Numbers 20:14-22:1, John 1:1-28

Thought from Today’s Old Testament Passage: And when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they mourned for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel [Num. 20:29]. There is a precious lesson here for us. This was a very sad thing in Israel, but it has in it for us today something that should cause us to thank God. The children of Israel mourned for thirty days. I think there were many in that company who had been to Aaron, the high priest. They knew Aaron, and Aaron knew them. They would bring their sacrifice and they would ask Aaron, "Oh, do you think God will forgive me?" And I think that Aaron would comfort them and tell them that our God is a gracious, merciful God. Then he would offer their sacrifice for them. Now they saw Eleazar come down clothed in the garments of Aaron. Aaron is dead and gone. And they would say, "I don’t know Eleazar and he doesn’t know me. It’s a different priest now." May I say to you today that we have a High Priest who ever lives to make intercession for us. Our Lord is not a Priest after the order of Aaron but after the order of Melchizedek. He has neither beginning of days, nor end of life; He abides a Priest continually! Our High Priest will not die. He died once for us down here; He lives forever for us up there. He will always be there for us. We can always depend on Him. He knows each of us individually and we can know Him. To know Him is life everlasting. Knowing Him will occupy us for all eternity and it will never be changed. That is something to be thankful for today. (J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson), 1997 © 1981 by J. Vernon McGee)