Topical Bible: the Mediator Christ: Typified: Aaron

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In the biblical narrative, the role of a mediator is central to the relationship between God and humanity. The concept of mediation is vividly illustrated in the person of Aaron, the brother of Moses, who serves as a type of Christ in his mediatorial role. Aaron, as the first high priest of Israel, prefigures the ultimate Mediator, Jesus Christ, who bridges the gap between God and mankind.

Aaron as a Mediator

Aaron's role as a mediator is established in the Book of Exodus, where he is appointed by God to assist Moses in leading the Israelites out of Egypt. Aaron's priestly duties are further detailed in the Book of Leviticus, where he is consecrated as the high priest, responsible for offering sacrifices and making atonement for the sins of the people. This priestly function is a foreshadowing of Christ's ultimate sacrifice and His role as the eternal High Priest.

In Exodus 28:1, God commands Moses, "Bring near to you your brother Aaron and his sons with him, from among the Israelites, to serve Me as priests—Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons." Aaron's priesthood is divinely instituted, signifying the necessity of a God-appointed mediator to intercede on behalf of the people.

Typology of Christ

Aaron's mediatorial role is a type of Christ's work as the ultimate Mediator. The Epistle to the Hebrews elaborates on this typology, presenting Jesus as the superior High Priest. Hebrews 5:4-5 states, "No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was. So also Christ did not take upon Himself the glory of becoming a high priest, but He was called by the One who said to Him, 'You are My Son; today I have become Your Father.'"

The sacrificial system overseen by Aaron points to the perfect sacrifice of Christ. Aaron's annual entrance into the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement, as described in Leviticus 16, prefigures Christ's once-for-all entry into the heavenly sanctuary. Hebrews 9:11-12 explains, "But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come, He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made by hands, that is, not of this creation. He did not enter by the blood of goats and calves, but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption."

Intercession and Atonement

Aaron's intercessory role is further highlighted in instances where he stands between God's wrath and the people. In Numbers 16:46-48, during the rebellion of Korah, Aaron takes his censer, as instructed by Moses, and makes atonement for the people, stopping the plague. This act of intercession is a shadow of Christ's intercessory work, as described in Hebrews 7:25: "Therefore He is able to save completely those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them."

Conclusion

Aaron's life and ministry as a mediator between God and Israel serve as a profound typology of Jesus Christ, the ultimate Mediator. Through Aaron's priesthood, the sacrificial system, and his intercessory acts, the Old Testament lays the groundwork for understanding the redemptive work of Christ, who fulfills and surpasses the role of Aaron as the eternal High Priest and Mediator of the New Covenant.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Numbers 16:48
And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Fifth Sunday in Lent
... 15 And for this cause he is the mediator of a new covenant, that a death having
taken place for the ... This ceremony typified that Christ, the true Priest ...
//christianbookshelf.org/luther/epistle sermons vol ii/fifth sunday in lent.htm

Ninth Day. Holiness and Mediation.
... In His Elect One as Mediator, holiness is prepared and ... How wonderfully this is typified
in Aaron and the holy crown. ... full of joy: it is not I; Christ liveth in ...
/.../murray/holy in christ/ninth day holiness and mediation.htm

Of those Things which a Man of God Spake by the Spirit to Eli the ...
... what follows pertains to that Priest whom Samuel typified by succeeding ... house itself,
not of the priest, who is Christ Himself, the Mediator and Saviour ...
/.../augustine/city of god/chapter 5 of those things which.htm

The Great High-Priest.
... God has accepted it unless God Himself appoints the mediator and through ... to others;
and this eternal, independent priesthood of Christ is typified in the ...
/.../chapter iv the great high-priest.htm

What is the Sanctuary?
... that while the sin offering pointed to Christ as a sacrifice, and the high priest
represented Christ as a mediator, the scapegoat typified Satan, the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/the great controversy/chapter 23 what is the.htm

What is the Sanctuary?
... that while the sin-offering pointed to Christ as a sacrifice, and the high priest
represented Christ as a mediator, the scapegoat typified Satan, the ...
/.../the great controversy between christ and satan /23 what is the sanctuary.htm

Scriptural Types.
... Accordingly the priests who typified Christ were taken from ... body of believers through
Christ, their glorified ... as the divinely appointed mediator between God ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxxvii scriptural types.htm

The Epistle to the Hebrews
... He thus acts as a Mediator of the new covenant ... The tabernacle was only a temporary
parable; Christ acts as ... holies, the actual presence of God typified by the ...
/.../pullan/the books of the new testament/chapter xviii the epistle to.htm

Of the Popish Mass. How it not Only Profanes, but Annihilates the ...
... 29:36); not that they were adequate to regain the favour of God, and wipe away guilt,
but because they typified the true ... Christ is our Mediator, by whose ...
/.../calvin/the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 18 of the popish.htm

"In the Volume of the Book it is Written of Me" (Heb. . .
... type of Christ as our Mediator, and in ... remarkable that these men who typified the
Antichrist ... Abraham " an unmistakable foreshadowment of Christ in millennial ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/the antichrist/in the volume of the.htm