Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, "Do not let your hair become unkempt and do not tear your clothes, or you will die and the LORD will be angry with the whole community. But your relatives, all the Israelites, may mourn for those the LORD has destroyed by fire. – Leviticus 10:6

Today's Scripture Reading (December 21, 2024): Leviticus 10

I remember standing in front of my congregation in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks and admitting that I could see the day when the perpetrators of the attack, the ones who planned the attacks and had deceived many, would be brought to justice. However, at that moment, there would be no celebration within me. I would not react with celebration as many of our enemies react when bad stuff happens in North America. I would mourn the death.

The words were surprising, but I explained my position a little more. My mourning would not be because I agreed with the attackers; I disagreed vehemently with the 9/11 attacks. But the day that Osama Bin Laden was paraded into an American court (of course, that never happened; American Seals would kill him on May 2, 2011), what I would mourn was that someone who had so much going for him had decided to waste the gifts that God or Allah had given to him so that he could live as an international thug. It was a waste, and I mourn the waste.

Many disagreed with me. And these objectors had solid ground for their disagreement. Part of their objection was found in the aftermath of the deaths of Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron. Their crime was that they burned an unauthorized fire in the Tabernacle. That means they took upon themselves a task that was not theirs and performed it flippantly, thinking that they were more important than the laws on which the fledgling nation would be built. In the eyes of Nadab and Abihu, God wasn't important; the Sons of Aaron were. And for this sin, two of Aaron's sons had paid the ultimate price.

It was an awful day for Aaron. Not only had he lost two of his sons, but God had stressed that he was not to show any of the typical behaviors of mourning. Moses and his two remaining sons were to ensure their appearance was as crisp as it might be on any other day they had served in the Tabernacle. The issue was not that they were sad at losing the two sons and brothers, but that in displaying their sadness, the message that the people might take away was that Aaron believed that God was wrong. Rene Peter-Contesse adds this thought.

Because the priests were intermediaries between God and his people, they were required more than all others to avoid contact with death. This included both contact with dead bodies and with the whole mourning procedure (Rene Peter-Contesse).

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Leviticus 11