（利10）拿 答 与 亚 比 户
（Leviticus 10） Nadab and Abihu
(ChatGPT translation from Chinese, edited by Mijiale, 中文在后面）
At the moment of the inauguration of the tabernacle, when the glory of the Creator descended and the people rejoiced (Leviticus 9:24), a sad event occurred: Aaron’s two sons were consumed by fire for the mistake they made during the service. In my diary on Thursday, August 29, 1996, I wrote: “At times when my faith and gratitude were strongest, when I felt closest to God, disasters, misfortunes, and upsetting things often occurred, which surprised me greatly. For example…” (I then listed four examples in my diary.) At that time, I was merely a seeker, unbaptized, and knew very little about the Bible. Now I understand that when people are most pleased, God often delivers a blow to awaken them, and there are different reasons behind each situation. Looking back at the four examples in my diary, this is evident. The last one recorded: “Also, something done during this summer from August 15-18, after hearing the touching ‘I know Who holds tomorrow’ during worship on Sunday, August 18, I soon discovered it was wrong.” I can’t remember what research topic I was working on at the time. Later, I shifted to a more rigorous theoretical proof style of research, which suited me better. I had just found a job then, chose one out of several positions, was feeling quite successful, and didn’t yet know I would change research directions after starting work. God’s decisions are always right.
The tragedy of Aaron’s two sons in the Bible occurred after the consecration of the sanctuary, on their first day of serving the Lord in the special holy garments (Exodus 28:40). This serves as a warning for future generations who will serve the Lord: serving the Lord is not a worldly glory but a serious matter. Even the smallest sin in the eyes of the completely holy Lord is a “deadly sin” and cannot withstand scrutiny. The servants of the Lord live by His grace, not by having fewer sins or lighter sins than others. On the contrary, the Lord often demands stricter standards from those close to Him, as stated in Leviticus 10:3, “I will display my holiness through those who come near me. I will display my glory before all the people.”
However, for those who wholeheartedly rely on the Lord, although He disciplines, He also shows mercy. Although Aaron’s two sons died early, they did not leave behind sons to become pitiful orphans (Numbers 3:4). Their positions were inherited by two brothers, and Aaron’s descendants continued to be greatly blessed with a large population. As for the two who died early, they did not have to experience the pains of aging and disease but went directly to rest in the arms of the Lord. Rashi’s commentary on Leviticus 10:5 notes that their being consumed by fire was a supernatural occurrence, as they were carried outside the camp wearing their robes, and it appeared that neither their bodies nor their robes were damaged. （https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Leviticus.10.5?lang=bi） I speculate that the pain they experienced during their death was likely brief or even nonexistent. They are also frequently memorialized in the subsequent scriptures, with their names mentioned up to seven times. Their names were Nadab and Abihu.
All mortals must die, and each person dies only once. If this one opportunity is used for the life-giving Lord, then this fulfills the value of death. However, when Nadab and Abihu are mentioned later in the Bible, we often sense a hint of regret. They died while serving, but unfortunately, their deaths were used by the Lord as a warning. Moreover, they did not fulfill their mission on earth: to procreate and to serve. We would do well to learn from their lesson, serving the Lord according to His commandments, completing the tasks entrusted to us in this life before dying for the Lord. That way, when we meet the Lord in the next life, we will not be criticized like this: “Why did you return halfway during your mission? Your reward for the task will only be given to your replacement colleague.”
（利10）拿 答 与 亚 比 户
就在会幕启用，造物主荣耀降临，百姓欢呼（利9:24）的欢庆时刻，一个悲伤的事发生了，亚伦的两个儿子因为侍奉的仪式上犯的错，被火烧灭。我在1996年8月29日周四的日记里写道：“我的信心、感恩、最强烈的时候，自认为与上帝最亲近的时候，却往往有灾难, 不顺，气忿不平的事发生，亦使我极为奇怪。例如… ”（然后我在日记中举了四个例子。）当时我只是慕道友，没有受过洗，对圣经也了解很少。我现在知道，主在人高兴时给人当头一棒，反醒一下，是有好处的，而且每个情况背后有不同的原因。我日记里的四个例子，现在回头看都是这样。其中最后一个记载说“又如今年夏天8月15-18日作出的东西，在8月18日周日崇拜重新听过使我感动的I know Who holds tomorrow 之后不久又突然发现是错的。” 我现在记不清当时作什么研究课题了，我后来换了理论上更严格的定理证明风格的研究方向，反而更加适合我。我当时刚找到工作，在好几个职位里选了一个，正春风得意，还不知道工作后要转研究方向。主的决定总是对的。
圣经里亚伦两个儿子的悲剧，发生在启用圣所后，他们穿着特制的圣衣侍奉主的第一天（出28:40）。这给后来世世代代侍奉主的人一个警告，侍奉主，不是俗世的风光，而是很严肃的事。主的仆人，也是罪人，世人看来再小的罪，在全然圣洁的主面前也是“死罪”，也是经不起追究的，主的仆人活着，也是靠着主的恩典，而不是靠着自己的罪比别人少，或比别人轻。相反，主往往对亲近祂的人要求更严格，就像利未记10:3里所说，“我 在 亲 近 我 的 人 中 要 显 为 圣 ， 在 众 民 面 前 ， 我 要 得 荣 耀 。”
话说回来，专心投靠主的，主虽然管教，但也必怜悯。亚伦的两个儿子虽然早逝，但是他们没有儿子成为可怜的孤儿（民3:4），他们的职位有两个兄弟继承，亚伦的后代仍然大受祝福，人口众多。而这两个早逝的人自己，不需要经历衰老疾病，直接安息主怀，不是也很好吗？Rashi记载的犹太人解经注意到，他们被烧灭，是一种与通常意义不同的超自然方式，因为利未记10:5说他们穿着袍子被抬到营外，看来外体与袍子并没有损坏。（https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Leviticus.10.5?lang=bi）
我猜想他们死亡的过程中经历的痛苦应该很短暂，甚至完全没有痛苦也有可能。他们也在后面的圣经里被常常纪念，名字后来被提及多达七次。他们的名字叫拿 答 ， 亚 比 户。
凡人都有一死，今生人的死只有一次，这一次机会能为赐生命的主所使用，就实现了死的价值。然而圣经后面提到拿 答与亚 比 户时，我们常常能看到一丝惋惜的语气。
拿 答 与 亚 比 户是在侍奉的时候死的，可惜他们的死是被主作为警告而使用。而且他们原本在世上的使命，生育、侍奉， 都没有完成。我们宁可吸取他们的教训，按主的吩咐侍奉主，先在今生完成主的托付以后，再为主而死。这样，我们来世见主时，不至于被批评说，“你怎么出差半路就回来了，你任务的酬劳，只好给接替你的同事了。”