(Wait 'til we get to H... Spoilers: There are gonna be some rough people under H. Of course, at this rate, we'll get to H in a few generations, so we won't be around to care how horrible it is.)
Aaron: In the Bible, the elder brother of Moses who helped lead the Hebrews out of Egypt.
Yep, that Aaron. Probably the most famous Aaron ever! However, if you weren't raised in a faith that included the Old Testament, the Torah, or the Quran (yes! He was an important figure in all three!) you may not know that much about him.
Aaron was the older brother of Moses, a Hebrew man who was given up by his mother to save him from death and raised as a prince of Egypt. Moses fled Egypt after killing an Egyptian overseer and began a new life, complete with a wife, children, and fiery encounters with God. When God ordered him to return to Egypt and convince Pharaoh to free the enslaved Hebrews, it was Aaron who was chosen by God to greet him in the desert and become his mouthpiece in the encounters with Pharaoh.
If all you know about Aaron is what you saw in the Dreamworks animated film the Prince of Egypt--which has some great songs BTW--you might be surprised to learn just how old Moses and Aaron were when they decided to go toe to toe with Pharaoh. Moses was the younger brother at 80 years old, and Aaron was the elder at 83. They certainly weren't the young, virile men in the great old hollywood classic, The Ten Commandments!
Moses was not confident in his speaking and intimidating abilities, so God appointed Aaron to be his mouth and muscle. To show Pharaoh the power of God, Moses instructed Aaron to throw down his staff, which turned into a large snake and devoured the inferior snakes produced by the Egyptian magicians in an attempt to disprove the Hebrew God's authority. When Pharaoh refused to release the Hebrews, God planned various torments for Pharaoh and his people to endure so that they would be persuaded to let His people go. Of the eight plagues God visited upon the Egyptians, Aaron delivered the first three.
The plague of blood: Aaron stretched his staff over the waters of Egypt and they turned to blood, reeking with a stench so foul that it was unbearable. Even water held in jars and containers were tainted.
The plague of frogs: Aaron stretched his staff over the waters of Egypt and hosts of frogs sprang from the waters, infiltrating houses, walkways, fields, and creating a huge, gross, loud, awful mess!
The plague of insects: No water with this one. Aaron struck the dust with his staff and the dust became biting insects that beleaguered man and beast alike. Painful itching made life miserable for the Egyptians until God lifted this plague.
After the first three, it seems that Moses had regained his confidence, because God let Aaron have a rest from bringing terror and misery on the Egyptians and gave Moses his turn.
Eventually, Pharaoh had enough and the Hebrews left their captivity. God appointed Aaron to be the High Priest of the Hebrew people and told him all about the fancy garments that he would be wearing and all the meticulous rules that the people were going to have to follow now. Moses was still God's chosen prophet, but Aaron had all the day-to-day running of the people to manage. As a special sign to the Hebrews (who were apparently really cranky and stubborn, because they kept arguing over who was really in charge), God had the leaders of the tribes of Israel present their staffs and caused leaves, blossoms, and almonds to sprout from Aaron's staff as a sign of His favor.
There's more to it, but eventually Aaron died in a super-peaceful, really lovely manner and they all lived happily and dramatically ever after. Because everything in the Old Testament was really dramatic. Seriously. Have you read Judges?
Which brings us to the art:
Click on the picture to enlarge and see all the details. If you find yourself unwilling to look away from the image and are interested in purchasing the original, you can find it HERE in my Etsy shop. Feel free to look around at the other artwork available for sale!
Until next time, folks! Hopefully we won't have to wait so long between posts! Happy New Year!
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