Sometime after the joyous events of chapter 9, two of Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, offered strange fire before the LORD which He had not commanded them (v. 1). Strange fire also is translated as unauthorized fire (e.g., NIV; HCSB). This meaning of the verse includes the following possibilities: "(1) penetrating too far into the sanctuary,(2) offering unauthorized coals from outside the temple area, (3) offering incense that did not contain the proper ingredients, and (4) offering incense at the wrong time of day."[1]
As a result of their infraction, fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD (v. 2). God declared that He would be treated as holy by all the people and honored (v. 3). When Aaron heard this, he kept silent (v. 3b): "Aaron's silence is in contrast to the loud wailing that usually accompanied mourning. Rather than a stunned silence, it represents a determination to follow the procedure that officiating priests should not be in mourning."[2]
Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Aaron's uncle Uzziel, to carry their relatives away from the front of the sanctuary to the outside of the camp. They were instructed not to mourn by uncovering their heads or tearing their clothes, so that they would not die and the LORD would not become wrathful. After the bodies were removed, they were not even to go out from the doorway of the tent of meeting, for the LORD's anointing oil was upon them (vv. 4-7).
After this incident, the LORD commanded that the priest should not drink strong drink so that there would be a distinction between what is holy and what is profane, and to teach the sons of Israel the statutes of the LORD (v. 8-11). In this particular context, this section indicates that Nadab and Abihu probably were drunk when they offered the strange fire. Since priests are to drink no alcohol, believers would do well to remember that Christ has made all Christians a kingdom of priests (Rev. 1:6; 5:10).
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