Aaron

38Moses was with the people gathered in the desert. He was with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai. He was with our fathers too. He received God's living words to pass on to us.

This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:

NoteThe people were camped together in the desert after leaving Egypt. God's living words are the rules and promises God gave Moses there. The Ten Commandments were part of them.

39But our fathers would not obey him. They pushed him away. In their hearts they turned back toward Egypt.

To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt,

40They said to Aaron, "Make us gods to walk ahead of us. We do not know what happened to Moses, who led us out of Egypt."

Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

NoteAaron was Moses' older brother. He helped Moses talk to the people. Gods to go ahead of them means statues to lead them, like a flag in front of a parade.

41In those days they made a statue of a calf. They offered a gift to that false god. They were happy about what their own hands had made.

And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.

NoteA calf is a baby cow. This one was a statue, not a real animal. An idol is a statue that people pray to. Offering a gift meant killing an animal and burning it for the statue.

1Every high priest is chosen from among people. A high priest is someone who speaks to God for others. He brings God gifts and offerings for the wrong things people do.

For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:

NoteAn offering was a gift people brought to God. It was often an animal or some grain. Bringing it was their way of saying sorry.

2He can be gentle with people who do not know better. He is gentle with people who have wandered off the right path. He can be gentle because he is weak himself.

Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.

3Because he is weak, he must bring offerings for his own sins too. He does this for himself and also for the people.

And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.

4No one can give himself this honor. God must call him, just as God called Aaron.

And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.

NoteAaron was Moses' brother. God picked him to be the very first high priest. That was a long, long time before Jesus.

5Christ did not make himself a high priest. God gave him that honor. God said to him, "You are my Son. Today I have become your Father."

So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.

NoteChrist is not a last name. It is a title. It means the special one God chose and sent. These words, "Thou art my Son," come from an old song in the Bible.

6In another place God says, "You are a priest forever, in the same way as Melchisedec."

As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

NoteMelchisedec was a king and a priest long, long ago. He lived in the time of Abraham. His name sounds like mel-KIZ-eh-dek.