Leviticus 8-10

The priests are consecrated, begin their ministry, and quickly, something goes terribly wrong.

In chapters 8-9, we get the offerings of consecration in exquisite detail. I think the detail here serves a few functions:

1. This was the first time any of this had actually been done. We saw all the sacred items built at the end of Exodus and we get the rules of how to use them in Leviticus 1-7, but here we see it all happening. The repetition here shows that the priests are doing it in accordance with God's command.

2. The details matter. If they are not followed precisely, the priests themselves die.

3. In chapter 9, the priests sacrifice one of everything - bull, calf, goat, lamb, and the grain. The only thing omitted are birds. The priests are getting experience performing many of their duties right at the beginning.

Chapter 10

Two of Aaron's sons make a mistake in the offering/incense and are consumed by fire. Moses directs the sons of his uncle to retrieve their bodies and take them outside of camp. Moses directs Aaron and his sons to stay at their posts and not mourn because they have the Lord's anointing oil on them.

Then, a first - God talks to Aaron. God says don't drink any alcohol before deciding what is pure or not.

The chapter ends with Moses getting mad because Aaron's sons did not eat the holy meat. Aaron steps in and says, "would the Lord be mad that I didn't eat this day?". This satisfies Moses.

I think all the events of Chapter 10 happen on the exact same day. This would explain why Moses is satisfied that Aaron and his sons are not eating. Aaron just lost two sons and is told he cannot mourn in the traditional sense. However, he can abstain from eating the holy meat, which I think he does as a way to mourn.

As for the prohibition on alcohol, my guess is that is what Aaron's sons abused before getting killed. It sounds like the may have had too much to drink and it affected their ability to remember and/or judge the requirements for holy offerings. This killed them.

I also have to wonder how much of this, if any, was tied to Aaron's (or his sons') participation in the golden calf. As far as we know, Aaron was never punished, yet he participated in it. Meanwhile, others that did were killed by the sword or plague. Even if God has forgiven Aaron in light of his chosen place to be the first high priest, we could probably assume that the golden calf incident is forefront on Aaron's mind when something like this happens.