Leviticus 10:16-20, “Now Moses diligently
inquired about the goat of the sin offering, and behold, it was burned up! And
he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the surviving sons of Aaron,
saying, (17) "Why have you not eaten the sin offering
in the place of the sanctuary, since it is a thing most holy and has been given
to you that you may bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement
for them before the LORD? (18) Behold, its blood was not brought into the
inner part of the sanctuary. You certainly ought to have eaten it in the
sanctuary, as I commanded." (19) And Aaron said to Moses, "Behold, today
they have offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the LORD,
and yet such things as these have happened to me! If I had eaten the sin
offering today, would the LORD have approved?" (20)
And when Moses heard that, he approved.”
This is a rather peculiar passage, upon reading it we are not sure
what to make of it at first. The key to understanding these particular verses
lies in what happens earlier in the chapter. The chapter starts with the
unauthorised incense being offered up to God by Nadab and Abihu, which lead to
their deaths. After this Moses once more instructs Aaron and his two remaining
sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, on the importance of obedience to the commands and
instructions given to them as the priests. The sacrifices and offerings, the
burning of the incense is all to be done in complete accordance to the commands
given by God. Any deviation from this will bring them under God’s judgement.
It is after this that Eleazar and Ithamar perform their duties and
offer up the sin and burnt offering. Part of which they were instructed to eat.
Eleazar and Ithamar eat their approved portion, however Aaron doesn’t eat his
portion and it is left to burn away on the altar. Moses is angered when he sees
this, surely after such a graphic and painful display of God’s wrath and
judgement against the failings of Nadab and Abihu to worship God in an
appropriate manner, Aaron and his sons would be all the more diligent in their
obedience. Yet as Moses discovers Aaron appears to have already failed to
perform his duty as the High Priest in not partaking of his allotted portion
and letting it burn away on the altar. Aaron objects to Moses’ rebuke and gives
Moses a clear reason as to why he did not eat his portion. Once Moses hears
Aaron’s reason, Moses approves and is at peace.
What is the reason that Aaron gives? Aaron is telling Moses that he
does not believe that it is appropriate for him to partake of his allotted
portion in light of the death of his two sons. Aaron is grieving, grieving for
his two sons, and grieving over their disobedience that led to their death. In
the midst of this period of sorrow, mourning and grief, Aaron believe that it
was better for him to abstain from partaking until the time of mourning had
passed. His reason is entirely legitimate and in many respects honourable, he
realised the great disrespect and dishonour his sons displayed towards God. He
may also have felt some form of responsibility, he was the High Priest, he
should have been impressing upon his sons the importance of obedience, and he
was their father, he should have been encouraging them to obedience. Aaron
feels this sorrow and grief, this sense of accountability and failure, and thus
he seeks in his sorrow to abstain for a time. Aaron was not failing, nor was he
being disobedient, he was seeking to display contrition, sorrow and repentance.
He ensured his sons offered up the offers and ate their portion, therefore
performing the service on behalf of the people. But also was leading by example
in terms of his response to disobedience, sin and the judgement of God.
We can learn from this passage that sin and the discipline of God
should move us to respond in the appropriate manner, and to make that response
before we seek to worship God. It is important that we display sorrow and grief
over our sin, and that we diligently, humbly seek God in repentance. We need to
understand that our sin has a direct impact on our relationship with God, we
cannot dismiss it, or push it aside as though it was unimportant. God takes sin
seriously, He is grieved by it and wants us to walk and live in a better way.
If we are His children it is important that we display the same reaction and
attitude to sin. This highlights the importance of daily repentance and the
preparation of our hearts and minds before we seek to gather for public
worship. Let us not make the mistake of taking our sin lightly, or of taking
the grace of God for granted, rather let us maintain humble, repentant hearts
and lives that constantly strive after holiness.
Merciful Father, we realise that we so
often fail to walk in holiness before You, we sin time and time again. Help us
to see the ugliness and horror of sin, help us to understand how much it
grieves You, negatively impacts on our relationship with You and destroys our
relationships with others. We ask that You may help us to cultivate hearts and
lives that love You and strive ever more after walking in holiness. Search our
hearts today, refine and purify us, help us to walk away from sin and
temptation and to live for the glory and honour of Your Name. Amen.
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