Leviticus 9:1 ¶ And it came to pass on the eighth day, that Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel;
Leviticus 9:2 And he said unto Aaron, Take thee a young calf for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering, without blemish, and offer them before the LORD.
Leviticus 9:3 And unto the children of Israel thou shalt speak, saying, Take ye a kid of the goats for a sin offering; and a calf and a lamb, both of the first year, without blemish, for a burnt offering;
Leviticus 9:4 Also a bullock and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before the LORD; and a meat offering mingled with oil: for to day the LORD will appear unto you.
Now that the seven days of consecration had been completed, Moses basically told Aaron and his sons to get to work. Moses had acted as priest in the consecration of Aaron and his sons, but they were now to take up their priestly duties publicly before the elders and the people. Moses was still providing instruction from God to Aaron, but Aaron and his sons were to take charge in making the sacrifices and offerings and instructing the people regarding them. Moses first instructed Aaron to offer a sin offering and a burnt offering to the LORD (for himself we learn below). The CJB translation of verse 2 is much clearer: “He said to Aaron, ‘Take a bull calf for your sin offering and a ram for your burnt offering, both without defect, and present them before the LORD.’”
Aaron was to tell the people that they were to provide a kid of the goats for a sin offering, a calf and lamb of the first year for a burnt offering, a bullock and ram for peace offerings and a meat offering mingled with oil to prepare for the LORD to manifest His presence among them that very day. I am reminded that the number eight in scripture represents new beginnings, and the people of Israel are marking a new beginning in their relationship with the LORD with the establishment of the sacrificial system that points to the coming of the Messiah and His atoning sacrifice on the cross.
David Guzik makes a point of noting that the priests had just spent a week of consecration in the tabernacle, yet there was still need for a sin sacrifice. I think it is another reminder of how sin does not have to be visible—it can also take place in the heart as so pointedly declared by Jesus in His “Sermon on the Mount” recorded in Matthew 5-7.
Matthew 5:28 “But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”
Leviticus 9:5 And they brought that which Moses commanded before the tabernacle of the congregation: and all the congregation drew near and stood before the LORD.
Leviticus 9:6 And Moses said, This is the thing which the LORD commanded that ye should do: and the glory of the LORD shall appear unto you.
Record is made that all was done according to the instructions given by Moses, and the whole congregation came together before the tabernacle to hear him deliver God’s message to them. He informed them that these sacrifices were being made to prepare them to see the revelation of “the glory of the LORD.” This must have been a revelation that was greater than that of the cloud of His presence that led them through the wilderness.
Leviticus 9:7 And Moses said unto Aaron, Go unto the altar, and offer thy sin offering, and thy burnt offering, and make an atonement for thyself, and for the people: and offer the offering of the people, and make an atonement for them; as the LORD commanded.
Leviticus 9:8 ¶ Aaron therefore went unto the altar, and slew the calf of the sin offering, which was for himself.
Leviticus 9:9 And the sons of Aaron brought the blood unto him: and he dipped his finger in the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar, and poured out the blood at the bottom of the altar:
Leviticus 9:10 But the fat, and the kidneys, and the caul above the liver of the sin offering, he burnt upon the altar; as the LORD commanded Moses.
Leviticus 9:11 And the flesh and the hide he burnt with fire without the camp.
Leviticus 9:12 And he slew the burnt offering; and Aaron’s sons presented unto him the blood, which he sprinkled round about upon the altar.
Leviticus 9:13 And they presented the burnt offering unto him, with the pieces thereof, and the head: and he burnt them upon the altar.
Leviticus 9:14 And he did wash the inwards and the legs, and burnt them upon the burnt offering on the altar.
Moses made sure that it was clear that Aaron had to make a sacrifice for himself before making sacrifices on behalf of the people. Through his obedience, Aaron acknowledged that he was just as needy of God’s forgiveness and provision as were all other people. The fact that the sin offering was a calf must have struck at the heart of Aaron in light of his sin in making the golden calf. I’m sure he was very grateful and humbled just to be alive, let alone serving as God’s High Priest before the people.
To think that God loved me so much in spite of my sin that He sacrificed His Son to redeem me is totally beyond my understanding and so very humbling.
Aaron made the offerings for himself and his sons in accordance with the instructions given in the previous chapters.
Leviticus 9:15 And he brought the people’s offering, and took the goat, which was the sin offering for the people, and slew it, and offered it for sin, as the first.
Leviticus 9:16 And he brought the burnt offering, and offered it according to the manner.
Leviticus 9:17 And he brought the meat offering, and took an handful thereof, and burnt it upon the altar, beside the burnt sacrifice of the morning.
Leviticus 9:18 He slew also the bullock and the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings, which was for the people: and Aaron’s sons presented unto him the blood, which he sprinkled upon the altar round about,
Leviticus 9:19 And the fat of the bullock and of the ram, the rump, and that which covereth the inwards, and the kidneys, and the caul above the liver:
Leviticus 9:20 And they put the fat upon the breasts, and he burnt the fat upon the altar:
Leviticus 9:21 And the breasts and the right shoulder Aaron waved for a wave offering before the LORD; as Moses commanded.
Leviticus 9:22 And Aaron lifted up his hand toward the people, and blessed them, and came down from offering of the sin offering, and the burnt offering, and peace offerings.
Aaron next made the required offerings on behalf of the people. One commentary made note that the elders probably represented the people in partaking of the fellowship offering in light of Exodus 24.
Exodus 24:9–11 “Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel: And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.”
I liked the following observation from The New Bible Commentary. “The ministry of Israel’s priests enabled God’s glory to be seen and responded to. Similarly, God intended that through his people his glory would be seen in the world.”
Leviticus 9:23 ¶ And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the people.
Leviticus 9:24 And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.
Upon completion of all the sacrifices, Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle together; when they came out, they blessed the people and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. Then fire from before the LORD came and finished consuming all the meat and fat on the altar of burnt offering. This gave proof of God’s acceptance of the sacrifices made. The response from the people was to shout with joy and to fall on their faces in worship.
Some commentators indicated that the blessing was probably similar to that recorded in the book of Numbers, and I think that is certainly probable.
Numbers 6:23–27 “Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.”
Leviticus 10:1 ¶ And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not.
Leviticus 10:2 And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.
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.
It seems that it never takes long for man to think that he has a better way to honor God than how God has told us to honor him. It was this type of thinking that resulted in Cain murdering Abel. It is this type of thinking that will result in so many going to hell rather than accepting Jesus as LORD and Savior by faith as the only way to enjoy dwelling in the presence of God for eternity.
Two of Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, decided to ignore God’s instructions and use “strange” fire to offer incense before God. The Hebrew word for strange is a statement of something foreign and profane and references committing adultery. The source of the fire was evidently not from the consecrated place of the altar. The picture of adultery is that of joining the holy with the unholy; God forbids this. It is this principle that is in focus in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians.
2 Corinthians 6:14–17 “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you….”
The judgment of God was immediate. Just as surely as His fire consumed the sacrifice on the altar in the previous chapter to show His acceptance and pleasure of their action, so that same fire was used to pass judgment and declare His rejection of actions outside His will in the holy place of His presence. The fire of purification can just as readily serve as the fire of judgment as will soon happen when the fires of the tribulation period wreak vengeance on the wicked as they also serve to purify a remnant of the nation of Israel to fulfill God’s covenant with Abraham and Jesus.
Galatians 3:16 “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.”
Moses immediately reminds Aaron that these events were in accordance with God’s word. He had declared that those who come before Him in service must be sanctified according to His command. Those who are honored to serve Him so publicly are accountable to glorify Him before His people. To whom much is given much is required. Luke records the teaching of Jesus according to this principle.
Luke 12:47–48 “And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required:”
Leviticus 10:4 And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said unto them, Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp.
Leviticus 10:5 So they went near, and carried them in their coats out of the camp; as Moses had said.
Leviticus 10:6 And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD hath kindled.
Leviticus 10:7 And ye shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: for the anointing oil of the LORD is upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses.
Moses instructs two of their cousins, Misahel and Elzaphan, to come and take the bodies of the dead priests outside the camp. We are told that they carried them by their coats or tunics, so we know that there was a difference in the effect of God’s fire from its contact with the sacrifices on the altar. This fire killed, but did not destroy (like lightning?).
Aaron and his remaining two sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, were commanded not to give a public display of mourning; if they did, it would result in their death and an expression of God’s wrath on all the people. That is an important truth about sin; its consequences affect more than just the sinner.
I think it is interesting to note Moses’ declaration from the LORD that the people mourn the fire of God’s judgment. The emphasis seems to be on mourning the disobedience that resulted in God’s judgment rather than for the death of those that disobeyed. I think this is one of the identifying characteristics of the true child of God—he/she mourns how God is so dishonored by those for whom He gave His life.
Again, note is made that all was done according to the word of Moses [as God’s representative].
Leviticus 10:8 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Aaron, saying,
Leviticus 10:9 Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations:
Leviticus 10:10 And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean;
Leviticus 10:11 And that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses.
I think it is interesting to note that the LORD spoke directly to Aaron, instructing that neither he nor his sons throughout his generations were to drink wine or strong drink when serving in the tabernacle. If they did, they would die. The purpose—to put a difference between what is holy and what is unholy, between what is clean and what is unclean. They were to teach the people of Israel all that LORD had spoken unto them by “the hand” of Moses—a reference to the written record of these instructions. I think it is universally understood that the effectiveness of what we teach is directly related to whether our lives reflect that we truly believe what we teach.
Some commentaries noted that from the context in which this instruction is given it is possible that Nadab and Abihu’s sin was committed while intoxicated. It is scientifically proven that alcohol impairs judgment. Self-discipline and clear thinking are necessary character traits for those in spiritual leadership. I have personal family experience as to how alcohol can destroy lives and relationships. My thinking—why take the chance.
Isaiah identified the use of alcohol in direct disobedience to this instruction as one of the reasons for the lack of spiritual leadership that resulted in judgment upon the nation.
Isaiah 28:7 “But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.”
Leviticus 10:12 ¶ And Moses spake unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons that were left, Take the meat offering that remaineth of the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and eat it without leaven beside the altar: for it is most holy:
Leviticus 10:13 And ye shall eat it in the holy place, because it is thy due, and thy sons’ due, of the sacrifices of the LORD made by fire: for so I am commanded.
Leviticus 10:14 And the wave breast and heave shoulder shall ye eat in a clean place; thou, and thy sons, and thy daughters with thee: for they be thy due, and thy sons’ due, which are given out of the sacrifices of peace offerings of the children of Israel.
Leviticus 10:15 The heave shoulder and the wave breast shall they bring with the offerings made by fire of the fat, to wave it for a wave offering before the LORD; and it shall be thine, and thy sons’ with thee, by a statute for ever; as the LORD hath commanded.
Moses instructed Aaron and his two remaining sons to eat the meat that remained from the offerings that was designated as their portion; it was to be eaten without leaven at the holy place by the altar because God considered it as most holy. He goes on to say that they were allowed to eat the wave breast and heave shoulder from the peace offerings in a designated clean place, and they were allowed to share these portions with their family. Again, this instruction was to be followed by the succeeding generations of priests.
Leviticus 10:16 And Moses diligently sought the goat of the sin offering, and, behold, it was burnt: and he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron which were left alive, saying,
Leviticus 10:17 Wherefore have ye not eaten the sin offering in the holy place, seeing it is most holy, and God hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the LORD?
Leviticus 10:18 Behold, the blood of it was not brought in within the holy place: ye should indeed have eaten it in the holy place, as I commanded.
Leviticus 10:19 And Aaron said unto Moses, Behold, this day have they offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the LORD; and such things have befallen me: and if I had eaten the sin offering to day, should it have been accepted in the sight of the LORD?
Leviticus 10:20 And when Moses heard that, he was content.
Moses found out that the priests’ portion of the meat from the goat had not been eaten as instructed, but burned. Instead of directing his anger toward his brother Aaron (probably in consideration of his loss), he directed it toward Eleazar and Ithamar. Aaron heard Moses’ accusation and intervened on his sons’ behalf. He explained that the offerings had been made as instructed, but they didn’t have the heart to properly enjoy such fellowship with the LORD. In other words, God knows my heart, and I only want to give Him my best.
Moses was content when he understood there was no intent to dishonor God’s instructions. This would have been a private family meal and did not indicate a disregard of God’s instruction not to mourn publicly.