Aaron and God’s Burden

Dear Aaron, You were truly a trendsetter. The first of the Levitical priesthood–chosen by God to come before Him for the people. As I read about you, I see how God restores your relationship with your brother in the wilderness. Moses wasn’t confident in his ability to do what God had chosen him for so God used you, his brother, to be Moses’ mouthpiece before Pharaoh. Isn’t God perfect -how He sees ahead of what we will need and makes provision for it! That provision was you Aaron, you were three years older than Moses- born and kept alive for this day.

I believe that your involvement in the exodus was not only because of Moses’ lack of confidence in himself but also a testimony to the children of Israel that the Levis were to be set apart. That His holy priest were chosen by Him, clothed by Him and were to adhere to the commandments He put in place.  You saw first hand what God did to the Egyptians, for you it wasn’t hear say. You struck the Nile River and it turned to blood. Aaron God used the staff given to you by Moses to bring forth the plagues in Egypt! God used you to smite Pharaoh so that he would release your people from slavery.

But it’s like they say today, “ you can take the person out of the hood but you can’t take the hood of the person.” God freed you and your people from the power of Egypt but what you learned in Egypt remained in you.  Aaron, I’m disappointed in you. God chose you and your children to be His priest yet you still caused the children of Israel to go astray. You did what so many of us Christians do today, we compromise–opting to please people instead of God.

I took a break from writing this letter and I have to be honest and say that I apologize. I apologize Aaron because I know that there have been instances that I have compromised and misrepresented God. Situations where I could have stood for God’s character but instead chose to save face. So for that, I apologize because maybe my words have been too harsh and lack the love that God wants us to have towards each other when we fail. I am thankful though that we have Jesus, who is our high priest who will never disappoint us. Jesus, who came to earth showing us that we can live a life that brings glory to God without compromise.

Still the truth remains, many of us,“ God’s children”, tend to shrink in the face of pressure leading to compromise. After everything  we have seen God do in our lives we still choose to be self serving and people pleasing.  For you it was a major compromise but for some of us it’s simple things yet the impact is the same– It can cause others to be led astray. I think that’s the greatest danger to compromise, the consequences. The ones that happen to us and what happens to the innocent bystander. There’s a scripture in 1 Peter 2:9 that calls us royal priesthoods, I’m not sure if you know it…. Well, the way God works you just might know it. So in today’s world we have been placed in the same position that you were for the children of Israel. The scripture specifically says that we have been chosen as God’s holy people, that we may proclaim the praises of Him[God] who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.

Aaron, you were chosen to proclaim the praises of God, who called you out of slavery into freedom.  Now we have that responsibility of being God’s witness to a world that is in darkness. It’s not one that I take lightly and one that comes with a lot of insecurity. Like God “what if I mess up?” “ I’m not perfect?” “ I’ve made too many mistakes” “ what are other’s going to think?”… and so many more. But what I’ve noticed is that those questions shine light on me instead of on God. I think many of us who are a royal priesthood struggle because we forget that it’s not about us but about who God is. It’s about how God can take those mess ups, imperfections, mistakes and illuminate His glory. Aaron, it’s about how God can take those experiences and re-establish His character in our lives. Then it becomes our responsibility to direct others to the only God who expels the darkness.

So Aaron, I had every intention to talk about the dangers of compromise but I really wanted to bear my heart with you. Too many of us compromise because we feel the burden is too great… We feel the call is too grave; yet we must remember that  we have been called to put our life in the grave and live through and in Christ. We have to remember that our GOD IS GREAT! He allows us to share the burden He has for this world. The burden for His own possession and His people.  I pray that as His chosen we will lean on Him to carry the burden, that we will depend on Him to ensure that we do not compromise and that we will rest in Him in moments of our weariness. Aaron, God chose you to be His mouth piece and priest– I pray we learn from the life you lived, your mistakes and your victories!

Todah Rabah,      A woman striving to live above compromise and in God’s rest!