Chapter 28—Moses and Aaron
Upon Mount Hor Aaron died and was buried. Moses, Aaron’s
brother, and Eleazar, his son, accompanied him to the mount. The
painful duty was laid upon Moses to remove from his brother Aaron
the sacerdotal robes and place them upon Eleazar, for God had said
that he should succeed Aaron in the priesthood. Moses and Eleazar
witnessed the death of Aaron, and Moses buried him in the mount.
This scene upon Mount Hor carries our minds back to some of the
most striking events in the life of Aaron.
Aaron was a man of amiable disposition, whom God selected
to stand with Moses and speak for him; in short, to be mouthpiece
for Moses. God might have chosen Aaron as leader; but He who is
acquainted with hearts, who understands character, knew that Aaron
was yielding and lacked moral courage to stand in defense of the right
under all circumstances, irrespective of consequences. Aaron’s desire
to have the good will of the people sometimes led him to commit great
[294]
wrongs. He too frequently yielded to their entreaties, and in so doing
dishonored God. The same lack of firmness for the right in his family
resulted in the death of two of his sons. Aaron was eminent for piety
and usefulness, but he neglected to discipline his family. Rather than
perform the task of requiring respect and reverence of his sons, he
allowed them to follow their inclinations. He did not discipline them
in self-denial, but yielded to their wishes. They were not disciplined
to respect and reverence parental authority. The father was the proper
ruler of his own family as long as he lived. His authority was not to
cease, even after his children were grown up and had families of their
own. God Himself was the monarch of the nation, and from the people
He claimed obedience and honor.
The order and prosperity of the kingdom depended upon the good
order of the church. And the prosperity, harmony, and order of the
church depended upon the good order and thorough discipline of fam-
ilies. God punishes the unfaithfulness of parents, to whom He has
entrusted the duty of maintaining the principles of parental government,
268