The passage about Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10 is one of the most sobering accounts in the Bible. It serves as a warning against approaching God on our own terms, rather than His.

The text is clear: they offered “strange fire before Yahweh, which He had not commanded them.” To understand the gravity of their sin, we need to dig into what “strange” truly means in this context.

The Hebrew word for “strange” is zûwr (זוּר), which means “to turn aside, to be a foreigner, strange, profane.” It’s a powerful word that points to something that is not just different, but alien, unauthorized, and even adulterous in its nature. It’s an act that fundamentally turns away from what God has established. Nadab and Abihu’s sin was not a minor misstep; it was an act of profound disobedience and profanity.

The Context of Their Sin

To recognize the severity of their actions, we must understand the setting. The events of Leviticus 10 immediately follow the consecration of the tabernacle and the priests.

Aaron had just offered the sacrifice God commanded, and “the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people, and fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the portions of fat on the altar.” This was God’s fire—His holy, consuming presence.

Nadab and Abihu, however, took their own firepans and offered a different kind of fire. This was “strange fire” for several reasons:

• Disobedience to a Specific Command: God had just made a special sacrifice on behalf of the people. Nadab and Abihu offered their own sacrifice when God had not commanded it. Their act was one of presumption, seeking to connect with God on their own terms, apart from the specific ceremonies He had revealed. This echoes the sin of King Uzziah, who was struck with leprosy for attempting to offer incense that was reserved for the priests (2 Chronicles 26:16).
• Unauthorized Incense and Fire: It is likely they used common, unholy fire, not the fire that God had sent from heaven. This fire was “not associated with the atoning and redeeming work of sacrifice.” The fire of God was tied to atonement; their fire was an experiment, a man-made conjuring. They may have thought, “fire is fire,” but as the Bible shows, there is a huge difference between the fire kindled by God and a fire conjured up by man. We are even warned that Satan himself can deceive with fire, as the Antichrist will in the end times (Revelation 13:13).
• A Misuse of Holy Things: The incense was “regarded as holy for the LORD” and was not to be used in “someone’s experiment with God.” Their act was a profane misuse of something set apart for a specific, holy purpose.
• A Profane Approach: Nadab and Abihu had a legacy of powerful spiritual experiences. They were first-hand witnesses to the miracles in Egypt, they heard God’s voice at Sinai, and they even went up with Moses to see God and “ate and drank” in His presence (Exodus 24:9-11). Yet, these experiences didn’t save them. This shows that a legacy of spiritual encounters is not a substitute for an abiding relationship grounded in obedience to God’s Word. Their sin was a demand to approach God according to their own preference, which God considered profane.

The Consequences of Strange Fire

The judgment on Nadab and Abihu was swift and severe. “Fire came out from before the LORD and consumed them.” They died suddenly, before the Lord, by the very means they sinned with. The outcome was a terrifying display of God’s holiness, a lesson for all of Israel. This tragic event serves to teach us:

God will be Sanctified: As God said, “I will be sanctified in those that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified.” When we worship God, we “come nigh unto him.” This demands reverence and seriousness. If we do not sanctify and glorify Him, He will be sanctified and glorified upon us.

Holiness is a Life and Death Matter: The story of Nadab and Abihu, like that of Ananias and Sapphira in the New Testament (Acts 5:1-11), underscores the seriousness of sin when we approach God. The severity of their penalty was to instill a proper attitude of worship and respect for the Lord. Their life-and-death responsibility as priests was to teach the people to “distinguish between the Holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean.”

Obedience is Key: The priests were given a clear mission: to teach the people all the statutes the Lord spoke. Our response to God’s law, love, and grace should be obedience. We don’t obey to earn His love, but because we are loved.

The Big Picture

God’s holiness demands that we approach Him on His terms, not our own. The fire that consumed Nadab and Abihu was not a random act of vengeance, but a powerful lesson in what it means to be holy as God is holy.

Our offering to God, as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1), must be holy and pleasing, not a “strange fire” of our own making.