My father and my brothers were set apart from the rest of our people by the Lord. He made us His Priests. We would help my father in the temple so that we would know how to fulfill our priestly duties when the time came. But I never took my studies very seriously since I had two older brothers who could take care of any problems that arose. I would just help them by keeping the Tabernacle in good condition or performing regular ritual sacrifices.
One ordinary day, my brothers and I went to the Tabernacle to perform a special sacrifice that the Lord had commanded. As the oldest, my brothers Nadab and Abihu always performed special sacrifices, although neither of them liked the extra responsibility. The sacrifice He had ordered was complicated, and my brothers didn’t want to do what had been commanded of them. So, they cut some corners. Rather than preparing the sacrifice that God had commanded, they hastily sprinkled incense on the coal and lit the fire. But the fire didn’t stay contained. It grew, and it grew quickly. My younger brother Ithamar and I managed to escape, but Nadab and Abihu were consumed by the flames. And then, as if the fire was satisfied with this sacrifice, it suddenly ceased burning and disappeared, leaving the Tabernacle completely unharmed.
The death of my brothers was a very difficult time for me. Not only was I mourning Nadab’s and Abihu’s deaths with my family, but I had to learn how to perform what had previously been their Priestly duties. I had to learn to be attentive to the Lord’s voice and to be patient with His commands so that I would not upset Him as my brothers had. And I had to learn how to be a leader and set a good example for my people. I nervously awaited the day that disaster struck and I had to think and act quickly. To prepare for such a day, I studied the Torah diligently, and had my son Phinehas study with me. If we were to be the Lord’s Priests, we would do the job right.
The day of disaster that I had dreaded struck when we were camped in Midianite territory. Some of our people were being seduced by the teachings of the people we were living among. The Midianites spoke of their gods and their horrifying worship practices. If my brothers were smote for offering an unacceptable offering to the One True Lord, imagine what might happen to my people for worshiping false gods! I didn’t want to take any chances, so Phinehas and I warned them. We reminded them of my brothers’ fate. We reminded them of the horrible incident of the golden calf. I pleaded with my people not to repeat the mistakes of their past. “Do not worship false gods,” I cried, “and so bring more death and tragedy on our people!”
Nobody heeded my warnings. My people, the Chosen people of the Lord, chose to continue engaging with the Midianites. And not only did they listen to their teachings and bow before their idols, but they participated in lewd acts with the Midianites, and even intermarried with them. I tore my hair and pleaded with my people again. “Please, my brothers and sisters, do not do this! You are only bringing tragedy on yourselves!” Again, they did not listen. In despair, I collapsed crying. My son tried to comfort me, but I could not be consoled when the images of our past tragedies seemed so fresh in my mind. I decided to talk to my uncle Moses, since he was a very wise man who spoke directly to the Lord. Uncle Moses was commanded to have our judges execute all who had allowed themselves to be yoked to Midian’s gods. For a moment, I resented the Lord for commanding such infliction upon us yet again, but I reminded myself that my people had been warned. They had brought this upon themselves.
Phinehas and I sat beside my uncle and all the judges of Israel as we sat at the entrance to the Tabernacle, discussing what we must do.As we sat there, an Israeli man and a Midianite woman dashed past us, almost imperceptible in the shadow of night. I cried out and tore my beard when I saw them, too afraid to allow myself to imagine what they might be doing. My son, Phineas, allowed his anger to fuel him. Grabbing a nearby spear, he ran after the pair. We all watched as his robe disappeared around the Tabernacle, and sat in silence. I stared at the sand beneath me, too exhausted from fear and grief to even pray. The heavy desert silence smothered me, and my shallow inhales seemed to evaporate into the quiet air. We had all stopped crying and now simply sat and waited to know the result of Phinehas’ passion.
Exodus 28:1-3, Leviticus 10:1, Numbers 3:1-5; Numbers 25
Read The Midianite Affair, Part 2 here
Neglected Word 