“Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu each took his own firepan, put fire in it, placed incense on it, and presented unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them to do. Then fire came from the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord has spoken: I will demonstrate my holiness to those who are near me, and I will reveal my glory before all the people.” And Aaron remained silent.” Leviticus 10:1-3 CSB https://bible.com/bible/1713/lev.10.1-3.CSB

Israel feared God because people died when they got too close to Him. More died when they disobeyed Him. Why did anyone die around God? The same reason Jesus died, Who was close and perfectly obedient. God is holy. We have so little understanding of what this word means and little interest in finding out. It means moral purity perfect righteousness. This is Who God is. God is love, but that doesn’t negate His moral perfection. He acts from His love because of His moral perfection. Jesus loved us, so He lived as a holy sacrifice for us. We are not free to make up our beliefs and behaviors about God. This is arrogance that God will form Himself to our will. We must humble ourselves and form ourselves to the will of God. People want to argue and debate over Who God is and what He requires from us so that they can continue to live and think in disobedience to God. Only the holy will live with God. The word of God reveals the holiness of God. We must become earnest students of Scripture to diligently practice its teachings. In this way, we will live holy lives as God is holy, resulting in His acceptance and eternal life with Him rather than death and condemnation for following our own religion.