Why was eating the sin offering important in Leviticus 10:17? Setting the Scene in Leviticus 10 Aaron’s two eldest sons, Nadab and Abihu, have just died for offering “unauthorized fire” (Leviticus 10:1–2). In the shock of grief, Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, must still finish the day’s sacrificial duties. When Moses discovers that the required sin offering has not been eaten, he confronts them with the words of Leviticus 10:17: “Why did you not eat the sin offering in the sanctuary area? For it is most holy, and He has given it to you to bear the guilt of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the LORD.” God’s Standing Instruction about Sin Offerings • Leviticus 6:25–26: “The priest who offers it shall eat it; it must be eaten in a holy place…” • Leviticus 6:29: “Any male among the priests may eat it; it is most holy.” • Numbers 18:9–10 confirms the same rule for Aaron’s family. Why Eating the Sin Offering Was Crucial 1. Bearing the People’s Guilt • By consuming the sacrifice, the priests visibly “carried” the sin that the animal symbolically bore (Leviticus 10:17). • The act pictured a transfer: the people’s guilt → the animal → the priests → final disposal through priestly bodies and eventual elimination. 2. Completing the Atonement Cycle • The blood on the altar dealt with God’s righteous wrath (Leviticus 17:11). • The eating showed acceptance of the offering and sealed the atonement on behalf of Israel (Leviticus 6:26). 3. Obedience to God’s Explicit Word • The command was not optional. Disobedience—especially after Nadab and Abihu’s judgment—would question God’s holiness (Leviticus 10:3). 4. Priesthood Identification with the People • Sharing the offering forged a solidarity between priests and congregation (Hebrews 5:1–3 alludes to this principle of a priest “subject to weakness”). 5. Divine Provision • God fed His servants from His own table (1 Samuel 2:28). Refusing the meal implied rejecting God’s provision. What Went Wrong That Day • Eleazar and Ithamar burned the remainder instead of eating it (Leviticus 10:16). • Moses feared the atonement had been left unfinished. • Aaron replied that, after the deaths of his sons, eating might have been presumptuous in his grieving state (Leviticus 10:19). God, in mercy, did not punish them further. Foreshadowing the Greater Priest • Jesus “bore our sins in His body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24). • Hebrews 13:11–12 contrasts priests eating sin offerings in the camp with Christ suffering “outside the gate,” showing He fulfilled—and surpassed—the ritual. Key Takeaways • Obedience in worship matters to God. • True mediation requires identifying with the sinner while remaining holy—perfectly accomplished in Christ. • God’s instructions, however detailed, reveal His holiness and His gracious desire to dwell among His people. |
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