The name Eleazar means “God has helped” and Eleazar was the third of four sons born to Aaron. Aaron was the brother of Moses and was chosen by God to be the first priest of the Levitical priesthood.
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The priesthood had a number of rules and rituals connected to it. The rules covered things regarding their consecration ceremony, the bathing of a priest prior to service, the clothes they wore, the manner and timing of making sacrifices, and how they could partake in consuming some of the offerings. The complete list is much greater and can be found throughout the books of the Law, especially Leviticus. Only Aaron and his sons, and later, their descendants were authorized to be priests of God under the Law of Moses. Eleazar had a son named Phinehas who served as a priest. Phinehas is well known for his character as he performed an execution of a couple engaged in sexual immorality and stopped a plague. The Lord was pleased with Phinehas and confirmed the succession of the priesthood through his descendants (Numbers 25:6-13).
All four of Aaron’s sons were consecrated as priests. They were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar (Exodus 6:23, 28:1). Nadab and Abihu, the two oldest sons, broke at least one of God’s rules regarding the sacrificial ritual and offered strange fire before the Lord—and the Lord struck them dead because of it. The Lord then spoke to Aaron and instructed him that no alcohol should be consumed by the priests while they are performing their duties (Leviticus 10:1-11). We can surmise that the two older brothers may have been drunk and reckless in their actions and so Aaron and the others were given the opportunity to learn from their mistakes. Eleazar and his brother Ithamar continued on as faithful priests and their descendants carried on in the same manner. The high priest was chosen from Eleazar’s line for seven generations, until the time of Eli, who was of the line of Eleazar’s brother Ithamar. During the time of King Solomon, Zadok was appointed as the high priest, returning that office to the line of Eleazar (1 Kings 2:35). Zadok was highly esteemed by King David and his descendants will serve as priests in the Millennial Temple during the 1000 year reign of Christ on earth (Ezekiel 44:15).
Eleazar’s Leadership Blossoms
Eleazar was given a number of important tasks and duties while he was being groomed to become the High Priest after his father would die. He was oftentimes specifically singled out as the priest to perform an important duty. For example, he was given supervision of the Kohathites, a family clan within the tribe of Levi. Their responsibility was to carry the most holy furnishings of the tabernacle on their shoulders when they moved from location to location (other clans transported less holy items on carts with oxen). Eleazar also supervised the oil and incense used in various rituals. It became clear that Eleazar was given more responsibility than his peers. He rose to the occasion and became a recognized leader among the tribes of Israel. He eventually took over the office of High Priest and served Joshua who took over the leadership role of Moses when the Israelites took possession of the Promised Land. This appointment of leadership followed a series of important tasks which were all executed faithfully.
The First Red Heifer Sacrifice
The Lord instructed Moses about a new type of sacrifice when they were traveling to the Promised Land. Moses relayed the details to Aaron the priest but it was to be his son Eleazar who would oversee the ritual. As with most of the rituals involved with the priesthood, this one had specific instructions to be followed. In short, a red heifer (a young female cow who hasn’t given birth yet) without blemish was to be taken outside the camp to be sacrificed. Then its blood would be sprinkled towards the front of the tent of meeting (where the ark of the covenant was kept) and then the heifer was to be completely burned. The ashes would be used to make holy water for purification in case any Israelite came in contact with a dead body. Then they would follow a specified procedure to become ceremonially clean with holy water obtained by using the ashes of the red heifer. Failure to comply with this ceremonial cleansing would result in death to the offender. This was to be a lasting ordinance for them (Numbers 19:1-21). The responsibility given to Eleazar was great.
As with the other sacrificial offerings, this one served as a type of Christ who was to be revealed many generations later. The writer of Hebrews connects these two sacrifices and explicitly explains how Christ’s sacrifice is superior. The red heifer was the type; Christ was the antitype. This helps us understand the significance of Christ’s sacrificial death and resurrection.
The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
Hebrews 9:13-14
Korah’s Rebellion
Korah was a head of clan within the tribe of the Levites. He was not a descendant of Aaron and therefore was not qualified to be a priest. Instead, like the other Levites, they had various duties related to setup and logistical matters of the tabernacle and the worship of their God. Korah led a rebellion against Moses and Aaron (Numbers 16). God was not pleased with this rebellion and at one point he sent fire from heaven to consume 250 of the rebels. They were reduced to ashes but the censers they were holding remained and God declared them to be holy. Eleazar was directed to collect the censers and have them hammered into sheets that would overlay the altar. This would serve as a sign to the Israelites that Aaron and his descendants were the only authorized priests to serve God under the Law of Moses. A more complete explanation of Korah’s rebellion can be found at this link: The Grace and Knowledge Series Blog; Korah’s rebellion.
“And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.
The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, to remove the censers from the charred remains and scatter the coals some distance away, for the censers are holy— the censers of the men who sinned at the cost of their lives. Hammer the censers into sheets to overlay the altar, for they were presented before the Lord and have become holy. Let them be a sign to the Israelites.”
Numbers 16:35-38
Eleazar Becomes the New High Priest
Aaron, the first priest, lived a full life and made it close to the promised land but wasn’t allowed to enter because of his part in the rebellion at Meribah Kadesh. It was there that he and Moses failed to follow the Lord’s instructions in providing water for the Israelites (Numbers 20:12). God still provided the water they needed but their failure cost them their individual privilege to enter the promised land. Instead that honor went to Joshua who took Moses’ place as leader and Eleazar who took Aaron’s place as High Priest. Together the younger generation of leaders led the Israelites into the promised land and divided it among the tribes as directed by the Lord (Numbers 34:16-18).
The whole Israelite community set out from Kadesh and came to Mount Hor. At Mount Hor, near the border of Edom, the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Aaron will be gathered to his people. He will not enter the land I give the Israelites, because both of you rebelled against my command at the waters of Meribah. Get Aaron and his son Eleazar and take them up Mount Hor. Remove Aaron’s garments and put them on his son Eleazar, for Aaron will be gathered to his people; he will die there.”
Moses did as the Lord commanded: They went up Mount Hor in the sight of the whole community. Moses removed Aaron’s garments and put them on his son Eleazar. And Aaron died there on top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain, and when the whole community learned that Aaron had died, all the Israelites mourned for him thirty days.
Numbers 20:22-29
Summary
Choosing godly leaders is an important task. Preparing, or grooming younger men to take over when your present leadership age out is equally important. In reviewing the life and times of Eleazar, we can see how God chose and prepared Eleazar to smoothly take over the priestly duties he learned from Aaron. We would do well to follow the same pattern within the church. So often people are drawn to a leader with charisma, likability or proper seminary training. God does not look at outward appearances or paper credentials, he looks at the heart. God chose Eleazar and enabled him to serve in his chosen capacity. When we affirm God’s choice of leaders, we must learn to accept men with good hearts and allow God to provide the necessary skills, experience and divine enablement to accomplish his purposes. This process is accomplished through prayer and obedience to God’s ways (Romans 12:2).
Moses said to the Lord, “May the Lord, the God who gives breath to all living things, appoint someone over this community to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the Lord’s people will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”
So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit of leadership, and lay your hand on him. Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him in their presence. Give him some of your authority so the whole Israelite community will obey him. He is to stand before Eleazar the priest, who will obtain decisions for him by inquiring of the Urim before the Lord. At his command he and the entire community of the Israelites will go out, and at his command they will come in.”
Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole assembly.
Numbers 27:15-22
Eleazar is mentioned in 12 books and occurs 71 times in the Bible. He is discussed most often in the books of Numbers (34), 1st Chronicles (14), and Joshua (8) and briefly in others. He died shortly after the death of Joshua (Joshua 24:33).
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