"And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took each of them his censer, and put fire therein, and laid incense thereon, and offered strange fire before Jehovah, which he had not commanded them. And there came forth fire from before Jehovah, and devoured them, and they died before Jehovah. Then Moses said unto Aaron, 'This is it that Jehovah spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified.' And Aaron held his peace." (Leviticus 10:1-3; ASV)
Fire is not fire. Nadab and Abihu offered "strange" fire before Jehovah. Look at Strong's definition of "strange" and meditate on the different nuances of the word:
OT: 2114 zuwr (zoor); a primitive root; to turn aside (especially for lodging); hence to be a foreigner, strange, profane; specifically (active participle) to commit adultery: KJV - (come from) another (man, place), fanner, go away, (e-) strange (-r, thing, woman). (Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
Jehovah would have us to be His. We are to be set apart to Him. He would not have a stranger, a foreigner come before Him.
Jason Cicero
