We Should Know Better

When my sons were younger, one or the other would often walk out of their bedroom, either carrying a shirt or a pair of pants, and ask the question: “Can I wear this to synagogue?” Or “Can I wear this to dinner?” Or “Can I wear this to school today?” The fact that they knew enough to ask the question let us know that they already knew, that whatever they were asking about, they already knew they were not supposed to wear to whatever activity they were dressing for. Yet, they asked the question, even though they already knew the answer. When they asked those questions, we would respond, “You already know better,” and they knew they did.

As we read through the Bible, we can find many times when those people we read about behaved like my young sons. Sometimes, they were like my sons before they acted, and sometimes they acted without asking first. Other times, they acted by doing something they clearly knew they should not have done, yet they chose to act wrongly anyway. 

Those that chose to purposely act in ways they knew were wrong, were often punished dramatically. One example is found in Numbers 10, where we read about Nadab and Abihu.

Leviticus 10:1-2 “Now Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu each took his own censer, put fire in it, laid incense over it, and offered unauthorized fire before Adonai—which He had not commanded them. So fire came out from the presence of Adonai and consumed them. So they died before Adonai.”

Notice the wording “unauthorized fire.” While scholars will debate exactly what these words mean, nobody debates that Nadab and Abihu knew the fire was unauthorized. Meaning, they chose to do something wrong and they should have known better. 

When we read further into chapter 10, we find these words: 

Leviticus 10:8-9

“Adonai spoke to Aaron saying: “Do not drink wine or fermented drink, neither you nor your sons with you, when you go into the Tent of Meeting, so that you do not die. This is to be a statute forever throughout your generations.”

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From these words spoken by G-D to Aaron, we learn more about the bad choices of Nadab and Abihu. This commandment prohibiting the priests from drinking gives us a glimpse into the reason G-D’s judgement was so severe for their actions. It appears they entered the Tent of Meeting under the influence of alcohol. 

Just think about their lack of the fear of G-D that would enable them to make the choice to enter the Tent of Meeting drunk. They should have known better, and I believe they did know better. The reason I believe they knew better is because G-D’s judgement was instant and severe. They made the choice to do something they knew was sinful, and they were instantly judged and punished. 

Thinking about this event causes me to consider my choices and the choices of other leaders and, in truth, every believer. How many times have I or we entered a house of worship to offer worship to G-D after we chose to do something we absolutely knew was wrong? 

It might not have been that we came drunk or high, but what about coming intoxicated with anger, lust, greed, jealousy, or any other sin that we participated in as we prepared to enter a sanctuary of worship? 

We may not actually see fire come from the altar to consume our bodies in this world. We need to understand that according to Revelation, the punishment for willful unrepentant sin is the same as what befell Nadab and Abihu. 

Revelation 21:7-8 “The one who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But for the cowardly and faithless and detestable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars—their lot is in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.””

It is also important for us to remember what is written in Galatians 5:19-21:

Galatians 5:19 Now the deeds of the flesh are clear: sexual immorality, impurity, indecency, 20 idolatry, witchcraft, hostility, strife, jealousy, rage, selfish ambition, dissension, factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, just as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit God’s kingdom.

And these words of warning were written to the believers in Galtia, not to unbelievers. In other words, in Galatians, G-D was reminding the believers that they should know better, just as Nadab and Abihu should have known better. If we choose as they did the intoxications of this world over the ways of G-D, our end will be exactly the same as theirs.