Num 12

1
Aaron Snapshots of a Leader

• Num 12

2
Aaron Person, Priest, and Brother

• Aaron is found in 347 verses in the Old Testament
• The majority of the references are in Exodus,
  Leviticus and Numbers
• Yet he tends to be invisible (only 5x in the NT)

3
Aaron as a Brother

• Elder brother of Moses 3 years older than Moses
  (Exod 6.20 7.7)?
• Brother of Miriam (Exod 15.20 Num 26.59)?
• Num 12

4
Num 12.1

• Now Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because
  of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he
  had indeed married a Cushite woman.

5
Num 12.2

• And they said, "Has Yahweh indeed spoken only
  through Moses? Has He not spoken through us
  also?" But Yahweh heard.

6
Num 12.3

• Now the man Moses was a very humble/afflicted
  man, more than anyone else on the face of the
  earth.

7
Num 12.4

• Then Yahweh suddenly said to Moses and to Aaron
  and to Miriam," Come out, the three of you to the
  Tent of Meeting." So the three of them went out.

8
Num 12.5

• Then Yahweh came down in a pillar of cloud and
  stood at the entrance of the tent and called to
  Aaron and Miriam. So the two of them came forward.

9
Num 12.6

• He said Please! Listen to my words!
• If you (pl) have a prophet of Yahweh,
• In a vision I make myself known to him,
• In a dream I speak to him.

10
Num 12.7

• Not so with my servant Moses,
• In all my house, he is trusted.

11
Num 12.8

• Mouth to mouth, I speak with him, visibly,
• And not in riddles,
• He sees the form of Yahweh,
• Why were you not afraid to speak against my
  servant Moses?

12
Num 12.9

• The anger of Yahweh burned against them, and he
  left.

13
Num 12.10

• When the cloud departed from over the Tent,
  hinneh Miriam was stricken with snow-white
  scales. When Aaron turned toward Miriam, hinneh
  scales!

14
Num 12.11

• Then Aaron said to Moses, My Lord, Please do not
  put impurity on us for we were foolish concerning
  our impurity.

15
Num 12.12

• Do not let her be like a dead one, who comes out
  of its mother's womb and is half-consumed.

16
Num 12.13

• So Moses cried to Yahweh saying, Please, O God,
  Please heal her.

17
Num 12.14

• And Yahweh said to Moses, Even if her father had
  spit in her face, would she not have been
  humiliated seven days? Let her be shut up seven
  days outside the camp and afterwards returned.

18
Num 12.15

• And Miriam was shut up outside the camp for seven
  days. The people did not set out until Miriam was
  readmitted.

19
Aaron the Person

• 1. Weak alone (Exod 32)?
• 32.1b The people assembled about Aaron and said
  to him, Get up! Make a god for us who will go
  before us, for this man Moses . . . we do not
  know what has happened to him.

20
Aaron Weak Alone

• 32.21 Then Moses said to Aaron, What did this
  people do to you that you have brought such a
  great sin on them?

21
Aaron Weak Alone

• 32.22 And Aaron said to Moses, Do not let the
  anger of my lord burn. You know the people,
  that they are evil.

22
No Man is an Island

• No man is an island,
• entire of itself
• every man is a piece of the continent, a part of
  the main
• if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is
  the less . . . .

23
Christian Community

• Each of us is created for community, and in the
  image of community. And yet everything in the
  world tries to rob us of this Divine gift.

• Shane Clairborne

24
Aaron the Person

• 2. Easily Influenced
• Negatively here Miriam and Aaron
• spoke against Moses
• Has He not spoken through us also?

25
Peer Pressure

• The chances of a young person getting involved
  in criminal activity are increased if they have
  friends who have been in trouble with the law.
  Wikipedia

26
Aaron as Priest

• Lev 9.22 Then Aaron lifted his hands towards the
  people and blessed them. He descended after he
  offered the purification, burnt and well-being
  offerings.

27
Priest In Spite of Weakness

• Num 12.8b Why were you not afraid to speak
  against my servant Moses?
• Num 12.9 The anger of Yahweh burned against
  them, and he left.

28
Priest In Spite of Weakness

• Then Aaron said to Moses, My Lord, Please do not
  put impurity on us for we were foolish concerning
  our impurity.
• Responsibility for wrong actions taken.

29
Priest In Spite of Weakness

• Do not let her be like a dead one, who comes out
  of its mother's womb and is half-consumed.
• Even a priest asks for help!

30
What Aaron Teaches Us about Spirituality?

• 1. We are weak by ourselves, so God has given us
  Community
• 2. Community may fail us, it is not the entire
  answer
• 3. Weakness is good if we ask for help when we
  stumble

31
(No Transcript)