Tag: Aaron

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Numbers Devotionals

Breaking faith with God

Moses looking at promised land

Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them. (Numbers 20:12)

I was thinking on those words God spoke to Moses and Aaron this morning.

“You did not believe in me.”

Instead of believing God’s instructions and doing things God’s way, Moses did things his own.

In doing so, he showed the same lack of honor to God that the people had with all their complaining and rebelliousness.

Later Moses paraphrased what God had told him. “You broke faith with me. You betrayed my trust. You were unfaithful and disloyal to me.” (Deuteronomy 32:51)

Here was a man that God had spoken to face to face, as a man does with a friend. (Exodus 33:11).

And Moses had betrayed that trust.

How much did that pain the heart of the Father?

Father, how often am I like Moses? How often do I fail to believe in you? Instead of believing your instructions and doing things your way, I do things my own?

By your grace, you saved me. By your grace, you made me your own and call me “friend.”

I never want to look into your eyes knowing that I have betrayed your trust.

Help me to always honor you as holy in my life. To give you the honor you are so worthy of in everything I say and do. And when other see me, let them see you.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

Categories
Numbers Devotionals

Standing between the living and the dead

Numbers

(Aaron) stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was halted. (Numbers 16:48)

Those words really struck me today.

On one side of Aaron, thousands were dead because of their rebellion.

On the other, thousands were saved through his intercession.

As God’s priests, we stand in the same position as Aaron.

Many around us are dying because of their sin. And we have a choice.

We can just do nothing and watch God’s judgment fall.

Or like Aaron, we can pray. We can intercede. We can reach out to them, sharing God’s gospel of repentance and forgiveness.

Lord, give me the heart of Aaron. There are so many people hurting and dying because of their sin.

Give me Aaron’s compassion. Give me your compassion. Show me what I can do to reach out.

And use me to bring your salvation into their lives. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Categories
Numbers Devotionals

A better high priest

Numbers

As I read this passage, I thought about Aaron.

He was the first high priest that Israel ever knew.

But he was a flawed man.

While Moses was up on the mountain getting the ten commandments, Aaron gave into pressure from the people, built a golden calf for them to worship, and then had the gall to call it “Yahweh.” (Exodus 32)

Then here, in this passage, he (along with Moses this time) fail to honor God as holy.

I am a little puzzled as to why God included Aaron in this rebuke, as it was Moses who struck the rock instead of speaking to it. Aaron so far as we can tell was just standing by when it happened.

But God sees the heart, and there was apparently something wrong in Aaron’s heart that day as well.

But the most important thing that shows the inadequacy of Aaron comes at the very end of this chapter: he died.

He was not a priest who could intercede for God’s people forever. Because of his sin, he too had to die, and another had to take his place.

What does all this show? The need for a better and greater high priest.

And that’s what Jesus is for us.

Unlike Aaron, he always obeyed his Father in heaven. Not once did he fail to honor his Father as holy.

More importantly, though he died (for our sins, not his own), he rose again, and lives forever never to die again. 

Because of that, the writer of Hebrews writes,

But because [Jesus] remains forever, he holds his priesthood permanently.

Therefore, he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, since he always lives to intercede for them. (Hebrews 7:24-25)

That’s the hope we have. Aaron couldn’t do it for us. Nor could any of his sons or descendants after him. But Jesus can and does.

So as the writer of Hebrews says,

Since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water.

Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful. (Hebrews 10:21-23)