Moses and Aaron were mediators between the grumpy, desert-worn people and the Most High God.  When the Lord wanted to destroy everyone because of the rebellion of 250 men, Moses and Aaron interceded for them and asked the Lord to spare the many and only punish the few.  They fell face down and pleaded with God…and, once again, He relented.

A colossal sink hole opened up in the desert and swallowed the men who were inciting rebellion against Moses and Aaron, and tongues of fire killed the 250 Levite leaders who had joined in the rebellion.  These people were tired of being in the desert.  They did not want to accept the punishment for their own disbelief, so they grumbled and complained and began to put the blame on Moses and Aaron.  What they didn’t reckon on was that going against Moses and Aaron was just like going against God, because He himself chose them.

After this massive, supernatural event, the people grumbled even louder.  The Lord became angry and sent a plague to kill them all, but Aaron and Moses stepped in with incense. to cleanse the people of their sin.  The version I read said that Aaron stood between the living and the dead, holding the burning incense, and the plague stopped.

What a picture!  In the same way, Jesus stands with arms outstretched, bridging the gap between life and death for us.

¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:17

Wow!  Rather than rushing to wave the incense, Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice, one time, for all time.  Like Aaron, He appeals to God on our behalf, standing in the expanse between eternal life, and eternal death.