🕯 Day 5 – Unfaithful Fire

📖 “And fire came out from the presence of the Lord… but Nadab and Abihu offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, contrary to His command.” – Leviticus 10:1–2

🔍 1. Exegetical Read

Leviticus 10 delivers a sobering moment in the early priesthood. Nadab and Abihu—sons of Aaron, newly ordained—offer what the text calls “unauthorized fire” (Hebrew: zarah esh). It was not fire from the altar God had consecrated. It was strange. Manufactured. Uncommissioned.

This wasn't about volume or visibility—it was about origin. They brought something to God that He had not asked for. And the tragic irony? The fire they offered was consumed by real fire—from the very presence of the Lord.

They played with holy things… without holy hearts.

🔁 2. Connection to the Week: Return to the Source

Day 5 presses into the core danger of spiritual drift: substitution. When we lose the oil of intimacy, we often reach for imitation. We try to generate fire through performance, emotion, or self-glory. But unfaithful fire may impress men—it does not please God.

The cry this week is return. That means refusing to keep offering God what He never required. Worship without surrender. Leadership without love. Activity without abiding.

Strange fire isn’t always obvious. It can look like hustle. It can sound like noise. But if it isn’t drawn from His presence, it doesn’t belong on His altar.

💡 3. Reconciling Moment

God is not asking you to ignite your own flame. He’s asking you to draw from His. To bring fire that was kindled in the secret place—not in your strategy.

Unfaithful fire ends in burnout. But holy fire—costly, consecrated, authentic—is sustained by Him alone.

The invitation today is bold: Stop offering what He didn’t ask for. And start returning to the altar He’s waiting to light.

✍ Prompt:
Am I offering God something He never asked for? What needs to be realigned?