To Serve The Most High…

As I left the book of Exodus behind, heading into Leviticus, a thread of thought began pulling my mind towards Moses brother, Aaron. By the time I got midway through Chapter 8, where God told Moses how to consecrate and present Aaron and his two sons as the priests to be in service within His holy dwelling… I began to wonder how Aaron felt about everything. Don’t forget that this wasn’t too long after that little incident with the Late Night Bovine Hoo-ha! Aaron wasn’t exactly looking or feeling like a winner, after his last leadership catastrophe!

As I was reading along, I began to wonder about the life of Aaron, before Moses returned to Egypt with Gods instructions, that included both brothers. Was their conversation that of two brothers, men of God, in full alignment and agreement as to how things would go? Or was their initial reuniting more like a recruiting session, with Moses laying out Gods plan like a sales pitch, hoping to entice Aaron to come along? 

The only thing I saw clearly in scripture, was the part where Aaron melted down the Golden Calf, while Moses was on the mountain retrieving the Stone Tablets of Gods Law… it was for sure, Aaron that did the deed! 

Chapter 8 of Leviticus was the next time I really focused on Aaron, as well as, all the other parties involved in the building and service of Gods Holy Dwelling, situated in the midst of His people. It can be easy to do, as there were a great many details, and a myriad of rules to be adhered to… for every single man, woman and child.

When I arrived at the part of the story where Aaron and his sons had been sanctified and placed in service to God and the people, it was very troubling to my heart when Aarons sons were instantly killed for not obeying the rules. Oh, I wasn’t caught up in why God destroyed them, but rather, how had they so quickly become lazy and flippant in their tasks. When it happened, God instructed Moses on how to handle things, leaving words with Moses on what to say to his brother Aaron. The part that has stuck in my mind ever since then, was when Moses told Aaron what God said, regarding their deaths, and the bible only states that Aaron remained silent… that’s it! 

Now enters two more of Aarons sons, for service in the dwelling place of God. As a parent, I am already considering how difficult it may have been for Aaron, to watch yet two more of his children picking up where the first two had left things. This was not anything like a posh position in an elite executives office, it was a do it or die if you fail kind of job, if I am to be blunt! Being in service to the Most High God is not a job to perform by the law, without the heart being All In! 

How many times, as a parent, did I think my children would do the right thing in questionable circumstances, only to see them choose poorly? How many times did my kids say they were sorry for something, not because they really felt contrite, but because they got caught? I am supposing that Aaron was no different, as a parent, than you or I might be, watching our kids make the wrong choices. Once, when my oldest was a teenager, I discovered that she had stolen some items from her job, so I took both her and the items back to the company, making her return what she had taken and apologize. The police were called, she was terminated and escorted off the premises. My then husband was furious with me, and my child did not speak to me for nearly a month… but I would do the very same thing to this day, as I don’t think she ever shoplifted again.

I imagine that Aaron was heartbroken, at the death of his sons, but also very aware of the sanctity of God and His dwelling place. God was actively establishing His Holiness, and the life one must live to become separate from the sin of the world. Sin always starts really tiny, barely noticeable if you are not quick to catch it. These people had been living beneath the feet of the Egyptians for generations, but they also picked up on many bad habits of a “Worship Who You Want, How You Want and When You Feel Like It” kind of people.

The amount of rules, regulations, Laws and By-laws God set down in both Exodus and Leviticus, leaves me to believe that there were many behaviors and habits that were far from Godly, which had gotten the Israelites into this mess generations earlier. 

Wickedness was rampant in every fiber of society, at that time, and not just with the Egyptians and Israelites, but throughout the lands. It was apparently normal, on any given day, to spy your neighbor down the path sacrificing one of their children to a false God. 

Cleanliness was far from being on any ones list of concerns, as well as many of the same criminal acts we face currently… same stories, different times, as far as I can see. The problem that the Israelites faced was the fact that they had become so accustomed to the norm, they didn’t even realize how many bad habits they had accumulated over the generations spent in bondage. 

God is a Holy God, flawless and more glorious than our minds can even fathom. The Creator of all, fully intended to dwell in the midst of His people, as they traveled to the promise land. Because of all the Stinkin Thinkin, as I like to call it, going on in the minds of the Israelites, God had to ensure that His children approached with reverence at all times. 

Perhaps Aaron was so overcome with sorrow and disappointment, in his sons flippant behavior, it simply robbed him of anything worth saying to his brother that day. Knowing what is right and doing what is right are two separate things, and often they do not end up hand in hand… for any of us.

There was a time, back in the day, where I would skim over much of what was written in any of the books of the bible involved in, whosoever beget whom, or how many cubits high and wide, because it either seemed like someone’s ancient family tree or just a bunch of rules by an angry God. There is so much more in those passages… so very much! As it stands now, I can barely get through a chapter or two each week, without having to go back and reread something that I’d previously skimmed past, that now had a great deal to do with what I’d been studying. 

It says in Gods Word,

“All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16, 17

I believe this to be true, All of it!

The more time I spend in the Bible, reading what was written so long ago, I find it just as applicable today as it was back then. Aaron may have been serving as high priest for God Almighty, but he was also a man with human flaws, bad habits, weaknesses and emotions. The beauty I found within this story is shared, not only by Aarons desire to stay the course in his service to the Most High, but God’s tireless efforts to bring the whole of His people out of a very sinful gutter, so to speak!

One of my lessons here, is that I too have bad habits needing to be replaced with good ones, one of which, is my skimming over of things I deem unnecessary for my study. If the Bible tells me that it is ALL God breathed, and that it is All useful for my learning… skimming ANY of scripture, could be causing me to miss many of the words given to me by God, for my journey home! Trust me, there are a good number of lessons I’m getting from the book of Leviticus, but if I keep sharing them all at one time, none of us will ever get anything else done.

Have a beautiful day everyone,

God Bless!