“But all the wickedness in the world which man may do or think is no more to the mercy of God than a live coal dropped in the sea.”
― William Langland
As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I have recently been reading the story of the Israelites after their Egyptian slavery, as they wandered around in the desert for forty years and then entered the Promised Land. Their leader through most of that time is Moses, but his brother Aaron is also an important figure in the story. You probably remember that, when God called to Moses from the burning bush, Moses balked at leadership and speaking in front of people. God had an answer for that – his brother Aaron would help him.
“You [Moses] shall speak to [Aaron] and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. But take this staff in your hand so you can perform the signs with it.” (Exodus 4:15-17 NIV).
If you follow the Exodus story, you know that Moses and Aaron told both the Israelites and the Egyptians that God wanted his people to be free from slavery. Their recorded speeches and signs and wonders are still remembered and celebrated today. Aaron helped to instituted the Passover celebration and the construction of the Tabernacle. Later, he was appointed by God into a very important role – that of the first High Priest of the Israelites. He was to then train his sons and future descendants to perform the sacred and priestly duties in the Tabernacle (and later the Temple). This was a huge honor and responsibility.
“Moses and Aaron then went into the tent of meeting [with God]. When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people.” (Leviticus 9:23 NIV) Being in God’s glory presence and sharing it with all the people would have been (is!) a huge honor. It seems like God had a lot of faith in these two brothers.
So what happened next?
Only one chapter later we read this about his two elder sons: “Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, contrary to his command. So fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.” (Leviticus 10:1-2 NIV). Obviously, these two grown men made their own choice to disobey God, and so they suffered the consequences. But this doesn’t reflect well upon Aaron’s ability to train up his sons to their sacred duties or obeying God.
Possibly more reflective of Aaron’s character is that “incident” with the Golden Calf. Moses had gone to spend time with God, the people were impatient and restless, and Aaron acquiesced to their demands for gods. “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.” (Exodus 32:1 NIV). There follows the terrible story of Aaron collecting their gold, shaping it into an idol of a calf, and even leading the people in a festival to the golden calf. God threatens Moses to destroy all the Israelites. Moses has to convince Him to not destroy them, but instead forgive their sin. This horrid scene ends with these words:
“The Lord replied to Moses, ‘Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book. Now go, lead the people to the place I spoke of, and my angel will go before you. However, when the time comes for me to punish, I will punish them for their sin.’ And the Lord struck the people with a plague because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made.” (Exodus 32:33-35 NIV)
I have been struggling with Aaron’s story for a couple of weeks. Why God would allow this man to continue in leadership, especially when you compare Aaron’s involvement in the story of the golden calf to Moses’s loss of favor when he tapped a rock two times?
[Moses] and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.” (Numbers 20:10-12 NIV)
Moses lost his chance to live in the Promised Land simply because he hit a rock not once, but two times. That seems pretty extreme. Aaron was called by God, used as a mouthpiece for God, saw numerous miracles, signs and wonders that God did, appointed to the highest spiritual office in the land, YET chose to create a false God. Why would he do that? Even more importantly, why would God allow him to continue as the leader after all this?
This is what I’ve been wrestling with. Aaron screwed up so badly. Why didn’t God remove him from his leadership role?
Similarly, why did Peter become the Rock on which Christ built his Church – even after he proclaimed he did not even know Jesus?
Why did one of the most successful persecutors of the early Christians become the now revered apologist and evangelist the Apostle Paul?
Why are satanists, witches, murderers, adulterers, and others who repent allowed to later lead God’s people?
Does our character matter to God? Yes.
Is there any confessed sin that is too great for God to forgive? No.
Does God’s grace overwhelm our repented failures and sins? Yes.
Is there any aspect of the leadership of his Kingdom that God is not interested in overseeing? No.
I guess, again, the somewhat unsatisfactory answer has to have its anchor in God’s mercy and grace. “But all the wickedness in the world which man may do or think is no more to the mercy of God than a live coal dropped in the sea.” (William Langland). Whether or not this answer is fully satisfying, may we live as people who know they are forgiven and accepted by the reality of God’s grace.
God of Grace and God of Glory,
On your people pour Holy Spirit’s power so that we can better understand and live out the reality of your grace to those around us, especially those who come to you with repentant and humble hearts. Give us deep and godly character so that we can honor you with all our choices and the lives we lead. Help us learn from people like Aaron, Peter, Paul, and others about the depth and breadth of your love and grace. Help us remember that although all of us have sinned and fallen short of your glory, when we come to you in humility and repentance, we are redeemed and justified by your grace. Help us to live in the hope, peace, joy, and mercy toward others that you give to us, we ask in Jesus’s name, AMEN.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV)
There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:22-24 NIV)