Leviticus 10:1-203. The Punishment of the Priests-The Sin of Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10:1-20) This extreme punishment was doubtless necessary at the beginning of the office of the priesthood in order to teach both priests and people the sacredness of the office. It reminds us of the extreme punishment visited upon Ananias and Sapphira in the early days of the Christian Church when God would impress upon His people the sacredness of that institution (Acts 5:1-11). The sin of Nadab and Abihu consisted of disobedience to a known command. The censers, which represented, probably, the prayers of the people, were to be lighted from fire taken from the brazen altar on which atonement had been made for the sins of the people. Prayer is acceptable unto God only on the ground of the redemptive work of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is in His name, and in His name alone, that prayer has any efficacy. The sacrifices and, indeed, every detail of the Levitical system, typified our Lord Jesus Christ and His work for our redemption. Nadab and Abihu, therefore, in lighting the censers with strange fire did violence not only to the commandment of God, but to the typical significance of the proper Levitical procedure in this case. One sometimes wonders, from the injunction in Leviticus 10:8-11, as to whether Nadab and Abihu had not indulged overmuch in wine drinking.