God’s warning in Leviticus 16:1 emphasizes that sacred boundaries must be observed when entering His presence and introduces the atonement rituals that reveal both His holiness and His mercy.
“Now the LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they had approached the presence of the LORD and died.” (v.1) This verse sets the stage for the solemn instructions that follow in Leviticus 16, commonly known as the Day of Atonement regulations. Moses, who lived around the fifteenth century BC during Israel’s exodus from Egypt, is receiving revelation from God in the wilderness near Mount Sinai. Aaron, Moses’s older brother and Israel’s first high priest, had just lost his two eldest sons (Nadab and Abihu), who brought “strange fire” before the LORD and were struck down because they did not follow the sacred boundaries God had set (Leviticus 10:1-2). Their deaths highlight the holiness of God and the seriousness of approaching Him on His terms.
This direct word from the LORD came at a critical moment, prompting Moses to warn Aaron and the rest of the priesthood to treat the presence of God with reverence and utmost care. Immediately following this statement, the Bible describes the extensive ritual of the Day of Atonement, which involved the high priest offering a bull for himself and casting lots over two goats for the community’s sin offering. One goat was sacrificed to atone for Israel’s impurities, and the other, the scapegoat, symbolically carried the nation’s sins far away into the wilderness (Leviticus 16:5-10, 21-22). This elaborate process underscored the gravity of sin, the necessity of proper mediation before God, and the mercy God displayed in providing a way for His covenant people to be cleansed.
The tragic loss of Aaron’s sons also foreshadows the need for a better and eternal High Priest, fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who not only provides purification for His people once for all but also opens the way to approach God in confidence (Hebrews 9:11-14). Whereas Nadab and Abihu’s presumption illustrates sin’s penalty, Christ’s sacrifice secures permanent atonement and invites every believer into God’s holy presence without fear. This pivotal shift in atonement is what the entire chapter of Leviticus 16 points forward to, reminding believers that the holiness of God requires holiness from His people, satisfied ultimately in Christ.
Set to dark mode
Leviticus 16:1 meaning
“Now the LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they had approached the presence of the LORD and died.” (v.1) This verse sets the stage for the solemn instructions that follow in Leviticus 16, commonly known as the Day of Atonement regulations. Moses, who lived around the fifteenth century BC during Israel’s exodus from Egypt, is receiving revelation from God in the wilderness near Mount Sinai. Aaron, Moses’s older brother and Israel’s first high priest, had just lost his two eldest sons (Nadab and Abihu), who brought “strange fire” before the LORD and were struck down because they did not follow the sacred boundaries God had set (Leviticus 10:1-2). Their deaths highlight the holiness of God and the seriousness of approaching Him on His terms.
This direct word from the LORD came at a critical moment, prompting Moses to warn Aaron and the rest of the priesthood to treat the presence of God with reverence and utmost care. Immediately following this statement, the Bible describes the extensive ritual of the Day of Atonement, which involved the high priest offering a bull for himself and casting lots over two goats for the community’s sin offering. One goat was sacrificed to atone for Israel’s impurities, and the other, the scapegoat, symbolically carried the nation’s sins far away into the wilderness (Leviticus 16:5-10, 21-22). This elaborate process underscored the gravity of sin, the necessity of proper mediation before God, and the mercy God displayed in providing a way for His covenant people to be cleansed.
The tragic loss of Aaron’s sons also foreshadows the need for a better and eternal High Priest, fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who not only provides purification for His people once for all but also opens the way to approach God in confidence (Hebrews 9:11-14). Whereas Nadab and Abihu’s presumption illustrates sin’s penalty, Christ’s sacrifice secures permanent atonement and invites every believer into God’s holy presence without fear. This pivotal shift in atonement is what the entire chapter of Leviticus 16 points forward to, reminding believers that the holiness of God requires holiness from His people, satisfied ultimately in Christ.