Who was Aaron in the BIble?

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TL;DR:

Aaron was vital to the exodus of the Israelites and the leadership of the people. His life demonstrates God’s holiness and grace.

from the old testament

  • Aaron first appears in Scripture when he is around eighty-three years old. God speaks to him saying, "Go into the wilderness to meet Moses" (Exodus 4:27).
  • Aaron was three years older than Moses (Exodus 7:7) and was likely born before Pharaoh's decree to kill all newborn male Hebrew babies (Exodus 1:15–22).
  • Whatever Aaron thought about his Egyptian-raised, murderous younger brother, Aaron obeyed God and met Moses (Exodus 4:27).
  • God chose Aaron as Moses' spokesperson (Exodus 7:1) to confront Pharaoh and bring the plagues upon Egypt. His staff was used to perform miracles (Exodus 7:8–13).
  • Moses told Aaron all God foretold him about His plan to bring the people out of Egypt. Aaron and Moses "gathered together all the elders of the people of Israel. Aaron spoke all the words that the LORD had spoken to Moses and did the signs in the sight of the people. And the people believed" (Exodus 4:29–31).
  • After the Hebrews escaped from Egypt, Aaron called the people before the LORD as He appeared to them in a cloud and blessed them with quail and manna (Exodus 16).
  • During a battle with the Amalekites, the Israelites experienced victory when Moses' arms were raised. Moses became exhausted, so Aaron and Hur each held up one of his arms (Exodus 17:8–16). Aaron was a faithful helper to Moses and was committed to his people, the Israelites.
  • Aaron's most important role was as high priest. God instructed Moses to anoint Aaron and his family to serve as priests in the tabernacle and later in the temple (Exodus 28—29).
  • The high priests were to come from the tribe of Levi and specifically from Aaron’s family line. They would be responsible for maintaining the dwelling place of God's Spirit. The priests served in the tabernacle, served as judges (Deuteronomy 17:8–13), and served as teachers of God’s law (Deuteronomy 33:10). The high priest made decisions to guide the nation (Numbers 27:21), and he would offer sacrifices on the Day of Atonement to cover the sins of all the people for the year (Leviticus 16). The Levites served this way until the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in AD 70.
  • During the rebellion of Korah some of the Israelites rejected Moses and Aaron’s leadership (Numbers 16). They wanted to be priests, so a test was set up to demonstrate whom the Lord had chosen. The earth swallowed up the rebels in God's judgment. Still, other Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron. God was ready to consume them all, but Moses instructed Aaron to make atonement for the people, and the plague stopped. Then God told Moses to take staffs from each of the leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel and to put them in the tent of meeting; the staff that sprouted would be the man God had chosen. God performed a miracle, and almond blossoms sprouted from Aaron's staff, confirming Aaron as the high priest and establishing the Levitical priesthood (Numbers 17:1–13).
  • After escaping Egypt, Moses put Aaron in charge of the nation of Israel while Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the Law. At a time when the people should have been worshiping God, they doubted and went back to idolatry. Aaron built a golden calf for them to worship in place of God. Aaron allowed sin and chaos to enter the camp (Exodus 32). Moses atoned for the people, and God relented from complete destruction, instead sending a plague.
  • Aaron and his sister Miriam "spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman. And they said, 'Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?'" (Numbers 12:1–2). They were filled with pride. God called all three siblings outside of the camp to confront Aaron and Miriam. When the cloud of God's presence moved, Miriam had leprosy. Aaron immediately repented and asked Moses to pray that Miriam would be healed. She had to wait outside the camp for seven days, but then she was restored (Numbers 12).
  • Aaron's sons followed him into the priesthood, but two of his sons, Nadab and Abihu, disobeyed God's commandments for handling the sacrifices and were struck dead. Aaron submitted to God, knowing that his sons had sinned and that God's justice was right (Leviticus 10).
  • Neither Moses nor Aaron were permitted to enter the Promised Land due to their sin at Meribah (Numbers 20:2–13). Still, the priesthood continued through Aaron’s lineage.
  • As Aaron was dying, he climbed up Mount Hor with Moses where the role of high priest was bestowed on Aaron's son, Eleazer (Numbers 20:22–29).

from the new testament

  • Aaron is mentioned in Acts 7:40 as Stephen recounts Israel’s history to the angry high priest and Sanhedrin. Stephen emphasizes how the Israelites rejected God, turned back to Egypt in their hearts, and told Aaron to make them gods to go before them. Verse 41 says: “And they made a calf in those days, and offered a sacrifice to the idol and were rejoicing in the works of their hands.”
  • Hebrews 5:1–4 reveals that Aaron, like all high priests, was called by God to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins to God. Jesus is our ultimate High Priest (Hebrews 4:14–16). Unlike Jesus, earthly high priests were imperfect and needed to offer sacrifices for sins for themselves along with the people (Hebrews 5:2–3).
  • Hebrews 7:11 reveals that the Levitical priesthood could not attain perfection and that it is no longer necessary because Jesus was the perfect sacrifice (Hebrews 10) and is our perfect High Priest. Jesus fulfilled what Aaron's priesthood was meant to allude to.
  • Hebrews 9:4 references Aaron’s budding rod that confirmed his role as high priest. The rod was in the ark of the covenant along with the golden pot of manna and the tablets with the Ten Commandments.

implications for today

Aaron demonstrates what it looks like to follow God as an imperfect human: he obeyed sometimes, he disobeyed sometimes, but he always repented and sought to follow what the Lord commanded him. In his sin, Aaron brought destruction upon himself and caused others to stumble. Aaron's sin highlights for us the holiness of God and our need for lasting atonement. However, in his obedience Aaron led others towards freedom, turning their hearts to repentance as he was a faithful witness to God. In Aaron's life we understand that we will never be holy apart from God. We see how prone humans are to fall, even when we've witnessed God in mighty ways. We also see how faithful God is to restore. Aaron repented and matured. He was vital to the exodus of the Israelites and the leadership of the people. Ultimately Aaron fulfilled the roles God gave him. Aaron's life exemplifies to us God's holiness and His grace.

understand

  • Aaron’s obedience to God led to the freedom of the Israelites from Egypt.
  • Aaron’s role as high priest pointed people to their need for God and prepared the stage for Jesus as our High Priest.
  • Aaron’s sin had consequences, but God’s grace was also apparent.

reflect

  • How did God use Aaron in the deliverance of His people from Egypt and the establishment of Israel as a nation?
  • What do Aaron’s failures teach us about human nature?
  • What do we learn about God’s character in His response to Aaron’s disobedience?

engage

  • The concept of a high priest is cultural and not something we easily understand. We can think of it as the role of a mediator between God and people. Why are mediators important?
  • Jesus is our High Priest and our atoning sacrifice. His sacrifice was once for all, since He is fully God and perfect, and those who believe in Him have assurance of the forgiveness of their sins.
  • While our sin has consequences, God still has good plans for us even when we disobey, if we repent and turn to Him. How can we accept the consequences for our sins while turning back to God to restore us?