|
by
Doug Ward |
"Note then the kindness and the severity of God," the
apostle Paul instructs in Rom 11:22. Outlining God's plan to bring salvation in
Christ to the whole world, Paul explains that God temporarily had shown severity
to the children of Israel in order to display kindness to other peoples. Those
previously excluded from the people of God could now be "grafted in"
to the olive tree of Israel. Later, more Israelites would be "provoked to
jealousy" and become reattached to the tree themselves.
The
Scriptures contain numerous examples of the kindness and severity of God. It
seems that God, in his wisdom, utilizes a combination of these qualities to
accomplish his purposes. If we follow Paul's direction and note them when they
occur, we can learn more about both God's character and human nature.
As
an example, consider Israel's sojourn at the foot of Mt. Sinai following its
deliverance from Egypt. God announced to Moses his intention to "dwell
among the people of Israel" through the construction of a portable
sanctuary (Exod 29:45). But while Moses was on the
mountain receiving detailed plans for this sanctuary, the impatient Israelites
launched their own construction project, building a golden calf idol (Exod 32).
God
handled Israel's apostasy with prompt severity--three thousand were killed to
bring order to the camp--and then great kindness. When Moses interceded on
behalf of the Israelites, God chose to forgive the young nation (Exod 34) and proceed with the Sinai covenant and the
sanctuary project. Starting over with a clean slate, the Israelites responded
enthusiastically. The project was carefully completed, with each detail carried
out "as the Lord had commanded Moses" (Exod
39:1, 5, 7, 21, 26, 29, 31, 32, 42).
At
the start of the second year of the Exodus, Moses' brother Aaron and his sons
were ordained for service at the sanctuary in a special eight-day ceremony (Lev
8-9). Again, each detail was executed just as God had specified (Lev 8:9, 13,
17, 21, 29; 9:10).
|
Unauthorized
Fire |
It seems that everything was proceeding according to plan. We are
surprised, then, to read what occurred at the end of the eight days: "Now
Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and
laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had
not commanded them. And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them,
and they died before the Lord " (Lev 10:1-2).
There
are some hints in these verses about the purpose of the "unauthorized
fire" offered by Nadab and Abihu. One is in the phrase "which he had
not commanded them." Elsewhere in the Bible the first-person counterpart
of this phrase ("which I did not command") occurs in divine warnings
against idolatry (Deut 18:20; Jer
7:31; 19:5), suggesting that the "unauthorized fire" may have been
connected with a pagan worship practice.
A
second hint is contained in the reminder in Lev 10:1 that Nadab and Abihu were
"the sons of Aaron." Aaron had been responsible for the golden calf (Exod 32:2-5), and Nadab and Abihu may have been following
in his footsteps. This idea is reinforced by the name Abihu, which means
"he is my father" and again points the reader back to Aaron. In
addition, there is an interesting parallel later in Israel's history: King
Jeroboam I, who led the northern tribes of Israel into idolatry through the
worship of golden calves (I Kings 12:28-32), named his sons Nadab and Abijah (I
Kings 14:1, 20). Nadab, who succeeded Jeroboam as king, continued in the
disastrous path of his father (I Kings 15:25-31).
Extrabiblical
evidence that the "unauthorized fire" had a pagan connection can be
found in a thirteenth-century B.C. clay tablet from Emar,
an ancient Syrian city. This tablet, designated number 369, describes a
week-long ordination ritual for a priestess of the storm god Addu. At the end
of the week, a procession leads the priestess to her new home in the temple of
Addu. Significantly, the procession includes a torchbearer bringing fire to the
temple. Perhaps Nadab and Abihu were bringing pagan elements into the Israelite
ceremony through their unauthorized fire. Moreover, it is interesting that the
consumption of beer and wine was a part of the Emar
ceremony, which may help explain the prohibition of alcohol for Israelite
priests in Lev 10:9.1
|
Severity
at the Start |
The punishment of Nadab and Abihu communicated a strong message to
Israel on the seriousness of living in the presence of the God of the Universe,
who was dwelling in their midst (Lev 10:3). God was to be worshiped on his
terms with no unauthorized elements allowed, especially pagan ones. That
message was reinforced with further severe punishments, including the
executions of a defiant blasphemer (Lev 24:10-16) and a Sabbath-breaker (Num
15:32-36).
These
incidents also can be seen as part of a recurrent pattern in the Bible: In the
initial stages of some phase of his plan, God may exercise severity to keep his
program on track and guide a community in the right direction. Further
instances include the death of Achan, in the early
days of the conquest of Canaan, when he took plunder at the Battle of Jericho
that had been set apart for destruction (Joshua 7); and the swift punishment
that Ananias and Sapphira received for their deception in the early Jerusalem
Christian community (Acts 5). These early punishments had a major impact upon
the people of God (see Joshua 7:26; Acts 5:11) and surely were deterrents to
sin. Later in the histories of these communities, similar crimes typically did
not need to be prosecuted as swiftly. A precedent had been set, leading
individuals to think twice before emulating Nadab and Abihu or Ananias and
Sapphira.
When
I study the scriptures, I cannot always understand the reasons for God's
actions. His ways are truly higher than ours (Isa 55:8-9). Reflecting upon my
own experience, I believe that I can recognize the wisdom in God's balance of
kindness and severity. As a teacher, when I am clear in communicating my expectations
to a class at the beginning of a semester, there are fewer problems later and
the students are more likely to succeed in the course. Based on faith and
experience, I affirm with Paul, " Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom
and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable
his ways!" (Rom 11:33)
1For
discussion of Emar 369 and its possible links with
Lev 10, see the article “Leviticus 10:1: Strange Fire and an Odd Name” by
Richard S. Hess, Bulletin for Biblical Research 12.2 (2002), 187-198.
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