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Why the Long Journey Around Edom?
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sustained him in that holy position by terrible displays of judgment
in the destruction of Korah and his followers. When his two sons
were killed for ignoring God’s specific command, he did not rebel
or even complain.
Yet the record of his noble life had been marred when he yielded
to the demanding of the people and made the golden calf at Sinai,
and again when he united with Miriam in criticizing Moses. And
he, with Moses, offended the Lord at Kadesh by disobeying the
command to speak to the rock so that it would give water.
Aaron carried the names of Israel on his high priest’s breastplate.
He communicated the will of God to the people. He entered the
most holy place on the Day of Atonement, “not without blood,” as
a mediator for all Israel. The exalted nature of that sacred office as
representative of our great High Priest made Aaron’s sin at Kadesh
very great.
With deep sorrow Moses removed from Aaron the holy garments
and placed them on Eleazar, the next high priest by God’s decree.
For his sin at Kadesh, Aaron was denied the privilege of officiating
as God’s high priest in Canaan—of offering the first sacrifice in the
beautiful land. Moses was to continue leading the people to the very
borders of Canaan, but he was not to enter it. If these servants of
God had endured the test at Kadesh without complaint, how different
their future would have been! A wrong act can never be undone.
Even the work of a lifetime may not recover what has been lost in a
single moment of temptation or thoughtlessness.
As the people looked around in their vast congregation, they saw
that nearly all the adults who left Egypt had died in the wilderness.
With foreboding of evil they remembered the sentence pronounced
against Moses and Aaron. Some knew the purpose of that mysterious
journey to the summit of Mount Hor, and their concern was made
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stronger by bitter memories and self-accusations.
Lessons From the Death of Aaron
At last Moses and Eleazar were seen slowly coming down the
mountainside. The priestly garments were upon Eleazar, showing
that he had replaced his father in the sacred work. As the people
gathered around, Moses told them that Aaron had died in his arms