"And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therin, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. And there went forth fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come neigh unto me, and before all the people I will be glorifieed. And Aaron held his peace." - Leviticus 10:1-3
- The Young Christian Discerning the Errors of Contemporary Worship, by Rev Ian Goligher
- Marks of a Healthy Church, by Dr. David P. Murray
- The Death of Nadab and Abihu, Part 1, by Rev. John Greer
- The Death of Nadab and Abihu, Part 2, by Rev. John Greer
Recommended reading: A Better Way: Rediscovering the Drama of God-Centered Worship
Here is an excerpt from Dr. Michael Horton's great book: "An advertisement keeps popping up for a new paraphrase of the Bible. It's a full page color photograph of a woman who appears to be young, sophisticated, well educated, with a hint of cynicism. 'Pastor,' the caption reads, 'if you want to reach me, you better watch your language.'The inside cover elaborates: 'Distracted by deadlines and bills, this is the only time she takes to nurture her spiritual life. You can't afford to lose her attention when you reference Bible passages that are too lofty and obscure.' Why can't a good pastor respond, 'No, this isn't about making things comfortable for you. If you are baptized, then this speech that the Bible uses is your language. You have to make an effort to understand it, to live in its world, and to breathe its air. If you are too distracted by deadlines and bills to take any time outside this one hour a week for your faith, then you'll pardon me for not losing the rest of my congregation to the world for you.'"
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Below is partial transcript of a sermon I heard in the early 1980s on this same passage, or more particularly, John 4:24, and Exodus 20:25:
John 4:24:
"God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."
Exodus 20:25:
"And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it."
The minister who preached this sermon was Rev. Paul den Butter:
Exodus 20:25:
"And if thou wilt make an alter of stone unto me, thou shalt not make it of hewn stone, for if thou lift up thy tool upon it thou hast polluted it." - Exodus 20:25
I think this sermon was preached around 1980. Anyway, that is around the time I wrote the following excerpts down in my diary:
"...they have to be very careful that they do not make it (an alter of stone) of hewn stone. And they may not use any tool, any hammer or axe or whatever. They may not use any tool to beautify those stones. They must take simply the rock, the unadorned stones.
"But what do we see today? That in direct proportion to the loss of true spiritual life there is an increase in forms and ceremonies. And the forms and ceremonies are meant to fill the vacancies of true spiritual life. And so Satan is using tools to adorn our alters, but in the meantime he is polluting it. He's corrupting the worship. And men are willing instruments in his hands."