Disobedience Led to Death

 And God required immediate action

 “Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu each took his own firepan, put fire in it, placed incense on it, and presented unauthorized fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them to do. Then fire came from the Lord and burned them to death before the Lord….Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, ‘Do not let your hair hang loose and do not tear your garments, or else you will die, and the Lord will become angry with the whole community. However, your brothers, the whole house of Israel, may mourn over that tragedy when the Lord sent the fire.’” Leviticus 10:1-2,6 

I recently read this chapter and have been meditating on it ever since. In the process of being consecrated into their calling, Aaron’s sons are disobedient and severely punished. I cannot imagine the horror and shock that must have come upon Aaron at seeing his sons’ bodies being carried out. And then he is told not to grieve or mourn his sons or he will suffer his own consequences, but the community can mourn on his behalf. 

What happens next shook me. 

In the very next verse, Moses tells Aaron where they must remain within the tent because Aaron and his other sons are still being consecrated. And then the Lord starts giving more instructions on the expectations for the priesthood He is establishing. 

So two men, the sons of the very first temple priest, have just died - and Aaron has to stay focused to receive the instructions for his duties from God. 

What I’ve been pondering is that I think God still works this way. Let me explain. 

As believers, we have gifts and talents for the purpose of His glory and edifying the body. We are each equipped to serve, and some are called into ministry and leadership. 

With leadership comes heartache. We trust people who let us down. We invest in others who don’t share the same kingdom goal. We exhaust ourselves trying to do all the necessary things that others don’t want to do. The normal response is to get discouraged and become more cautious. To take less risk. To attempt to protect yourself from any further heartache.

But that’s not the response God expects. He says, “nope, I’ve called you to fulfill a role and you don’t get to step back or take a break that will distract you from My work for you. Others will grieve on your behalf. You need to keep moving forward with Me, stay engaged, and keep growing.” 

Perhaps Aaron was able to process and grieve privately at a later date. We aren’t told. But what we *are* told is that in the midst of walking out his calling, he was required to put all of his attention on the Lord. And so are we. There are people around us who are *not* failing us, who are faithful to do their part, who need us to keep risking heartache. We need to maintain focus for those who walk with us rather than discouraged over those who turned away. Leaders have to lead, even when injured. The alternative is a crippled ministry that is unable to serve well because leadership lives in fear of injury from people who have no intention of hurting them. 

 It is the age old battle of the flesh and the spirit. What we want versus what He wants. And if our flesh wins, we’ve failed. If our flesh wins, the enemy wins. If our flesh wins, the body suffers and risks being injured. As contrary as it feels to our flesh, it is imperative that when faced with tragedy and grief, we stay engaged and focused on the Lord for the role He has placed us in. To step back is not only damaging to us, it is damaging to the body we serve.