Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

We saw last time that Nadab and Abihu were most likely well respected by those in Israel from the top down.

They had been part of the select group who had seen the Lord on Mt.

Sinai, who had heard Him give words to Moses, were next in line to the High priesthood and yet, their failure at this crucial juncture was a tremendous shock to all.

It serves as a warning to anyone who thinks they can come before the Lord any way they choose.

We didn’t define exactly what was meant by the strange fire, but we know whatever it was it was not what God had commanded them to bring.

It could have been the wrong incense, fire from a source other than the altar, they could have offered it at the wrong time of day or entered the area that was reserved only for the High priest.

At any rate, they minimized the holiness of God, minimizing God Himself in their attempt and paid with their death.

Another example of a person who attempts to come before the Holy God in an unholy fashion.

Moses had to rid the area of defilement by dead bodies, and warn Aaron and his sons they were not to put on display of grief because that would be like the same kind of sin as Nadab and Abihu, showing disdain for God’s decree.

We began the chapter with disobedience, we ended this first section with obedience as Aaron and his sons did as Moses commanded.

We would do well to take this warning to heart.

God is jealous of HIs holiness.

He demands that anyone who comes to Him be holy.

Anyone who claims to belong to Him to be Holy.

This would be another reminder that God is a dangerous God, not to be trifled with by a mere human being.

However, there is a way to come before Him.

He has provided it, given instructions on how to approach Him.

One only needs to follow it closely to the letter in order to do so.

That was the law, even these laws of sacrifice.

But they were a constant reminder that they fail miserably and they need help.

Enter: the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world: Jesus Christ.

Now then, we are ready for the second level of this chapter

II.

In Worship we must exercise faithful obedience in carrying out our duties, 8-11

This is a new section: 8-11 whereby the Lord speaks to Aaron instead of Moses.

This is the first time God speaks directly to Aaron and it is a warning or instruction.

This makes this a very important section just because of this.

It’s like getting called to the principles office.

you know you are either in big trouble or the principle has something important to say to you.

This case it is clearly the latter.

The Lord said to him, three things the two of which fall as a matter of course on the first one.

In other words, if you don’t abide the first one, the latter two will not be done correctly either.

So the first one is also of a first matter of importance because it impacts how the latter two will be accomplished.

As we see it is

A. No intoxicating drink while on duty

“Do not drink wine or strong drink, you and your sons with you, when you enter into the meeting tent, so that you do not die., which is a perpetual statute throughout your generations.”(ESV)

If nothing else, one of the issues this ensconces is that those who minister as priests and teach the word will need to be holy themselves.

those who would teach the word will need to be holy themselves.

This is the only time in Leviticus this happens which heightens the importance of what he is told.

Now ‘strong drink’ is a fermented drink capable of intoxicating a person so that they are rendered incapable of making sound judgments.

We all know the change in conduct and thinking capabilities that occur when one is intoxicated.

They often do foolishly stupid things.

they stagger around bumping into things, they may get violent.

They often err in their judgments.

We have all seen the shows where the police officer gives a sobriety test to a suspected drunk driver.

They have them try to touch the finger tips or walk a straight line one foot in front of the other or blow into a breathalyzer contraption to determine their level of intoxication.

We all cringe at the thought of coming face to face with a drunk driver on some dark night.

We read the news reports that are so tragic of that sort of thing happening.

The fact that it happens and is all over the news its a wonder to me why it even happens.

Don’t they know that if they get into that car and drive drunk they could kill someone or themselves?

sure they do, but that is just point here.

They don’t use good judgment.

They don’t start off the day thinking, I’ll go have a few beers at PT109 and drive home drunk and get in an accident and kill someone.

No! but when they do go to the tavern have a few beers and then go to get in their car to drive home, their reasoning abilities are impaired enough that they are tricking themselves into thinking they are not as drunk as everyone thinks.

I can do this.

I got this.

I’ll make it home.

Well that is exactly why the priests were not to drink these beverages while on duty.

Because they might not be able to stop the tabernacle from being defiled.

They won’t know the holy from the unholy.

Thus, inadvertently someone could enter in an unholy fashion and be killed just as these two were, or even bring something in that is defiled.

In fact, they might even insist on defiling the holy place.

Just think of Hophni and Phineas who were often drunk on duty, and were making the worship of God a mess.

So God commands Aaron personally so as to magnify the importance of this:

no alcohol-strong drink when you go in to the tent of meeting.

Notice the warning right at the tail end of this, highlighting how serious this is:

“Lest you die”,

In light of what just happened, some think this is what Nadab and Abihu did.

they were drunk.

In either case, the point I am sure is made.

Aaron and his sons will not long forget this commandment.

The wages of sin is death.

I thought also of God’s warning to Adam and Eve not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil if they do they will surely die.

Their death was not just physical, in fact, they didn’t immediately die, but they were immediately separated from God.

Their relationship was severed, killed..

Here it was I think a threat of immediate death as noted by Nadab and Abihu and by Uzzah.

But probably more importantly, being cut off from relationship from God.

Which is the very opposite of what their role as priests was intended to do.

They were involved in the restoration process, but if they violate the law by practicing their priestly duties while intoxicated they have just defeated their purpose.

Now Isaiah records this was neglected by the priests when we get to drunkenness was one of the violations .

The same kind of prohibition is found in the NT and the leaders of the church and the connection to this is apparent:

Titus 2

So the warning is for leaders of the church today too in a sense.

Drunkenness is actually a disqualifying mark for those in leadership in the church or those who aspire to leadership in the church.

If they can’t control themselves with relation to alcohol how are they going to lead someone done the narrow path?

Which then brings me to the second point here:

So the first point was they were not to drink intoxicating drinks while on duty.

It doesn’t say they could not drink intoxicating drinks during the other 11 months of the year.

This second point is

B. Distinguish between holy and defiled, 10

I believe this duty here is one of the main reasons for the first law of no drinking alcohol.

They have a purpose of determining what is holy and what is not.

As priests they are mediators between man and God.

And part of their responsibility is to distinguish clearly between holy and and common/that which is non holy, pure or impure.

So three categories of physical state.

Super important so the priests would not permit people or things to defile the holy tabernacle.

The word put difference/divide or separate, it is the idea of making a distinction between things or persons.

Israel was to separate from foreigners, make a distinction between clean and unclean animals.

In it was used to set Aaron apart to consecrate the holy things.