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Wayne @WayneCowles@brighteon.social
About
Retired Christian Vet from Wisconsin
Member since Apr 2023
About
Retired Christian Vet from Wisconsin
Member since Apr 2023
Recent Media
Daily Jot: The difference between strange fire and obedience
Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com
Have you ever seen someone passionately take on something that they say God has ordained, only to see it essentially go down in flames? Leviticus 9:1–11:47 informs us that not all well-intended passion aligns with God’s. Chapter 9 begins in celebration and ends in sobering reflection. After seven days of preparation, Aaron and his sons were finally stepping into their divine roles as priests of Israel. But what should have been a joyful climax to the holy week, turned to tragedy when Aaron’s two older sons, Nadav and Avihu, acting on their own initiative, offered incense in the Holy of Holies. They offered what scripture calls “unauthorized fire” before the Lord—and were consumed by His fire in response.
The Hebrew phrase used, esh zarah, is loaded with meaning. Many sages interpret it as a symbol of misguided passion—intense, but misaligned with God’s command. Others believe the brothers were under the influence of wine, confusing emotional fervor with spiritual purity. They might have thought that wine had a sanctifying effect, as wine was offered with most sacrifices as a libation poured out on the altar. It was never drank like the pagans did. It wasn’t Nadav’s and Avihu’s place to determine how God should be approached. And in this holy space, presumption proved deadly. The unauthorized or “strange fire” was illicit passion brought on by an artificial means. In other words, the brothers had been drinking wine before their service.
God’s fire appears three times in this story—first, to consume the offering and affirm the Tabernacle’s consecration (Leviticus 9:24); second, in the fire offered by Nadav and Avihu without God’s command (Leviticus 10:1); and third, in the judgment that followed (Leviticus 10:2). The same fire that confirms God’s presence also disciplines. It’s a reminder: passion in worship is essential, but it must be guided by obedience. Leviticus 10:10 provides the heart of the message—“so that you can distinguish between the holy and the common, the clean and the unclean.” God desires a people who know the difference. This theme continues into the dietary laws in chapter 11, closing with God’s charge: “You are to be holy because I am holy” (Leviticus 11:45). Holiness isn’t just about ritual—it’s about the posture of the heart.
The deeper question is: what do we learn from this? We are invited into intimacy with God, but it comes with reverence. Hebrews 12:28-29 echoes this: “Therefore, since we have received an unshakable Kingdom, let us have grace, through which we may offer service that will please God, with reverence and fear. For our God is a consuming fire!” Rabbi Jonathan Sacks once wrote, “Entering the holy space requires humility—the total renunciation of human initiative.” When we confuse our will with God’s, even with the best intentions, we risk turning the holy into the profane. Yet, God refines those closest to Him. As Peter reminds us, our faith—more precious than gold—is tested by fire so it may be found genuine (1 Peter 1:7). Therefore, let us approach with humility. Worship with awe. And let the fire of God shape us—not consume us.
