Profane Fire

Profane Fire

“And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of meeting, and came out and blessed the people. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people, and fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces. Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. So fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. And Moses said to Aaron, ‘This is what the Lord spoke, saying: “By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified.”’ So Aaron held his peace.” Lev. 9:23-10:3.

The fire is in the Spirit. The Spirit of the Lord sends the fire of the Lord, but a profane spirit sends profane fire. “But He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Matt. 3:11.

Moses and Aaron had the right motive; they were seeking what was best for the people. When they offered sacrifices for themselves and the people, they did so with pure intentions so that the pleasure of the Lord might rest over them all. When the Lord sent His fire and consumed the burnt offering, He showed His approval of the Spirit in which it was offered, and the people cried out with joy and fell on their faces.

The sons of Aaron wanted to imitate this. They prepared everything on the altar, but fire did not come from the Lord, so they offered profane fire. They saw how the people rejoiced when the fire of the Lord consumed Moses’ and Aaron’s sacrifice, and they wanted to make the people rejoice too. The spirit in their sacrifice was profane to the Lord, and therefore the fire was also profane.

The same thing occurs in the new covenant. People want to imitate things that the Lord has approved and blessed. They prepare the sacrifices on the altar, but when the Lord doesn’t send His fire, they cast profane fire on the sacrifice. But just as in the days of old, fire from the Lord consumes such people. They meet an impenetrable wall of fire, which they can’t get through. In their zeal they try to find things that their brother should offer. Everything is ready on the altar, and they wait for the Lord to bless the sacrifice with His fire. But He does not bless it, and if they put profane fire on the sacrifice, it will only be to their own detriment.

“Then Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, ‘Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp.’” Lev. 10:4.

It is not a good idea to remain in the holy place after profane fire has been offered. The sons of Aaron had to be carried out of the sanctuary by their brethren. The Lord shows Himself holy to those who are close to Him. He glorifies Himself in the sight of the people.

If you are zealous about someone or something, examine yourself to see if it is the Spirit of the Lord driving your zeal, because zeal is the censer. If your motives are pure, and the spirit of the matter is pure, you can expect fire to come from the Lord. But if God’s Spirit is not with you in your zeal, the sacrifices that you arrange and the fire that you use will certainly fall back on you. Never seek to imitate Nadab and Abihu or Jannes and Jambres. Such imitations are of Satan.

In the days of Judas Maccabeus, some of the priests fell in battle because they wanted to accomplish a heroic feat, and they thoughtlessly went out to battle. 1 Maccabees 5:67 (Apocrypha). Judas Maccabeus fought with a pure spirit to free his people from the yoke of the Gentiles. When the priests saw that the Lord was with Judas and that all the people remained with him and had confidence in him, the thought then arose in their hearts that they, too, could do valiant deeds and gain recognition.

The difference was that God honored and esteemed Judas, but the priests sought their own honor, and as a result, they fell. The Spirit and fire of the Lord was with Judas, but some of the priests went out in their own spirit and used profane fire.

In the old covenant, God could not put His Spirit into flesh, and so His fire could not consume the flesh. Now the Spirit has come, so that the fire from the Spirit can consume the sacrifice in the flesh. If you are a sacrificial priest of God, then compel people to make spiritual sacrifices by God’s Spirit so that the fire of the Lord can consume the sacrifice.