The following passage from today’s reading struck me:
Then Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, each took his fire pan and put fire in it, set incense on it, and presented strange fire before the LORD, which he had not commanded them to do. So fire went out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them so that they died before the LORD. Moses then said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD spoke: ‘Among the ones close to me I will show myself holy, and in the presence of all the people I will be honored.’ ” So Aaron kept silent. (Leviticus 10:1-3)
If I could sum up the sin of Nadab and Abihu in two words, those words would be “inappropriate worship.” God not only commanded that Israel worship him, he gave them strict instructions as to how they should do so. When Nadab and Abihu came to worship with an irreverent attitude, God was stirred to such anger that he immediately killed them.
This situation made me examine my own approach to worship. How often do I “worship” (on a Sunday morning or any other time) with other things on my mind besides the Object of my worship? How often do I allow my personal preferences (like music and teaching styles) distract me from worshipping the LORD? How often to I approach the throne of God in worship without purifying my heart or reconciling broken relationships? How often does my approach and attitude toward worship rile God’s anger instead of glorifying his name?
God is holy, and he deserves to be honored. May it never be said of us what the Lord Jesus said of the pharisees:
Hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you when he said, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me, and they worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” (Matt. 15:7-9)