Exodus 10
Leviticus 10 records the judgment on Nadab and Abihu, Aaron’s sons, after they offer unauthorized fire before the LORD. The chapter then gives instructions to the remaining priests and addresses a later issue concerning the sin offering. It strongly emphasizes that those who serve near God must treat His holiness with seriousness and obedience.
1verseThe LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these my signs among them;
2verseand that you may tell in the hearing of your son, and of your son’s son, what things I have done to Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that you may know that I am the LORD.”
3verseMoses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and said to him, “This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me.
4verseOr else, if you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country,
5verseand they shall cover the surface of the earth, so that one won’t be able to see the earth. They shall eat the residue of that which has escaped, which remains to you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which grows for you out of the field.
6verseYour houses shall be filled, and the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians, as neither your fathers nor your fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they were on the earth to this day.’” He turned, and went out from Pharaoh.
7versePharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the LORD, their God. Don’t you yet know that Egypt is destroyed?”
8verseMoses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, serve the LORD your God; but who are those who will go?”
9verseMoses said, “We will go with our young and with our old. We will go with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds; for we must hold a feast to the LORD.”
10verseHe said to them, “The LORD be with you if I let you go with your little ones! See, evil is clearly before your faces.
11verseNot so! Go now you who are men, and serve the LORD; for that is what you desire!” Then they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.
12verseThe LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up on the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail has left.”
13verseMoses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind on the land all that day, and all night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.
14verseThe locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the borders of Egypt. They were very grievous. Before them there were no such locusts as they, nor will there ever be again.
15verseFor they covered the surface of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened, and they ate every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. There remained nothing green, either tree or herb of the field, through all the land of Egypt.
16verseThen Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste, and he said, “I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you.
17verseNow therefore please forgive my sin again, and pray to the LORD your God, that he may also take away from me this death.”
18verseMoses went out from Pharaoh, and prayed to the LORD.
19verseThe LORD sent an exceedingly strong west wind, which took up the locusts, and drove them into the Red Sea. There remained not one locust in all the borders of Egypt.
20verseBut the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he didn’t let the children of Israel go.
21verseThe LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.”
22verseMoses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days.
23verseThey didn’t see one another, and nobody rose from his place for three days; but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.
24versePharaoh called to Moses, and said, “Go, serve the LORD. Only let your flocks and your herds stay behind. Let your little ones also go with you.”
25verseMoses said, “You must also give into our hand sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.
26verseOur livestock also shall go with us. Not a hoof shall be left behind, for of it we must take to serve the LORD our God; and we don’t know with what we must serve the LORD, until we come there.”
27verseBut the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he wouldn’t let them go.
28versePharaoh said to him, “Get away from me! Be careful to see my face no more; for in the day you see my face you shall die!”
29verseMoses said, “You have spoken well. I will see your face again no more.”
The Incident of Nadab and Abihu
Nadab and Abihu are consumed by fire from the LORD because they offer fire that God had not commanded. The text does not present worship as something priests may define for themselves. Rather, it shows that drawing near to the holy God requires obedience to His revealed will.
Commands Given to the Priests
- After the deaths of Nadab and Abihu, Aaron and his remaining sons are told not to abandon their priestly duty or publicly mourn in the ordinary way.
- Priests are forbidden to drink wine or strong drink when entering the Tent of Meeting, so that they can distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the clean and the unclean.
- The priests are also responsible for teaching Israel the statutes that the LORD gave through Moses.
Concerning the Priest’s Portion of the Offerings
The chapter also explains which portions of the offerings belong to the priests and how they are to be eaten. When Moses discovers that the goat of the sin offering has been burned rather than eaten, Aaron explains the situation in light of the tragedy that has just occurred, and Moses accepts his explanation. This section shows both the seriousness of ritual obedience and the pastoral weight of grief before God.
Reflection Points
- When I draw near to God, am I following His Word rather than my own preferences or habits?
- In worship, service, and everyday choices, do I treat holiness as something weighty?
- When I fail or face painful circumstances, do I come honestly before God rather than hiding behind outward form?
Try Applying It to Yourself
- Take time to examine whether there are areas where I have become casual about God’s holiness.
- Before making decisions, ask whether my motives and attitudes fit the standard of God’s Word.
- Consider how my conduct affects the people around me, especially if I hold a role of influence or service.
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