A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Leviticus · Chapter 10
CHAP. X.
Verſ. 1. ANd Nadab and Abihu the ſonnes of Aaron took either of them his c…nſer, &c.]
No doubt Moſes had taught them and enjoyned them that after they had offered the ſacrifices on the altar of burnt-offerings then they ſhould go into the tabern…cle, and there ſhould light the lamps, and burn incenſe on the altar of incenſe, as God had commanded, Exod. 30. 7. Aaron ſhall burn thereon ſweet incenſe every morning; when he dreſſeth the lamps he ſhall burn incenſe on it, that is, on the altar of incenſe: but withall doubtleſſe he had given them direction to uſe in this ſervice onelyonly the fire of the altar of burnt-offerings, which was kindled by fire from heaven: for though this be onelyonly implyed covertly, Levit. 6. 13. The fire ſhall ever be burning upon the altar, it ſhall never go out, yet I make no queſtion but that it was more fully given them in charge, as afterward again, Levit. 16. 10. where direction is given for Aarons going into the moſt holy place, He ſhall take a cenſer of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord, and his hands full of ſweet incenſe beaten ſmall, and bring it within the vail. But now Nadab and Abihu, raſhly and inconſiderately forgetting or neglecting their duty in this particular, took ſome other …ire in their cenſers, that perhaps wherewith they had ſod and dreſſed the …leſh of their ſacrifices, and putting incenſe thereon to carry it and lay it upon the altar of incenſe, and ſo offered ſtrange fire before the Lord, that is, the fire which he commanded them not, and ſo were ſeverely puniſhed for it, as is afterwards expreſſed. Now that this happened that very eighth day whereof mention is made, Chap. 9. 1. immediately after thoſe firſt ſacrifices were conſumed by fire from the Lord, may be gathered by that which follows from verſ. 12. to the end of the chapter, which plainly concerneth thoſe ſacrifices whereof we reade in the former chapter. And thus God taught them betimes the weakneſſe of the Leviticall prieſthood, and withall with what fear and exact care it was fit they ſhould carry themſelves in the ſervice of God.
Verſ. 2. And there went out fire from the Lord and devoured them.]
That is, killed them, as the ſword is ſaid to devoure, 2. Sam. 2. 26. Then Abner called to Joab and ſaid, Shall the ſword devoure for ever? For that neither their bodies nor clothes were burnt to aſhes, appears verſe 5. So they went near and carried them in their coats out of the camp.
Verſ. 3. Then Moſes ſaid un…o Aaron, This is it that the Lord ſpake, ſaying, I will be ſanctified, &c.]
The ſubſtance of theſe following words is in many places to be found, as Exod. 19. 22. And let the prieſts alſo that come near to the Lord ſanctifie themſelves leſt the Lord break forth upon them: again, Levit. 8. 35. Therefore ſhall ye abide at the doore of the tabernacle of the congregation day and night ſeven dayes, and keep the charge of the Lord, that ye dye not; and this is ſufficient. Yet happely theſe very words alſo at ſome other time were ſpoken by God, though not written. As for the words themſelves, I will be ſanctified by them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified, the meaning of them is, that God will have thoſe that come nigh him carry themſelves as become thoſe that ſerve ſo holy a God, with all poſſible care and reverence and fear, and that God will elſe manifeſt his holineſſe in puniſhing them, Ezek. 28. 22. Behold, I am againſt …hee O Zidon, and I will be glorified in the midst of thee: Two arguments are therefore herein couched to keep Aaron from murmuring: 1. becauſe the puniſhment was juſt: 2. becauſe God ſhould be glorified hereby, and both the people and his poſterity receive good by it.
And Aaron held his peace.]
That is, though happely at firſt he began to take on pitifully, and to give too much liberty to his paſſions, yet hearing thoſe words of Moſes, he preſently checked himſelf, laid his hand upon hi… mouth, and not a word more would he ſpeak. And doubtleſſe this is noted as a notable inſtance of his piety and quiet ſubmiſſion to Gods good will and pleaſure: and that his carriage was herein moſt ſingalarly remarkable we ſhall ſee, if we note theſe particulars: Firſt, that he had now loſt two of his ſonnes, yea his two eldeſt ſonnes together at a clap. We know what Rebeckah in great angaiſh of ſoul ſaid to Jacob when his brother Eſau had reſolved to kill him, Gen. 27. 45. Go, …lie to Paran; why ſhould I be deprived of you bo…h in one day? Secondly, that they were cut off ſuddenly, by an untinely death, as we uſe to ſay, when neither themſelves not their poore father did ever dream of any ſuch danger: Thirdly, that they were cut off by a way which might ſeem to teſtifie Gods hot diſpleaſure againſt them; for they were devoured by fire from God, the Lord by the manner of their death pointing out the ſinne for which they were ſtricken: and what father had not rather loſe all his ſtock of children in an ordinary way, then have execution done upon any one of them by Gods immediate hand in ſuch a terrible manner? Fourthly, that it was at a time when …heir hearts no doubt were as full of joy as ever they could hold, it being the firſt day of their entring upon that high honour of their prieſtly function; and in ſuch a ſunſhine of Gods favour to be ſo ſuddenly thunderſtruck muſt needs adde to their calamity: And laſt of all, that they were cut off with ſuch ſeverity for ſo ſmall an offenſe as reaſon might judge of it, onelyonly for taking fire to burn the incenſe from one place when they ſhould have taken it from another, and that not purpoſely done, but onelyonly through miſtake, an errour into which, when they had ſo much to do, and were yet unacquainted with the ſervice, they might eaſily fall.
Verſ. 4. And Moſes called Miſhael and Elzaphan the two ſonnes of Ʋzziel, the uncle of Aaron, &c.]
The neareſt kindred it ſeems uſed to perform this office of carrying the dead to be buried, and their brethren the prieſts might not leave their miniſtery, therefore Aarons coſin germans are appointed to do it.
Verſ. 6. Ʋncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes, &c.]
The ſeverall laws that concern the prieſts mourning for their dead friends we have largely ſet down in the one and twentieth chapter of this book, where the inferiour priefts are allowed to be mourners at the buriall of a brother, though the high prieſt is forbidden it. But this is a ſpeciall charge for this preſent occaſion onelyonly and ſo here not onelyonly Aaron but alſo his ſonnes that remained ſtill alive are forbidden all the uſuall ſolemnities of mourning for Nadab and Abihu, not to uncover t…eir heads, nor to rend their clothes, nor to go out from the doore of the tabernacl… … the congr…gation: and that firſt, bec…uſe it was an extraordinary judgemen… of God that was fallen upon their brethren, and they were to teſtifie their …bmiſſi… thereu… by not lamenting their death; Secondly, becauſe the ſolemnity and ſervice of the d…y might not be interrupted; being newly anointed, and now at this time prepared for their firſt entring upon the execution of their prieſtly office, they might not break off this ſervice to attend the buriall of their brethren. But why are they injoyned not to uncover their heads? ſince it may ſeem by other places that it was not the cuſtome of mourners amongſt the Jews to uncover their heads, but rather to cover them? as we may ſee, 2. Sam. 15. 30. David went up the aſcent of mount Olivet, and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot, and all the people that was with him covered every man his head, and they went up weeping as they went up: and ſo again, chap. 19. 4. But the king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voyce, Oh my ſonne Abſolom, O Abſolom my ſonne, my ſonne: See alſo Jer. 14. 3, 4. The anſwer is, that the prieſts are here injoyned not to uncover their heads, that is, not to take off their miters and bonnets which they wore on their heads, to the end they might not addreſſe themſelves in the way of mourners to attend the buriall of Nadab and Abihu, to wit, by covering their heads with the uſuall vail or covering of mourners. The chief aim of this command was to intimate why they might not go out as mourners to the buriall of their brethren, to wit, becauſe they might not put off their prieſtly attire, and ſo give over the ſervice they had in hand, the rather becauſe they were newly conſecrated, and there were ſo few of them to attend the ſervice.
Verſ. 9. Do not drink wine or ſtrong drink. &c.]
Nadab and Abihu, though not through wine, had erred not in putting a difference betwixt holy and profane: upon this occaſion God gives charge that other things which might occaſion the like errour may be avoyded.
Verſ. 12. Take the meat-offering that remaineth, &c.]
Namely the remainder of the meat-offering that is mentioned chap. 9. ver. 17. Which Moſes calls upon them to eat according to the directions formerly given them; 1. Thereby to incourage Aaron and his ſonnes to go on in their ſervice, leſt they ſhould have doubted becauſe of the late judgement upon Nadab and Abihu whether God would ever be pleaſed that they ſhould any more meddle with his ſacrifices: 2. Becauſe this ſudden deſtruction of their brethren had let them ſee how exactly carefull they had need to be that all things were done according to Gods appointment; and thirdly, Becauſe there was great danger leſt being diſturbed by this heavy and unexpected accident they ſhould forget or neglect their duty herein, eſpecially in this particular of eating the meat-offering, it being uſuall with men in ſorrow to refuſe their meat.
Verſ. 13. And ye ſhall eat it in the holy place, &c.]
That is, the court of the Sanctuary, as Levit. 6. 16. And the remainder thereof ſhall Aaron and his ſonnes eat with unleavened bread; it ſhall be eaten in the holy place, in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation they ſhall eat it.
Verſ. 14. And the wave-breast and heave-ſhoulder ſhall be eaten in a clean place, &c.]
Moſes here alſo puts them in mind to eat the ſhoulder and breaſt, to wit, of the peoples peace-offerings, Levit. 9▪ 21. And the breaſt and right ſhoulder Aaron waved for a wave-offering before the Lord; and that in a clean place, meaning the camp of Iſrael, and in ages following the citie of Jeruſalem, where the like holy things were eaten.
Thou and thy ſonnes, and thy daughters with thee.]
Namely ſuch as were onelyonly maids, widows, and divorced returned to their fathers houſe, ſee Levit. 22. 11, 12. where others are alſo mentioned that might eat of them.
Verſ. 16. And Moſes diligently ſought the goat of the ſinne-offering, &c.]
Amongſt other things wherein Moſes feared leſt Aaron and his ſonnes ſhould offend by reaſon of the ſorrow which God had brought upon them, this was one thing, he doubted leſt they ſhould omit the eating of the ſinne-offering, and therefore he ſought diligently to ſee what was done with it, to wit, that goat of the ſin-offering ſpoken of Levit. 9. 15. And he tooke the goat which was the ſinne-offering, &c. as appeareth verſ. 10. of this chapter, where Moſes ſaith it was given them to bear the iniquitie of the congregation. Indeed it is clear that the ſinne-offering for the congregation was to be carried without the camp, and burnt by that law, Levit. 4. 21. And he ſhall carry forth the bullock without the camp, and burn him as he burned the firſt bullock. But then the bloud of that ſinne-offering was carried within the tabernacle, Levit 4. 16, 17. Now becauſe Aaron had not yet acceſſe into the holy place, till he had prepared a way by theſe firſt ſacrifices in the court, therefore the bloud of this ſinne-offering was not brought into the tabernacle as in an extraordinary caſe, and conſequently it was not to be burnt without the camp, but to be eaten by the prieſts, by that other law, Levit. 6. 26, 30. The prieſt that offereth it for ſinne ſhall eat it, in the holy place ſhall it be eaten, in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation, &c. This Aaron and his ſonnes in their grief either forgetting or not duly conſidering did burn it without the camp, which was not according to the law. See the note upon Levit. 9. 15.
And he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, &c.]
Though Aaron was alſo in fault, and Moſes in reproving Eleazar and Ithamar his ſonnes in his preſence did alſo reprove him; yet he bends his anger chiefly againſt his ſonnes (as ſparing what he could the father in reg…rd of his late heavie loſſe of his two other ſonnes) his ſons, faith the text, that were left alive, which is added to intimate one chief cauſe of his anger, namely, that they notwithſtanding they had ſeen what was done to their brethren had expoſed themſelves to like danger but that God in mercy ſpared them.
Verſ. 18. Behold the bloud of it was not brought in, &c.]
Therefore it ſhould have been eaten and not burnt. See the former note upon verſ. 16.
Verſ. 19. And Aaron ſaid unto Moſes, Behold this day they have offered their ſinne-offering, &c.]
This apology of Aarons conſiſts of three parts: 1. That though they had failed in this particular, yet the main had not been neglected, the ſacrifices had been duly offered: 2. That their failing in the rites and ceremonies requiſite was by reaſon of grief, occaſioned by thoſe dolefull accidents which had ſo lately befallen them: 3. That this might now extenuate his fault (though happely he did not omit it upon that reaſon) that if they had eaten the ſinne-offering it would not have been acceptable to the Lord; becauſe of that heavineſſe and ſorrow that was upon them, which made them unfit and unworthy to eat thoſe holy things, for the law requires them that eat before the Lord to rejoyce. See Deut. 12. 7. & 26. 14. Hoſe. 9. 4.
Verſ. 20. And when Moſes heard that, he was content.]
Either as approving his fact, and allowing his excuſe to be ſufficient; or elſe rather as finding it a leſſe fault then he ſuppoſed it had been, to wit, that he did it not willingly but of humane frailty and perplexed with grief: whereupon he paſſeth it by with pity, as loth to adde affliction to affliction, and perhaps deferred his further admonition till another time.