The Two Surviving Sons of Aaron
God strikes down Nadab and Abihu for their disobedience. Without any heirs, this means that all the priestly duties now fall to their brothers, Eleazar and Ithamar.
Though all four brothers should have served God together, the work now goes to the two remaining sons of Aaron. As a result, they have twice as much work to do.
As they serve God, we can suspect they do so with much care, remembering the immediate deaths of their brothers for not diligently following God’s detailed instructions.
They’ve seen firsthand what could happen if they disobey. This surely guides them and their work for the rest of their lives.
Though we see nothing in Scripture to confirm the work they do, we also don’t see anything to criticize it. We can, therefore, assume that God affirms their work as his priests.
A Possible Problem
There is one incident, however, where things could have gone awry. Right after their older brothers die, Uncle Moses gives Eleazar and Ithamar some instructions on making offerings.
They don’t do everything Moses expected, and he’s angry. Their father, Aaron, however, intervenes on their behalf, and Moses takes no action against them.
God’s silence in this matter suggests he’s not concerned about what these two priests did.
When have we criticized someone when God may not have cared?
How can we discern between knowing when to stand up for God and when to be silent?
[Read about Eleazar and Ithamar in Leviticus 10:6–20. Discover more in Numbers 3:4.]
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Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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