Because of the disobedience at Meribah, Moses and Aaron will not enter the Promised Land. Moses will lead the people until the forty years of wandering are complete, but Aarons' time has come. The high priest is about to die, and so the role must be passed to another, his son Eleazar.
There is a lot that can be said about passing the torch, but let me keep it to this, it has to be done. A lot of damage, some of it possibly irreversible, has been done because people want to hold on to the torch too long. It might be difficult to do, it's never easy to give up power or control, but we weren't meant to go on forever. We will become outdated, ineffective, or eventually we physically die. Try as we might, we simply can't go on forever.
Men, what torch do you need to pass? Are you willing to, or are you desperately clinging to it because it's your identity? Maybe you don't have that problem, you just aren't to the point where it is time to pass the torch, are you preparing for it?
I was able to witness a successful large church leadership transition between the wise "old" sage I meet with, and the younger king who has become the new lead pastor. I want to say it was close to a two year leadership transition, with responsibility gradually shifting. The sage told me near the beginning, "I want to hand over the keys while there is still gas in the tank." He knew the torch had to be passed, and he wanted to make sure it was still burning bright when he handed it off.
Let us never cling to any role as our identity. May we always be training up future leaders, and when the time is right let us willingly pass the torch.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
The traditional location of Aaron's burial near Petra in Jordan
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