14 posts tagged “aaron”
“These are the ones registered by Moses and Elazar the priest when they registered the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across Jericho. But among them there was not one of those who had been registered by Moses and Aaron the priest when they registered the Israelites in the Wilderness of Sinai. For the Lord said to them that they would all die in the wilderness. None of them was left except Caleb, son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.” Num 26: 63-65
“Hey Moses, turn the lights out when you leave!”
Have you ever been the last one in line? You know, it’s half time at the football game and you wanted to watch the marching band, so now you’re stuck for 30 minutes trying to get a hot dog... only to find out the guy on front of you bought the last hot dog.
The generation of Israelites who had been delivered from Egypt had grumbled, complained, and turned from the Lord. They had refused to enter the Promised Land by faith, so the Lord told them they would not enter at all. The whole generation was to die in the desert, within 40 years. Only Joshua and Caleb were to enter. They were the only ones who declared, “We can defeat then inhabitants of the land because God is with us!”
In addition, Moses & Aaron disobeyed the Lord by refusing to “speak” water from a rock, choosing to smack it with Moses’ staff. In return for their poor leadership, God barred Moses & Aaron from leading Israel into Canaan.
As Moses got the results of the census, one thing must have been going through his mind: I’m the last guy.
Every one of the adults from the generation who left Egypt had passed away, just as God said. Soon, Moses would be gone... but Israel would enter the much awaited “Promised Land”.
Something I love about Jesus is how he has entered-in to Heaven before us. Not only will He lead us into Heaven, but He has also defeated the enemy! Moreover, He prepares a place for us.
Blessings
Steve Wiggins
The Lord spoke to Moses, Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the Israelites because he was zealous among them with My zeal, so that I did not destroy the Israelites in My zeal. Therefore, I grant him My covenant of peace. It will be a covenant of perpetual priesthood for him and his descendants because he was zealous for his God and made atonement for the Israelites. Num 25: 10-13
I find it interesting how the enemy of Israel summoned a foreign prophet to curse Israel, but they were unsuccessful because the Lord would not allow Israel to be cursed. The end of chapter 24 has Balaam and Balak going their own ways, frustrated over Gods blessing of Israel, despite their attempts.
Of course, all of this plotting was taking place outside of Israels awareness. Perhaps, more interesting is how unaware of Balaam & Balak Israel was doing a fine job of cursing themselves! Their enemies were wondering where Israels weakness was, and Israel was engaging in open sexual sin with the women of Moab. The bible says the personal sexual sin was itself, Baal worship.
Lesson: Israels enemy is not among the Nations. The enemy of Gods children is Satan. This also applies to His children in Messiah, Jesus.
For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. Eph 6: 12
Make no doubt: Spiritual forces affect human attitude and actions. But where men will give up the fight, the enemy never relents. Balak & Balaam walk away confused, but Satan entices the men of Israel with the oldest trick in the book.
Were it not for the zealousness of Phinehas, grandson of Aaron, Gods wrath would have destroyed Israel.
Often, we compartmentalize our lives. We have a section for work, family, religion. When we say we give our lives completely to God, we often mean we give Him all of that compartment which bears His label.
God is jealous to consume ALL of your life. Whether our sin is hidden our openly flaunted, if we are truly His people, He will pursue us in order to purge that sin from our midst. Why not just confess it, and give it up?
Blessings.
Steve Wiggins
The entire Israelite community entered the desert of Zin in the first month,
and they settled in Kadesh. Miriam died and was buried there." Num 20: 1
"The Lord spoke to Moses, 'Take the staff and assemble the community. You
and your brother are to speak to the rock while they watch, and it will
yield its water.'" Num 20: 7-8a
"So Moses took the staff from the Lord's presence just as He has commanded
him. Moses and Aaron summoned the assembly and said to them, 'Listen you
rebels! Must we bring water out of this rock for you?' Then Moses raised
his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff, so that a great amount of
water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank." Num 20:
9-11
"But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 'Because you did not trust Me to show
My holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly
into the land I have given them.'" Num 20: 12
"Take Aaron and his son Eleazar and bring them up Mount Hor. Remove Aaron's
garments and put them on his son, Eleazar. Aaron will be gathered to his
people and die there.'" Num 20: 25-26
The reason I have included so much scripture here is so you can see Numbers
20 as a complete thought. Generally, all these instances, (combined with
Edom's refusal to let Israel pass through), are taught as individual
lessons. The general theme of Numbers 20 is: The end of the Mosaic era; the
continuance of God's leading.
The central lesson is gleaned from the story of Moses' drawing water from
the rock at Meribah. Moses' sister, Miriam has just passed away, no doubt
prompting Moses to question his own mortality and hence, his legacy. Up to
this point, whenever a miracle was performed, it was at Moses or Aaron'
hand, through their staffs.
The "staff of Moses" had become more synonymous with Moses' power than
God's. In a greater sense, it represents how men worship the "leader" of
worship over the "object" of worship. The Lord instructed Moses to do a new
thing: Take the staff, but don't use it. Speak forth the water.
The preacher may pass away, but the Word of God endures, forever. It
sustains the generations, regardless of the persona or charisma of any
leader.
Moses, sensing his impending mortality, decided his legacy & reputation
among the Israelites would be something fantastic
and decidedly from Moses!
He disobeyed God, literally trying to upstage Him by striking the rock twice
in order to cause a GREAT flow of water.
Moses achieved his desired result, but to his own self-determined fate. He
never entered the Canaan. Aaron did nothing to stop Moses, or explain to
the people how Moses sinned. They would go down in history as Israel's
"dynamic duo"...
some set-up for the next generation.
Blessings.
Steve Wiggins
www.livingroomstudy.org
“The Lord told Aaron, ‘You will not
have an inheritance in the land; there will be no portion among them
for you. I am your portion and your inheritance among the Israelites.”
Num 18: 20
Zionism is basically the belief that
Jews have a birthright to the land of Israel. That is, by virtue
of being born, they have inherited the right to the land of Israel.
This belief is founded by God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob…promises
repeated often throughout the bible.
Zionism is obviously easier to believe
if you are Jewish, but what of the Middle Eastern non-Jew? Welcome
to the Mid-East conflict.
It is easy to understand conflict whenever
there are two claimants, but what if there is a THIRD party? Where
do Christians fit-in, pertaining to any claim to the land of Israel?
I bring the question, simply because there are some Christians who believe
the “church” has replaced “Israel” in the eyes of God.
To them, we have not been grafted-in to Israel’s vine, rather we have
replaces it altogether.
In the Middle Age, Christian profiteers
crusaded to free the “holy land” of Jews and Muslims. They
believed Israel should be the sole possession of Christians. That
didn’t work out for them.
So what is the Christian’s inheritance,
and more importantly, perhaps, what does it mean to be a co-inheritor?
If Christians were to relate to any particular Israelite tribe, it would
be Levi. The New Testament speaks of all believers being part
of a holy priesthood. Christians not yearn to build an earthly
kingdom, but the Heavenly one.
Question: Whenever Israel was driven
from the land by a conqueror, which tribe got to keep their inheritance?
Answer: The Levites.
Levitical inheritance was not earthly.
Neither is the Christian’s. God gave the Levites an inheritance,
from which they could not be driven. They were given the inheritance
of serving the Lord.
No matter where a Christian may wander,
their obligation, inheritance, and joy should be to serve the Lord by
serving others without regard for building personal kingdoms.
Blessings.
Steve Wiggins
“All the Israelites complained about Moses and Aaron, and the whole community told them, ‘If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us into this land to die by the sword? Our wives and little children will become plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?’ So they said to one another, ‘Let’s appoint a leader and go back to Egypt.’” Num 14: 2-4
It is a common misunderstanding that the United States is a democracy. It is not. The United States is a “republic”, with a democratically elected government. The difference between a republic and a pure democracy is simple. A pure democracy is basically, “mob rule”. Whoever has 51% of public desire at election time, wins.
A republic holds democratic elections, but is based on foundational creeds and principles, which may override the mob. Our republic is based on a constitution, which outlines & protects basic human rights, as listed in the 10 commandments. No matter how the public opinion sways, its actions and decisions may be overridden by the constitution.
For instance, in the “wild West”, if someone were accused of a crime, a lynch mob would form to hunt that person down, and hang him, without trial.
Then came frontier justice and circuit-riding judges who stood between the accused and the mob. A fair trial is based on evidence, weighed against the law as upheld by the constitution. As long as men are willing to abide to the foundational principles supporting our constitution, the United States should fare well…primarily because those foundational constitutional principles are the 10 commandments!
For Israel, things were not much different. Theirs was a Theocracy (God-centered government) not a republic…but the basic standards were similar with two exceptions: 1) Only 1 religion was tolerated. 2) Leaders were chosen by God, instead of the people.
God’s commandments acted as their “constitution”, so to speak. As long as Israel chose to follow the Lord and live within His commands, following His leader, things would go well. But when Israel chose to not trust God and His leader, Moses, their natural inclination was to “…appoint a leader and go back to Egypt.”
No matter where we live or under what form of government we may find ourselves, it is always incumbent upon us to follow the Lord, first & foremost.
Blessings.
Steve Wiggins
"Then the Lord descended in a pillar of cloud, stood at the entrance
to the tent, and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When the two of them came
forward, He said: 'Listen to what I say: If there is a prophet among
you from the Lord, I make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak
with him in a dream. Not so with My servant Moses; he is the only one
faithful in all My household. I speak with him directly, openly, and
not in riddles; he sees the image of God. So why are you not afraid
to speak against My servant Moses?'" Num 12: 5-8
"Envy" is pride wounded in competition. Whenever I see someone who
is consumed with envy, I start looking for where the competition is,
because somehow they are responding from that vulnerable place of
realized or impending defeat.
For Cain & Abel, the competition was over God's favor of their
offerings. For Jacob & Esau, it was over birthright and blessing.
I've seen it between recording artists in the marketplace, and between
ministers over congregants. There was serious competition going-on
between Moses' siblings.
Moses' brother, Aaron was oldest, and by birthright it was his
responsibility to spiritually lead the family. As high priest, he
was indeed leading Israel, spiritually. Perhaps, he also wanted to
lead them militarily & administratively.
Miriam was Moses' older sister. She followed Moses' baby basket down
the Nile, straight to Pharaoh's daughter. Miriam negotiated for
Moses' own mother to nurse and raise him! It must have been hard for
Miriam to submit to Moses, without seeing him as a child who needed to
be watched-over.
God saw past their pseudo-righteous indignation and spoke directly,
concerning their envious hearts. Miriam & Aaron's dispute wasn't over
Moses marrying an Egyptian woman. It was over his authority. God cut
straight to the issue, never mentioning the Egyptian woman.
In God's pronouncement, there is a profound lesson concerning
prophecy and faithfulness. There are several biblical instances,
where people who aren't particularly righteous prophesy. Even
Balaam's donkey prophesied! All that meant was that God wanted to
send a message, and He isn't limited by the righteousness of the
messenger.
Most profound is God's statement about faithfulness. When we are
faithful, God's messages don't come to us in abrupt off-time spurts.
He speaks directly and openly to the faithful. Leadership is not
about age or experience, necessarily. It is a matter of faithfulness.
Be faithful.
Blessings.
Steve Wiggins
"The Lord spoke to Moses: 'Tell Aaron and his sons how you are to bless the
Israelites. Say to them: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His
face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord look with favor on you
and give you peace.
In this way they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless
them.'" Numbers 6: 22-27
This blessing which the Lord commanded Aaron to bless the people with, is
known as the "Aaronic" Blessing. In Jewish culture, it is known as the
Birkat Kohanim, or "Priestly" Blessing.
Here's an interesting item for all Star Trek fans. Remember Spock's "Live
long and prosper" sign? Well if you do it with both hands, and join the
thumbs together, you'll form the gesture that rabbis make while giving the
Priestly Blessing. Who would have thought that, in a galaxy far-far away,
William Shatner and Leonard Nemoy would be Jews, copping the Priestly
Blessing, down to the hand sign? I'm sure many a Jewish geeky pre-teen
giggled at the Semitic space reference back in the 60's.
What I find most interesting is the idea of "putting God's name on the
Israelites". In ancient Near Eastern culture, the family was everything.
When people had children, the boys were celebrated over girls. I'm not
saying that's the way it should be. It's just that it was very important to
have boys, because boys carried on the family name.
The Third commandment is: To not take the Lord's name in vain.
Almost every time I have heard the third commandment taught from a pulpit,
it has been explained as a command against cursing or swearing. While it is
never a good idea to use dirty language, or invoke the Lord's name in some
demeaning manner, I'm not sure that's what the Third commandment is about.
The Third commandment literally translates: Do not receive the Lord's name
in vain."
When you see things in light of the Priestly Blessing, the Lord was
transferring His name to the people. The people who accepted the blessing
were literally receiving God's name and committing to be His inheritance.
Christians understand the concept of being adopted, or co-inheritors with
Messiah. God gives us His name.
Let's not take it in vain.
Blessings.
Steve Wiggins
"Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of Israel registered all the Levites by their
clans and their ancestral houses, from 30 years old to 50 years old,
everyone who was qualified to do the work of serving at the tent of meeting
and transporting it. Their registered men numbered 8,580. At the Lord's
command, they were registered under the direction of Moses, each one
according to his work and transportation duty, and his assignment was as the
Lord commanded Moses." Num 4: 46-49
"Steve, you can be president some day." I remember those words from my
elementary school teacher. She really believed in me, and saw in me things
that I didn't even see in myself. Foundational to the "American dream" is
the notion that if you work hard, you can do & be whatever or whoever you
want to be.
In America, a poor electrician from Memphis can become the King of Rock &
Roll. "5 & 10 Cent Store" owners can build Wal Mart empires, and geeky
pre-teens can develop Microsoft.
Our freedom to pursue happiness is part of what makes Americans unique and
proud to buy Toby Keith CD's….
I'm blessed to have been born & raised in the United States. My Dad retired
a Lt Colonel in the Air Force. I can wave the flag with the best of them.
Christian Americans should perhaps take special note of this chapter.
Honoring God with you life is not about what you "could" do. It's about
what you "should" do.
If studying the bible has taught me anything, it's that God is constantly
reinforcing the theme of His "calling". That is, He calls specific people
to specific places, to perform specific tasks, for specific periods of
time.
We have each been created with a purpose. Quite frankly, I am relieved to
know God doesn't just call us out "from" the world. He also calls us "to" a
specific relationship with Jesus, and He leads on paths designed for us to
serve Him by serving others in His Kingdom.
Could I be president? Maybe. I'd appreciate your vote!
The real question is: "Should" I be president? What does God want for me
to do?
Blessings.
Steve Wiggins
"The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: 'The Israelites are to camp under their
respective banners beside the flags of their ancestral houses. They are to
camp around the tent of meeting, at a distance from it:" Num 2: 1-2
As we learned in Leviticus, God is very concerned with order. The Lord
wants things separate, set apart and holy. Also, He is as interested in
form as he is function. The "way" Israel worshipped was as important as the
fact that they were worshipping at all.
This idea of "form" is somewhat lost on our generation. Ours is the
generation which rejects formality, and perhaps rightly so in some cases.
Our parents and grandparents lived in a culture where women wore white
gloves and hats, and men almost always wore suits and ties.
For many in their generation, dressing-up for church became more important
than why they were attending church in the first place. The formality of
religion trumped a personal relationship with God in many instances. It was
dry and stiff, especially compared to the, "If it feels good, do it!" mantra
of the Hippie movement. Eventually, their children rebelled.
Today, I sometimes wonder if the pendulum hasn't swung too far towards the
casual. In its efforts to create a comfortable laid-back environment, has
today's church lost too much of its reverence? Is there a level of
formality that is essential? Where is that balance between reverence and
freedom? Know this: The balance is only to be found in the bible.
As for Israel, God wanted to maintain the individuality of each tribal
family, while at the same time, maintaining the unity of the nation. How
was that accomplished, and what could we do to foster that individuality and
unity in the church today?
Paramount, at the center of Israel's national life was the ark of God's
covenant. Inside the ark were the tablets containing the 10 commandments.
Above the ark, God Himself met with Moses. Promise, Precepts, Presence.
These three constituted His relationship with His people.
Christians may congregate as varied denominations, expressing their worship
and gratitude in different ways. Yet, unity exists among all true believers
because they share the same central focus: salvation through faith in Jesus,
alone. They share the Promise of His covenant, the Presence of His Spirit,
and the guidance of His Precepts.
Blessings.
Steve Wiggins
Exodus 29
“Slaughter the ram, take some of its blood, and put it on Aaron’s right earlobe, on his son’s right earlobes, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Sprinkle the remaining blood on the sides of the altar. Take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkle them on Aaron and his garments. In this way, he and his garments will become holy, as well as his sons and their garments.” Exodus 29: 19-21
Atoning for sin is bloody business. It is ugly and it involves death. Mankind has a way of excusing its own sin, rather than dealing with, head-on. All people, in all cultures, feel guilt.
The fact that men naturally feel guilty testifies that there is a moral law from which to judge right & wrong. If there is a moral law, there must be a moral law giver…God.
The problem is not as much that men don’t know they sin. It is that they overlook their own sin, while exposing the sin of others.
The closer people come to God, the more they feel “convicted”. Some respond by repenting, others respond in anger.
“If the world hates you, understand it hated me before it hated you.” John 15: 18
From the giving of the law to Israel, God prepared a way to atone, or cover their sin. Sin kills, so someone or something has to bear the punishment, leading to death. The blood of the sacrifice reminds men of how heinous their sin is. Today, sin is only atoned for by Jesus, and received by following Him. Acts 4: 12
For Aaron and his sons, the ear was touched with the blood, that it might be consecrated to hear the word of God; the hand, to perform the duties connected with the priesthood; and the foot, to walk in the path of righteousness.
All followers of Jesus are called to be “priests” (servants). Messiah’s blood consecrates every part of us: ear, hand and foot, and is extended to every member of His kingdom. Matthew 26: 28, Ephesians 1: 7, 2: 13
Blessings.
Steve Wiggins
