A life that points to Christ
Aaron
From Aaron we learn both the dignity of serving God and the danger of bending to the crowd, and that God's mercy makes priests out of flawed people. His life teaches faithful support and humble service, and his priesthood points to the great High Priest who never fails.
“And 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, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons.”Exodus 28:1
“And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.”Exodus 32:24
“The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:”Numbers 6:24
“And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.”Hebrews 5:4
Their story, honestly
Aaron was Moses' older brother and his spokesman before Pharaoh, standing beside him through the plagues and the exodus. God appointed him the first high priest, to bear the names of the tribes on his heart and make atonement for the people. Yet Aaron also failed badly: while Moses was on the mountain, the people pressured him, and he made the golden calf, then offered the weak excuse that the calf simply came out of the fire. He later grumbled against Moses with Miriam. And still God kept him as priest, and his budding rod became a sign of the ministry God had given him.
What their life teaches us
First, Aaron teaches the honor of a supporting role; not everyone is Moses, and holding up a leader's hands is holy work. Second, his golden calf teaches how quickly the fear of people can override the fear of God, and how excuses only deepen a fall. Third, his continued priesthood teaches grace: God did not discard a man who had failed grievously, but kept using him. The priest who needed atonement himself is a humbling picture of every human minister, holy office held in flawed hands.
How their life points to Christ
Aaron had to offer sacrifices year after year, first for his own sins and then the people's, because neither he nor the blood of bulls could truly take sin away. Hebrews holds him up precisely to show his limits, and then points to Jesus, a High Priest who has no sin of His own, who offered Himself once for all, and who ever lives to make intercession for us. Aaron bore the tribes' names on his breastplate; Jesus bears our names on His heart before the Father forever. The flawed priest points to the flawless one.
Questions people ask
How could Aaron make the golden calf and still be high priest?
It shows the depth of God's mercy and the point of the priesthood itself. Aaron was a sinner who needed atonement as much as anyone, which is exactly why the whole sacrificial system pointed beyond him to a sinless priest. God kept using him by grace.
What does Aaron's priesthood teach us about Jesus?
Hebrews contrasts them deliberately. Aaron sinned, died, and had to repeat the sacrifices endlessly. Jesus is the High Priest without sin, who offered Himself once for all and lives forever to intercede for us, so our access to God rests on a priest who never fails.