Hold Your Peace
By: Zach Collins
“And Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD spoke, saying: ‘By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; And before all the people I must be glorified.’” So Aaron held his peace.”Numbers 10:3
It is a heart-wrenching scene. Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, come before God and offer “strange fire” before the altar, which He had not commanded, and thus fire devoured them instantly. The definition of “strange fire” is up for discussion – nonetheless, we can conclude it was an offering of worship that was not commanded nor accepted. But what is more shocking? Is it the response of God to the strange fire of Nadab and Abihu? Or is it the response of God, through Moses, by giving Aaron and his sons a lecture on the importance of “coming near God” in holiness – a fact that is exemplified by the death of his children. There, in the place of worship, they found death instead of blessing. As Aaron beheld the manner of his son’s sins and death, he was given the last impression of his two sons, disobedience.
I have no bearing on the meaning of losing a child, but I know many who have buried sons and daughters. In our conversations, it is evident that a hole punctures your heart, which never heals, and the mourning process takes many forms, often being expressed in tears and uncontrollable emotion. Your life changes instantly. There is no reason to suppose that Aaron did not love his two sons, nor feel the pride a father shares in watching his sons follow in his footsteps (c.f., Exodus 24). Two proud sons gone because of one mistake. Now, Aaron would have to cope with a simple truth that many angry parents, of past and future, have accused of God, “It is your fault!” But, amazingly, amid unimaginable pain, Aaron “held his peace.”
In Leviticus 10, we find a crisis in the life of Aaron – a crisis involving his own family. It is a crisis with which, I would submit, we are gravely familiar. In his response to the death of his sons, I believe Aaron rises above many, many others and a hero emerges. Considering his families’ mistakes, and his own, this hero could have flown in the face of God. He could have offered chastisements against God’s character! He could have attempted to justify his son’s action and his own anger. As High Priest, he could have reviled the results of God’s promises in the life of his own children! But Aaron held his peace.
Let me offer a suggestion in our own life. We must hold our peace with erring Christians, even though we might be bound by blood in two ways. Though Jesus has opened our eyes to His salvation, we are often blinded by the actions of family members that violate His holiness. The efforts of many congregations to rebuke, reproof, and reprimand have been thwarted in the name of “family.” Though the ground at the foot of the cross is level, formidable families, generous givers, and influential individuals are given higher ground, giving the impression that God is a God of partiality. When our earthly family becomes more important than our Heavenly family, and the former impedes the latter, we have lost sight of the Glory-Land and are focusing on our own glory.
When we each come to the crossroad that confronted Aaron in our families, and the fires of correction and condemnation consume our families, hold your peace. Even Aaron knew that, sometimes, his family was wrong. He termed this heart-wrenching situation as “such things that have befallen me” (v. 19) and chose to hold his peace because he sought the commendation of Heaven than any consideration of earth.