THE DEATH OF A BROTHER
J. G. Chalmers
Numbers 20: 28—(“and Aaron died there upon the top of the mountain”); Deuteronomy 10: 6
These scriptures relate to the death of a brother, for Jehovah had said to Moses earlier in Exodus, “Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother?” We are here today in relation to the death of a brother and what impressed me to read these scriptures is the fact that not only does the Spirit record the death of Aaron but He also records where
he died. The Spirit’s comment is, “and Aaron died there”. This shows that divine Persons take account of the death of the saints and also of where they die.
The time had come for Aaron to die. Earlier in this section God says to Moses, “Aaron shall be gathered unto his peoples”. Faith rests on that. Faith does not wonder about what caused the death; faith rests on the fact that, in the will and ordering of God, our brother’s time had come. The way that God speaks about Aaron is most affecting and comforting. He does not say, ‘Aaron shall die’, but, “Aaron shall be gathered unto his peoples”. That is divine consideration and compassion for Moses for God knew that Moses would feel this break. Not only was Aaron his natural brother but they had been linked together for a long time in the testimony so God says, ‘He shall be gathered to his peoples’. How God can bring in a touch of compassion for those who need it! Our sister and her sons are feeling the reality of this wrench, the breaking of the tenderest tie of nature, and our God would bring His own touch of comfort in to all our souls at this time for He is the Father of compassions, the God of all encouragement. Our brother has died and he is with Christ, he is gathered to his peoples. The Lord Jesus has been gathering His saints one by one for almost two thousand years and most of the assembly is already with Christ. Our brother is now amongst those who are waiting their body of glory—he is gathered to his peoples.
Then Aaron goes up the mount. Death holds no terror for the believer. He goes up to die; he is triumphant. We sang in the opening hymn that the Lord has taken the sting out of death for the believer. The Lord Jesus came down to die; He descended into the lower parts of the earth; He
met death in all its power and vanquished it; He broke its power by rising from it. In the light of this the believer goes up to die. Then it says, “Aaron died there”, that is, at the top of the mount. Our brother, I believe, has died at the top of the mount. I have known him intimately for many years and we have had very close links together in the testimony. He enjoyed his links with God—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He enjoyed his links with the saints in the bonds of the truth. He enjoyed assembly life. He was at the top of the mount and he died there. What a comfort!
In Deuteronomy it says that “Israel took their journey from Beeroth-Bene-Jaakan to Moserah; there Aaron died”. That is, he died at the point at which the testimony was at that time. There had been a good number of moves in the wilderness before this one, for every time the cloud moved, Israel moved, and these movements of the cloud involved, typically, the rights of Christ in the assembly. Our brother moved with each movement of the testimony and he was fully in the latest move, and we can thank God for that—he has died in the testimony, he has died in the Lord, and we are about to bury him there. There is great consolation in the burial of a saint who has died in the Lord.
The next word is for our younger brethren. Many of us are getting on in years and we may not be left here much longer. This verse shows that there was no lapse in priestly service.
Aaron died and was buried and Eleazar his son exercised the priesthood in his stead. The continuance and maintenance of things in the local assemblies depends upon our younger brethren, and we would, in all affection, encourage you to take up the things of God in priestly exercise and seek to
maintain them, in the power of the Spirit, until the Lord comes. There will be movements right up to the last trump. When a well-known servant of the Lord was told of the death of Mr. Coates he paused a little then said simply, ‘Our path is on’. That is it, dear brethren. Our path is on. Let us go forward then, and I believe that at the close of the dispensation we shall enjoy something of this land of water-brooks that the next verse speaks of. The Lord takes persons, and we miss them, but the Holy Spirit remains and I believe that we shall enjoy in increasing measure what remains in the Spirit, especially in His refreshing and fructifying power, as the return of our Lord draws nigh. But my burden is that every one of us might finish our course on the top of the mount and fully in the testimony of our Lord, and that our younger brethren will continue to maintain things in a priestly way, in the power of the Spirit, for the pleasure and glory of God. May it be so.