And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean;
Spoken to Aaron and his sons after Nadab and Abihu while impaired offered common fire instead of sacred fire and were consumed, the verse forbids wine and strong drink on entering the tabernacle under penalty of death as a statute forever throughout generations. Its stated purpose is to enable putting difference between holy and unholy and between clean and unclean, which is distinguishing the sacred from the common and right from wrong, in order to teach all God's statutes. Fermented drink and other indulgences of appetite benumb the senses, cloud reason, weaken nerve and brain power, and dull moral and spiritual perception so that sacred fire is no longer recognized from common. Those in sacred office and every responsible trust must therefore practice strict temperance and abstinence to keep judgment clear and correct, since a person is responsible for acts done under intoxication from the moment the cup is taken. True discernment that calls good good and evil evil comes only through conversion, sanctification, and the quickening influence of the Holy Spirit upon anointed eyes, while sin and degrading pleasure dull the sense of right and wrong until human ideas are mistaken for divine guidance. Everything God has set apart is holy and must be kept holy, so His people, His institutions, and His work are to remain separated from the world and from common business and amusement and not mingled with the unsanctified.
Command and Historical Setting
God commanded Aaron and his sons to drink no wine nor strong drink when going into the tabernacle, lest they die, as a statute forever throughout their generations. The prohibition was given so that the brain would stay clear, all powers preserved in full force for constant action, with power of discrimination and discernment unconfused and judgment correct. Abstaining was required so they could put difference between holy and unholy and between unclean and clean, and teach Israel all the statutes spoken by Moses, which work of faithful instruction required the full use of unclouded reason and reverence for sacred service. Those who minister in holy office must keep clear intellect for this distinguishing, for wine and strong drink becloud the intellect, debase the faculties, and take away the power of discernment.
The instruction was given in connection with the deaths of Nadab and Abihu, whose intemperance in using wine brought God's judgment. The holy fire had been let fall from heaven by God Himself and was kept burning continually upon the altar to be used when offering incense, while common fire was positively forbidden for that use. Nadab and Abihu had indulged freely in wine and were partially intoxicated, which gratified appetite, beclouded the intellect, debased the faculties, confused the senses and benumbed the brain so physical and mental powers could not distinguish sacred from common. In that impaired state they disregarded sanctuary requirements and offered common fire instead of only the sacred fire of the Lord's own kindling that never went out, doing what the Lord had forbidden, and were devoured by fire from the Lord. With the full and clear use of their reasoning powers they would have recoiled with horror from transgressing God's express command, especially because they had been favored to witness God's glory with the elders on the mount and knew that careful self-examination and sanctification are required before presenting themselves in the sanctuary where God's presence is manifested.
The stated purpose of the command is to enable putting difference between holy and unholy and between clean and unclean, and teaching Israel all the statutes spoken by Moses. Intoxication clouded judgment, and by choosing to drink they became responsible for acts committed under its influence, so intoxication did not excuse disobedience. Wine and strong drink could confuse the mind and dull moral perception, leaving those serving unable to recognize these distinctions; therefore those in sacred responsibilities were to practice strict temperance and remain able to discern right from wrong.
The command given to Aaron's sons was a test of character to bring into exercise the highest powers of the mind, to garrison the hearts of men in responsible positions, and it reaches from generation to generation to the close of time. God's special injunction to the Hebrews concerning intoxicating liquors is still to be regarded and obeyed in the present dispensation, and anything in eating and drinking that disqualifies the mental powers for healthful and active exercise is an aggravating sin, especially for those who minister in holy things who must at all times be examples and in condition to properly instruct the people. That lesson of putting difference between the sacred and the common must be strictly observed by modern Israel, who have far greater light than ancient Israel both from increased light shining upon them and from the instruction given to Moses. That which God has set apart as sacred must ever be respected as sacred, for though when type met antitype in Christ's death the need for sacrificial offerings ceased, the lessons of practical obedience remain binding.
Meaning of Holy Discernment
The verse requires putting a difference between what is sacred and what is common, between what is holy and what is unholy or profane, between what is clean and what is unclean, and by extension between right and wrong. This distinction marks God's people as set apart and separated from the world, a consecration that must appear in both teaching and practice, so that agreeing with worldly customs may erase the distinction in conduct but does not remove the separation God requires. It applies to institutions established for His work as sacred trusts and instruments of God, not ordinary business enterprises like a workshop, factory, or farm, whose workers are to recognize, honor, and guard their sacred purpose. Keeping the reasoning powers clear for this work demands strictly temperate habits, self-control, and abstinence from intoxicating drink, because indulgence of appetite perverts the senses, weakens firmness and principle, destroys the continual sense of the sacredness of the work, and chains body and mind by force of habit. The command to Aaron's sons was a test of character to bring into exercise the highest powers of the mind, reaching from generation to generation to the close of time, and they failed where they should have been strong because indulgent training had inclined them to self-gratification until habit controlled them and left even elevation to holy office without power to break sinful custom, so they disregarded God's positive requirements. Clear, keen perception that calls evil evil and good good comes from God alone by the quickening, vivifying influence of His Holy Spirit, including understanding how working on regular lines has led to irregular practices.
Failure to make this distinction dishonors God by treating sacred things as ordinary, letting the common displace the sacred, and making disobedience seem pleasing. Abstinence from wine and strong drink was required so that spiritual feeling and judgment would not be dulled, for Aaron's sons used common rather than sacred fire because indulgence of appetite and passion confused their senses. Nadab and Abihu failed to distinguish the sacred from the common because wine confused their senses, and they were destroyed by God's fire. In publishing institutions sacred work must be kept separate from commercial work and from material containing Satan's sentiments, because mixing the common with the sacred causes the common to displace the sacred and diminishes the sense of holiness. The same principle keeps holy things distinct from common things in daily order, so that sacred work is not treated as an ordinary place for visits, casual conversation, children's play, or amusement, since such disorder makes the sacred common and lowers the dignity of the work. Those who confuse these distinctions and teach falsehood as truth are accountable both for their own sins and for leading others into sin.
True discernment is spiritual and comes only with conversion, sanctification, and spiritually anointed eyes kept undimmed by indulgence. It is given to those purified, refined, ennobled, and sanctified through the truth, after every idol is cleansed from the soul temple, after growing up to the full stature of a man in Christ Jesus, after fixing the eyes on Jesus and pressing forward toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, after making straight paths for the feet, and after surrendering by faith as His purchased possession, with reason kept undimmed by indulgence, affections withheld from nothing due Him, virtue kept untarnished to honor the Redeemer, and the heart bound to His heart of infinite love. Those in responsible positions, such as managers and heads of departments in God's publishing work, must love and fear God and daily and hourly consecrate themselves to Him and increase in knowledge by learning of Christ, the source of all knowledge, so that with spiritually anointed eyes they can distinguish the pure from the corrupt and the sacred from the common. Without that consecrated, converted experience men cannot discern the difference between the common and the sacred and are unsafe, having no good influence on those under them because they will accept Satan's suggestions as from God, and it is better to be stripped of all possessions and be poor than through such blindness to fail of eternal life. When such men control God's publishing house, which must stand on holy, elevated ground under men of faith who love and fear God and have jealousy for the honor of His cause to keep it pure and strong and holy, they prefer common books from outside the faith, push books outside present truth, let books on present truth fall flat with tedious delays when special matter needs to be pushed out, and set barriers in the way of God's work, as with the fourth volume of the Great Controversy.
Sin dulls the sense of right and wrong so that the sacred is no longer discerned from the common, as seen in a young man whose sin left him unable to make that distinction. Low, degrading pleasures and associations damage the ability to distinguish the sacred from the common and keep it keen and sensitive, so that human ideas may be mistaken for divine guidance and the Holy Spirit's work may be rejected. Repentance may bring pardon, yet the loss of discernment can leave lasting scars.
Temperance Preserves Clear Judgment
Wine, strong drink, and fermented liquor benumb the senses, enervate the brain, weaken nerve and physical power, cloud reason and the intellect, pervert the senses, and dull moral and spiritual perception so that right cannot be distinguished from wrong. The need to keep the brain clear in order to put difference between holy and unholy and between clean and unclean, and to teach all the statutes, is why drink was forbidden on entering the tabernacle on pain of death as a statute forever. God will be sanctified in those who come near Him, a heavenly Watcher beholds the work and spirit, and He will not work a miracle to keep men from the consequence of deliberate departure from light by indulging appetite and marring the perfection of sacred work.
With minds clouded by drink Nadab and Abihu could not recognize sacred fire of God's own kindling kept burning continually from common fire, disregarded sanctuary requirements, offered what was forbidden, and were devoured by fire from the Lord, showing how serious such confusion is. Intoxication left them unable to recognize the difference between sacred things and ordinary ones and made them unfit for sacred office. Their deaths show that the restriction was intended to prevent such confusion and to protect those serving before God.
A person becomes responsible for all acts done under intoxication from the moment the cup is taken to the lips, so intoxication does not excuse disobedience. By choosing to drink before coming under its influence they remained accountable, and willful disregard cost life under penalty of death for breach of trust and insult to God by presenting strange fire. Wine and beer can blunt moral perception until the distinction between right and wrong and between common and sacred is lost.
Those in sacred office and all in responsible trust must keep reasoning powers clear by strictly temperate habits, self-control, and abstinence from intoxicating drink, so that power of discrimination stays clear and unconfused, judgment stays correct, and all powers remain in full force for constant action. Anything in eating or drinking that disqualifies the mental powers for healthful active exercise is an aggravating sin, especially for ministers who must at all times be examples to the people and be in condition to properly instruct them with full use of unclouded reason. The command was a test of character to bring into exercise the highest powers of the mind, reaching from generation to generation to the close of time, and Aaron's sons failed where they should have been strong because indulgent training had inclined them to self-gratification until habit controlled them and left even elevation to holy office without power to break sinful custom and disregard of positive requirements.
The same need for clear minds applies to physicians doing their work under God's eye, who must keep appetite and habits under strict control so service remains uncorrupted. It applies to those entrusted with decisions affecting others' lives, including deciding innocence or guilt and doing justice, since intoxicants that cloud judgment make people unfit for serious responsibilities and impaired appetite weakens the faculties needed to judge rightly. It guards youth in temptation to keep clear minds to obey and honor God rather than dishonor Him by eating and drinking what corrupts, since wine is a snare that encourages love for itself and confuses the senses and benumbs the brain so physical and mental powers cannot distinguish sacred from common.
Other indulgences also destroy discernment, for when the senses are dulled by indulgence in appetite and passion people fail to make the sacred-common distinction and treat holy things as ordinary. Swine's flesh enfeebles and beclouds the brain's sensitive nerves so sacred things are no longer discerned as distinct from common things, liquor, tobacco, and opium narcotize reason and pervert the senses and leave wrong undiscovered, and a disturbing variety of foods at one meal can disturb digestion and weaken the brain's power to discern. The prohibition stands as the same kind of positive command as the prohibition of the tree of knowledge in Eden, where Satan first succeeded through appetite and has since worked perseveringly to ruin the world by appetite, leading astray heads of families to secure a harvest in their children, with appetite and passions transmitted as a legacy intensified to the third and fourth generation, leaving children weaker in physical and moral power.
Teaching and Sacred Responsibility
The prohibition of wine and strong drink on entering the tabernacle was given so that power of discrimination and discernment would remain clear and unconfused, judgment would be correct, and the holy could always be distinguished from the unholy and the clean from the unclean. Clear judgment was required not only for discernment but for teaching Israel all the statutes spoken through Moses, for such teaching demanded the full use of unclouded reason. The same sacred duty included administering justice to the fatherless and widows and carrying out all sacred duties responsibly, so that faithful instruction and just judgment belong together with reverence for sacred service. Anything in eating and drinking that disqualifies the mental powers for healthful and active exercise is an aggravating sin, especially for those who minister in holy things, who must at all times be examples to the people and be in condition to properly instruct them, and the command remains binding in this dispensation.
Those entrusted with educating others must make the distinction between the sacred and the common, and between the unclean and the clean, in their work. Nadab and Abihu failed to distinguish the sacred from the common because wine confused their senses, so that intoxication clouded judgment and they disobeyed by offering common fire instead of the sacred fire commanded, and they were destroyed by fire. Their deaths show the danger of failing to teach obedience, self-denial, and reverence for God, for indulgent tenderness without firm restraint can become cruelty. Confusing these distinctions dishonors God, and those who teach falsehood as truth and lead other minds in the wrong direction are accountable both for their own sins and for leading others into sin. That accountability brings God's judgment, which may be delayed but will come at the final accounting unless there is repentance, when unfaithful servants will face the consequences.
Children also must learn to distinguish what is sacred from what is common, being taught to reverence holy things and to walk with God.
Guarding Sacred Institutions
Institutions established for God's work are sacred trusts to be recognized, honored and guarded as His instruments, not treated as ordinary business enterprises. A publishing house set apart for His work is not merely a business like a workshop, factory or farm, and its workers are to acknowledge its sacred purpose and trust. Such appointed institutions are centers through which He works in a special way, so their work is sacred and must be done with fidelity and an unselfish spirit under angelic watch that notes how it is performed.
In publishing institutions sacred work must be kept separate from commercial work and from material containing Satan's sentiments, lest mixing the common with the sacred cause the common to displace the sacred and diminish the sense of holiness. Sacred work in the Office must not be made an ordinary place for visits, casual conversation, children's play or amusement, since such disorder makes the sacred common and lowers the dignity of the work. In worship, settings and practices are to keep the sacred distinct from the common in the mind, so that praise is offered with care rather than indifference.
God's publishing house must stand on holy, elevated ground, controlled by men of faith who love and fear God and have jealousy for the honor of His cause to keep it pure and strong and holy. Those placed in responsible positions as managers and heads of departments must daily and hourly consecrate themselves to Him and increase in knowledge by learning of Christ, the source of all knowledge, so that with spiritually anointed eyes they can distinguish the pure from the corrupt and the sacred from the common. Without that converted experience and consecration men are unsafe and without good influence over those under them, for they cannot discern the difference and will accept Satan's suggestions as from God, and it is better to be stripped of all possessions and be poor than through such blindness to fail of eternal life. When such men control the office they push books from outside present truth, prefer common books from outside the faith, and let books on present truth fall flat, causing tedious delays when special matter needs to be pushed out, as with the fourth volume of the Great Controversy, and thereby set up barriers in the way of God's work.
Mingling the sacred with the common happens when those entrusted with God's work join to themselves as associates and counselors men who are unsanctified, selfish, divorced from God and oppressive, and by that union are led astray while removing and enfeebling men God loves and uses and sustaining and exalting men God condemns. Treating the holy and sacred as equal with what is common reveals lack of spiritual sight, and this truth separates those who love God from those who love pleasure more than God.
Holy Living Today
The sanctuary taught that everything God has set apart for Himself is holy and must ever be respected as sacred and kept holy, with the difference between the sacred and the common strictly observed. That instruction to put a difference between the holy and the common and between the clean and the unclean was given through Moses to Israel and is given also to modern Israel, who have far greater light than ancient Israel both from increased light shining upon them and from the instruction given to Moses. Christ was the foundation of the Jewish economy, and when type met antitype in His death the need for sacrificial offerings ceased, but the lessons of practical obedience given from the Mount of Blessing are still binding. God's people are set apart for Him and separated from the world, and this consecration must appear in both teaching and practice, for there is a real distinction between what is holy and what is profane. Agreeing with worldly customs erases the distinction in conduct but does not remove the separation God requires.
A renewed mind recognizes the distinction in conduct between honor and right dealing and dishonor and fraud, while handling sacred things as common reflects uncleansed hearts and hands. The verse therefore underscores keeping the mind and moral powers clear in order to distinguish sacred things from ordinary things and clean things from unclean, and by that same clearness to recognize truth and resist deception from satanic error. Nadab and Abihu's use of wine and strong drink clouded their perception so they could not discern sacred things, and their failure to discern sacred from common fire stands as a warning that confused senses can prevent this discernment. Intemperance weakens reasoning and wrong influences confuse judgment, making people unable to distinguish truth from error and unable to tell truth from error.
With clear and vigorous moral powers men will not choose the common in place of the sacred because it is more convenient, for the command was given to preserve clear reasoning powers to put difference between holy and unholy and discern between right and wrong. General disobedience does not change God's positive command to keep holy the seventh day on which God placed His sanctity, rather than a common working day. Indulgence of appetite in liquor, tobacco, and opium narcotizes reason, perverts the senses, and leaves wrong undiscovered, so men in responsible positions who instruct the people must be strictly temperate to be men of principle. The command was given to garrison the hearts of the men of Israel in responsible positions and was to reach from generation to generation to the close of time, while Satan works to belittle God's requirements and make His holy law of none effect and the man of sin places a common working day in the bosom of the decalogue thinking to change God's law and exalting himself above God.
Spoken to Aaron and his sons after Nadab and Abihu while impaired offered common fire instead of sacred fire and were consumed, the verse forbids wine and strong drink on entering the tabernacle under penalty of death as a statute forever throughout generations. Its stated purpose is to enable putting difference between holy and unholy and between clean and unclean, which is distinguishing the sacred from the common and right from wrong, in order to teach all God's statutes. Fermented drink and other indulgences of appetite benumb the senses, cloud reason, weaken nerve and brain power, and dull moral and spiritual perception so that sacred fire is no longer recognized from common. Those in sacred office and every responsible trust must therefore practice strict temperance and abstinence to keep judgment clear and correct, since a person is responsible for acts done under intoxication from the moment the cup is taken. True discernment that calls good good and evil evil comes only through conversion, sanctification, and the quickening influence of the Holy Spirit upon anointed eyes, while sin and degrading pleasure dull the sense of right and wrong until human ideas are mistaken for divine guidance. Everything God has set apart is holy and must be kept holy, so His people, His institutions, and His work are to remain separated from the world and from common business and amusement and not mingled with the unsanctified.
Command and Historical Setting
God commanded Aaron and his sons to drink no wine nor strong drink when going into the tabernacle, lest they die, as a statute forever throughout their generations. The prohibition was given so that the brain would stay clear, all powers preserved in full force for constant action, with power of discrimination and discernment unconfused and judgment correct. Abstaining was required so they could put difference between holy and unholy and between unclean and clean, and teach Israel all the statutes spoken by Moses, which work of faithful instruction required the full use of unclouded reason and reverence for sacred service. Those who minister in holy office must keep clear intellect for this distinguishing, for wine and strong drink becloud the intellect, debase the faculties, and take away the power of discernment.
The instruction was given in connection with the deaths of Nadab and Abihu, whose intemperance in using wine brought God's judgment. The holy fire had been let fall from heaven by God Himself and was kept burning continually upon the altar to be used when offering incense, while common fire was positively forbidden for that use. Nadab and Abihu had indulged freely in wine and were partially intoxicated, which gratified appetite, beclouded the intellect, debased the faculties, confused the senses and benumbed the brain so physical and mental powers could not distinguish sacred from common. In that impaired state they disregarded sanctuary requirements and offered common fire instead of only the sacred fire of the Lord's own kindling that never went out, doing what the Lord had forbidden, and were devoured by fire from the Lord. With the full and clear use of their reasoning powers they would have recoiled with horror from transgressing God's express command, especially because they had been favored to witness God's glory with the elders on the mount and knew that careful self-examination and sanctification are required before presenting themselves in the sanctuary where God's presence is manifested.
The stated purpose of the command is to enable putting difference between holy and unholy and between clean and unclean, and teaching Israel all the statutes spoken by Moses. Intoxication clouded judgment, and by choosing to drink they became responsible for acts committed under its influence, so intoxication did not excuse disobedience. Wine and strong drink could confuse the mind and dull moral perception, leaving those serving unable to recognize these distinctions; therefore those in sacred responsibilities were to practice strict temperance and remain able to discern right from wrong.
The command given to Aaron's sons was a test of character to bring into exercise the highest powers of the mind, to garrison the hearts of men in responsible positions, and it reaches from generation to generation to the close of time. God's special injunction to the Hebrews concerning intoxicating liquors is still to be regarded and obeyed in the present dispensation, and anything in eating and drinking that disqualifies the mental powers for healthful and active exercise is an aggravating sin, especially for those who minister in holy things who must at all times be examples and in condition to properly instruct the people. That lesson of putting difference between the sacred and the common must be strictly observed by modern Israel, who have far greater light than ancient Israel both from increased light shining upon them and from the instruction given to Moses. That which God has set apart as sacred must ever be respected as sacred, for though when type met antitype in Christ's death the need for sacrificial offerings ceased, the lessons of practical obedience remain binding.
Meaning of Holy Discernment
The verse requires putting a difference between what is sacred and what is common, between what is holy and what is unholy or profane, between what is clean and what is unclean, and by extension between right and wrong. This distinction marks God's people as set apart and separated from the world, a consecration that must appear in both teaching and practice, so that agreeing with worldly customs may erase the distinction in conduct but does not remove the separation God requires. It applies to institutions established for His work as sacred trusts and instruments of God, not ordinary business enterprises like a workshop, factory, or farm, whose workers are to recognize, honor, and guard their sacred purpose. Keeping the reasoning powers clear for this work demands strictly temperate habits, self-control, and abstinence from intoxicating drink, because indulgence of appetite perverts the senses, weakens firmness and principle, destroys the continual sense of the sacredness of the work, and chains body and mind by force of habit. The command to Aaron's sons was a test of character to bring into exercise the highest powers of the mind, reaching from generation to generation to the close of time, and they failed where they should have been strong because indulgent training had inclined them to self-gratification until habit controlled them and left even elevation to holy office without power to break sinful custom, so they disregarded God's positive requirements. Clear, keen perception that calls evil evil and good good comes from God alone by the quickening, vivifying influence of His Holy Spirit, including understanding how working on regular lines has led to irregular practices.
Failure to make this distinction dishonors God by treating sacred things as ordinary, letting the common displace the sacred, and making disobedience seem pleasing. Abstinence from wine and strong drink was required so that spiritual feeling and judgment would not be dulled, for Aaron's sons used common rather than sacred fire because indulgence of appetite and passion confused their senses. Nadab and Abihu failed to distinguish the sacred from the common because wine confused their senses, and they were destroyed by God's fire. In publishing institutions sacred work must be kept separate from commercial work and from material containing Satan's sentiments, because mixing the common with the sacred causes the common to displace the sacred and diminishes the sense of holiness. The same principle keeps holy things distinct from common things in daily order, so that sacred work is not treated as an ordinary place for visits, casual conversation, children's play, or amusement, since such disorder makes the sacred common and lowers the dignity of the work. Those who confuse these distinctions and teach falsehood as truth are accountable both for their own sins and for leading others into sin.
True discernment is spiritual and comes only with conversion, sanctification, and spiritually anointed eyes kept undimmed by indulgence. It is given to those purified, refined, ennobled, and sanctified through the truth, after every idol is cleansed from the soul temple, after growing up to the full stature of a man in Christ Jesus, after fixing the eyes on Jesus and pressing forward toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, after making straight paths for the feet, and after surrendering by faith as His purchased possession, with reason kept undimmed by indulgence, affections withheld from nothing due Him, virtue kept untarnished to honor the Redeemer, and the heart bound to His heart of infinite love. Those in responsible positions, such as managers and heads of departments in God's publishing work, must love and fear God and daily and hourly consecrate themselves to Him and increase in knowledge by learning of Christ, the source of all knowledge, so that with spiritually anointed eyes they can distinguish the pure from the corrupt and the sacred from the common. Without that consecrated, converted experience men cannot discern the difference between the common and the sacred and are unsafe, having no good influence on those under them because they will accept Satan's suggestions as from God, and it is better to be stripped of all possessions and be poor than through such blindness to fail of eternal life. When such men control God's publishing house, which must stand on holy, elevated ground under men of faith who love and fear God and have jealousy for the honor of His cause to keep it pure and strong and holy, they prefer common books from outside the faith, push books outside present truth, let books on present truth fall flat with tedious delays when special matter needs to be pushed out, and set barriers in the way of God's work, as with the fourth volume of the Great Controversy.
Sin dulls the sense of right and wrong so that the sacred is no longer discerned from the common, as seen in a young man whose sin left him unable to make that distinction. Low, degrading pleasures and associations damage the ability to distinguish the sacred from the common and keep it keen and sensitive, so that human ideas may be mistaken for divine guidance and the Holy Spirit's work may be rejected. Repentance may bring pardon, yet the loss of discernment can leave lasting scars.
Temperance Preserves Clear Judgment
Wine, strong drink, and fermented liquor benumb the senses, enervate the brain, weaken nerve and physical power, cloud reason and the intellect, pervert the senses, and dull moral and spiritual perception so that right cannot be distinguished from wrong. The need to keep the brain clear in order to put difference between holy and unholy and between clean and unclean, and to teach all the statutes, is why drink was forbidden on entering the tabernacle on pain of death as a statute forever. God will be sanctified in those who come near Him, a heavenly Watcher beholds the work and spirit, and He will not work a miracle to keep men from the consequence of deliberate departure from light by indulging appetite and marring the perfection of sacred work.
With minds clouded by drink Nadab and Abihu could not recognize sacred fire of God's own kindling kept burning continually from common fire, disregarded sanctuary requirements, offered what was forbidden, and were devoured by fire from the Lord, showing how serious such confusion is. Intoxication left them unable to recognize the difference between sacred things and ordinary ones and made them unfit for sacred office. Their deaths show that the restriction was intended to prevent such confusion and to protect those serving before God.
A person becomes responsible for all acts done under intoxication from the moment the cup is taken to the lips, so intoxication does not excuse disobedience. By choosing to drink before coming under its influence they remained accountable, and willful disregard cost life under penalty of death for breach of trust and insult to God by presenting strange fire. Wine and beer can blunt moral perception until the distinction between right and wrong and between common and sacred is lost.
Those in sacred office and all in responsible trust must keep reasoning powers clear by strictly temperate habits, self-control, and abstinence from intoxicating drink, so that power of discrimination stays clear and unconfused, judgment stays correct, and all powers remain in full force for constant action. Anything in eating or drinking that disqualifies the mental powers for healthful active exercise is an aggravating sin, especially for ministers who must at all times be examples to the people and be in condition to properly instruct them with full use of unclouded reason. The command was a test of character to bring into exercise the highest powers of the mind, reaching from generation to generation to the close of time, and Aaron's sons failed where they should have been strong because indulgent training had inclined them to self-gratification until habit controlled them and left even elevation to holy office without power to break sinful custom and disregard of positive requirements.
The same need for clear minds applies to physicians doing their work under God's eye, who must keep appetite and habits under strict control so service remains uncorrupted. It applies to those entrusted with decisions affecting others' lives, including deciding innocence or guilt and doing justice, since intoxicants that cloud judgment make people unfit for serious responsibilities and impaired appetite weakens the faculties needed to judge rightly. It guards youth in temptation to keep clear minds to obey and honor God rather than dishonor Him by eating and drinking what corrupts, since wine is a snare that encourages love for itself and confuses the senses and benumbs the brain so physical and mental powers cannot distinguish sacred from common.
Other indulgences also destroy discernment, for when the senses are dulled by indulgence in appetite and passion people fail to make the sacred-common distinction and treat holy things as ordinary. Swine's flesh enfeebles and beclouds the brain's sensitive nerves so sacred things are no longer discerned as distinct from common things, liquor, tobacco, and opium narcotize reason and pervert the senses and leave wrong undiscovered, and a disturbing variety of foods at one meal can disturb digestion and weaken the brain's power to discern. The prohibition stands as the same kind of positive command as the prohibition of the tree of knowledge in Eden, where Satan first succeeded through appetite and has since worked perseveringly to ruin the world by appetite, leading astray heads of families to secure a harvest in their children, with appetite and passions transmitted as a legacy intensified to the third and fourth generation, leaving children weaker in physical and moral power.
Teaching and Sacred Responsibility
The prohibition of wine and strong drink on entering the tabernacle was given so that power of discrimination and discernment would remain clear and unconfused, judgment would be correct, and the holy could always be distinguished from the unholy and the clean from the unclean. Clear judgment was required not only for discernment but for teaching Israel all the statutes spoken through Moses, for such teaching demanded the full use of unclouded reason. The same sacred duty included administering justice to the fatherless and widows and carrying out all sacred duties responsibly, so that faithful instruction and just judgment belong together with reverence for sacred service. Anything in eating and drinking that disqualifies the mental powers for healthful and active exercise is an aggravating sin, especially for those who minister in holy things, who must at all times be examples to the people and be in condition to properly instruct them, and the command remains binding in this dispensation.
Those entrusted with educating others must make the distinction between the sacred and the common, and between the unclean and the clean, in their work. Nadab and Abihu failed to distinguish the sacred from the common because wine confused their senses, so that intoxication clouded judgment and they disobeyed by offering common fire instead of the sacred fire commanded, and they were destroyed by fire. Their deaths show the danger of failing to teach obedience, self-denial, and reverence for God, for indulgent tenderness without firm restraint can become cruelty. Confusing these distinctions dishonors God, and those who teach falsehood as truth and lead other minds in the wrong direction are accountable both for their own sins and for leading others into sin. That accountability brings God's judgment, which may be delayed but will come at the final accounting unless there is repentance, when unfaithful servants will face the consequences.
Children also must learn to distinguish what is sacred from what is common, being taught to reverence holy things and to walk with God.
Guarding Sacred Institutions
Institutions established for God's work are sacred trusts to be recognized, honored and guarded as His instruments, not treated as ordinary business enterprises. A publishing house set apart for His work is not merely a business like a workshop, factory or farm, and its workers are to acknowledge its sacred purpose and trust. Such appointed institutions are centers through which He works in a special way, so their work is sacred and must be done with fidelity and an unselfish spirit under angelic watch that notes how it is performed.
In publishing institutions sacred work must be kept separate from commercial work and from material containing Satan's sentiments, lest mixing the common with the sacred cause the common to displace the sacred and diminish the sense of holiness. Sacred work in the Office must not be made an ordinary place for visits, casual conversation, children's play or amusement, since such disorder makes the sacred common and lowers the dignity of the work. In worship, settings and practices are to keep the sacred distinct from the common in the mind, so that praise is offered with care rather than indifference.
God's publishing house must stand on holy, elevated ground, controlled by men of faith who love and fear God and have jealousy for the honor of His cause to keep it pure and strong and holy. Those placed in responsible positions as managers and heads of departments must daily and hourly consecrate themselves to Him and increase in knowledge by learning of Christ, the source of all knowledge, so that with spiritually anointed eyes they can distinguish the pure from the corrupt and the sacred from the common. Without that converted experience and consecration men are unsafe and without good influence over those under them, for they cannot discern the difference and will accept Satan's suggestions as from God, and it is better to be stripped of all possessions and be poor than through such blindness to fail of eternal life. When such men control the office they push books from outside present truth, prefer common books from outside the faith, and let books on present truth fall flat, causing tedious delays when special matter needs to be pushed out, as with the fourth volume of the Great Controversy, and thereby set up barriers in the way of God's work.
Mingling the sacred with the common happens when those entrusted with God's work join to themselves as associates and counselors men who are unsanctified, selfish, divorced from God and oppressive, and by that union are led astray while removing and enfeebling men God loves and uses and sustaining and exalting men God condemns. Treating the holy and sacred as equal with what is common reveals lack of spiritual sight, and this truth separates those who love God from those who love pleasure more than God.
Holy Living Today
The sanctuary taught that everything God has set apart for Himself is holy and must ever be respected as sacred and kept holy, with the difference between the sacred and the common strictly observed. That instruction to put a difference between the holy and the common and between the clean and the unclean was given through Moses to Israel and is given also to modern Israel, who have far greater light than ancient Israel both from increased light shining upon them and from the instruction given to Moses. Christ was the foundation of the Jewish economy, and when type met antitype in His death the need for sacrificial offerings ceased, but the lessons of practical obedience given from the Mount of Blessing are still binding. God's people are set apart for Him and separated from the world, and this consecration must appear in both teaching and practice, for there is a real distinction between what is holy and what is profane. Agreeing with worldly customs erases the distinction in conduct but does not remove the separation God requires.
A renewed mind recognizes the distinction in conduct between honor and right dealing and dishonor and fraud, while handling sacred things as common reflects uncleansed hearts and hands. The verse therefore underscores keeping the mind and moral powers clear in order to distinguish sacred things from ordinary things and clean things from unclean, and by that same clearness to recognize truth and resist deception from satanic error. Nadab and Abihu's use of wine and strong drink clouded their perception so they could not discern sacred things, and their failure to discern sacred from common fire stands as a warning that confused senses can prevent this discernment. Intemperance weakens reasoning and wrong influences confuse judgment, making people unable to distinguish truth from error and unable to tell truth from error.
With clear and vigorous moral powers men will not choose the common in place of the sacred because it is more convenient, for the command was given to preserve clear reasoning powers to put difference between holy and unholy and discern between right and wrong. General disobedience does not change God's positive command to keep holy the seventh day on which God placed His sanctity, rather than a common working day. Indulgence of appetite in liquor, tobacco, and opium narcotizes reason, perverts the senses, and leaves wrong undiscovered, so men in responsible positions who instruct the people must be strictly temperate to be men of principle. The command was given to garrison the hearts of the men of Israel in responsible positions and was to reach from generation to generation to the close of time, while Satan works to belittle God's requirements and make His holy law of none effect and the man of sin places a common working day in the bosom of the decalogue thinking to change God's law and exalting himself above God.