I was reading in Leviticus 10 earlier today and the first words of the chapter just really jumped off the page at me… probably because I’m a worship pastor.

Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them. And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord has said, ‘Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.’” And Aaron held his peace.
Leviticus 10:1-3

There is something so raw and uncensored about this passage that just rips apart any sense of what we deserve or how we think of fairness. I mean they were trying to worship God right? Shouldn’t that be commended? Wouldn’t you think that God would be sitting up in heaven thinking, “Awww, they’re offering me sacrifices…” Or at least acknowledge their efforts with a golf clap or something…

But that’s not the case! God takes it as an offense that these 2 so-called priests would dare come near Him and try to worship Him in a way that He hasn’t commanded. And He straight up smokes them!

I learn a couple of things from this. First off, God doesn’t NEED our worship. I just watched “Clash of The Titans” last week and it was laughable to think that the premise of the movie was that Zeus, the “god” of the world actually NEEDED the worship of the people he created in order to maintain his immortal status… that’s a pretty small, pathetic and crappy god if you ask me. That’s not our God. God doesn’t need us! He doesn’t need our worship.

Paul deals with this very issue in Athens when he encounters all the crazy polytheism of that culture.

The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.
Acts 17:24-25

I LOVE IT that I serve such a big, grand, glorious, mysteriously magnificent God. One who isn’t served by me. One that I can’t at all comprehend and get my brain around! He doesn’t need my meager offerings. So with that, I must infer that worshiping God is my privilege, not my right – it’s none of ours! And with that privilege comes responsibility. Since we get to worship God, we must come to Him, not on our own terms, to serve Him as how we would mold Him, but rather, come on His terms and worship Him for who He is, always has been, and always will be!

I think the biggest implication is that we must invest the time in knowing Him. How can we worship Him rightly if we don’t know Him rightly? And how can we know Him rightly? How do we see Him for who He is and engage Him on His terms? How do we know His character, His ways, and what He’s required? It can only be through His word. By pouring over His Word day in and day out.

Jonathan Edwards, the great Puritan pastor of the Great Awakening, says it like this,

“This [Bible] is the fountain whence all knowledge in Divinity must be derived, therefore, let not this treasure lie by you neglected.”

Or as Bob Kauflin, in his book “Worship Matters”, states,

“The better we know God through His Word, the more genuine our worship will be. In fact, the moment we veer from what is true about God, we’re engaging in idolatry. Regardless of what we think or feel, there is no authentic worship of God without a right knowledge of God.”

If we are neglect this incredible gift the Lord has given us to know Him, we will be quite tempted to fall into the trap of Nadab and Abihu… and what was that trap?

Nadab and Abihu were trying to come to a god that they had formed in their image to worship on their own terms. They were engaging in idolatry. Maybe they had good intentions. Maybe we do too when we worship things that do not deserve our worship, or try to worship God in a way that isn’t really worshiping Him at all.
I know this looks different for everyone, and I could create a laundry list of ways that we do this, but I won’t because:

1. This is a blog, and you don’t wanna read forever.
2. We are sinful people and as sure as I miss something, you’ll think, “well he didn’t mention _____ , so it must be okay.
3. I want you to really pursue, draw near to, and KNOW God through His word, prayer, and community.

For you worship leaders reading this – it’s your privilege to lead – and it’s your enormous responsibility to be sure that the way you are leading your people in worship is the way the Lord desires and has articulated in scripture.

Ultimately, God will have His glory and he doesn’t need you. It’s your privilege to worship.

Let us all draw near to Him for who He is, and worship Him rightly.