And these are the names of the sons of Aaron Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
Numbers 3 opens the record of the tribe of Levi, and it starts with Aaron's four sons, listed in birth order. Two of the four were cut off within days of being made priests.
The chapter names Aaron before Moses, reversing the usual order. The reason lies in who Aaron pictures.
This chapter mentions the generations of Aaron and Moses first. Elsewhere we read of Moses and Aaron, but here Aaron's name stands first. His name is put first because he is a picture of Christ as Priest, and everything depends on Christ's intercession.
Another writer ties that order to ministry itself.
As a picture, Christ as Priest and King is seen here in relation to ministry: He is its source and its director. Aaron comes first, because ministry depends above all on mediation and is the fruit of it. Aaron is also the head of that priestly family which is a picture of our own.
These four sons held the highest place among the Levites.
So the third chapter sets before us the names of the sons of Aaron, who had the highest place among the Levites... Then it records the death of the first two, Nadab and Abihu, leaving Eleazar and Ithamar to serve in the sight of Aaron their father.
The verse pairs the two older sons, then the two younger. One writer asks whether that pairing pointed ahead.
The reader may notice how the two older sons are paired together, and then the two younger. Was this God's way of pointing ahead to what would happen to those first two? They were cut off by God's judgment on the eighth day of Aaron's consecration. That left the two younger sons to carry out the duties of priests through the whole wilderness journey.
All four sons were set apart as priests at the same time.
Aaron had four sons: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. Leviticus 8 and 9 give us a very interesting and very solemn account of the consecration of Aaron and his four sons. They were brought nearer to God than anyone else in Israel. No other young men had the privileges given to them.
In Israel the priesthood passed from father to son. That is not how it works for believers now, and the family line failed at once.
Aaron was the high priest, and in Israel the priesthood passed down the family line. That is not true in the Church of God today. In fact, a special priesthood is not scriptural now, for all true believers are priests (1 Peter 2:5), not by natural birth, but by spiritual birth. However, Aaron had four sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar (v. 2), all consecrated as priests. But this principle of natural succession showed its weakness at the very start of their service. Nadab and Abihu disobeyed the Lord, offered forbidden incense, and died for this sin (Lev. 10:1-2).
The two who fell were among the most privileged men in Israel.
The two who died under judgment, almost as soon as they were consecrated as priests, had no excuse for their sin. They fell despite great privilege. It is often the way that failure is greatest in those who are most highly privileged.
One writer finds God's answer to the failure in the meanings of the two surviving names.
Here we find terrible failure and the judgment of God. The first two sons are cut off. The third, Eleazar, whose name means "help of God," speaks in this way of the resurrection-power by which God acts when all human power has come to an end. Ithamar, whose name means "where the palm tree is," follows Eleazar. His name seems to stand for the uprightness and fruitfulness that Scripture always links with the palm tree; the righteous flourish like the palm tree (Ps. 92:12). This is the true order here. The history bears it out: when Ithamar's descendants are raised above Eleazar's, as in Eli, the result is sad failure and collapse.
The chapter goes on to call the Levites to their service. The priests' call comes first, and that order matters.
As we see already, the call of the priests must have taken place first, since the calling of the Levites depends on the calling of the priests. Communion and worship must come before service and introduce it, if service is to be real and effective.
- Priest first. Aaron's name comes before Moses', because everything here depends on the priest.
- Privilege first. The four sons were consecrated together into the nearest place to God that anyone in Israel held.
- Failure first. Nadab and Abihu fell despite that privilege — failure is sharpest where privilege is greatest.
- Grace last. Eleazar, "help of God," speaks of God acting when human power is finished; Ithamar follows in his order, not above it.
- Service last. The priests are called before the Levites. Worship comes first, or service is not real.
These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, who were consecrated to exercise the priesthood.
Numbers 3 opens with the names of Aaron's sons. Two acts define them: an anointing, and an ordaining to serve as priests. Their whole standing before God rests on those two acts — which raises the question of who may draw near to God, and on what basis.
The chapter turns from the ordering of the whole nation to the family and tribe set apart for the sanctuary. One writer notes that this is where the book of Numbers finds its own subject, and that the believer stands in every one of these positions at once:
In the book of Numbers, where the walk on earth is set out, service has its chief place. What is true of Levite service is exactly true of priesthood: the Christian, who from one point of view is of Israel and from another a Levite, is no less a priest. But priesthood sets out drawing near to God Himself in the heavenly sanctuary — no longer the figure, but the true reality. Levitical service, on the other hand, has to do with the service of the sanctuary while the people of God are passing through.
The office was never theirs to claim:
Aaron and his sons had not earned this privilege. It came to them by pure grace. Hebrews 5:4 says it plainly: "no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was." So priestly standing and service come by divine appointment.
The verse names them "the sons of Aaron." Birth, not ability, was the qualification — and it still is:
Aaron's sons were priests by birth — priests as sons of Aaron. Any son born to Aaron automatically became a priest at a certain age. No one else in Israel could be a priest. No influence, talent, wealth, or anything else could gain the office. These alone were priests. These alone were recognised by God. They had to be Aaron's sons. So now no one is a priest who is not born of God. Everyone who is born of God is a priest. Every believer is this through grace, for he is born of the Spirit. He is a child of God. He is in everlasting relationship with Jesus the great High Priest.
The verse calls all of them "the anointed priests." Who did that anointing cover?
The anointed priest seems to mean all the sons, the descendants of Aaron. Some have thought the anointing was distinctive of Aaron or the high priest. But compare Exodus 29:7, Leviticus 8:12 and 21:10 with Exodus 29:21 and Leviticus 8:30. It appears that pouring oil on the head was distinctive of the high priest, while all priests were anointed by sprinkling.
One writer draws out what the oil pictured, and what it rules out:
They were anointed with oil, an unmistakable type of our being anointed with the Holy Spirit. One inspired apostle writes: "it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us." Another apostle writes: "the anointing that you received from Him abides in you." This is our power for service. It makes the character of priesthood now spiritual and holy — not merely human or educational, still less successional.
The word "consecrated" here has a literal sense:
The word consecrate here means to fill their hands. Aaron and his sons were a company whose hands were filled with the excellencies of Christ. They entered into the delight of God in Him. The sweet savour of Christ to God filled their hands.
Being named among the priests was the highest privilege in Israel — and it was immediately a job:
One of the blessed places in which we are set, as children of God, is that of being made "priests" to Him. But we are apt, and rightly so, to think of this as a position of highest privilege. In practice we too often forget that it is one of constant service. Set in blessed nearness to God, the priests in Israel became, by that very nearness, simply servants of all the people.
- Called — no one took this honour for himself; the office came by God's appointment and pure grace.
- Born — the only qualification was being Aaron's son, which answers to being born of God.
- Anointed — the oil pictures the Holy Spirit. Priesthood now is spiritual, not passed down by human succession.
- Filled — consecration washed them, clothed them, and filled their hands with the excellence of Christ.
- Sent — nearness to God is not a resting place; those set closest became servants of all the people.
And Nadab and Abihu died before Jehovah when they offered strange fire before Jehovah in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no sons; and Eleazar and Ithamar exercised the priesthood in the presence of Aaron their father.
Numbers 3 names Aaron's four sons as it begins to order the tribe of Levi. Two of them were already dead, struck down for offering "unauthorized fire" — called "strange fire" in older translations.
The chapter first sets the four sons in order, then immediately records what became of the two eldest.
The third chapter accordingly brings before us the names of the sons of Aaron, who had the highest place among the Levites — "Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar." "These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests who were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest's office." Then the death of the two former, Nadab and Abihu, is mentioned, Eleazar and Ithamar remaining to minister in the sight of Aaron their father.
The offering itself was not the problem. The source of the flame was.
Before the day closed, the two elder sons of Aaron broke away from under his direction and offered incense on "strange fire" before the Lord. The incense was right but the fire was wrong. As far as we know, the only instruction given in this matter is found in Exodus 30:7-8, where the fire is connected with the lighting of the lamps in the holy place. They may have thought that if the incense was right, any fire would do to bring out its fragrance. But no, the fire must be God's fire and not man's. Learn from this: right words in worship are still wrong if the energy behind them comes from the flesh. Worship must be by the Spirit of God.
Another writer weighs the exact wording of the charge against them.
Notice that it is not said the Lord commanded that they should not do what they did, but He had not commanded them to do it. This is most serious where worship of the Lord is concerned. Only what He has indicated is acceptable to Him. If we add any humanly conceived notions to this, God will consider it "strange fire."
The verse says twice that this happened before the LORD. One writer asks who these men were, and where the fire that killed them came from.
Here we see men who look like they are getting ready to worship God. There is the fire, the incense, the censer, and the priest. And note: they were not false or fake priests. They were true sons of Aaron, part of the priestly house God had set apart, wearing the priestly robes God Himself appointed. Yet despite all this, they were struck dead — and by whom? By Him whom we call our God and Father! How solemn! The fact is more solemn still when we remember where the fire that consumed these false worshippers came from. It did not come from the top of Mount Sinai. It came out "from before the Lord," who was dwelling "between the cherubim above the mercy-seat."
The timing is part of the lesson. The priesthood had barely begun.
Lastly, we have what, sadly, is always the case with man. On its very first day, the priesthood falls short of the glory of God. Nadab and Abihu offer strange fire. They deal with God as natural men, and they do not base their service on the altar of sacrifice. So they die.
One writer turns it into a rule that reaches beyond this one story.
It is often the way that failure is most pronounced in those who are most highly privileged.
The verse ends by noting that these two left no children.
In Israel a natural succession was practised, as is not true in the Church of God today. In fact, a special priesthood is not scriptural now, for all true believers are priests (1 Peter 2:5), not by natural birth, but by spiritual birth. However, Aaron had four sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar (v.2), all consecrated as priests. But the weakness of the principle of natural succession was shown at the very beginning of their service.
The two names left standing carry meaning of their own, and their order matters.
Here we find terrible failure and the judgment of God. The first two sons are cut off. The third, Eleazar (whose name means "help of God"), speaks in this way of the resurrection-power by which God acts when all human power has ended. Ithamar ("where the palm-tree is") follows Eleazar, and this seems to point to the uprightness and fruitfulness that Scripture always ties to the palm-tree. Together and in the right order, Eleazar and Ithamar serve as priests in their father's presence.
The broken record of Aaron's house is not the end of the matter.
God said, "The priesthood has failed, but I will raise up another priest" — none other than the Lord Jesus Christ.
- Fire. The incense was right; the fire was wrong. Worship can fail at its source while the surface looks correct.
- Silence. Their sin was not something God forbade but something He never asked for. What He has not indicated is not acceptable.
- Mercy-seat. The fire did not come from Sinai. It came from the mercy-seat, and it fell on genuine, anointed, robed priests.
- Childless. Two of the four sons died leaving no children. A priesthood carried by natural birth is weak from the start.
- Another. Eleazar ("help of God") and Ithamar carry on before their father. And God promised to raise up another Priest — the Lord Jesus Christ.