The Priest: Aaron (12 page)

More people stood waiting for Moses’ attention than had yesterday. Squabbles between tribes, arguments between tribal brothers. Maybe it was the heat that kept them from getting along. Maybe it was the long days and deferred hope. Aaron didn’t have much patience today. He longed for his tent and a rolled-up blanket under his head.

“Is it like this every day?”

Aaron hadn’t noticed Jethro’s approach. “Every day gets worse.”

“This is not good.”

Who is he to talk?
“Moses is our leader. He must judge the people.”

“No wonder he has aged since the last time I saw him. The people are wearing him out!”

Two men shouted at one another while waiting in the line. Soon they were shoving each other, involving others. Aaron left Jethro quickly, hoping to curb the disturbance, calling on the assistance of several of his relatives to help break up the fight and restore order to those waiting.

The men were separated, but not before one was injured.

“Go and have someone see to the cut over your eye.”

“And lose my place in line?
No!
I was here yesterday waiting, and the day before that! I’m not leaving. This man took the bride-price for his sister and now won’t let me have her as my wife!”

“You want a wife? Here! Take mine!”

While some laughed, another lost his temper. “Maybe the rest of you can stand around making jokes, but I’ve got serious business. I can’t stand here until the next full moon waiting for Moses to hack off this man’s hand for stealing my sheep and making it a feast for his friends!”

“I found that mangy animal caught in a bramble! That makes it my sheep.”

“Your son drove it away from my flock!”

“Are you calling me a liar?”

“A liar and a thief!”

Aaron’s relatives helped separate the men. Angry, Aaron called for everyone to listen. “It would be easier for everyone if you all tried to get along with one another!” He gripped his staff. Sometimes they acted like sheep, Moses as their shepherd, and other times, they were more like wolves intent on tearing each other apart. “Anyone else who causes trouble in the line will be sent back to their tents. They can go to the end of the line tomorrow!”

The silence was anything but peaceful.

Jethro shook his head, expression grim. “This is not good. These people are worn-out from waiting.”

For all the pleasurable memories of the feast the night before, Aaron was annoyed that the Midianite felt free to criticize. “It may not be good, but it is the way things must be. Moses is the one with the ear of God.”

“It is almost evening, and there are more people here now than there were when the day began.”

Aaron could see no good reason for stating the obvious. “You are a guest. It is not your problem.”

“Moses is my son-in-law. I would like to see him live long enough to see his grandsons.” He went into the tent. “Moses, why are you trying to do all this alone? The people have been standing here all day to get your help.”

Aaron wanted to hook Jethro with his shepherd’s staff and haul him from the tent. Who did this uncircumcised pagan think he was to question God’s anointed?

But Moses answered with grave respect. “Well, the people come to me to seek God’s guidance. When an argument arises, I am the one who settles the case. I inform the people of God’s decisions and teach them His laws and instructions.”

“This is not good, my son! You’re going to wear yourself out—and the people, too. This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself. Now let me give you a word of advice, and may God be with you.”

Moses rose and asked those present to leave. Aaron didn’t listen to the arguments, but upheld Moses’ decision, urging those inside the tent to leave. They would not lose their places, but would have the first hearing when Moses sat as judge again. He signaled his relatives to send the rest to their tents, and tried to ignore the rumble of discontent. Aaron drew the tent flap down and rejoined his brother and Jethro.

“You should continue to be the people’s representative before God, bringing Him their questions to be decided.” Jethro sat, hands spread in appeal. “You should tell them God’s decisions, teach them God’s laws and instructions, and show them how to conduct their lives. But find some capable, honest men who fear God and hate bribes. Appoint them as judges over groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten. These men can serve the people, resolving all the ordinary cases. Anything that is too important or too complicated can be brought to you. But they can take care of the smaller matters themselves. They will help you carry the load, making the task easier for you. If you follow this advice, and if God directs you to do so, then you will be able to endure the pressures, and all these people will go home in peace.”

Aaron saw that Moses was listening intently and weighing, measuring the merit of Jethro’s words. Had Moses always been this way or had circumstances made him so? The Midianite’s suggestion did seem a reasonable one, but was this a plan the Lord would approve?

Aaron did not need Jethro to point out the lines deepening in Moses’ face, or how his hair had turned white. His brother was thinner, not for lack of food but for lack of time to eat it. Moses did not like to leave important matters to another day, but with the increasing number of cases coming before him, he could not manage them all before sundown. And unless the Lord instructed him to do so, Aaron had no intention of sitting in Moses’ judgment seat. But something had to be done. The dust and heat frayed the most patient among them, and every time Aaron heard arguing, he was in fear of what the Lord would do to these belligerent people.

Over the next few days, Aaron, Moses, and the elders met together to discuss men best suited to serve as judges. Seventy were chosen, able men of faith, trustworthy and dedicated to obeying the precepts and statutes God gave through His servant Moses. And there was some rest for Moses and for Aaron as well because of Jethro’s suggestion.

Still, Aaron was glad to see the Midianite depart and take his servants with him. Jethro was a priest of Midian, and had acknowledged the Lord as greater than all other gods, but when the invitation to stay had been given by Moses, Jethro chose to go his own way. He had rejected being part of Israel, and therefore, rejected the Lord God as well. For all the love and respect Moses and Jethro shared for one another, their people were on different paths.

Sometimes Aaron found himself longing for the simplicity of slavery. All he had to do then was make his quota of bricks for the day and not draw the attention of the taskmaster. Now, he had all these thousands and thousands watching his every move, making demands, vying for his attention and the attention of Moses. Were there enough hours in a day to do all the work required? No! Was there any escape from this kind of servitude?

Worn down and burned out, lying sleepless on his pallet, Aaron couldn’t keep the betraying thought from entering his mind and taunting him:
Is this the freedom I wanted?
Is this the life I longed to live?
Granted, he no longer worked in a mud pit. He no longer had to fear the taskmaster’s whip. But the joy and relief he had felt when death passed over him were gone. He had marched out into the desert, jubilant and filled with hope, secure in the future God had promised. Now, the constant carping, complaints, and pleas of the people weighed him down. One day they were praising the Lord and the next whining and wailing.

And he had no right to condemn them when he heard his own words echoing back from the days he had traveled this land in search of his brother. He, too, had complained.

When God brought the people into the Promised Land, then he would have rest. He would sit beneath the shade of a tree and sip nectar made from his own vines. He would have time to talk with his sons and surround himself with his grandchildren. He would sleep through the heat of the day, untroubled by worry.

The cloud was his solace. He would look up during the day and know that the Lord was near. The Lord was protecting them from the scorching heat of the sun. At night, the fire kept the darkness away. It was only when he was inside his tent, eyes closed, trapped in his own thoughts, assessing his own abilities, that his faith wavered.

In the third month after leaving Egypt, the cloud settled over Sinai and the people camped in the desert in front of the mountain where Aaron had found his brother, the mountain where the Lord had first spoken to Moses from the burning bush. The people were at the place where Moses had received the call. Holy ground!

As the Israelites rested, Aaron went up with Moses to the foot of the mountain. “Tend the flock, Aaron.” From there, Moses went on alone.

Aaron hesitated, not wanting to go back. He watched Moses climb, feeling more bereft as the distance grew between them. Moses was the one who heard the Lord’s voice most often and most clearly. Moses was the one who told Aaron what to say, what to do.

If only all men heard the Voice. And obeyed.

As I must obey.
Aaron dug his staff into the rocky ground. “Come back soon, my brother. Lord, we need him. I need him.” Turning away, Aaron went down to the camp to wait.

“You’re to come with me this time, Aaron.” Moses’ words filled Aaron with joy. He had wanted . . . “When I go up before the Lord, you will stand so that the people will not come up the mountain. They must not force their way through or the Lord will break out against them.”

The people. Moses always worried about the people, as Aaron knew he must.

Moses had already climbed the mountain twice, and Aaron longed to go and see the Lord for himself. But he was afraid to ask.

Moses and Aaron gathered the people and gave them instructions. “Wash your clothes and get ready for an important event two days from now. The Lord will descend on the mountain. Until the shofar sounds with a long blast, you must not approach the mountain, on penalty of death.”

Miriam greeted him with tears. “Think of how many generations have longed for this day, Aaron. Just think of it.” She clung to him, weeping.

His sons and their wives and children washed their clothing. Aaron was too excited to eat or sleep. He had yearned for the Voice to come upon him again, to hear the Lord, to feel God’s presence over, around, in, and through him as he had before. He had tried to make his sons understand, his daughters-in-law, his grandchildren, even Miriam. But he could not explain the sensation of hearing God’s voice when all around were deaf to it. He had felt the Word of the Lord from within.

Only Moses understood—Moses, whose experience of God must be far more profound than Aaron could even imagine. He saw it in his brother’s face each time he returned from the mountain of God; he saw the change in Moses’ eyes. For a time, on that mountain with God, Moses lived in the midst of eternity.

Now, all Israel would understand what neither man could explain. All Israel would hear the Lord!

Awakening before dawn, Aaron sat outside his tent, watching and waiting. Who could sleep on a day like this? But few were outside their tents. Moses came out of his tent and walked toward him. Aaron rose and embraced him.

“You’re shaking.”

“You are the friend of God, Moses. I am only your spokesman.”

“You were called to deliver Israel, too, my brother.” They went out into the open to wait.

The air changed. Lightning flashed and was followed by a low, heavy roll of sound. People peered out of their tents, tentative, frightened. Aaron called out to them. “Come! It is time.” Miriam, his sons, and their wives and children came outside, washed and ready. Smiling, Aaron followed Moses and beckoned the people to follow.

Smoke billowed as from a giant furnace. The whole mountain shook, making the ground beneath Aaron’s feet shake. His heart trembled. The air grew dense. Aaron’s blood raced as his skin prickled with sensation. The cloud overhead swirled like great waves of dark gray moving around the mountaintop. A spear of light flashed and was answered by a deep roar Aaron could feel inside his chest. Another spear of light flashed and another, the sound so deep it rolled over and through him. From within the cloud came the sound of the ram’s horn—long, loud, recognizable and yet alien. Aaron wanted to cover his ears and hide from the power of it, but stood straight, praying.
Have mercy on me. Have mercy on me.
All the great winds of the earth were coming through the shofar, for the Creator of all was blowing it.

Moses walked toward the mountain. Aaron stayed close to him, as eager as he was terrified. He couldn’t take his eyes from the swelling smoke, the streaks of fire, the brilliance amidst the gray churning cloud. The Lord was coming! Aaron saw the red, orange, and gold flickering light descending, smoke billowing up from the mountain.
The Lord is a consuming fire!
The ground shook beneath Aaron’s feet. There was no hint of ash in the air despite the fire and smoke from the mountaintop.

The deep blast of the shofar continued until Aaron’s heart ached with the sound. He stopped when he came to the boundary God had set and watched as Moses went up the mountain alone to meet with the Lord face-to-face. Aaron waited, breath shallow, arms outstretched so that the people would know to stay back. The mountain was holy ground. When he looked over his shoulder, he saw Joshua and Miriam, Eleazar and little Phinehas, and others. They all stood looking up, faces rapt with awe.

And then Aaron heard the Lord again.

I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in Egypt.

The Word of the Lord rushed in, through, and out of Aaron.

Do not worship any other gods besides Me. Do not make idols of any kind, whether in the shape of birds or animals or fish. . . . Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God. . . . Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. . . . Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God will give you. . . . Do not murder. . . . Do not commit adultery. . . . Do not steal. . . . Do not testify falsely against your neighbor. . . . Do not covet your neighbor’s house. Do not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else your neighbor owns.

The Voice overshadowed and shone through, and drew up from the depths inside him and spilled out with unbridled joy. Aaron’s heart sang even as the fear of the Lord filled him. His blood raced like a cleansing stream washing away everything in a flood of sensation. He felt the old life ebb and true
life
rush in. The Word of the Lord was there inside him, stirring, swelling, blazing bright in his mind, burning in his heart, pouring from his mouth. Pure ecstasy filled him as he felt the Presence, the Voice within, heard without, all around him.
Amen! And amen! Let it be! Let it be!
He wanted to stay immersed.
Reign in me, Lord. Reign! Reign!

But the people were screaming, “Moses! Moses!”

Aaron didn’t want to turn away from what he was experiencing. He wanted to scream back at them not to refuse the gift offered!
Embrace it. Embrace Him. Don’t bring an end to the relationship we were born to have.
But it was already too late.

Moses came back. “Don’t be afraid, for God has come in this way to show you His awesome power. From now on, let your fear of Him keep you from sinning!”

The people ran. “Come back!” Aaron called, but they had already fled in terror and remained at a distance. Even his own sons and their children! Tears of disappointment burned his eyes. What choice had he now but to go to them?

“You tell us what God says, Moses, and we will listen,” the leaders called out. “But don’t let God speak directly to us. If He does, we will die!”

“Come and hear for yourself what the Lord says to you.”

They cowered from the sound and wind. They would not raise their heads and look up at the smoke and fire.

The thunder ceased and the wind died down. The shofar no longer sounded from the mountaintop. The earth grew still.

Aaron was in anguish over the silence. The moment was over, the opportunity lost forever. Did these people fail to understand what had been offered, what they had rejected? His throat was tight and hot as he held in his grief and disappointment.

Will I ever hear His voice again?
Miriam said something to him, then to his sons. Aaron could not speak for the choking sorrow holding him where he was. He kept looking up at the glow of glory on Sinai. He had felt that fire burning within him, igniting his life with what it would mean to be like Moses. Oh, to hear the Lord daily, to have a personal relationship with God, the Creator of all things. And if all had heard, the heavy burden of responsibility for this multitude would be lifted from his back and from Moses’. Each person would have heard God’s voice. Each person would know God’s Word. Each would be made to understand and could then choose to obey the will of God.

The dream of it gripped him. Freedom from the responsibility of so many lives. And the people! No more complaining! No more grumbling! Every man in Israel would be equally yoked!

But the dream was already slipping away and the weight of God’s call was on him again. Aaron remembered the days of his youth when he had no one to worry about but himself, no responsibility but to survive the slave masters and the Egyptian sun.

The fire on Sinai was a red-gold haze through his tears.
Oh, Lord, Lord, how I long to . . . to what?
He had no words, no explanation for what he felt. Just this pain at the center of his being, the ache of loss and longing. And he knew it would never really go away. God had called them to the mountain to hear His voice. God had called them to be His people. But they had rejected the proffered gift and cried out instead for a man to lead them: Moses.

“Do not be downcast, Aaron.” Miriam sat with him and put her hand on his head. “We could not help but be afraid. Such sound. Such fury.”

Did she think he was a little boy to be comforted? He stood and moved away from her. “He is the Lord! You have seen the cloud and the pillar of fire. My own family fled like frightened sheep!” His sons and their wives and children had cried out for Moses like the rest. Did his words to them mean nothing? Was he still a slave? All these months he had tried to tell them what it was like to hear the voice of the Lord, to know it was God speaking and not some voice in his own imaginings. And when their chance came, what did they do? They ran from God. They shook inside their newly washed robes. They wept in terror and cried out for Moses to listen to God’s voice and speak the Word to them.

“You’re acting like a child, Aaron.”

He turned on his sister. “You’re not my mother, Miriam. Nor my wife.”

Blushing, she opened her mouth to retort, but he walked past her out of the tent. There was no silencing her. She was like the wind, ever blowing, and he was in no mood to listen to her counsel, or her complaining.

Moses approached. “Gather the people and have them assemble at the foot of the mountain.”

They all came, Aaron leading them. Joshua was already at the foot of the mountain, standing beside Moses. Aaron was annoyed that Eliezer and Gershom were not there to serve their father. Why should it be this young man of the tribe of Ephraim who stood near Moses rather than one of their own relations? From the beginning of the journey out of Egypt, Joshua had stationed himself as near Moses as possible, serving him with every opportunity given. And Moses had embraced the young man as his servant. Even when Jethro had brought Eliezer and Gershom with Zipporah, Joshua remained at Moses’ side. Where were Moses’ sons this morning? Aaron spotted them among the people, standing on either side of their ailing mother.

“Hear the Word of the Lord!” The throng fell silent and listened as Moses told them all the words the Lord had given him, laws to keep the people from sinning against one another, laws to protect foreigners who lived among them and followed the way of the Lord, laws concerning property when it would be given to them, laws of justice and mercy. The Lord proclaimed three festivals to be celebrated each year: the Festival of Unleavened Bread to remind them of their deliverance from Egypt, the Festival of Harvest, and the Festival of the Final Harvest to give thanks for the Lord’s provision. Wherever they lived in the Promised Land, all the men of Israel were to appear before the Lord at a place the Lord set during these three celebrations.

No longer would they be able to do whatever was right in their own eyes.

“The Lord is sending His angel before us to lead us safely to the land He has prepared for us. We must pay attention to Him, and obey all of His instructions. Do not rebel against Him, for He will not forgive your sins. He is the Lord’s representative—He bears His name.”

Aaron’s heart raced as he remembered the Man he had seen walking in front of his brother. He had not been a figment of his imagination! Nor was the Man who had stood within the rock at Mount Sinai and from whom the water had flowed. They were one and the same, the Angel of the Lord. Leaning in, he drank in his brother’s words.

“If you are careful to obey Him, following all of the Lord’s instructions, then He will be an enemy to our enemies, and He will oppose those who oppose us.” Moses spread his arms, palms up. “We must serve only the Lord our God. If we do, He will bless us with food and water, and He will keep us healthy. There will be no miscarriages or infertility among our people, and He will give us long, full lives. When we get to the Promised Land, we must drive out the people who live there or they will cause us to sin against the Lord because their gods are a snare.” He lowered his hands. “And what do you say to the Lord?”

Aaron called out, “Everything the Lord says, we will do!” And the people repeated his words until over a million voices rang out before the Lord God of Israel.

Early the next morning, Moses built an altar of earth before the mountain of God. Twelve uncut stone pillars stood, one for each of the tribes of Israel. Young Israelite men were chosen to bring forward sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings to the Lord. Moses took half the blood of the bulls and put it into bowls. The other half he sprinkled on the altar. He read the Word of the Lord that he had written into the Book of the Covenant, and the people said again that they would obey the Word of the Lord. The air was filled with the scent of burnt offerings.