Nadab, Abihu, & The Lord's Supper

I did not lead with a Bible Story today.

Our church celebrated the Lord's Supper today and so I used Bible Stories to help explain and crystallize the issues Paul discusses in 1 Corinthians 11: 17-34 which was the text for my sermon.

Part of the explanation was about the possible meanings of "unworthy participation" and it was at that point that I told the story of Nadab and Abihu, Aaron's sons.

We first see them in Exodus 24 when the covenant is confirmed and Moses, Aaron, Nadab and Abihu and Israel's 70 elders are taken into God's presence and do not die. Having been sprinkled with the blood of sacrifice God accepts them under the terms of the Mosaic Covenant and does not "raise his hand" against them. Instead they live and eat and drink in God's presence.

We meet Nadab and Abihu again in Leviticus 8:36 where they are mentioned with Aaron and the other sons as doing everything the Lord commanded them.

Then in Leviticus 10, Nadab and Abihu come before the Lord and put "strange" (KJV) fire and offer an abominable sacrifice before the Lord and are killed in judgment.

The conclusion: "This is it that the LORD spoke, saying, I will be sanctified by those who draw near me, and before all the people I will be glorified." (10:3)

We don't know exactly what this entailed... was it idolatry?

Was it drunkenness? ... The following passage forbids drinking alcohol while ministering in the Tabernacle.

Idolatry and drunkenness are certainly both in the context of the problems in Corinth that form at least part of what it means to partake of the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner and incur judgment.

The story of Nadab and Abihu helps us remember the issues at stake in concise story form.