“And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not be put out: and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order upon it; and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings” Leviticus 6:12
In man’s attempt to understand who God is, one of the concepts particularly difficult to understand is His holiness. Unfortunately, our best efforts at trying to understand God are limited to the understanding of who we are, since we are made in His image. But because this image was marred by sin, there is such a gap between God and man that Isa. 55:8-9 clearly states God’s assessment: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways...As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” God is perfect; when He issues orders they come with precise details. Missed blessings and dire consequences follow when those orders are disregarded, altered or half-completed. Men are imperfect, and all too easily satisfied with standards that are “close enough”—especially in comparison of one man to another.
That the God of the universe chooses to reveal Himself to man is one of the great mysteries of godliness. He gave Moses Ten Commandments to allow men to get to know God better and relate better to one another, but Moses was hardly down from the mountain before Israelites had broken the Commandments. Today’s obedience quotient is no better. One seminary professor observed that the problem is not that Bible students don’t understand Hebrew or Greek, but that they don’t seem to understand English, as evidenced by how little the Bible’s principles are put into practice. In the Old Testament God gave specific instructions for building the brazen altar for the tabernacle as well as requiring any burnt offerings to be offered using the flames from this altar only. They would always be available because the priests were to never let the flames die out. Yet, Nadab and Abihu offered a sacrifice ignited by “strange fire” and were immediately struck dead. The fire was strange because it came from some unauthorized place or perhaps was offered with the wrong attitude, as in the case of Cain’s offering. At any rate, it stood in direct conflict with God’s specific instructions—an unholy disregard for His holiness.
Again, the truth-teller, Isaiah reminds us in Isaiah 64:6 that all of our righteousness is as filthy rags before God. How much more offensive is a haphazard entrance into the presence of the Lord. Two New Testament references come to mind in relation to the idea of strange things. In Matthew 7:22-23 the writer describes many, in the last day, saying to Jesus they have prophesied, cast out demons, and done many wonderful works in His name, but His response is, “I never knew you...” They are strangers, completely unknown to one another. They missed His requirement that only those who do the will of the Father will be allowed to enter the kingdom of heaven (v.21). Then in Matthew 25: 35 Jesus says, “I was a stranger, and you took me in.” My prayer is to close the gap between the Lord and me in matters of worship, to take Him in with an obedient, open heart eager to experience His presence. When I miss the mark, rather than sending swift and deadly judgment, I hear Him whisper, “Don’t be a stranger.”
Some modern day churches bring strange fire to worship by copying worldly practices in order to increase attendance. There are times, I’m sure, when I have brought strange fire to the altar by harboring unforgiveness or other unconfessed sin; by allowing distractions to occupy my mind so that worship is half-hearted at best; a sacred hour may have become merely a habit or duty rather than a time of sincere, intimate fellowship with the Savior. Let’s take inventory. Won’t you join me in a concluding reflection by listening to “Knowing You, Jesus”? It is sung by Graham Kendrick on YouTube HERE