the verse 7. We've already seen this at the 
end of chapter 8. You shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle 
of meeting, lest you die. See, even the death of Nadab 
and Abihu doesn't throw a wrench in the worship of God. When Nadab 
and Abihu are taken out, get their bodies out. Priests don't 
mourn, but everybody else can mourn. But as far as you are 
concerned, priest, you're still consecrated, you're still on 
the clock, you're still on the job. You shall not go out from 
the door of the tabernacle, meaning lest you die, for the anointing 
oil of the Lord is upon you. And they did according to the 
word of Moses. Boy, fear's a great motivator, 
isn't it? I suspect we would have done 
exactly what Moses said at that particular time as well. When 
you smell the charred remains of Nadab and Abihu as they're 
being dragged out of the camp by their tunics, that's a powerful 
reminder that we probably should obey everything that Moses commands. And then notice these instructions 
to Aaron. So the Lord speaks to Aaron, 
as I mentioned, in verses 8 to 11. He gives the prohibition 
against intoxication, and then gives a rationale or a reason 
for this. So the prohibition, verse 9 we 
already read, and then verse 10, that you may distinguish 
between holy and unholy. And between unclean and unclean, 
the drunkenness or intoxication or inebriation clouds the mind. You're not able to see clearly. 
You're going to go into the temple or tabernacle and engage in precise, 
detailed legislation with a cloudy mind? No, you're not supposed 
to do that. Don't do that prior to entering in to your task. 
And then verse 11, and that you may teach the children of Israel 
all the statutes which the Lord has spoken to them by the hand 
of Moses. That's something you see throughout 
the Pentateuch. There's this emphasis on succession. There's this emphasis on passing 
this information on to the next generation. Why? So that the 
next generation is schooled in the things of God, and they can 
carry the baton, so that they can carry it into the promised 
land, so that they can pass it on to their children and their 
children's children. There's this emphasis on catechism 
in terms of God's holy word. And then notice, Moses spoke 
to Aaron in verses 12 to 15. And essentially he tells them 
to eat the grain and eat the meat that they are allotted. 
In other words, the death of Nadab and Abihu didn't mitigate 
the sacrificial system. The priests had a right to participate 
in the eating of these sacrifices. So Moses essentially says, get 
at it, go. The death of Nadab and Abihu 
does not suspend the priestly privileges. You have to see this, 
brethren. I don't want to use that term 
or that... I don't want to relegate the divine worship of God to 
a show, but you've got that old saying, the show must go on. 
The worship of God must go on. There's something more important 
going on than the death of Nadab and Abihu. It is the sustenance 
of the priest. It is their participation in 
divine worship. It is their taking for themselves 
what God has given them in terms of benefit from the sacrificial 
system. And that brings us to the last 
bit in verses 16 to 20. Notice verse 16, Moses made careful 
inquiry about the goat of the sin offering, and there it was, 
burned up. Remember, it was only the burnt 
offering that the priests were not to eat. The sin offering, 
the priest was supposed to eat. That was the law. That was the 
specification. So Moses makes careful inquiry 
about that goat of the sin offering, and there it was, burned up. 
And he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar. It sounds like I'm 
lifting when I say Ithamar, and I feel it every time I say it. 
It's almost like it should be Isamar, but it's Ithamar. The 
sons of Aaron who were left saying, now notice what Moses says, why 
have you not eaten the sin offering in a holy place? See what Moses 
is saying? The sacrificial system is a whole. If God says, offer up a sin offering, 
and God then consumes his portion, and then allots a portion for 
the priest, part of the transaction is that you eat that meat. That's 
part of it. Obedience is enjoying the benefits 
that God has allotted for you. It's enjoying the privileges 
associated with the priesthood. The priesthood wasn't all, you 
know, bad and horrible and all that. There's benefit. You get 
good barbecue. You get good meat. Why have you 
not eaten the sin offering in a holy place, since it is most 
holy, and God has given it to you to bear the guilt of the 
congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord? See, 
its blood was not brought inside the holy place. Indeed, you should 
have eaten it in a holy place as I command it. Now, notice 
how Aaron responds in verse 19. Aaron said to Moses, Look, this 
day they have offered their sin offering and their burnt offering 
before the Lord, and such things have befallen me. See, Aaron 
is right here. Moses appreciates the argument. 
As far as Moses is concerned, it's disobedience. Moses said, 
look Aaron, I can't believe you're not eating. I can't believe you're 
not participating in the meat from this sin offering. But in 
chapter 9, we see that the sin offering was specifically offered 
up for the priests. So Aaron's logic seems to be 
that the sin offering was offered, but God's wrath came down upon 
Nadab and Abihu. That's what he means here when 
he says, and such things have befallen me. There was a personal 
interest. They were his sons. They were 
his comrades in arms in terms of priestly function. And then 
he says, if I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have 
been accepted in the sight of the Lord? That was a legit question. Legit enough for Moses to be 
content. Moses doesn't upbraid him and 
say, no, no, get in there and eat it. No, Moses appreciates, 
yeah, that's a good point. So up to this point, they hadn't 
seen something like this, so Aaron's got this hesitation based 
on the empirical data. We offered up the sin offering 
to avert the wrath of God, but I saw the wrath of God come down 
upon my own sons. So therefore, I'm not so sure 
that I'm supposed to eat this meat. It's almost like it didn't 
work. I don't know that that's what 
he meant, but that's kind of how it reads. So Moses is content 
with that. Moses does not reprove him or 
rebuke him or chide him. So I know that was a lot of material. 
Hopefully, it was helpful material. And hopefully, we see how privileged 
we are in the New Covenant. Not that they weren't in the 
Old Covenant. They had privilege, they had blessing, and they had 
benefit. But according to the apostle in the book of Hebrews, 
we have better blessing, better presence of God in terms of access, 
and we have better benefit because it's a superior covenant. So 
again, when anybody says, you know, the new covenant really 
isn't that new. Take them back to Leviticus chapter 
10 and say, really? The New Covenant really isn't 
that new? I don't know if y'all caught 
it on Sunday night. I almost made an observation, but I didn't 
want to get too far afield. In Numbers 31, the destruction 
of the Midianites, there's a huge difference between the Old and 
New Covenant. The New Covenant, we're not told to go out and 
massacre people. The New Covenant, we're not told 
to go engage in holy war. We're not told to go to other 
places and break things and kill people. There are some fundamentally 
huge differences in the Old and the New Covenants. We typically 
as Baptists only look at Baptism. No, they are not altogether different. There's a lot of connection and 
a lot of continuity, but there is a lot of discontinuity. And 
what we find in terms of this Levitical approach to God, it's 
blessed, it functioned the way that God intended, it was a good 
thing, but it has been superseded, or rather rendered obsolete, 
by the coming of Jesus and the New Covenant. Well, let us close 
in a word of prayer. Our Father in heaven, we thank 
you for your word. We thank you for this section 
of Leviticus and the emphasis on the proper approach to God 
Almighty. We thank you for the Lord Jesus 
Christ. We thank you for his life and death and resurrection 
and the free access that we have to the Father through the Son 
and the Spirit. Help us to see the privilege that is ours. Help 
us to look forward to the Lord's day. Help us to be glad-hearted 
on the Lord's Day that we get to go to the house of God and 
meet with you. And certainly we have that access 
in our closets and as families. We are just so blessed in the 
fact that the nearness of God is our good. We ask that you 
would go with us now.