Moses and Aaron
"The sons of Moses, and also the sons of Aaron shall offer an
acceptable offering and sacrifice in the house of the Lord, which house
shall be built unto the Lord in this generation, upon the consecrated
spot, as I [the Lord] have appointed;
"And the sons of Moses and of Aaron shall be filled with the glory of
the Lord, upon Mount Zion in the Lord's house, whose sons are ye; and
also many whom I have called and sent forth to build up my church;
"For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of
which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified
by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies;
"They become the sons of Moses and of Aaron and the seed of Abraham,
and the church and kingdom, and the elect of God."--(D. and C.
84:31-34.)
Israel and the Exodus.--The principal events of the Mosaic dispensation
were the exodus from Egypt and the establishment of Israel as an
independent nation, under the leadership of their great prophet and
lawgiver, Moses. Both these events foreshadowed greater ones, namely:
the world's deliverance from the bondage of sin and death, and the
establishment upon earth of the Kingdom that shall stand forever.
The Passover.--The exodus was commemorated by the Feast of the
Passover, instituted to perpetuate in the minds and hearts of the
children of Israel their deliverance from slavery, and at the same time
to foreshow the mightier redemption of which that exodus was typical.
The Passover was kept as follows: On the night before the departure
out of Egypt, each Israelitish household, obedient to God's command
through Moses, took a lamb "without blemish," and slew it, sprinkling
the blood upon the posts and lintels of their doors. It was promised
that the Angel of Death, who had been sent to afflict the cruel nation
for its oppression of the Lord's people, by slaying the first-born of
every Egyptian household, would pass over every Israelitish dwelling
upon which this blood was sprinkled. Not a bone of the lamb was to be
broken, nor a fragment of it left to decay; for it was intended to
symbolize the Lamb of God, whose body was not to see corruption (Ps.
16:10). Neither was any bone of him to be broken.
Symbolism Realized.--In a most remarkable manner was this symbolism
realized; for when the Roman soldiers came to Calvary to remove the
three bodies from the crosses erected there, they put an end to both
the malefactors by breaking their legs; but finding Jesus already
dead, this additional indignity was not put upon him. Pierced with
five wounds, yet not a bone of him broken, the Lamb of God answered
to the prophetic likeness of the paschal lamb, and was laid away in
the rocky tomb, from which he came forth upon the third day, his
perfectly preserved body--the tabernacle of the Holy One--glorified in
immortality.
The Paschal Ceremony.--In the ceremonial of the Passover, the flesh
of the lamb was roasted, and partaken of with bitter herbs and with
unleavened bread, or bread hastily prepared; the former typifying the
bitterness of the bondage that was about to end, and the latter the
haste attendant upon the departure out of Egypt. To emphasize this fact
still further, the members of the family, while partaking of the feast,
then and thereafter, were clad as if for a journey.--(Exodus 12.)
Shadow and Substance.--This sacred memorial, a reminder to God's
people of what he had done, and would yet do, was observed in Israel,
by divine appointment, until the coming of Christ. The night before
he was sacrificed, he, the great Paschal Lamb, after partaking of the
ancient feast with his disciples, instituted in its stead the Lord's
Supper, commanding them to observe it thenceforth. The Supper and the
Passover were both designed to commemorate the Savior's atonement; but
in the Passover the pointing was forward, to an event yet to come,
while in the Supper the indication is backward, to an event that has
already taken place. It was about the same hour of the day when the
paschal lamb was offered in the temple at Jerusalem, that Christ died
on Calvary, the substance and the shadow thus corresponding.
The Great Deliverer.--The lamb of the Passover symbolized the Lamb of
God, the universal Deliverer, and Moses, who led the Lord's people out
of Egypt, was also a type of the world's Redeemer. Jesus, whose mission
the career of Moses foreshadowed, is repeatedly described in the sacred
writings as "like unto Moses;" and Moses, the type of Christ, was
reputedly "the meekest of men."
How Moses Obtained the Priesthood.--Moses was of the tribe of Levi, and
son-in-law to Jethro, from whom he received the Priesthood.
"And Jethro received it under the hand of Caleb;
"And Caleb received it under the hand of Elihu;
"And Elihu under the hand of Jeremy;
"And Jeremy under the hand of Gad;
"And Gad under the hand of Esaias;
"And Esaias also lived in the days of Abraham, and was blessed of him--
"Which Abraham received the Priesthood from Melchizedek, who received
it through the lineage of his fathers, even till Noah;
"And from Noah till Enoch, through the lineage of their fathers;
"And from Enoch to Abel, who was slain by the conspiracy of his
brother, who received the Priesthood by the commandments of God, by the
hand of his father Adam, who was the first man."--(D. and C. 84:7-16.)
Jethro, Priest of Midian.--An account of the relations between Moses
and his father-in-law, Jethro the Midianite, may be found in the
second, third and eighteenth chapters of Exodus. The Midianites were
descendants of Ishmael, son of Abraham.
The Call of Aaron.--Moses, having received the Melchizedek Priesthood,
organized, by divine direction, the Lesser Priesthood, with Aaron,
his brother, at its head. It was in the wilderness of Sinai, fourteen
hundred and ninety-one years before the coming of the Savior. The
children of Israel, in their exodus from Egypt, after the miraculous
passage of the Red Sea, whose retiring waters had rolled over the heads
of their enemies, were encamped at the foot of the famous eminence,
ever since a sacred way-mark in the history of the Hebrew nation.
The Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, "in the sight of all the people,"
and from the midst of thunders, lightnings and thick clouds, which
caused the mountain to quake and obscured his glorious presence from
the gaze of the unsanctified multitude, he summoned Moses up into the
top of the Mount, and delivered unto him, among other charges, the
following:
"Take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from
among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the
priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazer and Ithamar,
Aaron's sons.
"And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, for glory and
for beauty.
"And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him;
and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that
they may minister unto me in the priest's office."--(Exodus 28:1-3.)
The Ten Commandments--Sacred Patterns.--The Lord also gave to Moses the
Ten Commandments, which He had previously spoken in the hearing of all
Israel, with other parts of the Law, afterwards embodied by the prophet
in his famous code. Also the pattern of the Ark or Sanctuary, the
symbol of the covenant that God had made with his people; and of the
Tabernacle or holy tent where the Ark was deposited, where the priests
offered sacrifice and made atonement for the sins of the nation, and
where the Lord communicated by angels or by Urim and Thummim with
those chosen to represent him in that sacred capacity. He instructed
him minutely as to the fashioning of the priestly robes, the materials
to be used in them, and the persons who should make them, likewise
prescribing the manner in which these things should all be consecrated
to his service.
Elders in Israel.--It seems that there were more elders than one in
Israel, at the time Aaron and his sons were called to minister in the
priest's office; a fact shown by the following reference to an event
somewhat earlier than the one in question:
"Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the
elders of Israel:
"And they saw the God of Israel; and there was under his feet as it
were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of
heaven in his clearness.
"And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand;
also they saw God, and did eat and drink."--(Exodus 24:9-11.)
I assume, of course, that the title "elder" had the same significance
then that it has now--that it was an office in the Melchizedek
Priesthood. If this be correct, and I see no reason why it should be
doubted, then there were at least "seventy elders" in Israel at that
time. Nay, more, for these seventy were "of the elders of Israel,"
one of whom, of course, was Moses, who had doubtless ordained the
others. It is even probable that Aaron and his sons likewise held the
Melchizedek Priesthood when they were called to act as priests; for
they were among those who "saw God," which they could not have done,
with safety, had they held only the Aaronic Priesthood. Aaron's call to
preside over the priests, was probably similar to a call that might now
be made upon a high priest to officiate as presiding bishop.
The Golden Calf.--How were Aaron and his sons, on the eve of their
setting apart to these sacred honors, conducting themselves, during the
absence of their leader? Forty days and nights had passed since Moses,
accompanied by faithful Joshua, went up into the Mount to commune
with the Almighty. Alarmed at his protracted stay, unable to account
for it, and no doubt apprehensive as to their own safety without
super-natural guidance, the people, not yet free from taint of contact
with idolatrous Egypt, and forgetful of the covenant they had made with
God on the day the Ten Commandments were thundered from the mountain
top, "gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him: Up,
make us gods which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man
that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become
of him."--(Exodus 32:1.)
Obedient to their wishes, and perhaps fearful of consequences if he
refused, Aaron took of their golden earrings and made for them a molten
calf, after the Egyptian god Apis, and having finished it, and built
an altar before it, he proclaimed: "These be thy gods, O Israel, which
have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt." He also announced "a
feast to the Lord" in its honor on the morrow.
"Who's on the Lord's Side?"--In this sensuous and blasphemous worship
the Israelites were engaged, when Moses came down from the Mount. The
shouts of revelry had reached his ears far up the height, insomuch that
Joshua, who was still with him, suggested "a noise of war in the camp."
Moses, however, recognized the sound of singing. He had been warned
by the Lord of what was taking place, and on coming nearer the whole
revolting truth burst upon him. The golden god on high--the people,
chosen Israel, feasting and dancing before it in their nakedness! Such
was the soul-sickening spectacle presented to his gaze. In his hands he
held the "tables of the testimony"--the divine decalogue, written by
the finger of God. Before his eyes was being violated the very first
of those ten commandments. His righteous anger knew no bounds. Casting
from him the stone tablets, which shattered as they fell, he burst like
a storm upon the guilt-stricken idolators. Demolishing their idol,
grinding it to powder, and scattering it to the winds and waters, he
called for all who were "on the Lord's side" to rally round him.
Expiation for Idolatry.--The sons of Levi responded to a man. Moses,
directed by the Lord, commanded them to take their swords and go in
and out from gate to gate, and slay every man his son, brother and
neighbor; that they might consecrate themselves before the Lord, and
make atonement for the great sin that had been committed. The stern
behest was obeyed, and there fell that day in Israel about three
thousand male souls.
Organization and Consecration.--The expiation complete, Moses proceeded
to organize the priesthood, as he had been directed, and also to
construct the tabernacle and the ark according to the pattern that God
had shown him. The garments of the priests and the appurtenances of the
sanctuary were fashioned to conform with the divine instruction, and
Aaron and his sons, the ark, the tabernacle, and everything connected
with the sacred ceremonial, were then sanctified and dedicated, with
solemn and impressive ceremonies, to the service of the God of Israel.
The Levites.--Prior to the false worship of Apis, the Lord had chosen
unto himself the firstborn males of every household in Israel, as a
parallel act to the destruction of the firstborn throughout the land
of Egypt, and had sanctified and set them apart for some peculiar
purpose. He now altered his original design, and taking the tribe of
Levi, instead, made of them the sacerdotal class of the nation. This
selection was no doubt a recognition and a reward for the zeal they had
displayed in wiping out the stain of idolatry from Israel.
"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Bring the tribe of Levi near,
and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto
him."
* * * * * * * * * * *
"And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they are
wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel."
* * * * * * * * * * *
"Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel,
instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children
of Israel; therefore the Levites shall be mine;
"Because all the firstborn are mine, for on the day that I smote
all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I hallowed unto me all the
firstborn in Israel, both man and beast; mine they shall be; I am the
Lord."
* * * * * * * * * * *
"And thou shalt take the Levites for me (I am the Lord), instead of
all the firstborn among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the
Levites, instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children
of Israel."
* * * * * * * * * * *
"And for those that are to be redeemed of the two hundred and three
score and thirteen, of the firstborn of the children of Israel, which
are more than the Levites:
"Thou shalt even take five shekels apiece by the poll, after the shekel
of the sanctuary shalt thou take them; the shekel is twenty gerahs.
"And thou shalt give the money wherewith the odd number of them is to
be redeemed, unto Aaron and to his sons.
"And Moses took the redemption money of them that were over and above
them that were redeemed by the Levites.
"And Moses gave the money of them that were redeemed unto Aaron, and
to his sons, according to the word of the Lord, as the Lord commanded
Moses."--(Numbers 3.)
Thus were the Levites given as "a gift for the Lord," to have charge
of the tabernacle and the sanctuary--though not to officiate there as
did the priests--and to "do the service of the congregation." So that
Aaron, who was now high priest, or bishop over the lesser priesthood,
had under him, not only his sons, in the priests' quorum, but also
a great body of Levites (were they not as teachers and deacons?) to
officiate in the minor quorums. Hence the origin of the term Levitical,
as applied to this priesthood.
Slain for Offering Strange Fire.--Soon after this organization and
selection, Nadab and Abihu were slain by the Lord for "offering strange
fire" before him, or officiating when he "commanded them not," and
Eleazer, Aaron's third son, then took the senior's place. He was made
"chief over the chief of the Levites," having oversight of those who
had charge of the sanctuary. Thus, while Eleazer presided over the
Levites, Aaron presided over both priests and Levites; Moses, by virtue
of his superior calling, retaining the controlling power or presidency
over the whole.
The Law and the Testimony.--Eleven months and twenty days the
Israelites had sojourned in Sinai. During this period they had
celebrated their second Passover, or feast of unleavened bread. Two
other annual feasts they were commanded to keep, namely the feast
of Pentecost, or the promulgation of the law, and the feast of
Tabernacles, or tents, commemorating their sojourn in the wilderness.
The laws of Moses were now promulged and codified; the tables of the
testimony, having been renewed, were placed, with other sacred relics,
in the ark for safe keeping; and the sublime system of heaven-revealed
religion was set in motion.
On to Canaan!--The civil and military wings of this nomadic power,
springing as if by magic from an unorganized rabble, without laws,
institutions, or prescribed method of worship, into a compact and
powerful nation, were now in full equipment and discipline. "On to
Canaan!" was the national cry. And so, on the twentieth day of their
second year, or about May 20, 1490 B. C., the Camp of Israel struck
their tents, and guided by the cloud and pillar of God, which had been
with them since the memorable night when the fetters of two centuries
were stricken off and the power of Egypt submerged, they began their
march through the Sinaitic desert toward the wilderness of Paran.
A Nation on the March.--The order of this remarkable procession was
as follows: Foremost, rose aloft the standard of Judah, the future
kingly power of the tribes, and following them were the tribes and
armies of Issachar and Zebulon. Then came the sons of Gershon and
Merari (first and third sons of Levi), bearing the components of the
Tabernacle, which it was their duty to set up and take down, as the
camp rested or resumed its journey. The standard of Reuben was next
advanced, and immediately in his rear marched Simeon and Gad. Then the
Ark of God appeared, borne in the center of the moving host, on the
shoulders of the sons of Kohath. The half tribes of Joseph--Ephraim
and Manasseh--went next, the standard of Ephraim being their rallying
center, and also for the sons and daughters of Benjamin. Then set
forward the standard of Dan; his tribe and the tribes of Asher and
Naphtali bringing up the rear.
The Camps of Israel.--This mighty host, comprising an army of over
half a million, and a total population of nearly three million souls,
was divided into four camps, of three tribes each, exclusive of the
Levites; Joseph being twice numbered, in Ephraim and Manasseh, to
make up, in the tribal count, for the absence of the sacred class
from secular enumeration. When the cloud rested, indicating their
stopping place, the tents were set surrounding the Tabernacle of
the Congregation; the camp of Judah on the east, that of Reuben
on the south, Ephraim on the west, and Dan upon the north. The
Levites encompassed the tabernacle immediately about, to prevent the
unsanctified from approaching too near and purposely or inadvertently
defiling it--an offense punishable by death. When the ark set forward,
Moses exclaimed: "Rise up, O Lord, and let thine enemies be scattered;
and let them that hate thee flee before thee!" When it rested, he said:
"Return, O Lord, unto the many thousands of Israel!"
The Two Leaders.--Thus it was that Moses and Aaron became the leaders
of Israel, representing, respectively, the two priesthoods that
administer the government of God; the lesser priesthood, "confirmed
upon Aaron and his seed, throughout all their generations," and the
greater priesthood, "which is after the holiest order of God."
Power of the Greater Priesthood.--"And this greater priesthood
administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the
kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God;
"Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is
manifest;
"And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the
priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the
flesh;
"For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and
live.
"Now this Moses plainly taught to the children of Israel in the
wilderness, and sought diligently to sanctify his people that they
might behold the face of God;
"But they hardened their hearts and could not endure his presence,
therefore the Lord in his wrath (for his anger was kindled against
them) swore that they should not enter into his rest, while in the
wilderness, which rest is the fulness of his glory.
"Therefore he took Moses out of their midst, and the holy priesthood
also."--(D. & C. 84:19-25.)
From Moses Until John.--"And the lesser priesthood continued, which
priesthood holdeth the key of the ministering of angels and the
preparatory gospel;
"Which gospel is the gospel of repentance and of baptism, and the
remission of sins, and the law of carnal commandments, which the Lord
in his wrath caused to continue with the house of Aaron among the
children of Israel until John, whom God raised up, being filled with
the Holy Ghost from his mother's womb:
"For he was baptized while he was yet in his childhood, and was
ordained by the angel of God at the time he was eight days old unto
this power, to overthrow the kingdom of the Jews, and to make straight
the way of the Lord before the face of his people, to prepare them
for the coming of the Lord, in whose hand is given all power."--(Ibid,
26-28.)