The Bible is as much a story of heroes as it is a story about failures. One of those great combinations can be found in Moses’ brother, Aaron. The LORD selected Aaron to help Moses lead the people of Israel out of Egypt into the wilderness and to the mountain of God. At Moses’ call to ministry, Aaron likewise was called to a prophetic ministry. Aaron was an answer to prayer for Moses, who begged God to send someone else. God accommodated Moses’ weakness and ordained Aaron to go with him and fulfill this ministry, “He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth.” (Exodus 4:16 ESV) Aaron would do that and more as he would eventually become the first great High Priest of the people of Israel. He would not be perfect, but he would perfectly visualize man’s need for God’s grace.
The story surrounding Aaron encompasses the same passages that follow Moses. Their partnership was heavenly in its origin. Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy all mention him in various shades of detail. He is mentioned over 300x in these books alone. But his most important role was in serving the people of God as a foreshadow of Christ as our great High Priest. Much happened between God’s call for Aaron to serve Moses in leading Israel out of Egypt and God’s call for Aaron to be anointed as Israel’s High Priest.
Aaron’s life encapsulates so many moments where God displayed His wonders and glory. In the early chapters of Exodus, we see the LORD’s command for Aaron to stretch out his staff so that God’s plagues would be unleashed on Egypt (cf. Exodus 7:19; 8:5, 16). He was the recipient of the people’s rage alongside Moses between Egypt and Sinai (cf. Exodus 16). He upheld Moses’ arms so that Israel would attain the victory over Amalek (cf. Exodus 17). Aaron alone was with Moses when he went up the mountain of God according to Exodus 19:24. Aaron would be ordained as the first High Priest and even bear the names of the tribes of Israel on his shoulders when he wore his holy garments (cf. Exodus 28:12; 29:29, 44; 30:30). But he would also mislead the people in helping them to make the golden calf idol (cf. Exodus 32). Nevertheless, God was not done with him.
When we look at the life of Aaron, we find a rich story of success and failure again and again. Aaron faithfully brought the needs of the people to the LORD and conveyed the mercy of God unto the people. These acts remind us of God’s grace even in the days of the covenant of Moses. Aaron clearly sinned in serious ways. Aaron deserved death and to lose his status as a priest, let alone a High Priest, however, God’s mercy had the last word.
Though this was the case, Aaron was still disciplined by God. Be that as it may, he had the joy of seeing his son take up his role as High Priest right before he died. (cf. Num. 20:22-29) Though Aaron had betrayed God in misleading his people at various points of his ministry, God was still able to use him to minister as a faithful High Priest. We can often forget that even the heroes of the faith were sinners, but God is in the business of transforming sinners into reflections of His Son.
Perhaps today you feel as if God could never use you. You’ve squandered opportunity after opportunity. You’ve pursued God’s plan for your life, but then you’ve failed to honor Him as He has called you to live. Does this mean that God can’t use you? The ministry of Aaron as High Priest reminds me of the ministry of Peter the Apostle. Both men were gifted with unique roles and unique experiences, and both failed the LORD. Yet God’s mercy had the final word in their lives, not their sin. In the same way, we too can have hope in the midst of greater and lesser sins. God’s mercy always has the last word for those who call out to Him in Christ.
But we must remember that just as there is a promise of grace, there is a serious warning: our sins always carry consequences. Aaron died outside of the land of promise because of his sins. May we be warned against a flippant approach towards sin. May we guard ourselves from it. May we constantly cling to Christ who promises to draw near to us as we draw near to Him for, He is our ever-faithful High Priest who continues to pray for us even today. (cf. Hebrews 9-10).