Aaron, the first high priest for the nation of Israel, had just made some sacrifices to the Lord. He and Moses entered the tabernacle. When they came out of the tabernacle and blessed the people, they saw an amazing sight. Fire came down from heaven and consumed the offering on the altar. As you might expect, when the people saw it, they were impressed. They fell on their faces with shouts of glory to the Lord (Lev 9:22–24). 

Nadab and Abihu were Aaron’s eldest sons and also served as at the tabernacle as priests. To me, it seems highly likely that they were believers. I don’t think God would have chosen unbelievers to be the heirs apparent to the high priesthood of His people. But these two priests did a very unwise thing. 

Moses writes that each man took a censer and put fire in it. They offered a sacrifice of incense to the Lord with this fire, but the Lord had not commanded them to do so. 

Why did these two men disobey the Lord? Moses does not say, but I think I know. They had seen how the people responded to fire that came from the Lord. The Lord had chosen them and their father to serve as priests at the tabernacle. In their minds, God thought highly of them. The people looked up to them. 

They wanted to impress the people. They were big men on campus. Their positions got to them. They wanted to replicate the crowd’s applause. Since God seemed to think highly of them, they thought it would be a good idea to produce a fiery display of their own.  

It was not a good move. Miraculous fire did come forth again. It did come from the Lord. But it devoured them. They died on the spot (Lev 10:1–2). 

Their story reminds me of Simon in Acts 8:9–24. He was a new believer. He saw the miraculous power of God at work in Peter and John. The other believers in his town were impressed, as was he. He offered to pay Peter money if Peter would give him the ability to exercise that power. Simon wanted to impress people. 

Many conclude that Nadab, Abihu, and Simon were unbelievers. I always find that strange. It shouldn’t surprise us that believers might want to feel important. Because of our flesh, we can desire that other believers think we’re special. How many of us would jump at the chance to be seen in the eyes of men as the most important person in the church? 

It is all too easy to look at these three men and say they were unbelievers. We might convince ourselves that we would never do something as brazen and presumptuous as they did. God rightly punished them. Nadab and Abihu lost their lives. Peter told Simon he was in danger of experiencing the same fate. 

Pride is a terrible thing. We are fools if we think we’re immune to it. The Church is the Body of Christ. It belongs to Him. Each of us is only a servant in it (1 Cor 3:5–7). Whatever our role and gift, let us be content. May we never be guilty of trying to impress others. Instead, let us encourage others to be impressed with the Lord. He was the One who brought fire down from heaven in the days of Nadab and Abihu and worked wonders through Peter and John.