Numbers 20

Updated
2001-05-26; 14:32:23utc

IV. The Failure of Israel En Route to Moab 20:1-25:18

A. Miriam Dies 20:1

B. Moses and Aaron Fail 20:2-13

C. Edom Refuses Passage 20:14-21

D. Aaron Dies 20:22-29A. Miriam Dies 20:1

In this chapter two deaths in the family of Moses are reported; both Miriam and Aaron die. Another death in the family could be called the rupture of the brother bond between Israel and Edom, between Jacob and Esau, when Edom refuses passage to the people of Israel, thereby increasing their hardship. In between those sad events occurs the failure of Moses and Aaron to honor the Lord at the rock that contained water for the people.

We have no indication in this chapter as to the time in which the events described took place. It is only through comparison with ch. 30:38 that we learn that the end of the wandering of the people in the desert has come. We read there: "At the LORD's command Aaron the priest went up Mount Hor, where he died on the first day of the fifth month of the fortieth year after the Israelites came out of Egypt."

From Adam Clarke's Commentary we copy: "The transactions of thirty-seven years Moses passes by, because he writes not as a historian but as a legislator; and gives us particularly an account of the laws, ordinances, and other occurrences of the first and last years of their peregrinations. The year now spoken of was the last of their journeying, for from the going out of the spies, [Num. 13], unto this time was about thirty-eight years." The thirty-eight years of wandering were not only years of gloom under the shadow of death, they were also years of silence. God does not want the years of shame recorded in Scripture.

The NIV opens the chapter with the statement: "In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh." The KJV is more emphatic in its statement: "Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh." The Pulpit Commentary says about this: "The latter words are emphatic here and in ver. 22, and seem intended to mark the period of reassembly after the dispersion of nearly thirty eight years. Probably a portion of the tribes had visited Kadesh many times during those years, and perhaps it had never been wholly abandoned." So, the impression we get is that during the desert journey the people had slacked in discipline and abandoned their orderly march which characterized them during the first two years of their travel. They had no longer formed the army of the Lord, which was conditioned to wage the Lord's wars. As the end of their wanderings approach, however, a complete change comes over the people. They are regrouped and mobilized for their assault on the land of Canaan. Although not audibly so, this chapter opens with the blast of a trumpet.

It also opens with the report of the death of the last people who had to die before the way was clear to enter the promised land. The death of Miriam is recorded very briefly. The Pulpit Commentary comments on this: "Nothing could be more brief and formal than this mention of the death of one who had played a considerable part in Israel, and had perhaps wished to play a more considerable part. It can scarcely, however, be doubted that her death in the unlovely wilderness was a punishment like the death of her brothers. There is no reason whatever to suppose that she had any part in the rebellion of Kadesh, or that the sentence of death there pronounced included her; she was indeed at this time advanced in years, but that would not in itself account for the fact that she died in exile; it is, no doubt, to the arrogance and rebellion recorded in ch. xii, that we must look for the true explanation of her untimely end." The use of the word "untimely" seems strange considering that fact that she must have been at least 130 years old!

B. Moses and Aaron Fail 20:2-13

The verses 2-11 report an event that seems to prove that history repeats itself. At the crucial moment of regrouping there is a lack of the most fundamental of human needs: water. Forty years earlier their fathers had had the same experience at Rephidim.[ 1 ] Not only were the circumstances the same, but the reaction of the people was not different either. At Rephidim the people said to Moses and Aaron: "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?" At Kadesh the reaction is even worse. People, who hardly had any memory of Egypt, say: "If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the LORD! Why did you bring the LORD's community into this desert, that we and our livestock should die here? Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!"

The Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary has the following interesting observation: "There was at Kadesh a fountain, En-Mishpat [Gen. 14:7], and at the first encampment of the Israelites there was no want of water. It was now, however, either partially dried up by the heat of the season, or had been exhausted by the demands of so vast a multitude."

The NIV is more emphatic than some other versions in saying: "If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the LORD!" Matthew Henry's Commentary says about this: "They wished they had died as malefactors by the hands of divine justice, rather than thus seem for a while neglected by the divine mercy: Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the Lord! Instead of giving God thanks, as they ought to have done, for sparing them, they not only despise the mercy of their reprieve, but quarrel with it, as if God had done them a great deal of wrong in giving them their lives for a prey, and snatching them as brands out of the burning. But they need not wish that they had died with their brethren, they are here taking the ready way to die like their brethren in a little while. Woe unto those that desire the day of the Lord, [Amos 5:18]."

About the phrase "When our brethren died before the Lord," The Pulpit Commentary writes: "This is difficult, because the visitation of God at Kibroth-hattaavah (ch. xi. 34) and at Kadesh (ch. xiv. 37) had overtaken not their brethren, but their fathers, some thirty-eight years before. On the other hand, the daily mortality which had carried off their brethren is clearly excluded by the phrase, 'before the Lord.' It may be that the rebellion of Korah happened towards the end of the period of wandering, and that the reference is to the plague which followed it; or it may be that the formula of complaint had become stereotyped, as those of children often do, and was employed from time to time without variation and without definite reference. The latter supposition is strongly supported by the character of the words which follow." I do not see any problem, as this commentary does; the use of the term "Brethren" for the older generation does not seem to be out of character. It was a term that expressed solidarity more than blood relationship.

It is obvious that there was a complete lack of vision on the side of the people as far as it concerned the meaning of the exodus and their progress toward the promised land. They only looked back, without any eye on the future and the hope that was before them. God was leading them to their destination: "a land flowing with milk and honey," but they were too busy looking the other way to catch the vision.

Moses and Aaron did the only reasonable thing that could be done under such circumstances; they sought the face of the Lord. This was no meaningless routine. They were immediately overwhelmed by the presence of the Lord and fell facedown before Him. We should pause here to appreciate the importance of this moment. Minutes before, they had been in the midst of tumult and confusion, in which, probably, their lives were threatened. All of this changed in a moment when they came before the Lord. Asaph described this experience in one of his psalms: "When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God."[ 2 ] Immediately, the fear left them and their visions was cleared. We have to keep in mind that Moses and Aaron had this experience moments before the utter failure that cost them their entrance into the holy land, and their very lives.

God told them to take the staff, which must have been Aaron's staff that had miraculously blossomed and borne fruit, go to the rock, and to speak to it. It is important to remember which staff they took with them; it was not the staff they carried for their daily use. Although Aaron may have used it before, it was the miracle staff which symbolized the fact that the priesthood was a divine institution.

Moses and Aaron obeyed God's command in that they took the staff from God's presence, gathered the people and went to the place that was indicated, but then something snapped inside the brothers, and they failed miserably. They could not help associating this moment with the one that had happened almost forty years before at Rephidim, where Moses had been instructed to strike the rock with his own staff. But that was, probably, a different staff. That one had changed into a snake at Mount Sinai and at Pharaoh's court, but it had never blossomed and borne fruit. The mere association in Moses' mind between the two similar incidents cannot account completely for his failure, although it surely played a role. The crucial point was the position in which Moses placed himself and his brother, while standing at the rock. God had said: "You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink," but the way Moses used those very words denied the importance of God's revelation of Himself, which was symbolized in the presence of Aaron's staff. When Moses said: "Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?" he makes it look as if he is the miracle worker, instead of the Lord. When God invests us with certain powers, we should never forget that the power is His, not ours. Paul understood the danger of the use of God's power, when he wrote to the Corinthians: "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us."[ 3 ]

In elevating himself in this way, Moses also failed to show the compassion God had for His people. After all, here was a mass of people, women and little children included, who were dying with thirst, but this appears to have left Moses unmoved. He did not see the multitude as Jesus did, of whom we read: "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd."[ 4 ] Rebels they may have been, but they were rebels dying of thirst, with a vision that had died earlier. It is more tragic to have one's vision die than to physically die because of thirst and exposure. These people had traveled in the presence of the Lord for forty years, but they did not know it. For all practical purposes they were without God and without hope in this world. When God had wanted to destroy the nation earlier, Moses had stood in the gap and interceded for them. He had been willing for his name to be erased out of God's book for his people,[ 5 ] but now as he saw himself as the savior of the people, pride blinded his eyes and closed his heart.

Matthew Henry makes the astute observation: "It is an evidence of the sincerity of Moses, and his impartiality in writing, that he himself left this upon record concerning himself, and drew not a veil over his own infirmity, by which it appeared that in what he wrote, as well as what he did, he sought God's glory more than his own."

In different commentaries we find a variety of efforts to explain the meaning of the incident, and of the essence of Moses' sin. Bishop Lightfoot believed that in Moses' mind, and maybe in the people's, the similarity between the two occurrences at which water came out of the rock, led to the idea that, since forty years of wandering in the desert followed the first occurrence, another lengthy delay of entering the promised land would follow this one. I see no reason for this conclusion in the text.

Matthew Henry seems to struggle with the discrepancy between the rather minor offense of Moses and Aaron and the severity of the punishment. He admits that God must have been righteous in the punishment He meted out to them, but he remains puzzled by it.

The Pulpit Commentary stresses Moses' position as leader and example of the people and adds: "The heinousness of a sin depends quite as much on the position of the sinner as upon its intrinsic enormity."

The question remains, what was the sin of Moses and Aaron? In what respect did they dishonor God? There is, obviously, more to it than that Moses and Aaron lost their temper, or even that, for a moment, they lost sight of the fact that they represented God before the people. We can only appreciate the enormity of Moses' and Aaron's sin if we look at it from the perspective of New Testament revelation. Speaking about the supernatural way Israel's needs were provided for during the desert journey, the Apostle Paul writes: "They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ."[ 6 ] There is a strange paragraph in Matthew Henry's Commentary which reads: "The water out of the rock of Rephidim had followed them while there was need of it; but it is probable that for some time they had been in a country where they were supplied in an ordinary way, and when common providence supplied them it was fit that the miracle should cease." Evidently, Matthew Henry took Paul's spiritualization of the miracles literally, and believed that the water from Rephidim followed the people all through the desert. This concept seems to push the principle of divine providence too far, and places it into the realm of the myth. The point Paul wanted to make was that the rocks at Rephidim and Kadesh were an image of our Lord Jesus Christ. When God ordered Moses to strike the rock at Rephidim, He had in mind the way the water of life would come to the souls of men by the striking of His Son Jesus Christ. By striking the rock at Rephidim, Moses enacted the crucifixion of our Lord. By striking the rock at Kadesh, he, unwittingly, enacted the rejection of the Messiah by the nation of Israel centuries later. The writer to the Hebrews uses the expression: "They are crucifying the Son of God all over again."[ 7 ] Moses and Aaron had, of course, no idea of the deeper meaning of their acts. The death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ lay far beyond the scope of their vision. But the God of history, both past and present, knew and He saw in Moses' striking of the rock an act which expressed the subjection of Christ to public disgrace.

We could object that it is unfair that people are punished for, what we consider, relatively minor offenses that symbolize the hidden meanings of deep spiritual truths. But we understand that Adam and Eve did more than just eat a fruit from a tree. The burning of the flag of a country is more than setting fire to a piece of cloth; it is a protest against a whole system. Moses may not have known what he did in his anger, but had he remained in fellowship with God, he would have been able to control his anger. The book of Proverbs says: "A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control."[ 8 ] Because of Moses' anger, the devil saw his chance to take control of the situation and manipulate Moses' acts, thus "subjecting Christ to public disgrace."

The last verse of this paragraph reads: "These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the LORD and where he showed himself holy among them." We read the name Meribah also in the book of Exodus, in the passage that reports the parallel incident, forty years earlier.[ 9 ] There the place, which was not at the same location, was called "Massah and Meribah." The name does not refer to a location, but to the meaning of the occurrence. Massah means "testing"; God was put to the test by the people, and Meribah means "strife" the people quarreled with God. Matthew Henry's Commentary says about those two separated locations: "The place is hereupon called Meribah, v. 13. It is called Meribah-Kadesh [Deut. 32:51], to distinguish it from the other Meribah. It is the water of strife; to perpetuate the remembrance of the people's sin, and Moses', and yet of God's mercy, who supplied them with water, and owned and honored Moses notwithstanding. Thus he was sanctified in them as the Holy One of Israel, so he is called when his mercy rejoices against judgment, [Hos. 11:9]. Moses and Aaron did not sanctify God as they ought in the eyes of Israel (v. 12), but God was sanctified in them; for he will not be a loser in his honor by any man. If he be not glorified by us, he will be glorified upon us."

At several places in the Book of Psalms the incidents are mentioned. At one place the blame for Moses' sin is put upon the people. We read in the Psalms: "By the waters of Meribah they angered the LORD, and trouble came to Moses because of them; for they rebelled against the Spirit of God, and rash words came from Moses' lips."[ 10 ]

The Israelites quarreled with the Lord, and He showed himself holy among them. As in the first incident reported in Exodus, the question was not whether there was water which was needed to keep the people alive, but whether the Lord was in their midst or not. We read in Exodus: "And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the LORD saying, 'Is the LORD among us or not?' "[ 11 ] The question may not have been repeated in so many words, but the issue was the same. When God is present, there is never any need to ask whether we will find what we need to stay alive. Jesus spoke those famous words: "Your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."[ 12 ] And the author of the Hebrew epistle admonishes us: "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.' So we say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?' "[ 13 ] The Israelites did not need any of the "grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates" they were longing for; they only needed the Lord and His holiness.

C. Edom Refuses Passage 20:14-21

The third breakdown recorded in this chapter is the relationship between Israel and Edom, that is, between Jacob and Esau. As far as we know, for over half a millennium the descendants of the twin brothers had not had any contact with each other. Esau had been reconciled to Jacob at their encounter at Peniel.[ 14 ] The last recorded time the brothers met was at the funeral of their father Isaac.[ 15 ] We gather from Moses' words that the Edomites had followed Israel's history closely. The message Moses sent to the king of Edom, says: "This is what your brother Israel says: You know about all the hardships that have come upon us. Our forefathers went down into Egypt, and we lived there many years. The Egyptians mistreated us and our fathers, but when we cried out to the LORD, he heard our cry and sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt." The message implies, that since Edom knew Israel's history, they would recognize Israel's claim to the land of Canaan, but they did not.

There is a puzzling passage in Deuteronomy that seems to imply that Edom did initially grant permission. When Moses sent a similar message to the king of Heshbon he seemed to infer that Israel passed through Edom's territory. The words "let us pass through on foot-- as the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir, and the Moabites, who live in Ar, did for us," may only mean that Moses had sent similar requests to Edom and Moab.[ 16 ]

Edom's initial refusal to extend a hand of brotherly help and to recognize the bonds of blood between the two nations resulted in a long history of animosity and bitter strife, causing the prophet Obadiah to prophesy about them: "Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed forever."[ 17 ]

The International Standard Bible Encylopaedia writes about Edom: "Some thirty years after the Exodus, Ramses III 'smote the people of Seir.' The Israelites could not have been far off. We first hear of war between Israel and Edom under Saul [1 Sam 14:47]."

In Unger's Bible Dictionary we read about Edom: "The descendants of Esau, who settled in the S of Palestine and at a later period came into conflict with the Israelites [Deut. 23:7]; frequently called merely Edom ([Num. 20:14-21; 24:18; Josh. 15:1; 2 Sam. 8:14]; etc.).... Edom ('Idumaea,' KJV) was situated at the SE border of Palestine [Judg. 11:17; Num. 34:3] and was properly called the land or mountain of Seir [Gen. 36:8; 32:3; Josh. 24:4; Ezek. 35:3,7,15]. The country lay along the route pursued by the Israelites from Sinai to Kadesh-barnea and thence back again to Elath [Deut. 1:2; 2:1-8], i.e., along the E side of the great valley of Arabah. On the N of Edom lay the territory of Moab, the boundary appearing to have been the "brook Zered" [2:13-14,18]. The physical geography of Edom is somewhat peculiar. Along the western base of the mountain range are low calcareous hills. These are succeeded by lofty masses of igneous rock, chiefly porphyry, over which lies red and variegated sandstone in irregular ridges and abrupt cliffs with deep ravines between. The latter strata give the mountains their most striking features and remarkable colors. The average elevation of the summit is about two thousand feet above the sea. Along the eastern side runs an almost unbroken limestone ridge, a thousand feet or more higher than the other. This ridge sinks down with an easy slope into the plateau of the Arabian Desert. Although Edom is thus wild, rugged, and almost inaccessible, the deep glens and flat terraces along the mountainsides are covered with rich soil, from which trees, shrubs, and flowers now spring up luxuriantly.... The Edomites were descendants of Esau, or Edom, who expelled the original inhabitants, the Horites [Deut. 2:12]. A statement made in [Gen. 36:31] serves to fix the period of the dynasty of the eight kings. They 'reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the sons of Israel'; i.e., before the time of Moses, who may be regarded as the first virtual king of Israel (cf. [Deut. 33:4-5; Exo. 18:16-19]). It would also appear that these kings were elected. The chiefs ('dukes,' KJV) of the Edomites are named in [Gen. 36:40-43] and were probably petty chiefs or sheiks of their several clans.... Esau's bitter hatred toward his brother, Jacob, for fraudulently obtaining his blessing appears to have been inherited by his posterity. The Edomites peremptorily refused to permit the Israelites to pass through their land [Num. 20:18-21]. For a period of 400 years we hear no more of the Edomites. They were then attacked and defeated by Saul [1 Sam. 14:47]. Some forty years later David overthrew their army in the 'Valley of Salt,' and his general, Joab, following up the victory, destroyed nearly the whole male population [1 Kin. 11:15-16] and placed Jewish garrisons in all the strongholds of Edom [2 Sam. 8:13-14]. Hadad, a member of the royal family of Edom, made his escape with a few followers to Egypt, where he was kindly received by Pharaoh. After the death of David he returned and tried to excite his countrymen to rebellion against Israel, but failing in the attempt he went on to Syria, where he became one of Solomon's greatest enemies [1 Kin. 11:14-22]."

Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary writes about the Edomites that they were: "Descendants of Edom, or ESAU-- an ancient people who were enemies of the Israelites. During the days of Abraham, the region which later became the home of the Edomites was occupied by more than one tribe of non-Israelite peoples. When Esau moved to this region with his family and possessions, the HORITES already lived in the land [Gen. 36:20].... After the years of wilderness wandering, Moses wanted to lead Israel northward to Canaan across Edom into Moab. The king of Edom, however, refused them passage [Num. 20:14-21], forcing them to bypass Edom and Moab through the desert to the east [Judg. 11:17,18]. Later in the journey northward to Abel Acacia Grove in the plains of Moab across from Jericho [Num. 33:48-49], Balaam prophesied that Israel would one day possess Edom [Num. 24:18]."

We understand that Moses sent and received several messages. After Edom's initial refusal, Moses repeated the pledge that they would pay for everything they took during their passage, but Edom refused and mobilized its army. These circumstances set the stage for the wars between the two brother-nations, as quoted above from the commentaries. Edom's attitude may be somewhat understandable if we consider that they had been subjected to attacks by the Egyptians only one decade before the arrival of the Israelites.

The way Edom treated Israel determined the rest of their history. In his great farewell speech, Moses said to the Israelites: "When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided all mankind, he set up boundaries for the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel."[ 18 ] The Hebrew text seems to be open to various translations. The RSV, for instance, renders the verse: "When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of men, he fixed the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God." The interpretation of TLB is even farther removed from the NIV text. We read: "When God divided up the world among the nations, He gave each of them a supervising angel! But he appointed none for Israel; For Israel was God's own personal possession!" There seems, however, to be a divine law according to which the nations of the world are treated by God according to the way they treat the people of Israel. The main issue of World War II centered around an awful holocaust in which Hitler endeavored to find a "final solution to the Jewish problem." Part of the blessing God gave to Abraham read: "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."[ 19 ]

In refusing passage to Israel, Edom, in fact, rejected the reality of God's revelation in this world. We know very little of the people who were living in that part of the world at the time of the Exodus. We may assume, however, that they knew their history, that is, their common descent from Isaac and the matter of God's election of Jacob over Esau within the framework of the history of salvation. They must have been familiar with God's prophecy to Rebekah: "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger."[ 20 ] They must have know what this meant in terms of the promises God had made to their ancestors regarding the coming of the Messiah, which was implied in the birthright Esau sold to Jacob for a bowl of soup. Edom's attitude at the time of Israel's exodus was still basically the same as Esau's had been toward Jacob when he sold his soul and took the soup. They were more concerned about the preservation of their vineyards and water wells than about the God who demonstrated His glory in bringing more than two million people out of Egypt, led them through the desert and brought them through, not only alive, but strong enough to invade a well defended land.

Edom's demonstration of power, the mobilization of their army, indicated that they were afraid of Israel, and, probably, that they were afraid of what the God of Israel would do to them. Their reaction may have been just as much a sign of a bad conscience toward God, as a lack of compassion toward a brother nation.

The Pulpit Commentary writes about vs. 22- The whole Israelite community set out from Kadesh and came to Mount Hor, "If the narrative follows the order of time, we must suppose that the Edomites at once blocked the passes near Kadesh, and thus compelled the Israelites to journey southwards for some distance until they were clear of the Zazimât; they would then turn eastwards again and make their way across the plateau of Paran to the Arabah at the point opposite Mount Hor. It is supposed by many, although it finds no support in the narrative itself, that the armed resistance offered by Edom is out of chronological order in ver. 20, and only occurred in fact when the Israelites had reached the neighborhood of Mount Hor, and were preparing to ascend the Wady Ghuweir." This assumption would explain Moses' words in his message to the king of Heshbon, as quoted above.[ 21 ]

D. Aaron Dies 20:22-29

The last verses of this chapter report the death of the first High Priest on earth. The accent in the account is on the transfer of the office, not upon the departure of Aaron. We are given no details about his death or burial, only his high-priestly garments, the richest clothes that were ever made on earth, were taken off of Aaron and put upon his son, while Aaron was still alive. It was not Aaron's dead body that was stripped. He entered into the presence of the Lord, as he had done over the years on the Day of Atonement, dressed in his undergarments. He went through the veil, not as High Priest, but as a simple human being, without anything to distinguish himself from the rest of humanity. Death is an equalizer.

On the other hand, Aaron's divestment can be seen as a preparation for his being clothed with other garments. The Apostle Paul uses this image beautifully in his second epistle to the Corinthians, where he says: "Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life."[ 22 ] However rich and beautiful the high priestly garments may have been, and in spite of the fact that they were an image of heavenly glory, they were not the real garments that God has prepared for all those who enter eternal life. God had something better for Aaron than his rich, lavish clothing.

Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary gives the following biographical details about Aaron: "[The] brother of Moses and first high priest of the Hebrew nation. Very little is known about Aaron's early life, other than his marriage to Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab [Ex. 6:23]. When God called Moses to lead the Hebrew people out of slavery in Egypt, Moses protested that he would not be able to speak convincingly to the Pharaoh. So Aaron was designated by God as Moses' official spokesman [Ex. 4:14-16]. At Moses' instruction, Aaron also performed miracles as signs for the release of the Hebrews. Aaron's rod turned into a serpent that swallowed the rods of the Egyptian magicians [Ex. 7:8-20]. Aaron also caused frogs to cover the land by stretching his rod over the lakes and streams of Egypt [Ex. 8:6]. Aaron held an important place of leadership because of his work with his brother Moses. A central figure in the exodus from Egypt, he also received instructions from God for observing the first Passover [Ex. 12:1]. In the wilderness he assisted Moses in keeping order and rendering judgments over the people [Num. 15:33]. Both he and Moses were singled out when the people complained about the harsh conditions of these wilderness years [Num. 14:2]. When the priesthood was instituted in the wilderness, Moses consecrated Aaron as the first high priest of Israel [Exodus 28--29; Leviticus 8--9]. The priesthood was set within the tribe of Levi, from which Aaron was descended. Aaron's sons (Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar) inherited the position of high priest from their father [Num. 3:2-3]. Aaron was given special robes to wear, signifying his status within the priesthood [Lev. 8:7-9]. At his death the robes were transferred to his oldest living son, Eleazar [Num. 20:25-28]. The tabernacle, the main sanctuary of worship, was placed under Aaron's supervision [Numbers 4]. He received instructions from God on the functions of the priesthood and the tabernacle [Numbers 18]. He alone, serving in the capacity of high priest, went into the Holy of Holies once a year to represent the people on the Day of Atonement. In spite of his responsibility for the spiritual leadership of the nation, Aaron committed a serious sin in the wilderness surrounding Mount Sinai. While Moses was on the mountain praying to God and receiving His commandments, the people began to build a golden calf to worship. Aaron made no attempt to stop the people and even issued instructions on how to build the image [Ex. 32:1-10]. Aaron was saved from God's wrath only because Moses interceded on his behalf [Deut. 9:20]. After all their years of leading the people, neither Moses nor Aaron was permitted to enter the Promised Land. Apparently this was because they did not make it clear that God would provide for the Hebrews' needs when they believed they would die for lack of water in the wilderness [Num. 20:12]. Aaron died first at Mount Hor, and Moses died later in Moab. Upon arriving at Mount Hor from the wilderness of Kadesh, Aaron was accompanied by Moses and his son Eleazar to the top of the mountain. Here he was stripped of his high priestly garments, which were transferred to Eleazar. After Aaron's death, the community mourned for 30 days [Num. 20:22-29]. The Book of Hebrews contrasts the imperfect priesthood of Aaron with the perfect priesthood of Christ [Heb. 5:2-5; 7:11-12]. Christ's priesthood is compared to the order of Melchizedek because it is an eternal office with no beginning and no end. Thus, it replaces the priesthood of Aaron."

Upon arrival at Mount Hor, God announced to Moses: "Aaron will be gathered to his people." This strange expression is used in connection with the death of all the patriarchs in Genesis.[ 23 ] The implication seems to be that death is a place of arrival, the achievement of a goal. In the light of the absence of any strong evidence of life after death in the Old Testament, the phrase stands out as a beacon of light. Especially the fact that the term is first used in connection with the death of Abraham gives credence to the belief of the Jews of Jesus' day that death meant being taken to "Abraham's bosom." In telling the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, Jesus says: "And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom."[ 24 ] So when God announced Aaron's approaching death, there is no inference that this would mean the end of his life, rather the entering upon a new phase of living.

There is no mention of a consecration of Eleazar as High Priest, like there was when Aaron entered into the office. Yet, God had stated specifically that there would be an anointing ceremony for Aaron's sons in the event of his death. We read: "Aaron's sacred garments will belong to his descendants so that they can be anointed and ordained in them. The son who succeeds him as priest and comes to the Tent of Meeting to minister in the Holy Place is to wear them seven days."[ 25 ] It seems unlikely that this ceremony would have taken place on top of Mount Hor; it is more likely that Eleazer's inauguration took place in the presence of all the people, as soon as they had descended from the mountain, but we are not told what happened.

The news of Aaron's death makes the nation of Israel observe a period of mourning of 30 days. The Pulpit Commentary says about this: "The Egyptians prolonged their mourning for seventy days (Gen. l. 3), but thirty days seems to have been the longest period allowed among the Israelites (cf. Deut. xxxiv. 8)."

The death of Aaron was the end of an era. We get the impression that, apart from Moses, Aaron was the last of the condemned generation to die in the desert. With his death the road to Canaan opened, and the people prepared for the great invasion of the land that would be their home.

[ 1 ] See Ex. 17:1-7

[ 2 ] Ps. 73:16,17

[ 3 ] II Cor. 4:7

[ 4 ] Matt. 9:36

[ 5 ] See Ex. 32:31,32

[ 6 ] I Cor. 10:3,4

[ 7 ] Heb. 6:6

[ 8 ] Prov. 29:11

[ 9 ] See Ex. 17:7

[ 10 ] Ps. 106:32,33

[ 11 ] Ex. 17:7

[ 12 ] Matt. 6:32,33

[ 13 ] Heb. 13:5,6

[ 14 ] See Gen. 33

[ 15 ] See Gen. 35:29

[ 16 ] See Deut. 2:28,29

[ 17 ] Obadiah vs. 10

[ 18 ] Deut. 32:8

[ 19 ] Gen. 12:3

[ 20 ] Gen. 25:23

[ 21 ] See Deut. 2:26-29

[ 22 ] II Cor. 5:1-4

[ 23 ] See Gen 25:8; 35:28, 29; 49:33

[ 24 ] Luke 16:22 (KJV)

[ 25 ] Ex. 29:29,30