An Unqualified Aaron

Exo 32:23  For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

In continuation of the earlier article, my mind was drawn to the above request of the children of Israel. Make us a gods which shall go before us, was their request to Aaron. In that request I see a strong indictment on the ministry of Aaron. Let me explain.

Aaron was to be second-in-command to Moses and was meant to be the man on ground to provide direction in Moses' absence.  In this regard, he excelled to provide direction(briefly). After all the people came to him to request for a god. However, I am more inclined to believe that the reason why the people came to him for this was that they felt that the main man had left him in charge. He was riding on past recognition or glory conferred on him. The people did not really trust Aaron to be able to provide them with the same level of God-enabled leadership as Moses had. If they did they would have asked him to lead them and not make gods to lead them.

Let's consider that for a minute.

Here is Aaron the high priest. He was not just some ordinary member of the priesthood but the HIGH priest. He was, based on his stature, supposed to have access to the very presence of God. The most Holy place within the tabernacle, containing the ark of God which symbolizes the very presence of God, was where his ministry was to be conducted regularly. He was the man to have fellowship in the place illuminated by the very glory of God. He bore the burden of the people upon the breast plate on his heart. He had the Urim and the Thummim by which he could inquire of the Lord. Surely, he should have been more than able to guide the people in the absence of Moses. Instead he choose to make them gods.

He made the gods ,and when he did, the people thought that what he had fashioned must have been inspired from his experiences in the Holy place. After all he had been there and should by know know what God looked like at the very least (We would be surprised if we knew the source of inspiration for a lot of what we thought men must have received from the Holy place).

However, the people despite all the qualifications of Aaron requested for gods in the place of the man, Moses. They seemed to have judged, rather correctly as we find later,  that he was unable to provide them with the much needed spiritual direction. They saw in him a man who did not have the same relationship with and understanding of God to influence things in their favor should they encounter difficulties. When they came to him for direction, he made them a golden calf! The High priest of the God of Israel was the one that fashioned a golden calf,  allowed the people to declare that the idol he made was the same God that brought them out of Egypt and even declared a feast for the people to dance before this idol.

As I thought on these things I wondered. What came over the high priest of God? Surely for one that had been to the Holy place he should have known something of what God looked like. Why did he continue with the deception when he heard the people attribute to his idol the glory that was due only to God? I mean, when the people declared that the idol he had just produced a few minutes ago, a god that was only a few minutes old, was the same  that  had brought them out of bondage and had led them all this way. That would have been a good place to bring some form of correction to the madness and redirect the people but instead he compounded things by setting in motion a feast. A continuing statute that would have occupied the people even though he knew there was no presence of divinity in the idol he had fashioned.

Are there men like Aaron in our day? Men who occupy people with activities rather than reality. Men who, when the people have lost faith in their leadership credentials, resort to fashioning gods instead of travailing before the true God? Men, who continue deception to keep up with appearances and meet the immediate need of the people. Men, who fashion gods out of gold and expect men to bow before it. Men, who will keep the people happy at all costs? who see the ministry as a customer service affair and the congregation as the king-customer. Do men who are hungry for God, see your ministry as a place they can come to be connected to God?

As you consider these questions, I would like to ask further, Are you like Aaron?or a Moses?

Aaron needed gold to provide an suitable god for the people, Moses needed God at no material cost(even an angel of God's presence will not do for Moses). Aaron would gladly declare a feast, Moses time and again would declare a fast. Aaron can settle for a fraud as long as the people are pleased, Moses would not settle for any less than God even if the people wanted it so. Aaron could function without God, Moses wanted only that which the hand of God prescribes.

May God make us men who like Martin Luther will declare before God and Men 'Here I stand I can do no other'. Men uncompromising in the face of opposition and conflict. Men who pitch their tents with God and seek only that which comes from above. May we be such men indeed!