Leviticus 10:16, commentary and pictures

Moses diligently searched for the goat of the sin offering, found that it had been burned, and was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron left alive, rebuking them for not eating it in the holy place. The rule at issue was that when the blood of the sin offering was not brought into the holy place, the priests were to eat part of its most holy flesh in the sanctuary, for it was given to them to bear the congregation's iniquity and make atonement for them before the Lord. By the blood or by eating the flesh the priests transferred the people's sins into the sanctuary, where the sin borne in by the body of the offering remained until its final disposition on the great day of atonement. The animal offerings and their blood could not themselves remove sin, but represented Christ's death and pointed forward to Christ the sinless Lamb who takes away sin by bearing confessed sins in His own body on the tree, with cleansing depending on faith in His blood. Worship must follow God's commands rather than human inventions, for even priests set apart for sacred things were not permitted to make common what God had made holy, and the offering of unauthorized strange fire warns against judging, disregarding, or setting aside what God prescribed.

Incident and Context

Moses made diligent search for the goat of the sin offering and found, behold, it was burnt. He was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron which were left alive, and rebuked them for not eating it in the holy place. The rule was that when the blood had not been brought into the holy place the priests were to eat the flesh there, because that most holy flesh was given to them to bear the iniquity of the congregation and to make atonement for them before the Lord. Priests could not eat of an offering when they themselves were implicated in the sin. By this eating the sin was borne by that means into the sanctuary, where it remained until its final disposition on the great day of atonement, and the cleansing of those who thus had their sins laid on Christ depended not on the animal offerings themselves to remove sin but on faith in His blood which His death represented.

The verse stands in Leviticus, the book of the tribe of Levi regulating the priesthood and its offerings. It follows the instructions on the various offerings in chapters 1 to 7 and the consecration of Aaron and his sons in chapters 8 and 9. It belongs to the historical portion in chapters 8-10 recording the consecration of the priests and the death of Nadab and Abihu.

The chapter gives the opposite lesson from the sanctuary dedication in chapter 9. There the offerings representing sin separated from the people were consumed by fire from before Jehovah as blessed evidence that their sins were forgiven and they stood free and clear. Here Nadab and Abihu went utterly contrary to clear and explicit instruction that sacred fire should be used in burning incense, offering unauthorized strange fire which He had not commanded, and joining themselves to sin by transgressing His word they perished with their sin. Fire from before Jehovah devoured them because they had identified themselves with sin, for wrath is founded in eternal justice and is always against sin, executed against persons only when they identify themselves with it.

Sin Offering and Christ

When the blood of the sin offering was not brought into the holy place, the priests were to eat part of its most holy flesh in the sanctuary, for it was given to them to bear the congregation's iniquity and to make atonement for them before the Lord. Those who held the distinction more strictly taught that it was the flesh of the offering — not the priests themselves — that was given to bear the iniquity, and the priests ate it because its blood had not been carried inside. The goat in question had been burned rather than eaten in the holy place, and that burning is why diligent search found it missing and anger fell on Eleazar and Ithamar. Priests could not eat an offering when they themselves were implicated in the sin.

By the blood or by the eating of the flesh the priests transferred the people's sins into the sanctuary. The eating represented the priest bearing the people's sin as the alternative way the sin was moved from the sinner to the sanctuary. The body of the offering, bearing the confessed sin, was thus brought into God's tabernacle, and the sin borne in by it remained there until its final disposition on the great day of atonement. In this service an innocent animal stood in the sinner's place, the sinner's sins were confessed over it, it was slain, the sin was reckoned as laid on the substitute as a whole, its flesh or blood was taken into the sanctuary, the sacrifice was entirely consumed, and the sinner was forgiven.

The animal offerings and their blood could not themselves remove sin. They represented Christ's death and pointed forward to Christ the sinless Lamb who takes away sin by taking and bearing the confessed sins of repentant sinners in His own body on the tree, and cleansing under them depended on faith in His blood. The slain goat is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world, and seeing Him in it gives new life to its details and makes it a blessing, while emphasizing the exceeding sinfulness of sin. This handling belongs to the annual round of services in the typical sanctuary, which portrayed Christ's once-for-all ministry in the heavenly sanctuary.

Holiness and Obedience

The chapter is a striking object-lesson on the difference between the holy and the common, and God is as particular now as then. Even priests set apart to officiate in sacred things were not permitted to make common what God had made holy, for God requires reverence for sacred things and will vindicate that distinction. Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, thought it would make no difference whether they offered incense with strange fire or with holy fire, but the Lord showed that it did make a difference by devouring them with fire of His own kindling, and they died before the Lord.

Worship must follow God's commands rather than human inventions, and Moses' anger when he found the goat offered for sin had been burned instead of eaten, with his rebuke of Eleazar and Ithamar, belongs to that warning. A substitute for what God has commanded is not acceptable, and the death of Nadab and Abihu after offering unauthorized fire warns against disregarding God's instructions. Their offering of strange fire warns against judging or disregarding what God has commanded, for God's sacred ordinances were to be treated with care. God rejected worship offered in a manner He had not prescribed, for unauthorized fire was no substitute for altar fire, and He consumed them before the people.

God's wrath is founded in eternal justice and is always against sin, executed against persons only when those persons have identified themselves with sin by transgressing His word. In contrast to the dedication where offerings representing sin separated from the people were consumed by fire from before Jehovah as blessed evidence that sins were forgiven and they stood free and clear, here Nadab and Abihu went utterly contrary to clear and explicit instruction that sacred fire should be used in burning incense, offering strange fire which He had not commanded, so that fire from before Jehovah devoured them because they had identified themselves with sin. The commanding word itself has power to destroy those who make it of no effect, for two men sought to set aside God's word respecting the use of common fire in the sanctuary, and fire came forth from God and devoured them, as fire proceeding out of the mouth of God's witnesses to devour their enemies.

The destruction of Aaron's sons gives a lesson on temperance, for drunkenness can confuse the mind, lead people to break God's express commands, and identify themselves with sin. For that reason God's servants must be clear-headed, temperate men.

Nadab and Abihu were punished with death for putting no difference between what God has sanctified and what He has not, thinking God would accept incense kindled with common fire when He had commanded incense kindled with sacred fire. Those who make no difference between the holy and profane make light of disobeying God and hide their eyes from His Sabbaths, while those who make that difference obey God and hallow His Sabbaths. It makes a difference what day is offered to the Lord because for wise reason God sanctified and claimed the seventh day, and God is as jealous of His word now as He was then.