Their sacrifices shall be unto them as the bread of mourners

Their sacrifices shall be to them as the bread of mourners.

The Hebrew may be taken substantively, or adjectively, as thus: For the bread of mourning, or the bread of mourners, either of both two may be taken according to the original, Now by the bread of mourners is here meant unclean bread.

For so it is interpreted afterwards, It shall be unclean.

But why the bread of mourners unclean? This Text has reference to what you read in (Numbers 19:11, 14), you may read there, that the dead body of a man it did defile whatever touched it, yes, whatever came near it, and all those that were at funerals that did mourn for the dead, that came to the place where the dead body was, to mourn with the friends for the dead, they became unclean by the dead body. And that's observable, that the dead body of a beast did not make men so unclean (by legal uncleanness) as the dead body of a man did. The dead body of a beast made one unclean but only till the evening, in (Numbers 11:31), but the dead body of a man made a man unclean seven days. So you shall find in the former chapter of Numbers, that they must be seven days before they could be cleansed; and this was to note: That there were more remarkable expressions of the anger of God upon the sin of man in the dead body of a man, than in the dead body of a beast; one made unclean but till evening, and the other seven days. But the reason why there was this uncleanness from the dead body, was:

First, To note the uncleanness that there is in sin, in dead works, that those that did meddle with them they were polluted, yes, the uncleanness that there is in coming near to sinners; the coming but near to them, all that was in the tent was polluted.

Secondly, It was to show, how little pleasing to God funeral mournings are, for they were made unclean by them: they were made unclean by their funeral mournings, for this bread of mourners is the bread that they eat in their funerals. The Gentiles did mourn for their dead in an inordinate manner, exceedingly; and God would have a difference between his people's mourning for the dead, and their mourning, because that he would keep up his people's faith, and the hope of resurrection from the dead, whereas had they had liberty to mourn so excessively as the Heathens did, by this means the very faith and hope of resurrection from the dead might in time even almost have been extinguished, therefore God would have them take heed of that, and therefore he did so ordain in the Ceremonial Law, that all the mourners for the dead they should be unclean for so long a time. As for any that does give liberty in their natural affections, and does not hold the reins of them in their mourning for the dead, I would apply to them that Scripture, in (Jeremiah 31:15, 16): Thus says the Lord, A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation, and bitter weeping, RACHEL weeping for her CHILDREN, refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not. But now, Thus says the Lord, Refrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears, your work shall be rewarded, and your children shall come back again. So it followed afterwards. Do not weep as others, let us not mourn as others that have no hope, remember that the mourners for the dead in the Law they were to be unclean for seven days.

Thirdly, it was to note this, That God would have cheerfulness in his service, and therefore the bread of mourners is accounted polluted. In (Leviticus 10:19) we read of Aaron when there was such an occasion of mourning as ever was almost for a man, for the death of his children that were so eminent in office, and were destroyed so with such a visible hand of God (fire from Heaven) when Moses was angry that the Priests had not eaten of the sin offering, says Aaron, If I had eaten of the sin offering today, should it have been accepted? It would have been but as the bread of mourners. I that have been struck this day, and am in such a dreadful condition, Would God have regarded the sin offering? God required joy in his services in (Deuteronomy 12:7, 18), and hence that profession was required in (Deuteronomy 26:13, 14): Then you shall say before the Lord your God, I have brought away the hallowed things out of mine house, and also have given them to the Levite, and to the Stranger, to the Fatherless, and to the Widow, according to all the Commandments which you have commanded me, I have not transgressed your Commandments, neither have I forgotten them. And then in the 14th verse, I have not eaten thereof in my mourning &c.

They were to profess this to God, That they had not eaten thereof in their mourning; this was to show, that sacrifices offered with a sinking heart in sorrow, is not pleasing to God, God loves a cheerful giver. We must not pine away in our iniquities, sullenness and dumpishness even in sorrow for sin it sours our spirits and services, and makes them unacceptable to God; (I say) a sullen, dumpishness of spirit, though it be in sorrow for sin, it sours our spirits and makes our services unacceptable to God. There is a groaning and a sighing one to another, or rather, against one another: that is condemned in Scripture in (James 5:9), the words in your books are thus, Grudge not one against another, but in the original, Sigh not, or groan not one against another; you shall have many that in company with others have a pensive dumpish spirit, sighing and groaning, and making their society to be burdensome to others. Says the holy Ghost, do not sigh and groan one to another, there is a sullen dumpish sighing of spirit and dejection of soul that is as unpleasing to God as it is to men, it pollutes the heart, and pollutes duty.

But (you will say) Is all mourning forbidden? That here the holy Ghost should say, Their offerings should be as the bread of mourners. Christ says, blessed are the mourners, and the sacrifice of God is a contrite heart.

It's true, an evangelical sorrow is accepted, but that has sweetness in it, it is not bitter, that's not a dejected spirit, it's not a mourning that causes dejection or sullenness, or straightness of spirit, but that mourning does enlarge the heart and makes it active for God. Hence in Ezra (9:5), although we read before that Ezra was astonished at the sin of the people, yet says he, at the 5th verse, I arose from my heaviness at the evening sacrifice, when the time came that I should sacrifice to God my heaviness did not hinder me in holy duties. But how many are there that sink down in their heaviness, and when God calls upon them for any duty, they cannot arise, they are so over-burdened with heavy spirits? There they sink down in a sullen way, and shall God accept of such a service as this is? You may please yourselves in it and think it is humiliation, but there may be much pride in dejection; there is none so proud a spirit as the Devil is, and yet no spirit so dejected as the Devil is. Lead we know it melts soonest, but it consumes in the melting: and many times there may be such a spirit that may be ready to sorrow upon any occasion, and to melt, but it's such a melting as consumes the strength of it that it is unfit for any service that God calls for. Now such services as you in such a mourning way tender up to God are not accepted of him. Remember this text, Their offering shall be as the bread of mourning.

Gualter has a note from this: God would not accept of the offering of mourners, they were unclean, yet (says he) there are many that seek to get their greatest gain from funeral mournings, and fall to inveighing against them that get gain that way. As their priests and officers that use to tend upon funerals for gain, he calls them vultures and crows that do flock to dead bodies, and sepulcher dogs (those are his words) that seek to get advantage by funerals. And we know heretofore what abundance of advantage there was gotten by funerals, scarce could you bury a child under three or four pounds, such kind of fees there were, and made them even rejoice when others did mourn, and getting a great part of their livelihood from the bread of mourners.

And Theophylact has another note from this place, The bread of mourners. That is, those things offered to God gotten by oppression, as thus; suppose a man or woman gets an estate, and gets it in an oppressing way, it may be they are at home and merry, but it may be the poor children or widow is mourning for those morsels that you are rejoicing in. But it is the first note that is the most according to the mind of the Holy Ghost, the mourning that has respect to the funerals, and so especially at the dejection of spirit in holy duties. It follows,