Leviticus 10:12 - Meaning and Application

Moses here tells Aaron to go on with his work after this interruption. Trouble should stir us up to duty, not pull us away from it. Notice that the Lord spoke to Aaron and to his sons who were left. Their survival mattered. It reminded Aaron that God had still spared two of his sons, so he had reason to be thankful for what remained and to keep serving with a willing heart.

God’s sparing them also put a duty on them to keep serving. Four priests had been set apart together, and two had been taken away. The two who remained should try to make up for the loss with extra care and diligence in priestly work. Moses now repeats the instructions he had already given them about eating their share of the sacrifices.

The priests needed to learn not only to tell the holy from the common, as they had already been taught, but also to tell the difference between what was most holy and what was only holy. The part of the grain offering left for the priest was most holy, so Aaron and his sons had to eat it in the court of the tabernacle. But the breast and right thigh from the peace offerings could be eaten in any proper place outside the tabernacle court, and they could be shared by the women of the family. Grain offerings were joined to burnt offerings and were meant entirely for God’s honor. Peace offerings were meant to support the people’s joy and comfort, so they were not held in the same way.

Moses does not explain why this difference existed. He simply says, “For so I am commanded.” That was reason enough. He had delivered what he had received from the Lord (1 Corinthians 11:23).

Then Moses asks about one departure from the rule that seems to have happened that day. A goat had been sacrificed as a sin offering for the people. The law said that if the blood of a sin offering was brought into the holy place, as it was for the priest’s sin offering, then the meat had to be burned outside the camp. If the blood was not brought in, then the priests were to eat it in the holy place (Leviticus 6:30). The meaning is explained here: the priests were bearing the guilt of the congregation, and they pictured the one who would be made sin for us, on whom the Lord would lay the guilt of us all.

In this case, the goat’s blood had not been brought into the holy place, yet the meat had been burned outside the camp. Moses gives a mild rebuke to Aaron and his sons for this mistake. Again they are called the sons who were left, which should have made them more careful. Moses was angry, even though he was the meekest man on earth. He could be angry when God was being disobeyed, dishonored, or when the priesthood was in danger. Still, he dealt gently with Aaron and his sons because of their grief. He only said they should have eaten the offering in the holy place, and he was willing to hear their side. He did not want to deepen the sorrow of men whom God had already struck.

Aaron gives a careful excuse for the mistake. Moses had charged Eleazar and Ithamar, but it is likely Aaron had directed what they did, so he answered for it. He might have argued that this was a sin offering for the congregation, and that if it had been a bull it would have been wholly burned (Leviticus 4:21). But the matter had been ordered differently this time, so Aaron explains his action from the pain he was under. He says, in effect, “Such things have happened to me.” He means terrible things that cut deeply into his heart and left him overwhelmed. He was high priest, but he was still a man and could not turn off natural love for his sons just because he wore holy garments. He had kept silent before God, yet his sorrow was still real, as David’s was (Psalm 39:2).

A sincere heart can be truly resigned to God and still feel grief deeply. It is easy to say much about how hard a trouble is, but it is better to speak little. Aaron also uses his grief to explain why he did not follow the rule about the sin offering. He could not have eaten it except in mourning, with a sad heart, and he feared that would not be accepted. The main thing we should seek in all worship is God’s acceptance, especially in the Lord’s Supper, which is our sharing in the sin offering. Heavy sorrow can badly hinder holy duty. It unsettles us and makes us slow and heavy, like a cart whose wheels are stuck (1 Samuel 1:7-8). It also displeases God, who wants us to serve him gladly (Deuteronomy 12:7). Mourners’ bread was considered unclean (Hosea 9:4). See also (Malachi 3:14).

Moses accepts Aaron’s excuse and is content. Perhaps he saw that they had done what they could under the circumstances, and that God had already made allowance for what could not be eaten by allowing it to be burned. When our lack of fitness for duty is natural and not sinful, God makes room for that weakness. He wants mercy, not sacrifice. At the least, Moses saw that the fault was less serious because Aaron truly wanted God’s approval. Those who honestly aim at God’s acceptance, with an upright heart, will find that he is not severe in marking every mistake. We should be careful not to judge every small error harshly, since we ourselves could be tempted too.