Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus 10:12-20.
“Then Moses spoke to Aaron, and to his surviving sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, “Take the grain offering that is left over from the LORD’S offerings by fire and eat it unleavened beside the altar, for it is most holy. You shall eat it, moreover, in a holy place, because it is your due and your sons’ due out of the LORD’S offerings by fire; for thus I have been commanded. The breast of the wave offering, however, and the thigh of the offering you may eat in a clean place, you and your sons and your daughters with you; for they have been given as your due and your sons’ due out of the sacrifices of the peace offerings of the sons of Israel. The thigh offered by lifting up and the breast offered by waving they shall bring along with the offerings by fire of the portions of fat, to present as a wave offering before the LORD; so it shall be a thing perpetually due you and your sons with you, just as the LORD has commanded.”
But Moses searched carefully for the goat of the sin offering, and behold, it had been burned up! So he was angry with Aaron’s surviving sons Eleazar and Ithamar, saying, “Why did you not eat the sin offering at the holy place? For it is most holy, and He gave it to you to bear away the guilt of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the LORD. Behold, since its blood had not been brought inside, into the sanctuary, you should certainly have eaten it in the sanctuary, just as I commanded.” But Aaron spoke to Moses, “Behold, this very day they presented their sin offering and their burnt offering before the LORD. When things like these happened to me, if I had eaten a sin offering today, would it have been good in the sight of the LORD?” When Moses heard that, it seemed good in his sight.” Leviticus 10:12-20.
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Moses’ question was: “Why did you not eat the sin offering at the holy place?”
Aaron’s answer was: “When things like these happened to me, if I had eaten a sin offering today, would it have been good in the sight of the LORD?”
“When Moses heard that, it seemed good in his sight.”
So, let us first consider what happened to Aaron as shown in the same chapter of Leviticus chapter 10.
First, “Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange fire before the LORD which He had not commanded them. And fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. Leviticus 10:1-2.
Second, “Then Moses said to Aaron, “It is what the LORD spoke, saying,
‘By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy,
And before all the people I will be honored.’”
So Aaron, therefore, kept silent.” Leviticus 10:3.
Third, “The LORD then spoke to Aaron, saying, “Do not drink wine or strong drink, neither you nor your sons with you, when you come into the tent of meeting, so that you will not die—it is a perpetual statute throughout your generations— and so as to make a distinction between the holy and the profane, and between the unclean and the clean, and so as to teach the sons of Israel all the statutes which the LORD has spoken to them through Moses.” Leviticus 10:8-10.
Consider that these things likely caused Aaron to silently grieve the burning of his sons Nadab and Abihu and tremble in fear at the words of Moses and the LORD that he (Aaron) could do something that would also result in his death too.
Although the sin offering was not specifically mentioned in the first paragraph of today’s Scripture, other offerings were mentioned and that eating those offerings was “your due and your sons’ due”. But, in contrast, we do notice the law of sin offering in Leviticus 6:24-30 and that nothing was said that eating it was due Aaron, or in other word, optional. Rather, it was simply commanded: “The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it. It shall be eaten in a holy place, in the court of the tent of meeting.” Leviticus 6:26.
Nevertheless, as we have reviewed, this was an extraordinary day for Aaron. Whether or not the following Scriptures provide an excuse for Aaron’s refraining from eating the sin offering, it seems profitable to consider the following Scriptures in today’s devotion.
“2 It is better to go to a house of mourning
Than to go to a house of feasting,
Because that is the end of every man,
And the living takes it to heart.
3 Sorrow is better than laughter,
For when a face is sad a heart may be happy.
4 The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning,
While the mind of fools is in the house of pleasure.
5 It is better to listen to the rebuke of a wise man
Than for one to listen to the song of fools.” Ecclesiastes 7:2-5.
“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10. King James Version.
“All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body.” 1 Corinthians 6:12-13.
Specifically considering the Lord’s Supper and how we remember Christ and His sin offering, there are times when we should refrain from eating it when we examine ourselves and consider that our mind is not right and that we may eat it in an unworthy manner. See 1 Corinthians 11:17-34.
“All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify. …
Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 6:23 and 31.
“Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.” Revelation 4:11.
“And they *sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,
“Great and marvelous are Your works,
O Lord God, the Almighty;
Righteous and true are Your ways,
King of the nations!
4 “Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name?
For You alone are holy;
FOR ALL THE NATIONS WILL COME AND WORSHIP BEFORE YOU,
FOR YOUR RIGHTEOUS ACTS HAVE BEEN REVEALED.” Revelation 15:3-4.
“And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying,
“To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.” Revelation 5:13.
“After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying,
“Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God;” Revelation 19:1.
“For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” Romans 11:36.
Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions 