Leviticus 10:6
And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD hath kindled.
After Nadab and Abihu dishonored their priestly office by offering common fire in disobedience to God's command, He struck them dead in burning judgment. Moses then commanded Aaron and his surviving sons Eleazar and Ithamar, while consecrated by the anointing oil for sacred service, not to uncover their heads or tear their clothes in mourning even for their own kin, but to remain at the sanctuary, lest death come on them and wrath come on all the people while the whole house of Israel bewailed the burning. Their senses had been benumbed by wine so they could not distinguish the sacred from the common, warning all who serve God to keep appetite and habit under strict control through temperance of body, soul and spirit. God thereby requires those who come near Him to treat Him as holy and glorify Him before the people, showing how serious it is to approach His work. Aaron in grief remained silent in open acknowledgment that the punishment was just, for any public show of sorrow would have seemed to sympathize with sin and resist God's judgment, and those who mourn the punished instead of sorrowing that God was dishonored array themselves against God and by false sympathy deceive souls who might have been saved.
Setting and Prohibition
Moses spoke these words immediately after Nadab and Abihu dishonored their priestly office by offering strange, common fire instead of sacred fire in disobedience to God's command, and God struck them dead in burning judgment. Their disregard of God's command brought His judgment down upon them. Wine had benumbed and confused their senses so that they could not distinguish sacred things from common things, even sacred from common fire.
The command was given to Aaron and his surviving sons Eleazar and Ithamar, who were consecrated for service by the Lord's anointing oil and were serving in their sacred office. They were not to uncover their heads nor rend their clothes in mourning, even for their own kin. They were to remain at the sanctuary in priestly service rather than mourn outwardly.
Disobedience would bring death upon the priests themselves and divine wrath upon all the people. Their brethren, the whole house of Israel, were instead to bewail the burning which the Lord had kindled. The prohibition was positive and absolute, allowing no exception on any occasion or under any circumstances. Though it was the general custom to rend garments at the death of friends, the high priest alone was excepted from following that custom, and even Aaron was forbidden to show sorrow by rending his garments when his two sons died.
A priest while serving in his sacred office could not follow the custom of tearing his garments even during mourning for the dead. Caiaphas's tearing of his priestly robe therefore violated this command. By that act he disqualified himself from the priesthood and declared judgment upon himself.
Holiness and Temperance
The death of Nadab and Abihu after they dishonored their priestly office by offering strange fire shows that God requires those who serve near Him to treat Him as holy and to be glorified before the people. The command to Aaron and his remaining sons not to show grief, on pain of death and of wrath coming upon the people while the whole house of Israel mourned the burning kindled by the Lord, shows the seriousness of approaching God's work. Those who serve Him must practice strict temperance, keep their whole being under God's protection, and never tempt the Spirit of God.
Wine had benumbed and confused the senses of Aaron's sons so that they used common fire instead of sacred fire and could not distinguish sacred things from common things. Their downfall was caused by appetite, and their account warns that appetite and habits must be kept under strict control. Nothing is to be allowed to impair discernment between what is holy and what is common.
All who have to do with God's work must practice strict temperance and keep body, soul and spirit under God's protection and never tempt God's Spirit. Such intemperance leads toward the sin against the Holy Spirit which is not forgiven in this life or the next. Everyone reaps what is sown, with corruption to those who sow to the flesh.
Grief and False Sympathy
Aaron, though his father's heart was grieved at the dreadful death of his sons in their disobedience, remained silent and restrained his grief without complaint or murmuring. His silence was silent acceptance and open acknowledgment that God's punishment and correction were just, given so that others might fear. He obeyed the ban on outward mourning because he knew God was just, and he and his surviving sons were to remain at the sanctuary in their priestly service. The verse teaches reconciliation to God's just punishments even when wrath comes very near. Any public show of sorrow by uncovering the head or tearing the clothes would have appeared to sympathize with sin and to show resistance to God's judgment. Such a display would have spread a spirit of unreconciliation through the congregation, leading the people to murmur against God. It would have led the people to treat the punished men as objects of sympathy instead of recognizing that God had been dishonored. Those who mourn for the fate of the punished instead of sorrowing because God was dishonored are counted equally guilty with the transgressor. Those who side with a wrongdoer against just reproof share that guilt and may lead others away from repentance. In the last days, those who sympathize with the erring when God's servants reprove them and try to lighten the reproof array themselves against God's servants and against God. By such false sympathy they deceive souls who might otherwise have been saved.