Questions Clarify vs Statements the Condemn - Leviticus 10-12

Leviticus 10:17-20 (ESV Strong's)
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.

Questions Clarify vs Statements the Condemn

Questions seek to clarify, while statements seem to condemn.   In this story (Leviticus) of misunderstanding between Moses and his brother Aaron we have a great example of how to avoid further conflict in a conflicting moment.   The principle we should follow in a problem is to never let how we handle a problem, become a new problem and a more predominant problem.  When Moses "thought" his brother Aaron should have offered a sacrifice in a different manner he could have immediately "condemned" Aaron.  After all we just read the story of Aaron's two sons offering an improper offering and both of the were immediately consumed by fire (see last years devotional).   So, everyone was rather sensitive about "doing the sacrifice" in the proper manner.   If Moses would have made a condemning statement, not only would the situation escalate, he would have been wrong.   But, instead of "confronting" Moses sought to "clarify."   Instead of using an "!", Moses used a "?" at the end of his sentence.  That difference between a straight line and a curved line can make the difference between a bent conversations and a solution.    Once Moses asked a question and Aaron answered it, the thing "seemed" right to Moses.   We do so much poor work in the conflict world when we use periods and exclamation points behind our sentences rather than question marks.   In the next conflict you have make sure you seek to clarify with questions rather than condemn with statements ... hard statements!