Aaron`s behavior and God`s treatment of him in the Pentateuch

February 13 , 2007

Aaron 's Behavior and God 's Treatment of Him in the Pentateuch

Aaron 's Behavior and God 's Treatment of Him in the Pentateuch 1

Scholarly Commentaries

The Rabbinic and Christian Patristic Explanations of

Aaron 's Behavior and God 's Treatment of Him

Aaron the high priest of Israel , the ancestor of the Jerusalem priesthood who made the golden calf

and Aaron and his sister Miriam had criticized Moses and that God has chastised them for this

Aaron is the younger brother of Miriam and the elder

brother of Moses Aaron served as Moses

spokesman before Pharaoh to plead for freedom of their nation as God instructed . More than once

he stretched out his staff to bring God 's plagues to the land . God turned Aaron 's rod into a serpent

and when Egyptian magicians were able to do the same using magical arts the serpent from

Aaron 's rod swallowed the others whole , which proved the dominance of the supernatural powers

at work . Aaron was chosen to be Israel 's first priest . Aaron took on special rules but could not

live up to high standards . He offered sacrifices to his own sin and then sacrifices for others . Aaron

and his two older brothers were called to go up to the mountain where they worshipped . Aaron

was left in charge but the people became impatient and asked Aaron for action of worshipping a

god . Aaron easily obligated and made a sinful idolatry calf . Aaron was not as harshly judged as

his sister Mariam . He served God faithfully as a High Priest , he had confessed and pleaded mercy

for his sister Mariam . God testified to Aaron 's priestly leadership Aaron again sinned when the

people cried for water in the desert when he joined in Moses presumptions sin as they seized the

action of the Lord power for themselves by not trusting and honoring him . They weren 't instructed

to speak to a rock to bring forth water but in temper it was struck twice with the staff

Both were in breach of God 's holiness and both were refused entry into the Promise Land . All

Aaron 's Behavior and God 's Treatment of Him in the Pentateuch 2

community grumbled against Aaron and Moses , out of 3 million people only 14 ,700 people died

from a plague . To defend the priest Aaron against the last grumbling God made the miracle of the

Building of Aaron 's Staff . God , always defends His priests , in the OT and in the NT . most

specially , the leaders of the priests . When Aaron grew tired of his responsibilities to the people

he had made a golden calf , his pact with God was broken and therefore Moses had ask God for

him to be forgiven . Aaron said : Take the golden earrings from the ears of your wives , and your

sons and daughters , and bring to them to me

When he receives them he makes a molten calf before which he built up an...