Lev. 10:1-2 RV

Can we offer profane fire before the Eternal?

The sin that Nadab and Abihu committed before the Eternal was fatal due to the fact that they enjoyed the right of being close to Him. The closer to the Eternal we are, the more discipline and obedience we are demanded. If any other would have done that outside of the sacred place, there would have been no fire from the Eternal's presence and he wouldn't have died.

The Torah repeats three times that these men's transgression was to offer strange fire before the Eternal (Lev. 10:1; Nm. 3:4; 26:61). The fire became strange because what they did wasn't based upon obedience and submission.

We have to ask ourselves what can be or become strange fire in the service to the Eternal in the congregation or in our personal lives. If the incense that was offered before the Eternal represents sung or spoken prayers, then we can conclude that sung praises are incense before the Eternal. Is it possible to bring songs before the Eternal with strange fire? What is strange fire?

Fire is an intense element, it's hot and it burns. Fire may represent inspiration, the energy that moves us to sing. If there is an impure motivation to sing praises to the Eternal in the congregation then the fire is strange.

Another kind of profane fire can be the inspiration behind songs from the world of the sons of disobedience – mundane music.

Let's be very careful not to listen or sing songs that are inspired by mundane music trends which have an unclean inspiration source. Someone wishing to live close to the Eternal must take a lot of care of his ears. If we feed from something with a strange inspiration away from the sacred fire of the Eternal, our souls will be corrupted by that strange fire and we can't present that fire in praises to the Eternal. Fire from heaven is pure; fire from the world is impure. We can't mix them.

May the Eternal help us set a well defined limit against profane fire found in popular music, so we can have sensitive ears and recognize the songs from heaven and be able to present pure praise inspired only by heavenly fire.

Blessings,

Ketriel