Last week we were introduced to Moses and Aaron. As this week's Torah portion unfolds, we can observe more about the partnership between these two brothers. In Exo 7:7, we learn that Aaron is three years older than Moses. Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh. This is another case of the older brother serving the younger brother. This has been the pattern of brothers in the Tanakh. It demonstrates that a calling from God is not based on birth order. It is a supernatural call from God.
We are also reminded that Moses felt that he needed Aaron to be able to communicate with Pharoah (and later with the children of Israel.) There are three occasions when Moses tells God that he is not up to the task for which he is called (Exo 4:10; 6:12; & 6:30). Aaron is called to serve along with Moses. They work together all the way until Aaron dies. Moses was clearly the leader, but Aaron was his associate and accountable along with Moses for their actions. They shared responsibility for what we call the "sin of Moses" that we read about in Numbers 20. It should really be called the sin of Moses and Aaron. Aaron dies right after this episode. During their years of partnership, when the people complained, they usually complained to Moses and Aaron. Just like Moses’s, Aaron's leadership was questioned. They served together and faced many challenges together.
There are some important lessons to be learned about this partnership that will help us as we serve the Lord. First, the calling for service does not depend on how old we are, or if we are younger or older than others. Remember that David was the youngest of his brothers, and Paul became an apostle after the resurrection of the Messiah, long after the others. God can call you to specific tasks or a life of vocational ministry when you are a teen—or when you are eighty! Calling is not determined by education, chronology, or to whom you are related! All Messiah followers are called to serve God. In a previous d’rash, I mentioned that there are several passages in the New Covenant Scriptures which tell us that whatever we do we are called to serve the Lord. But sometimes, there is something specific that he desires us to do.
Another lesson is that God will prepare and supply you with what you need for the calling or task. Moses felt that he was not the best person for the job because he was not a silver-tongued orator. Perhaps he would have been fine without Aaron, but God condescended to the perceived need of Moses, and gave him his brother as not only a mouthpiece but a partner. Notice that Aaron not only speaks to Pharaoh, but also does miracles. While Moses may have been able to do it alone, he was stronger with Aaron by his side. God knows us better than we know ourselves, and if he calls us he will supply what we need for the task. We also learn that Moses was quite humble in this calling. He understood his own limitations and brought his concerns to God. He was younger than Aaron and evidently not as great a speaker as him, but it was Moses whom God called to be the deliverer. In the gospels, Yeshua did not meet the expectations of others to be the Messiah. After all, can anything good come out of Nazareth? The answer is YES!
Finally, it is interesting that Aaron eventually becomes the High Priest, and his family become the Cohanim (Priests). This is surprising considering that Aaron was called to be a helper to Moses and when left to his own decision-making did not fare very well. You never know how God will use you when you are humble, desirous of serving, and sense a calling upon your life!
Perhaps God is calling you to be a Moses, or maybe an Aaron. Maybe he is calling you to be a good testimony of the reality of the Messiah in whatever occupation you have. Whatever the case may be, rest assured that God will supply you with whatever you need. Our responsibility is to be sensitive to his leading and honest about our abilities, while always trusting God for the equipping. May 2022 be a year of new opportunities!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard