190. OFFERING STRANGE FIRE UNTO THE LORD

(The Information & Edification Series – Batch 4)

In Exodus 28:1-3, God told Moses:

“…Take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazer and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons. And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty. And thou shalt speak unto all that are wisehearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.”

God subsequently went on to give Moses specific and detailed instructions as to the garments that were to be made and how Aaron and his sons were to be consecrated, for the office that he had appointed them to.

In Exodus 28:40-43 and 29:1-9, God told Moses:

“And for Aaron’s sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and bonnets shalt thou make for them, for glory and for beauty.And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office.And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach:And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him.

And this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto me in the priest’s office: Take one young bullock, and two rams without blemish, And unleavened bread, and cakes unleavened tempered with oil, and wafers unleavened anointed with oil: of wheaten flour shalt thou make them…And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water. And thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the coat, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the curious girdle of the ephod: And thou shalt put the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre, Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint him. And thou shalt bring his sons, and put coats upon them. And thou shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons, and put the bonnets on them: and the priest’s office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute: and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons.”

Later on in Leviticus 8, the Lord gave Moses further instructions in relation to Aaron and his sons. In verse 1-5, it reads:

“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, and a bullock for the sin offering, and two rams, and a basket of unleavened bread; And gather thou all the congregation together unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.And Moses did as the Lord commanded him; and the assembly was gathered together unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.And Moses said unto the congregation, This is the thing which the Lord commanded to be done.”

In the rest of the chapter, Moses then proceeded to do specifically what God had commanded him to do in relation to Aaron and his sons, the entire chapter repeatedly highlighting the fact, after Moses did some act or other, that it was what the Lord had commanded him to do.

For example:

Verse 9 states of Moses and what he did in relation to Aaron, “And he put the mitre upon his head; also upon the mitre, even upon his forefront, did he put the golden plate, the holy crown; as the Lord commanded Moses.“

Verse 13 states: “And Moses brought Aaron’s sons, and put coats upon them, and girded them with girdles, and put bonnets upon them; as the Lord commanded Moses.“

Verse 17 states, “But the bullock, and his hide, his flesh, and his dung, HE BURNT WITH FIRE WITHOUT THE CAMP; as the Lord commanded Moses.”

Verses 20-21 state, “And he cut the ram into pieces; and Moses burnt the head, and the pieces, and the fat.And he washed the inwards and the legs in water; and Moses burnt the whole ram upon the altar: it was a burnt sacrifice for a sweet savour, and AN OFFERING MADE BY FIRE UNTO THE LORD; as the Lord commanded Moses.”

Verses 28-29 state, “And Moses took them from off their hands, and burnt them on the altar upon the burnt offering: THEY WERE CONSECRATIONS FOR A SWEET SAVOUR: IT IS AN OFFERING MADE BY FIRE UNTO THE LORD. And Moses took the breast, and waved it for a wave offering before the Lord: for of the ram of consecration it was Moses’ part; as the Lord commanded Moses.”

Notably, in Leviticus 8:31-36, it reads:

“And Moses said unto Aaron and to his sons, Boil the flesh at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and there eat it with the bread that is in the basket of consecrations, as I commanded, saying, Aaron and his sons shall eat it.And that which remaineth of the flesh and of the bread SHALL YE BURN WITH FIRE.And ye shall not go out of the door of the tabernacle of the congregation in seven days, until the days of your consecration be at an end: for seven days shall he consecrate you.

As he hath done this day, so the Lord hath commanded to do, to make an atonement for you.Therefore shall ye abide at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation day and night seven days, and keep the charge of the Lord, that ye die not: for so I am commanded.So Aaron and his sons did all things which the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses.”

From the above scriptures, it is clear therefore, that God had a design, will and purpose in mind for:

1. WHAT he wanted done when it came to his service;

2. WHO he wanted to do it; and

3. HOW he wanted it done.

This has always been in keeping with his character. In Noah’s time for example, he purposed to send a flood of judgment upon the earth that would wipe out humanity but also purposed that Noah, his family and two of every sort of animal would be saved by them being in an ark. Then, having purposed that this would be so according to the counsel of his own will, he gave Noah specific instructions to build an ark, how exactly it was to be built, how many of the animals were to enter and that Noah was to gather food which would be used within the ark to sustain himself, his family and the animals, while within the ark.

In Genesis 6:22, in response to these instructions, it states, “Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.”

When God was ready, he instructed Noah and his household to enter the ark and Genesis 7:5 and 9 state, “And Noah did according unto all that the Lord commanded him…There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.”

In addition to the commands that God gave Moses in relation to Aaron and his sons and how they were to be attired, the Lord also gave specific and detailed instructions as to how the tabernacle, his tent, his covering, his taches, his boards, his pillars, his sockets, the ark and the staves, the mercy seat and veil of the covering, the table and his staves, all his vessels, the showbread, the candlestick, his furniture, his lamps, the incense altar and his staves, the cloths of service and other items for his sanctuary were to be constructed and arranged (Exodus 25-27, 30-31).

The Lord went so far as to also put the wisdom needed for the construction of what he had instructed, into the hearts of some of the people, so that they would know exactly how to build and make what he wanted, in exactly the way he had commanded.

He therefore told Moses in Exodus 25:8-9 and 40:

“Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering…And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I show thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, EVEN SO SHALL YE MAKE IT…And look that thou make them after the pattern, which was shown thee in the mount.“

In Exodus Chapter 36, having previously named the two main men to whom he had given the skills, wisdom and ability (along with others), to oversee the construction of what he had commanded, it reads:

“Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wisehearted man, in whom the Lord put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the Lord had commanded.”

THE IMPORTANCE OF DOING AS THE LORD COMMANDED

All of the foregoing scriptures examined, highlight two (2) major truths: (1) God is very particular about the way he wants his work to be carried out and (2), from our perspective as human beings, it is important to do as the Lord commanded.

Noah knew this and so did Moses.

In fact, so particular is God about the way his work is to be done, that, much later on in Numbers 20, when he instructed Moses to speak to a rock so that water would come forth for the Israelites (who had been complaining and rebelling against Moses and Aaron’s God-given authority), when Moses took matters into his own hands and hit the rock twice, God was not at all pleased. He still caused the water to come forth so that the people would be provided for but Moses had not followed his instruction. God had told him to speak to the rock but instead, in his anger at the people’s rebellion and their lack of faith in God, Moses hit the rock instead, twice.

He may have had cause to be angry but he did not have cause to sin against God by disobeying his command. To his detriment, as a result of him not obeying what the Lord had commanded, he was punished, as he was debarred from entering into the Promised Land.

Similarly, Saul’s disobedience against God’s specific instructions, resulted in him no longer finding favour with God, his kingship being taken away from him and him dying a shameful death.

Even king Uzziah learned the hard way, that God’s commands are to be obeyed, in exactly the way he gave it and without variation or exception. Although he had enjoyed close fellowship at one point with the Lord, when he in his pride, thought that he could disregard God’s set rules and go into God’s temple and burn incense unto the Lord, when this was reserved by God for the priests ALONE to do, his act of disobedience (although he thought he was honouring the Lord) was met with swift punishment. He thought that it would not matter to God, that God would be pleased with his offering and that, given that it was him, Uzziah, one that God had obviously favoured throughout his kingship, that God would make an exception for him and accept it but God did not.

2 Chronicles 26:16-21 states of Uzziah’s folly:

“But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense. And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the Lord, that were valiant men: And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the Lord, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honour from the Lord God.

Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord, from beside the incense altar.And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the Lord had smitten him. And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the Lord…”

Given the importance of following God’s instructions to the T therefore and staying within the boundaries that he has set for his service, it is somewhat surprising to learn of what two of Aaron’s sons did, after having been clearly instructed by God, through Moses, as to what they were supposed to do.

Although they had been anointed, clothed in holy garments, consecrated to God and had previously done all that the Lord had commanded them to do (Leviticus 8:36), in Leviticus 10, they suddenly departed from what God had commanded AND DECIDED TO OFFER UNTO THE LORD, SOMETHING NEW THAT HE HAD NOT INSTRUCTED AND THEREFORE, HAD NOT WILLED, SANCTIONED OR APPROVED.

In Leviticus 8:28, it tells us that when Moses did what God had commanded in relation to Aaron and his sons and burnt what God had commanded to be burnt on the altar and in the manner that he had instructed, “…THEY WERE CONSECRATIONS FOR A SWEET SAVOUR: it is an offering made by fire unto the Lord.”

Later on in Leviticus 10:1-2, it reads contrastingly though:

“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. And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.”

This is a very sobering portion of scripture, one that I have read several times over the years. However, a few months ago, when I read it, it dawned on me that this was exactly what was happening today with many in Christendom! God gave his Word, the TRUTHS of which are timeless and in which is contained his clear commands and instructions of WHAT he wants done, WHO he wants to do it and HOW. Yet, we are in an age where strange fire is being offered up to the Lord, in the expectation that he will be pleased with it and that he will accept it.

By strange fire, I mean strange doctrines, strange music and strange practices, all of which have crept into many a Church and are now showing themselves brazen in some circles. For many, these strange doctrines, music and practices, which have embedded themselves into the fabric of many Churches, have become the norm and what is regarded today as Church culture. Indeed, these strange offerings have so contaminated Churches today, that if God’s people are not careful, we too will fall prey. In fact, so cunning is the devil, that some have already been deceived into accepting what none other than the devil has concocted, as pleasing to God, when it is not.

It is fretting when one hears certain music being touted as ‘gospel music’, by groups and individuals today, that are not at all about promoting the Lord’s agenda but their own and the devil’s. Like really, if Jesus were on earth today, do you think he would have been joining in and approving of much of the mess and worldly revelry that passes today for gospel music? Whatever happened to reverence and sobriety, two requirements of Christianity and which should be reflected in anything we are offering up unto the Lord?

Undoubtedly, discernment reveals that this is a seed that the devil has planted and it is spreading like a contagion among the Churches today.

Additionally, we are in the wretched age of inclusion, where TRUTH and sound doctrine are sacrificed, considered to no longer be important, all so that all who ‘claim’ to believe in Jesus can be embraced and we can be considered to be (goats and sheep together), one large, happy family. Yes, sound doctrine and truth are undermined, discernment is hardly ever being exercised, separation is regarded as unnecessary and a thing of the past and almost everyone naming the name of Christ is considered to be a brother or sister in the Lord. This is so even where some have openly and without shame or repentance, embraced doctrines and practices of devils and are brazenly offering what can only be categorized as ‘strange fire’ unto the Lord.

Indeed, much of the music today, though sounding sweet to the ears and the lyrics seeming sound are revolting to the spirit because it is NOT from God. If you stick close to God’s Word, exercise discernment and ask God earnestly to keep you from this age of deception, the ugliness of such music will be exposed for what it is: A diabolical work of the enemy. (I have written on this issue at length in Article 101 entitled, ‘The Problem With Much Of Today’s So-called Worship Music’).

Yet, the infiltration of error is not just evident in the musical landscape. It also exists in the teachings held by many in different denominations, all stating that they are Christians. People are blatantly turning their backs on what God has clearly commanded on a variety of issues, including marriage, divorce and adultery, the role of men in leadership and women in submission, how the Church is to be ordered, how Christians are to conduct themselves while in it, what is permissible and what is not permissible and ultimately, what is TRUTH and they are now wholeheartedly embracing A LIE.

When one examines the Word of God and his doctrines and looks on the many so-called Churches today, one sees a great disparity between WHAT God instructed and what is being practiced, HOW he said things are to be done and what is now being done by many congregations, WHO he said was to do what and who is now rising to the fore in disobedience and doing it.

When one revisits the Word of God and reads what HE has commanded, it begs the questions: Where did all of this unruliness come from? How did it get in? How was it allowed to infiltrate and when exactly was it endorsed? Given that it has NOT been approved of by God in His Word which never changes and therefore remains unacceptable to Him, when exactly did it become acceptable to men who claim to know God and why are so many professers of Christianity today, asleep and seemingly in deep slumber, in the midst of such an onslaught of doctrinal attacks?

When will they awake and return to the Word of God and its TRUTH? When will they see that we have been shifting and moving away from what God commanded and down a slippery slope? If it wasn’t acceptable back then and the Word of God makes it clear that it is not acceptable now or ever, why is it that some of us have convinced ourselves that God has changed his mind, found his Word to be too strict before and has now relaxed his rules so as to accommodate us today, a rebellious people?

Are we, like Nadab and Abihu, offering strange fire unto the Lord?

Today, having listened to a short sermon by Dr. H. T. Spence, a godly man who I respect and who is definitely endowed by God with the gift of discernment, he mentioned something along the lines of what I’ve been thinking lately, on the increasing strangeness of what is being offered up unto the Lord and it felt so good to know that I was not going crazy.

I was not being delusional. I was being discerning.

It is a fact that many in the Churches today have departed from sound doctrine and are still moving every day, further and further away from God. They are offering strange offerings to the Lord and calling it worship, doing exactly what he has commanded them NOT to do or what he has NOT endorsed, trying SOMETHING NEW (as Nadab and Abihu did) and expecting the Lord’s blessings to ensue as a result.

People are attempting to minister unto the Lord in spiritual offices and leadership positions that he did not ordain them unto and offices which do no pertain to them. People are attempting to offer up unto the Lord as worship and service and ministry, practices that he did not call upon them to practice and of which he never approved. Some are praying strange prayers, making strange statements which they call ‘positive affirmations’ and ‘speaking it into existence’ and others are doing many other strange things completely unheard of in the scriptures.

Many people who claim to know Jesus, have closed their eyes to the blatant truths contained in his Word the Bible and as a result, they are now a law unto themselves, doing whatever seems right in their own eyes and thinking, like king Saul once did, that God is pleased, although they have not done as the Lord has commanded.

They have come to the conclusion that many practices of old, derived from the Word of God (which NEVER changes) are now outdated for these modern times and so they are now doing what the Lord has not commanded or not in the manner that he has instructed and they are thinking in their minds like proud Uzziah foolishly once did, that God MUST accept it.

In short, they are deluded and unless there is repentance and a return to TRUTH as contained in the Word of God (the Bible), there will be both a continued spiritual decline and a rude awakening.

On the sufficiency of the Word of God (the Bible) and of the need for many of those who profess to know Christ to abandon all else that they have embraced and return to it as the sole authority on all matters, Gary E. Gilley wrote:

“1 Timothy 3:15 describes the mission of the Church as being the pillar and support of the truth. Whatever else the Church does, it must take this commission from God seriously…Of course, THE TRUTH that the Church has to offer has a source – the Word of God. All the Church does must emerge from the Scriptures. Every method, program, evangelistic effort and message the Church declares, must find its roots firmly planted in BIBLICAL TRUTH…

I have found an amazing thing when people are fed a steady diet of biblical truth. They have little craving for cotton-candy fads. Why would anyone trade in THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE for cisterns that can hold no water (Jer. 2:13)?

…We are in the midst of a crisis of confidence in the sufficiency and authority of Scripture. If we do not believe that God’s Word is sufficient, then we will not showcase it. If we do not believe in the final authority of the Word then we will look for alternatives. What the Church and the world need today are men and women of God who believe with all their hearts in the sufficiency of his Word. We need a Church that is not ashamed of Christ and his Word (Luke 9:26), a Church that will boldly proclaim the truth from the housetops.

It is reported that Charles Spurgeon once said, ‘There is no need for you to defend a lion when he’s being attacked. All you need to do is open the gate and let him out.’ With Spurgeon, I believe it is time to once again open the gate and let the Word do its work.”

As I conclude, this morning, in listening to Dr. H. T. Spence, he mentioned a document written by one Jonathan Edward called ‘A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections’. He conveyed that Mr. Edward wrote it to assist the Church and individuals in the Church to determine what was biblical and what was error.

On the issue of revival, which was discussed in the Treatise, Dr. H. T. Spence stated:

“It should be earnest daily prayer of those who truly believe in the Word of God and praying for God to bring a mighty biblical revival to our families and Churches. It truly is the antidote for many of our growing problems and failures. But if and when God honours us with such an atonement in revival, we must simultaneously be on guard for the trippings and the falsities of the devil, worming their way in to pervert, distort, weaken and undermine TRUTH…Amidst our hunger and hope for an awakening among God’s own people, we likewise pray for the treatise to be on guard, so that the GENUINE FIRE from the Lord would be evident and the STRANGE FIRE would be put out.

A number of years ago, a Conference Superintendant in a denomination was speaking to me of why he did certain things in worship services. In my questioning him about such matters, he responded, “I would rather have a little wild fire than no fire at all.” At that time, my 19 year old heart gave no response but I have come to realize, that a little wild fire not extinguished, can bring more deceptive damage to a congregation, than a full blown wild fire. Yes, we are always in need of God’s men with the treatise, to protect the genuine from the false. Otherwise, the good may end up in error.” (Dr. H. T. Spence on Forwarding The Faith in his sermon: A Treatise On Revival)

(Written on 16th July, 2021 and Garey E. Gilley’s quote added on 14th August, 2021)

ADDENDUM

I just heard something said by Louis Paul Lehman of ‘Bit Of Heaven’ Ministries on the Harbour Light Radio (which is available online) and I simply must add it here, as a fitting close to what I’ve written and referred to above. He said and it is so true, that:

“The problem with our Christianity today is not that the doctrine is too deep but that we are too shallow.”

(Addendum added on 28th September, 2021)

Dear Reader, if you found this Article informative, useful or interesting, then you may also be interested in reading the following:

Note 22 – ‘Are You Spiritually Sober Or Intoxicated?’
Note 99 – ‘Are You Serving The Real Jesus?’
Note 101 – ‘The Problem With Much Of Today’s So-called Worship Music’
Note 155 – ‘Thyatira – My Humble View Of The Letters Of The Glorified Jesus To The Seven Churches – (Part 2)‘

Additionally, under ‘SINGLE Daughters of God’ Page: