Leviticus 21: 10-15, “And he that is the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes; Neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother; Neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the LORD. And he shall take a wife in her virginity. A widow, or a divorced woman, or profane, or an harlot, these shall he not take: but he shall take a virgin of his own people to wife. Neither shall he profane his seed among his people: for I the LORD do sanctify him.”
The high priest had the most important role in representing the Lord to the people and representing the people to the Lord. His special place in the ceremonial rituals of Israel required that he abide by a very high standard in his personal life. Death was the primary result of sin and hence could cause ceremonial defilement if someone came in contact with a dead person. However, death also leads to separation, for the present at least, from loved ones. In this way death could lead to a state of hopelessness among those who are left behind. Every year the high priest went right into the most holy place and came face to face with the Lord so he was expected to show proper respect for eternal issues when confronted by temporal issues. He also had to make sure that he didn’t pollute his office by marrying an unsuitable wife.
(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
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