Strange Fire

One papa stand for di front of di tabernacle. Few moments before, everything na joy. Now na only silence. E open im mouth to talk, and then e close am again. E no talk anything at all.

Na still di great day for Mount Sinai, di day wey di tabernacle come alive. Aaron di high priest don offer di first sacrifices. Fire from di Lord don fall on top di altar, and di people don shout and fall for their face. Aaron four sons don be priests now too: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. Nadab and Abihu na di senior ones. Holy things no be new to dem. No long before, dem don go up di mountain small with Moses and di elders, and dem see vision of di God of Israel. Dem know pass almost anybody how great and holy God be.

Each of dem take im firepan, one small bronze pan wey dem dey take carry hot coals. Dem put fire inside, put incense on top, and bring am before di Lord. But dis na fire wey di Lord no command. Di Bible call am strange fire, or fire wey God no allow. Dem no tell us every detail of wetin wrong. Maybe di coals come from wrong place. Maybe na wrong time, or wrong incense, or dem just do am from their own mind. Wetin di text make clear simple: God don tell di priests exactly how to come near am, and dem do another thing. And fire comot from di presence of di Lord, and e consume dem. Dem die there, before di Lord.

Moses turn to im brother. Na dis one di Lord talk about, e talk. God don talk say: among di people wey dey come near me, dem must treat me as holy, and before all di people, dem must honour me. And Aaron keep quiet. E no argue. E no shout. One papa wey just lose two sons stand quiet before God. Moses call two of their cousins, Mishael and Elzaphan, and ask dem make dem carry di bodies comot from di camp. Dem lift dem, with their priest clothes still on dem, and carry dem go. Then Moses tell Aaron and im two sons wey remain say dem must not tear their clothes or loose their hair for mourning, and dem must not leave di tabernacle. Di anointing oil dey on top dem. Dem dey on duty. But di whole house of Israel, Moses talk, fit cry for di burning wey di Lord don light.

Then something wey no dey usually happen happen. Di Lord talk direct to Aaron, no be through Moses. E give am command. When you and your sons dey enter di tent of meeting, no drink wine or strong drink, so that you no go die. And e explain di reason. Di priests must fit know di difference between wetin holy and wetin common, between wetin clean and wetin no clean. And dem must teach di people of Israel all di laws wey di Lord don give through Moses. For di middle of Aaron sorrow, God no abandon am. E trust am with work. Clear head. Careful hands. Heart wey dey teach.

Incense for di tabernacle no be ordinary perfume. For Exodus, God give exact recipe for am: sweet spices, frankincense, and salt, wey dem mix with care. Then e add warning. Nobody must make dat mixture for imself or use am for any other thing. E must be holy to di Lord. Every detail of worship for di tabernacle dey point to one thing. God holy, and na im dey decide how people go take come near am.

Strange fire. You go find dis story for Leviticus chapter ten, verse one to eleven. Na hard story, and na so e suppose be. E remind us say God no be play, and say di correct way to reach am na di way wey e give. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Wetin e mean to take God serious for di way wey you dey worship am?