The Danger Of Seeing God

Nadab and Abihu are names recognised by Bible students—we have heard of them. These sons of Aaron shared the priesthood; they were appointed by God to serve Him. They were Aaron’s sons and thus in the lineage of those qualified to serve as priests. Yet, these two men were struck down by holy fire as they approached the LORD without permission to do so. How did this happen? What should we learn from their presumption?

Two texts are open before us—admittedly an approach that is discouraged by those who are familiar with homiletics. Nevertheless, I invite us to unite in reviewing these two texts chosen for study today. Each of the texts speak of Nadab and Abihu, detailing the honour they received in being chosen to see God and similarly demonstrating the danger of becoming casualties of the casual. Open your Bibles first to the twenty-fourth chapter of Exodus.

TO SEE GOD AND LIVE — Shortly, God would call Moses to ascend the Mount where He would deliver the Ten Commandments. However, before Moses climbed that mountain, seventy-four individuals were called by name to worship God from a distance. The seventy elders of Israel, together with Moses, Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, were called to climb the mountain. On the mountain, these individuals were accorded the unique privilege to see the LORD God. We read, “They saw the God of Israel” [EXODUS 24:10a]. The text continues with a description of the setting in which God appeared to these men, concluding with the startling statement, “He did not lay His hand on the chief men of the people of Israel” [EXODUS 24:11a]. The text then concludes, “They beheld God, and ate and drank” [EXODUS 24:11b].

This statement is startling on several levels. Later, when Moses ascended the Mountain a second time to receive the tablets with the Ten Words chiseled in stone, God permitted Moses to see His back. Before the LORD God agreed to Moses’ request, He informed the man of God, “You cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live” [EXODUS 24:20]. Many people assumed that if they were to see God, they would die. However, God did not say that man could not see His form; He said that looking on His face would lead to death. Still, it is the common reaction in the accounts presented in the Old Covenant that those who see either the Angel of God or God Himself to fall in terror because they have seen God. They are confident that they are about to die. Recall a few examples.

Informed that Esau was coming to meet him, Jacob sent his family to safety across the Brook Jabbok while he spent the night on the opposite side. That night, a man appeared compelling Jacob to wrestle with the mysterious stranger until the early hours of the morning. The man could not best Jacob even after crippling him by disjointing his hip socket. Though Jacob pleaded with the man to tell him his name, the man refused to tell Jacob his name. The mysterious stranger did, however, bless Jacob, conferring on him the name Israel, which means “He struggles with God.” After this eventful night, Jacob displayed a sense of wonder at all that had taken place. He came to the realisation that something momentous had taken place, for we read, “Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, ‘For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered’” [GENESIS 32:30].