354
Patriarchs and Prophets
It is hardly possible for men to offer greater insult to God than to
despise and reject the instrumentalities He would use for their salvation.
The Israelites had not only done this, but had purposed to put both
Moses and Aaron to death. Yet they did not realize the necessity of
seeking pardon of God for their grievous sin. That night of probation
was not passed in repentance and confession, but in devising some
way to resist the evidences which showed them to be the greatest of
sinners. They still cherished hatred of the men of God’s appointment,
and braced themselves to resist their authority. Satan was at hand to
pervert their judgment and lead them blindfold to destruction.
All Israel had fled in alarm at the cry of the doomed sinners who
went down into the pit, for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up
also.” “But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel
murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, ye have killed
the people of the Lord.” And they were about to proceed to violence
against their faithful, self-sacrificing leaders.
A manifestation of the divine glory was seen in the cloud above
the tabernacle, and a voice from the cloud spoke to Moses and Aaron,
“Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them
as in a moment.”
The guilt of sin did not rest upon Moses, and hence he did not fear
and did not hasten away and leave the congregation to perish. Moses
lingered, in this fearful crisis manifesting the true shepherd’s interest
for the flock of his care. He pleaded that the wrath of God might not
utterly destroy the people of His choice. By his intercession he stayed
the arm of vengeance, that a full end might not be made of disobedient,
rebellious Israel.
But the minister of wrath had gone forth; the plague was doing its
work of death. By his brother’s direction, Aaron took a censer and
hastened into the midst of the congregation to “make an atonement for
them.” “And he stood between the dead and the living.” As the smoke
of the incense ascended, the prayers of Moses in the tabernacle went
up to God; and the plague was stayed; but not until fourteen thousand
[403]
of Israel lay dead, an evidence of the guilt of murmuring and rebellion.
But further evidence was given that the priesthood had been estab-
lished in the family of Aaron. By divine direction each tribe prepared
a rod and wrote upon it the name of the tribe. The name of Aaron was
upon that of Levi. The rods were laid up in the tabernacle, “before