Aaron’s Beard
Painting of Aaron in Duros Europa Synagogue
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments and the anointing oil and the bull of the sin offering and the two rams and the basket of unleavened bread. And assemble all the congregation at the entrance of the tent of meeting.” And Moses did as the Lord commanded him, and the congregation was assembled at the entrance of the tent of meeting.
And Moses said to the congregation, “This is the thing that the Lord has commanded to be done.” And Moses brought Aaron and his sons and washed them with water. And he put the coat on him and tied the sash around his waist and clothed him with the robe and put the ephod on him and tied the skillfully woven band of the ephod around him, binding it to him with the band. And he placed the breastpiece on him, and in the breastpiece he put the Urim and the Thummim. And he set the turban on his head, and on the turban, in front, he set the golden plate, the holy crown, as the Lord commanded Moses.
Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and consecrated them…. And he poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron's head and anointed him to consecrate him.. - Lev 8:1-10
This passage from Leviticus has become one of the most moving passages in Torah to me. Why? Because the vesting of Aaron’ points forward toward Jesus, our Great High Priest. Every detail speaks of the way He serves before the Throne. When I read these words recounting a chosen day in history, I can see the the Godhead bent low to earth, watching over every detail with far more excitement and knowledge and joy than any human.
First the people are gathered at the tent of meeting for this is a holy day. Aaron is washed in water, a sign of Christ’s baptism. He is dressed in white linen symbolizing the perfect righteousness of the Lord. He is crowned as Jesus will be crowned King of all nations. He bears on His breastplate precious stones bearing the names of each tribe of Israel – a sign of Yeshua’s faithful love and remembrance of His people. On the this breastplate rest the Urim and Thummim by which the High Priest knows the judgments of God. The Urim and Thummim remind me of John’s words concerning Jesus, “full of grace and truth.”
But my favorite part of the story is the anointing with oil. With the fragrant oil, both the altar and Aaron are set apart for service to the LORD. This is the image which Psalm 133 recalls.
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brothers to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head,
Coming down upon the beard,
Even Aaron’s beard,
Coming down upon the edge of his robes.
It is like the dew of Hermon
Coming down upon the mountains of Zion;
For there the Lord commanded the blessing—life forever.
Aaron’s vesting was a public event because it was key to Israel’s identity as a people. The whole people were set apart for the LORD! They were the only people on the face of the earth who had been given instructions for how to worship. Aaron would represent the whole people of Israel before the altar in the Tabernacle, just as Jesus stands before the Father in Heaven on behalf of all the earth.
Living in unity is like oil on Aaron’s beard because it is a fragrant oil in the presence of God. Christian unity, love for one another, is the prayer of Jesus before the Father. Jesus sacrifice is the way to life eternal in union with Him. And His joy is to share His dominion with us. He longs to seat us in heavenly places, to share His Throne! (Rev. 3:21) When we walk in unity with our brethren, we bless our great High priest. We honor His sacrifice, and we, like Aaron’s extended family, eat of His holy gifts.
But Aaron’s sons treated the Lord’s commands lightly, offering “strange fire” of their own design in the Lord’s temple. This brought immediate death and grief to Aaron on a day that should have been filled with joy.
Obedience to our Savior is a first step toward unity. Without it, we cannot walk in peace with each other. Under the common yoke of obedience to Jesus, we can see what is beautiful in one another. We bear witness to how our brothers and sisters honor Jesus, or Great High Priest. Shared submission to Jesus unites our hearts, and our love for one another flows like oil down our Savior’s beard. This is the way of grace and truth. Walking carefully in God’s ways is key to our joy in one another as the people of God. And joy in one another brings joy to the Godhead.