AARON, the man who lived in the shadow of his brother MOSES. So where do we begin with AARON, born in EGYPT, he became a Priest, a Priest of what religion? We know that MOSES, had to have followed the religion of the EGYPTIANS, but then he was also a LEVITE. Could he have followed a religion as laid down by LEVI, but what could it have been, if AARON later created his own.

My BLOGS are not about religion, but unfortunately in the study of AARON, I will have to venture across a sensitive line. We know that at the deaths of MOSES and AARON in the same year 1 393 BCE, their sons fought about the very thing, religion.

AARON was married to ELISHEBA. They had four sons, NADAB, ABIHU, ELEAZAR and ITHAMAR. She was a MID-WIFE during her stay in EGYPT, and her father was AMMINADAB, and her brother was NAHSHON. AMMINADAB, ELISHEBA and brother NAHSHON, were the forefathers of DAVID, yes, KING DAVID. Back to AARON and ELISHEBA’S children, both NADAB and ABIHU did wrong in the eyes of GOD, and they died.

AARON, did not venture into the SINAI DESERT, until he was in convoy of his family, cousins, and MOSES, as they were escaping from an attack by the EGYPTIAN PHAROAH’S men. They were sure that, if those men were not to find MOSES, that they would go after his family. Therefore, they had to leave the land of milk and honey as they referred to EGYPT. A land most of the younger family members only knew to be home.

What my research could only find was that there were an approximate 250, not more than 300 Family members, and I am sure a few friends of MOSES and AARON. Of course, friends and families of these extended families, were the members who made up the EXODUS STORY.

It was clear to me that AARON, was a religious man and so was his sons ELEAZER and ITHAMAR.

When they got to a place in SINAI, GOD spoke to them to erect the TABERNACLE. They followed the instruction given to ELEAZAR by GOD in a dream. What we must remember is that it was a desert they were travelling through and a desert which only delivered the Acacia Tree, a thorny tree also known as the SHITTIM, not the town in northern ISRAEL, a SHITTIM tree, which only grows in Desert conditions.

What we know is that about 14-15 years before the date, MOSES met GOD in the same SINAI DESERT. I do not know why GOD was in that Desert, but it is written that HE was there. 15-Years prior GOD gave MOSES, the TEN COMMANDMENTS. Two clay tablets which could not have weighed more than 3.5 Kilograms each, which could fit inside the said ‘ARK’ which measured around 45 cm long x 45 cm wide x 23 cm high. A ‘box’ made of ACACIA WOOD.

How they could ‘work’ those gnarly, thorny branches into creating a perfect smooth surfaced box, strong enough to house an approximate 7 kilograms of solid stone, still amazes me today. More they carried the ARK, around with them, wherever they travelled. First MOSES carried it to EGYPT, then they all shared in carrying it back through the SINAI and for 40 to 45 years around the lands of ISRAEL, until it was taken to SHILOH.

Beside the making of the ARK, they also had to construct a tent large enough, to specific measurements for meetings, however, more for prayers. This they also had to build and deconstruct to carry it across those dry desert plains and along a 40-to-45-year period. AARON, son of AMRAM and JOCHEBED and the brother to MOSES and MIRIAM, was the head and traditional founder of the ISRAELITE PRIESTHOOD. A PRIESTHOOD, which was limited to AARON’S sons. As per Numbers 3:10

The surprising news is that after AARON built the first TABERNACLE, he created his ‘church’ the AARONITES, and it is written that only the people of his descent could touch or carry the then ARK. Anybody else, such as a LEVITE, who touched the ARK, would be struck dead. What just happened in that DESERT? Was it a split of ‘religion’ or the split of ‘power’ between the brothers? Sorry to disappoint you Nothing bad happened, GOD instructed MOSES to make AARON the HIGH PRIEST OF THE LEVITES. Numbers 10:6 and 10:9. How he got to manage both tasks, is unknown to me.

AARON, with his followers, and his history of religion, together with his meetings with GOD, together with MOSES’ hidden secrets of KING MAKING and beliefs as taught to him by the EGYPTIAN Priests and PHAROAH. I can only wonder what ‘religion’ was taken forward to ISRAEL? It sure was a religion later challenged by EZEKIEL, but in a later BLOG.

A quick look at the TABERNACLE and the likeliness of KING SOLOMON’S TEMPLE, said to be the FIRST TEMPLE. Which was destroyed by NEBUCHADNEZZAR II, in 587 BCE. It is believed that there was a TEMPLE on the same MOUNT during the time of the BABYLONIANS, why NEBUCHADNEZZAR destroyed what he found. This sets KING SOLOMON’S TEMPLE as the SECOND TEMPLE. 

But, if I look at the TABERNACLE design of MOSES’ and AARON’S in the SINAI DESERT, I can easily be convinced that their TENTED TABERNACLE was the FIRST TEMPLE.

This sets KING SOLOMON’S TEMPLE as the THIRD GREAT TEMPLE. The design of KING SOLOMON’S Temple was totally fashioned after the design of the INITIAL TABERNACLE Design . . . Just saying.

But in saying all that, it is HAGGAI, the PROPHET and JESHUA, the son of JOSEDECH, all HIGH PRIESTS and heirs to the TRADITIONS of AARON and the LEVITES, as well as ZERUBBABEL, who was a KING in the line of DAVID.

All reported that the FIRST LODGE/TEMPLE was opened by MOSES, AHOLIAB and BEZALEEL at MOUNT HEROB in SINAI. And the SECOND LODGE/TEMPLE , which was also referred to as the SACRED LODGE, was built and opened by KING SOLOMON of ISRAEL and HIRAM, KING of TYRE (who supplied the wood) and HIRAM ABIF the ARCHITECT at MOUNT MORIAH. What we know is that they did not refer to KING SOLOMON’S TEMPLE as the FIRST.

However, ANCIENT HISTORY of the site was not known to them then. The fact that KING SOLOMON’S TEMPLE was built on top of a previous TEMPLE, was only revealed by our ‘modern’ ARCHAEOLOGISTS and HISTORIANS.

All of the persons mentioned in the above paragraphs had skills to build the ‘THIRD’ TEMPLE, especially AHOLIAM and BEZALEEL. Their skills extended into teaching the intricacies of building skills they had received directly from GOD, as they were favoured. All of them gave honour to the builders of the FIRST TEMPLE, built at MOUNT HEROB in SINAI.

More, they understood the secrets of PRIEST MAKING, KING MAKING and PROPHET MAKING.

Back to AARON. There is a picture in my head, of a study a long time ago, when AARON stood on the hill wearing a breast plate of twelve precious stones. Believing that it will and should represent the twelve tribes of ISRAEL. But was that not the task of JACOB and then later his son LEVI. How did the story get twisted or is there more I need to know.

But first I need to find out where AARON got the precious stones. Could it have been given to him by chance by the PHAROAH in EGYPT, before they became a ‘wanted family.’ Or did they find precious stones when they stumbled upon the city of ELATB. Which later became the city of TREASURES of KING SOLOMON, known as KINGS SOLOMON’S Mines, North-West of the BAY OF AQABA?

ELATB, or EILAT, is just outside the borders of EDOM, founded by ESAU, son of JACOB. It was founded around 1 440 BCE and fell around 600 BCE. It was just 240 kilometres from KADESHBARNEA, which was the chief site of encampment for the ISRAELITES, for a number of years.

We look at the understandings of the HISTORIAN, FLAVIOUS JOSEPHUS, who wondered about the connection between the TWELVE STONES on the BREASTPLATE of AARON and the TWELVE SIGNS OF THE ZODIAC and the TWELVE MONTHS OF THE YEAR. These ‘thoughts’ wondered into the understanding of the purpose of the FOUNDATION STONE. REVELATIONS 21, also refers to the ZODIAC SIGNS.

We should not frown upon the possibility, because DANIEL taught us about the power and meaning of NUMBERS, which he and ABRAHAM learned, whilst studying under the teachings of the CHALDEANS.

That was just a little ‘side step’ along our ANCIENT DATE LINE journey.

In conclusion, I could not find any true evidence that 3 000 people were killed by the TRIBE OF LEVI. It simply does not ‘fit’ the picture of who I got to know, whilst researching both MOSES and AARON and GOD’S story.

None of my cross references pointed to such a vast number of people having been ‘killed.’ Maybe a head-count indicated a drop in numbers from the start of the EXODUS to the final count. But, in my findings it could have been due to natural deaths. There were natural births to counter the census.

Just a bother for me was the building of the golden calf, as written. Well, if he did find the gold to create such an idol, they had just come out of living in EGYPT, for so many years where idols were the name of the game. AARON was true to a ONE GOD religion, all else were just written.