I recently read Leviticus 10 in my devotions.  I’ve read that passage dozens of times and for most of my life, I did not connect the sin of Nadab and Abihu (vv. 1-7) with the prohibition against priestly intoxication (vv. 8-11).  But, contextually, they are connected.  It’s part of the same story.  What was the sin of Aaron’s sons?  It was that they entered the Tabernacle and “offered unauthorized fire before the Lord which He had not commanded them.”  They likely overstepped their authority, brought fire from somewhere besides the altar and dared to come into the presence of a holy God with unholy (“profane”) elements of worship.  Why did the two eldest sons of the High Priest do such a foolish thing?  Likely, because they were drunk.  It stands to reason that they were not in full control of their senses when they blatantly disobeyed the commands of God they had so recently received – commands they understood better than almost anyone in Israel.  Alcohol dulls our minds, relaxes inhibitions and leaves us less capable of distinguishing right from wrong.  The sin of Aaron’s sons teaches us that ministry and alcohol don’t mix.  They never have.