Re: Heiser’s Naked Bible Podcast on Leviticus 10
The main point I picked up was that the Hebrew narrative is a little ambiguous in wording regarding the death of Nadab and Abihu. Heiser reminds us that there is only one day of the year when the High Priest enters the Holy of Holies, the small chamber wherein the Ark of Covenant sat. It’s the High Priest alone who does this, not any other priest. Further, he must offer blood according to a specific procedure before he enters.
Apparently these two sons of Aaron penetrated all the way into that most sacred space, being unauthorized persons, and bearing unauthorized incense, etc. They stepped way out of the boundaries and died for it. Given the way the Hebrew text reads, it seems they managed to exit the inner chamber before they were killed. Thus, the other priests could then remove the bodies without risking their own demise. They wore their overcoats and apparently didn’t actually touch the bodies directly, so as to avoid defiling themselves with handling dead bodies.
They and Aaron were forbidden to mourn, but were required to carry out their normal duties for the day — they were the only ones still alive who were authorized at that time. They chose not to eat the celebration portion because they felt it was the least they could do to mourn their brothers without breaking the rules. Aaron explained to Moses that no one felt like eating a celebration meal with God, and apparently God let it slide.
Again, the Law of Moses was more about moral priorities of God, not the rules themselves. Even more so is this true in the New Covenant.
Under the Covenant of Christ, we are all priests. Not only are we allowed, but commanded to enter the Divine Presence. However, it’s quite possible to forget even the highly simplified rules for rituals and get into trouble for it. This is what Paul refers to with the Corinthian church (1 Corinthians 11:17-34) celebrating the Lord’s Supper improperly, so that some were sick, weak and dying early.
Some of the folks came to the “love feast” and got drunk, and some ate up the food without sharing with the members who lived in poverty. The whole point behind Old Testament feasts was that no one went away hungry. There were certain days of the year when the nation shared together as one big happy family. Churches are supposed to build that kind of kinship even without special feast days. However, to play silly games during love feasts and communion services violated the rules of the Lord’s Feast. People were calling on God to be present, but were defiling the whole thing, so they were catching some of what got Nadab and Abihu.
It’s not a question of praying over the Lord’s Supper about unconfessed sins, but it’s more about worthiness in the sense how you treat your brothers and sisters in Christ. You must celebrate the Lord’s Supper, and you must do it in a way that glorifies Him.
