What can we learn from the relationship of Moses and Aaron?

Answer

Aaron was the older brother of Moses, who led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. Aaron was three years older than Moses, as stated in Exodus 7:7. The age of their sister, Miriam, at that time is unknown. There might have been a significant age difference between Miriam and Moses, as she was tasked with looking after her baby brother when Pharaoh’s decree ordered the killing of male Hebrew infants (Exodus 1:22;Exodus 2:1-4).

God intervened to save Moses, and he was found by Pharaoh’s daughter, who raised him as her own in the palace (Exodus 2:5-10). The Bible suggests that Moses maintained a connection with his biological family. Despite being brought up as an Egyptian prince, Moses still acknowledged his Hebrew heritage and considered the Hebrews his kin. Witnessing an Egyptian mistreating a Hebrew, Moses felt anger and ended up killing the oppressor (Exodus 2:11-12). Fearing for his life, Moses fled to the desert, where he lived as a shepherd for the next 40 years (Exodus 2:15;Exodus 3:1).

The Bible does not provide details about those years, so it is only speculation whether Aaron knew Moses’ whereabouts and if he visited him. It is probable that Aaron and Moses maintained occasional contact. When God called Moses from the burning bush and Moses expressed concerns about his speaking abilities, God mentioned, “Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well, and he is already on his way to meet you. When he sees you, he will be overjoyed. . . . I will assist both of you in speaking. . . . He will be your spokesman to the people. He wiI will be your spokesman, and it will be as if you were God to him” (Exodus 4:14-16).

We know little of Aaron in those early years, but he must have maintained a relationship with the Lord because when God told him to go meet Moses, Aaron was not at all surprised and obeyed at once (Exodus 4:27-28). Due to Aaron’s reputation in the Hebrew community, he had the connections necessary to gather the Jewish leaders to hear what God had told Moses (Exodus 4:29-31).

In a time when elder brothers were respected and held a place of honor in the family, God reversed that expectation. God chose the younger brother to be exalted to a place of leadership, and He selected the elder brother to be the assistant. In this arrangement, Aaron seemed to work well. Only once did he show resentment toward his brother when Aaron and Miriam “began to talk against Moses” (Numbers 12:1-2). God addressed that situation, and both Aaron and Miriam were forgiven.

Throughout the years, Aaron was indispensable to Moses. Together they confronted Pharaoh, brought the ten plagues on Egypt, and led the Israelites out of captivity (Exodus 7:1-2). God spoke to Moses, Moses spoke to Aaron, and Aaron conveyed the messages to the people. Together, Moses and Aaron were the vessels the Lord used to bring His people out of Egypt and toward the Promised Land. Aaron, along with a man named Hur, supported Moses’ hands in a battle with the Amalekites, enabling the Israelite forces to triumph miraculously (Exodus 17:10-13).

When Moses went up Mt. Sinai to meet with God, he left AAaron was in charge of the Israelites. Within a few days, the people became restless, and Aaron demonstrated that he was not as effective a leader as his brother. Aaron quickly yielded to the people’s demands for a golden idol (Exodus 32). When Moses came down the mountain, he was horrified to see the people engaging in pagan worship around a golden calf. Aaron tried to pretend he had nothing to do with it, but God brought a plague on the Israelites for their terrible sin.

Moses and Aaron worked together as the leaders of God’s people. Moses was God’s chosen prophet, and Aaron was God’s chosen high priest (Exodus 28:1-2). In fact, Aaron was the first high priest, and it was from his descendants that future high priests were chosen. Both Moses and Aaron were guilty of unbelief and disobedience at Meribah (Numbers 20:8-11), and both were prohibited from entering Canaan (verse 12).

We learn from the relationship between Moses and Aaron that God knows our hearts and our capabilities, and He places us in positions suited for us. Aaron had to humble himself to accept God’s choice, and Moses had to accept the help. By working together, the brothers accomplished much more than either of them could do alone. By serving faithfully as the spokesman for Moses, Aaron compensated for his brother’s weaknesses and feelings of inadequacy. Aaron, in turn, was given “dignity and honor” «And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty. », (Exodus 28:2). Because of their cooperation with each other and with the Lord, the nation of Israel survived a difficult and challenging time.