Leviticus 10:4-7
And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, “Come near; carry your brothers away from the front of the sanctuary and out of the camp.” So they came near and carried them in their coats out of the camp, as Moses had said. And Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar his sons, “Do not let the hair of your heads hang loose, and do not tear your clothes, lest you die, and wrath come upon all the congregation; but let your brothers, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning that the Lord has kindled. And do not go outside the entrance of the tent of meeting, lest you die, for the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you.” And they did according to the word of Moses.
Tag: Grief and Service to God
The above verses reflect the aftermath of the death of Aaron's two sons, Nadab and Abihu. These two offered an offensive offering to God and were struck dead. Aaron and his other others sons are in the midst of sacrifice and dressed in priestly garb. What is Aaron to do? Moses instructs Nadab and Abihu's cousins to come and remove their body, but Aaron and the other priest, now serving before God, are not to take time to grieve the deaths, least further harm come to them, as well. God has just sent two warnings to the nation of Israel about the holiness of offering to God and the fear and trembling that God demands when approaching Him haphazardly. The first is that God will not tolerate false worship. For the New Testament equivalent we can think of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5. They offered a gift in an unholy way and God struck them dead. God will not tolerate false service and wicked offerings. God wants obedience and a willing and sanctified heart. The second lesson is that grief has a place and a time. In essence Moses is instructing Aaron to control his emotions and allow the nation to grieve for his two sons, but Aaron has a job to do in the regard to the sacrifice. God is holy and expects holiness even in times of grief. Aaron's emotions will have to wait in regard to his loss. God takes priority in his service and even trumps his grief. We may find this hard to understand, but never-the-less that is what is being said here. In the midst of service our emotion must fall second to service for God. That shows the priority of life for us. God is at the center before everything.
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