Desiring God's Holiness: Reflections from the Desiring God Conference

After attending the Desiring God conference February 5-7, I am compelled to confess that understanding the holiness of God is a deadly matter. This doctrine, God’s holiness, should not be trivialized or left only to the seminarians to understand; rather, it should be gripped by all peoples, especially the people of God. It is by far one of the most serious doctrines mentioned in the Scriptures, and it demands our attention.

Let us look at Leviticus 10:1-7. “Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu each took his own firepan, put fire in it, placed incense on it, and presented unauthorized fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded to them to do. Then flames leaped from the LORD’s presence and burned them to death before the LORD. So Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD meant when He said:

I will show My holiness
to those who are near Me,
and I will reveal My glory
before all the people.”

But Aaron remained silent. Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel, and said to them, “Come here and carry your relatives away from the front of the sanctuary to a place outside the camp.” So they came forward and carried them in their tunics outside the camp, as Moses had said.

Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not let your hair hang loose and do not tear your garments, or else you will die, and the LORD will become angry with the whole community. However, your brothers, the whole house of Israel, may mourn over that tragedy when the LORD sent the fire. You must not go outside the entrance to the tent off the meeting or you will die, for the LORD’s anointing oil is on you.” So they did as Moses said.” [HCSB]

First of all, notice the problem presented in verse 1. Nadab and Abihu put unauthorized fire and unauthorized incense in their respective firepans and presented it before the LORD. God had neither commanded their offering, nor had God authorized their offering. And this was sinful. Their sin was their disobedience in their methodology of presenting the fire offering to God, rebellion against God’s ordained method if you will.
Now God’s response to this unauthorized offering is staggering. Look at verse 2. “Then flames leaped from the LORD’s presence and burned them to death before the LORD.” God killed them on the spot. God didn’t rebuke them. God didn’t chastise them. God didn’t tell them to do better next time. God destroyed these men on the grounds that their offering was sinful before Him. Their offering was vile in the sight of the Holy One. And because of this, God consumed these men.
And we see in verse 3 that Aaron remained silent. Aaron didn’t run around questioning God. He didn’t ask God why all this had happened. He didn’t question the judgment of God on his own sons. In the presence of the holiness of God, Aaron shut his mouth. When Aaron realized that the Almighty, Holy God was in his presence, Aaron had no response. There was absolutely nothing in his life worthy of being presented in the presence of the Holy One. He shut up.
Lastly, we see in verses 6 and 7 that the LORD told Aaron, Eleazar, and Ithamar not to tear their robes nor let their hair hang loose. Understand that tearing the robes and letting the hair hang loose was a sign of mourning. God told these men to not mourn over the death of Nadab and Abihu. Do not mourn over the judgment of sinners in the hands of a holy God for mourning over these men would represent sympathy with their vileness. These men were not worthy of being mourned.
If you don’t see that personal holiness and the holiness is God is of utmost importance, you are blind. This is a serious matter. It is a matter that brings death to all who do not adhere. God does not take sin lightly, especially among his people. Scripture is filled with many example of this same idea. Look at Uzzah who died because he touched the ark. Even the mud of the ground in its obedience to make mud when dirt and water are combined is more holy than man. Look at Ananias and Sapphira. God demands holiness and demands honor lest we die.
This is a very serious matter. May the church of today understand and meditate on the holiness of our God and the holiness that He demands of us lest we be like those in Scripture whom God destroyed. Church, understand that we serve Elohim, the unknowable God who is supreme to humanity for His holiness. God is holy. May we never forget.