"Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace." (Leviticus 10:3)

It had been a very bad day for Aaron. His two sons had died because of their offering strange fire in the Tabernacle. Sorrow surely gripped his heart when he beheld his dead sons lying on the Tabernacle floor. Then Moses told Aaron that this judgment emphasized the necessity of coming to God in the right way. After Moses' statement, our Bible says Aaron held his peace. What an honorable reaction to it all. This showed that Aaron recognized the sin of his sons, accepted the judgment sentence from God upon his boys, and put priority upon his serving God.

It is easy to recognize sin in others; but when it comes home to your own family, it is often a different story. We argue that what our family did was not evil. Parents are often this way about their children at school. But Aaron did not argue. He recognized that what his two boys did in the Tabernacle was wrong. His standard of right and wrong did not change just because his own family did wrong.

Aaron did not argue about the severity of the judgment either. How noble. People often complain that the courts are too easy on crime. But let their own child be punished at school or in the courts and they will complain that the judgment was far too harsh and severe. Especially do people not like the judgment of God upon sin. If a preacher preaches about hell, many in the congregation will complain that he lacks love. Many even refuse to believe in hell. They do not accept the Divine sentence of judgment upon sin.

In spite of his troubles, Aaron kept serving God faithfully as High Priest. He did not let grief overcome him. And he did not get angry with God and quit because God punished his boys. One of the worst things we can do in a time of sorrow is quit doing our duty. And even worse is to blame God for our troubles and turn away from Him. Aaron had a better way. He held his peace. Let us do likewise.