TITLE: YOU HAD ONE JOB
SCRIPTURE: LEVITICUS 10:1-3
You had one job is a phrase used to express one’s frustration that someone or something has failed at the main or sole task they were responsible for, especially when that task seems very easy or fundamental. You had one job is a popular catchphrase, uttered when people want to highlight a poorly executed task of someone else.
Recently, I was scrolling through some social media site and stumbled across an image with the caption below it that read “you had one job!” It was a shirt that was supposed to be a picture of the continent of Asia; but it was not Asia, it was a picture of the continent of Africa.
• The designers of the shirt had one job
• One job, and they messed it up
That slogan sums up the narrative of Nadab and Abihu.
• These were the two sons of Aaron
• Their one job was to get the fire to burn on the altar of incense
Aaron, of course, was the older brother of Moses and the first high priest of Israel. God had consecrated Aaron and his sons to the holy vocation of the Priesthood. It was in the context of their priestly service that two of Aaron’s four sons, Nadab and Abihu, each got a censer — a kind of vessel that was used in antiquity to contain the incense that was burned as an offering before God
• Put fire in them
• Put incense on them
• However, they offered what the book of LEVITICUS calls “UNAUTHORIZED FIRE”
What is “Unauthorized Fire,” or, as it is rendered in other translations, “Profane Fire” or “Strange Fire?” We use the word profane to refer to that which is less than holy, but the word profane comes from the Latin profanus, which literally means “outside the temple.” So, in a literal sense, Moses, as the author of Leviticus, is saying the fire Nadab and Abihu introduced to the altar had not been purified or consecrated. For that, God took their lives.
To understand this incident more fully, we have to go back to the book of Exodus. Just before God gave His Ten Commandments, He told Moses He soon would come to him in a thick cloud so the people might hear Him speaking and believe. To prepare for that stupendous vision, God commanded the people to consecrate themselves.
• He also set strict borders around Mount Sinai, saying whoever touched the mountain would die
• When God came, “THERE WERE THUNDERS AND LIGHTNINGS AND A THICK CLOUD ON THE MOUNTAIN AND A VERY LOUD TRUMPET BLAST, SO THAT ALL THE PEOPLE IN THE CAMP TREMBLED”
• God called Moses to ascend the mountain, but before revealing His law - God sent Moses back down the mountain to repeat and expand the warning
• He said -- “GO DOWN AND WARN THE PEOPLE, LEST THEY BREAK THROUGH TO THE LORD TO LOOK AND MANY OF THEM PERISH. ALSO LET THE PRIESTS WHO COME NEAR TO THE LORD CONSECRATE THEMSELVES, LEST THE LORD BREAK OUT AGAINST THEM”
Nadab and Abihu were called into the unique ministry of priesthood which involved working in the Tabernacle, a massive tent constructed to host the very presence of God to dwell amid His covenant people. When a priest served in the Tabernacle, they were, in a sense, serving in the presence of the Lord.
• Different and unlike anything else, God’s holiness was uniquely represented in the Tabernacle
• Sin and disobedience had no place there because sin cannot exist in the presence of God
• All Priests were given clear warning of the danger of coming into the presence of God
If we that dawn the Pulpits every week would just understand the MAGNITUDE of what we do. It is no for our Glory, we are serving God’s people in the presence of the Lord.
• Too much tomfoolery in the pulpits today
• Too much clowning and joking in the pulpits today
• Too much show boating in the pulpits today
• We think the Pulpit belongs to us instead of God
God gave clear instructions to the Priests about what they were expected to do. This included not offering incense which did not meet God’s specifications.
• Nadab and Abihu blatantly disregarded God’s commands
• They carelessly acted on their own authority and did not bother to even consult Moses who oversaw the Tabernacle service that day
• God alone is holy and worthy of our total submission and worship
So, at the very formation of the nation of Israel, God laid down the fundamental laws of consecration for the priests. He warned them that if they were not consecrated or if they violated their consecration, He would “break out” against them.
• Nadab and Abihu violated the holy law of the Priesthood
• When they did so, God took their lives, reminding Israel of the sanctity of His presence
• That is why Moses reminded Aaron, “THIS IS WHAT THE LORD HAS SAID: ‘AMONG THOSE WHO ARE NEAR ME I WILL BE SANCTIFIED, AND BEFORE ALL THE PEOPLE I WILL BE GLORIFIED’
• When he heard this, AARON “HELD HIS PEACE”
• Even amid his grief, he knew his sons had committed a grave offense against Israel’s Holy God
The lesson for us is this, the one job God has given to us is to obey him.
• All He simply asks of us is that we obey His commands
• If we fail to obey His commands, we will have to suffer the consequences
• According to the event of Nadab and Abihu, God means business
One aspect of the modern church that most saddens and concerns me is that believers are no longer encouraged to have a healthy fear of God. We seem to assume the fear of the Lord is something that belonged to the Old Testament period and is not to be a part of the life of the Christian. But fear of God involves not simply a trembling before His wrath, but a sense of reverence and awe because of HIS GLORIOUS HOLINESS.
The sin of Nadab and Abihu extends beyond ancient rituals; it carries significant implications for contemporary worship practices. Their actions remind modern believers of the importance of maintaining the integrity of worship and being mindful of God’s holiness. In various faith communities today, the principle of adhering to scriptural guidelines in worship remains essential. The narrative this morning serves as a powerful reminder that sincere intentions are not enough; true worship must align with God’s directives, highlighting the ongoing relevance of this biblical account.
• We must make sure our Worship is sincere and real
• Too much entertainment in many of our Churches that are disguised as Worship
• We don’t come here to be entertained
• We don’t come here for Performing Arts
• We come here to Worship God and God alone
Even though we are living on the finished side of the cross, the FEAR OF THE LORD IS STILL THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM. God is still A CONSUMING FIRE, A JEALOUS GOD. When we come into His presence, we are to come as children, as those who have been reconciled, but there is to be a GODLY FEAR inspired by respect for the One with whom we are dealing. This event serves as a stark reminder of the seriousness with which God regards His commandments and the sanctity of the worship experience.
Worship is a serious, special affair. It is different from other activities in life.
• LEVITICUS 10:3 “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”
• God is to be Sanctified or Holy
• PSALM 95:6 “O COME, LET US WORSHIP AND BOW DOWN: LET US KNEEL BEFORE THE LORD OUR MAKER”
• PSALM 99:5 “EXALT YE THE LORD OUR GOD, AND WORSHIP AT HIS FOOTSTOOL; FOR HE IS HOLY”
• God is to be Glorified
Worship is not –
• Entertainment for us
• A time to play
• A time to converse and socialize with others
• We are to show reverence to God in our worship
• Our Worship must be Intentional
Not all worship of God pleases him. Everyone realizes cults, Oriental religions, etc., do not please God. We see this from the beginning of time. We see this with Cain and Abel.
• Abel’s worship was accepted by God
• Cain’s worship did not please God and was rejected
• If Cain did good, his worship would have been accepted
• Cain’s right actions would have been rewarded
• Failure would be his sin
We must constantly examine the motivation behind our worship. Are we participating out of --
• Tradition
• Habit
• Or genuine desire to connect with God?
• By fostering an environment that values intentional worship, believers can deepen their spiritual experiences and cultivate a more profound sense of reverence for the divine
Three elements of true worship.
• The proper object –
o Nadab and Abihu were directing their worship to God
o Likewise, our worship must be directed to God
• The proper attitude --
o Nadab and Abihu’s attitude was not revealed to us
o We would assume their attitude was proper since nothing is indicated
o We must have the proper attitude in our worship to God
o A disposition of deep sincerity
• The proper manner –
o It must be done according to truth
o This was Nadab and Abihu’s problem
o They offered “strange fire”
o “Strange” is unauthorized
o It was fire that God had not commanded
Many people seem to think that how we worship is not really all that important. Supposedly, all that really matters is that we worship in some way. We think as long as we are in Worship Service it is just fine.
• Jesus said it is possible for our worship to be “IN VAIN”
• ST. MARK 7:7 “HOWBEIT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING FOR DOCTRINES THE COMMANDMENTS OF MEN”
• Let us be careful that our motive in worship is always to please the Lord God, not please ourselves or other men
God raining fire on Sodom and Gomorrah makes sense, but roasting rookie priests for offering some “strange fire?”
• Being incinerated for such a “small” sin startles us
• Evidently Nadab and Abihu’s deceitful hearts tricked them into thinking their disobedience was trivial
Narratives like this one are included in Scripture to instruct us. The Bible’s pages are marked by small sins that cost people greatly.
• Eating a forbidden fruit
• Looking back at a city
• Hitting a rock
• Touching the ark of the covenant
• Lying about real estate withholdings
Scenes like these teach an important lesson - there are no small sins against a holy God. When righteous ISAIAH stood before God, he impulsively exclaimed in ISAIAH 6:5 “WOE IS ME! FOR I AM LOST; FOR I AM A MAN OF UNCLEAN LIPS.”
• When we see God as holy, we see that no sin is small
• To say there are no sins are small doesn’t mean all sins are the same
• Some sins are worse than others and carry greater consequences
• But this distinction shouldn’t “shrink” any sin
It isn’t our sins that are small, but our estimation of God. A high view of his holiness plainly shows that even the seemingly tiniest sin is eternal treason.
• Nadab and Abihu’s death is but a foreshadowing of the fierce fire that awaits even the “slightest” sinners
• God is that holy, and our sin is that serious
The text does not explicitly identify the sin of Nadab and Abihu.
• It might have been drunkenness, if we draw a hint from the warning given by Moses a few verses later to Aaron and his remaining sons: don’t drink alcohol when going on duty
• Or it might have been eagerness or negligence
• If Nadab and Abihu hurried to offer incense that had not been properly prepared which would be “unholy incense”
• Then again, it might have been creativity, if they decided on their own, they could make the worship service a little more special or meaningful by adding some extra incense
The text does not fill us in on that detail. Instead, it only indicates that their offering was “SUCH AS GOD HAD NOT COMMANDED THEM.”
• The essence of the problem, then, was to fail to reckon with the holiness of the Lord
• A holiness that calls us to obedience, rather than doing whatever we happen to feel like
--God is powerful and special
--He could send the Ten Plagues
--He could divide the Red Sea so that the people could walk across
--He could cause manna and quail to fall from the sky
--He could make a mountain smoke and shake
--He could write the Ten Commandments on stone tablets
--God is different from everything else
--He is perfect
--He never makes mistakes
--God is kind
--He loves His people
--All of these things about God can be said in one word
--HOLY
--God is Holy
--God wants His people to know that He is holy
--He wants us only to worship Him
--When we stand before the Lord, it boils down to this
--YOU HAD ONE JOB
