Aaron

 

    Heroes of the Bible are real people.  That means that you get to see why they are heroes, but also what they struggled with. Aaron was a hero to his people.  He was the older brother of Moses.  He held a vital part of the Jewish history, but he was not perfect.

    Aaron struggled being under his younger brother in command.  He wanted to have the kind of connection that Moses had with God, but God had chosen that special relationship only with Moses.  It was hard.  Their sister didn't help matters either because her jealousy sometimes made her bitter and hard.  God wants a personal relationship with all of us, but it also looks different with each individual.

    Moses was not a very confident man in the role that God placed him in, so God gave Moses his older brother to be the spokesperson.  God would tell Moses what to say and Aaron would relay the message to the leaders and nation.

    When God enters your life it changes everything.  In some ways it turns your life inside out because God starts cleaning out all that you do not need to show you what you do need.  Moses and Aaron needed each other, but that required both of them stepping up in a way that they never had before.  

    When God had Moses leave his home, He also sent Aaron to meet him half way.  I think it was so that they could have some time together before they had to work as a united team.  They did not grow up like brothers, so the relationship was not necessarily natural.  It needed some work.

    Once the work was done in Egypt and the Jewish nation was free from slavery, that is when things take an unfortunate turn.  The people expected immediate relief.  They had not planned on having to live by faith.  It felt like they had gone from a really bad situation to a worse situation.  They just needed to trust God, but like all humans they became impatient.

    Aaron felt a strong connection to the people that he had been raised with, lived with, and served with his entire life.  When they pressured for an idol, he conceded because he wanted them to have something.  It was the wrong choice, but he never claimed to be perfect.  This is where he failed as a leader and as a servant to God.

    He did improve over the years.  He became the head priest and his family line became the lineage of priesthood.  He did step up.  He still was not perfect, but he was a good leader.  He cared.  He prayed.  He worked hard to do the right thing.  He was even anointed into the position.  It was a very formal and detailed event, but if you are going to do something then you need to do it right.  

    It became Aaron's job to take care of the sacrifices (blood spilled) for the nation.  He was responsible for making sure that the nation stayed pure.  It was a heavy responsibility to stay holy and to be responsible for the holiness of an entire nation.  It is not about power, but submission.  It is a calling from God.  

Exodus 4-7, 28-32, Leviticus 8, Numbers 20-33, & Hebrews 5:1-7