Read: Exodus 4:14-16, 4:27-31, 7:1-2 (NLT) Then the Lord became angry with Moses. “All right,” he said. “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he speaks well. And look! He is on his way to meet you now. He will be delighted to see you. Talk to him, and put the words in his mouth. I will be with both of you as you speak, and I will instruct you both in what to do. Aaron will be your spokesman to the people. He will be your mouthpiece, and you will stand in the place of God for him, telling him what to say.
Now the Lord had said to Aaron, “Go out into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So Aaron went and met Moses at the mountain of God, and he embraced him. Moses then told Aaron everything the Lord had commanded him to say. And he told him about the miraculous signs the Lord had commanded him to perform.
Then Moses and Aaron returned to Egypt and called all the elders of Israel together. Aaron told them everything the Lord had told Moses, and Moses performed the miraculous signs as they watched. Then the people of Israel were convinced that the Lord had sent Moses and Aaron. When they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.
Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders of the Israelites, and Aaron told them everything the Lord had said to Moses. He also performed the signs before the people, and they believed. And when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pay close attention to this. I will make you seem like God to Pharaoh, and your brother, Aaron, will be your prophet. Tell Aaron everything I command you, and Aaron must command Pharaoh to let the people of Israel leave his country.
Teamwork – Moses and Aaron
Brothers. Within families, brothers can be the best of friends but they can also sometimes become rivals trying to outdo each other. Striving to appear better than the other. Competing against each other and resenting when one gets the upper hand. In the Bible, there is an account of two brothers who, one might say, have good reason to feel this way about each other. Moses, born an enslaved Israelite but raised as a prince of Egypt, and his older brother Aaron, who did not have the “luxury” of an Egyptian upbringing. Instead, he lived a life of hardship as one of the many Hebrew slaves toiling for the Egyptians and their way of life.
God had a plan, however. A plan to redeem His people, the Israelites, from their life of bondage. This amazing plan prominently featured the brothers Moses and Aaron. Cultural customs would dictate that, as the older brother, Aaron should be the one of greatest importance and authority. Life’s circumstances and God’s calling did not follow the custom, however, and Aaron made a choice to accept Moses’ authority. Moses in turn, swallowed his pride and accepted the assistance of Aaron in moving forward on the plan God laid out for them. These brothers became dedicated, inseparable friends. They stood side by side against all sorts of resistance, difficulties, obstacles, hardships, delays, and enemies. One word, one concept absolutely jumps out from the pages of Scripture about these two men – teamwork! Moses and Aaron worked in tandem as the leaders of God’s people. Moses was the spokesman for God – Aaron was the spokesman for Moses. When Moses struggled to speak, Aaron spoke for him. When Moses’ arms grew tired during the Israelites’ battle against the Amalekites, Aaron was there to hold up one of those arms (Exodus 17:10-13). These friends saw many wonders, experienced an amazing intimacy with God, and made a profound difference in this world because of how well they worked together.
It was not always easy and they, like all brothers, had their moments of resentment toward each other. But their deep friendship and willingness to work together literally changed people’s hearts, led to the parting of the sea, created a nation for God, set up a true worship of God, and began the holy priesthood which would point to our ultimate High Priest, Jesus. As Christ followers we are also now a nation of priests and we can look back on Moses and Aaron, those closest of friends, with gratitude. They have shown us just how powerfully God can use devoted teamwork to advance His plan for redemption and His kingdom. So let’s fight for our friends in light of how Moses and Aaron fought for each other – as a team! “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, NLT).
To learn more about the friendship of Moses and Aaron, read starting at Exodus 4:14 through Numbers 20:29
