Aaron Facts for 9-13 Year Olds

Categories: Men in the Old Testament, Moses

Aaron is Moses’ older brother.
His parents are Amram and Jochebed from the tribe of Levi.
His name means “lofty, exalted, or high mountain.”
There is no information about his birth or his early years.
Moses complains to God that he is not eloquent enough to speak to Pharaoh.
The Lord says, “You shall speak to [Aaron] and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him.”
Then the Lord speaks to Aaron and tells him to meet Moses.
Moses tells him everything the Lord wants him to say.
Their first encounter with Pharaoh is not successful; Pharaoh takes away the straw the Israelites were using to make bricks.
That results in much anger against Aaron and Moses.
God instructs them to bring His people out of Egypt.
Aaron marries Elisheba, and they have four sons.
Then God tells Moses that Aaron will be his prophet.
Aaron is 83 when they speak to Pharaoh.
To convince Pharaoh of their seriousness, Aaron is instructed to throw his staff down before Pharaoh. It becomes a snake.
Pharaoh instructs his official to do the same, but Aaron’s staff swallows up their staffs.
Aaron strikes the water of the Nile with his staff, and it turns into blood.
By continuing to stretch out his staff, Aaron initiates the plagues of frogs and gnats.
Aaron and Moses lead the children of Israel out into the wilderness.
Aaron accompanies Moses and the 70 elders up Mount Sinai to receive God’s revelation.
Aaron and his sons are delegated to keep the lamps in the tent of meeting burning at all times.
God chooses Aaron and his sons to be priests.
After Aaron is consecrated, Moses goes up the mountain to speak with God; the people ask Aaron to fashion gods to “go before us.”
Aaron asks for all their gold and fashions a calf. He builds an altar in front of the calf and announces a festival for the next day.
When Moses returns, the people are wild, and he blames Aaron who states, “You know how prone these people are to evil.”
The people are punished with a plague.
Two of Aaron’s sons die when they make an unauthorized fire in the desert.
When Miriam and Aaron speak against Moses, she is struck with leprosy.
Aaron, though fully as culpable, is not struck with leprosy, because a priest cannot be made unclean.
After a potential rebellion, the Lord instructs a leader of each tribe to bring his staff to the tent of meeting. The staff of the man God chooses will sprout overnight.
The next morning, Aaron’s staff not only sprouted, but also budded, blossomed, and was producing almonds.
That ends the grumbling for a while.
After the death of Miriam, the people once again complain about the lack of water.
When the Israelites reach the boundary of the Promised Land, God tells Moses, “Aaron will be gathered to his people. He will not enter the land I give the Israelites, because both of you rebelled against my command at the waters of Meribah."
He asks Moses to take Aaron and his son, Eleazar, up Mount Hor.
There, he is to remove Aaron’s garments and put them on his son.
Aaron will stay on the mountain where he will “be gathered to his people.”
The people mourn Aaron for thirty days.
Aaron is 123 when he dies on Mount Hor.