AARON'S ROD IS TURNED INTO A SERPENT.
Exodus 7:1-12; 7:8-10
SCRIPTURE
1 And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.
2 Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land.
3 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.
4 But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.
5 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them.
6 And Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded them, so did they.
7 And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh.
8 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
9 When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent.
10 And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent.
11 Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.
12 For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up
COMMENTARY
The Story of Aaron's Rod Being Turned into a Serpent
Moses and Aaron had been given a daunting job. They were supposed to lead the Sons of Israel out of Egypt and into the land of Canaan. However, the Lord had sent them to talk with Pharaoh to convince him to let their people go. The Israelites were enslaved people in Egypt - valuable enslaved people that Pharaoh did not want to let go. Moses had the additional burden of being wanted for murder.
Imagine how frightened they must have been as they approached the Pharaoh. Nevertheless, they did have confidence. The Lord had given them the power to turn Aaron's rod into a water snake. Surely this would impress the Pharaoh and prevent him from killing them outright.
However, all did not go according to plan. Yes, Aaron threw down his rod, which became a water snake, but Pharaoh was unimpressed and had his magicians do the same thing with their rods. Imagine the fear they must have felt at that point! Imagine the tremendous doubt that must have entered their minds when they saw they were not the only ones with such power! Was Jehovah as mighty as He claimed? Should they have come in the first place? Had they failed?
Moses and Aaron were allowed to experience doubt when the magicians performed the same feat. Although they were able to fulfill their mission of speaking with Pharaoh, essential spiritual truth is illustrated in this story. It concerns how we interact with our neighbors, spouses, and children. In the same way, the Lord allows us to question the truth that we might not accept too quickly - without really understanding it.
The Lord guards against persuasion: presenting ideas to others so powerfully that there is no room for doubt, and they have no choice but to agree. To overwhelm another with our correctness and brilliance, as would have happened with Moses and Aaron if they had met no opposition from the magicians, depriving them of their freedom of thought is counter-productive in the long run.
Now it may seem that this is not a common problem. Who among us is so convincing that others immediately fall in line to agree with us? We might suspect some people in sales or advertising agencies of attempting to use persuasive tactics to get us to purchase items we do not need. However, indeed this is not a universal problem! Yet, consider how often we have ideas that we want the other person to accept in our work, discussions with our spouse, and raising our children. If we believe something to be accurate, we desire to communicate it, to have others see it as we do. We discuss politics, religion, who said what to whom, and many other issues. And how often do we think we are wrong when we propose an idea? Do we not usually think our judgment and recollections are more accurate than others?
However, there is nothing wrong with communicating and sharing ideas with others. No, there is not. But we leave communicating behind and enter the realm of persuasion whenever we become more concerned with our idea of truth than with the other person seeing what is true for himself. When we are confident we are correct and try to impose our ideas on others, we are no longer discussing but seeking, as the Writings say, to "captivate minds."
Think of the tactics sometimes employed by a person that may not be immediately recognized as destructive persuasions. Have you ever been in a conversation where one person kept cutting in, not letting other opinions be expressed? Or a person keeps returning to the same point until the others are nagged into accepting it? This is a form of persuasion: so fixing the minds of others on one point that no other ideas can be considered.
Another form of persuasion is frequently attempted in arguments: listening to another for the sole purpose of finding fault with what he or she is saying. It presupposes that the person is wrong, and the persuader attempts to show that there is nothing of truth in what is said. If a person is constantly being told that his or her ideas are wrong, or many people seem to be united against one, a wearing-down process erodes one's confidence. Experiments have been done in which a person will give the wrong answer to a simple question, even when he knows it is wrong, just because he sees it is the answer given by all others responding.
One of the more devious methods of captivating another's mind is using the truth. Basic ideas can be presented so well and structured so tightly that another seems to have no option but to accept the ideas as presented. The truth, or portions of it, not known by another, can be used as a sledgehammer to beat down another's belief or as a knife to cut them apart. While truths may be spoken, it is done to persuade, to enwrap them in another person's thought patterns, not to help another accept what is true.
As parents, we may be guilty of this when we try to persuade our children of something and authoritatively cite experts or our own experience. ("No, you may not do that because all the other parents agree, and I know from when I tried it that it will not work.") This is especially tricky as a parent, for there are many non-negotiable areas where parents know more or must enforce rules that children do not understand. However, the parent may be tempted to force his or her will upon children too often, in all circumstances.
Since it stems from a love of dominion, why would a reasonable person use persuasive tactics? They work! We do buy things we do not need. We accept ideas on the say-so of others who know what they are talking about. But consider what is lost when one's ideas are forced upon another without that other person seeing them from his sight of what is true.
With hellish persuasion, one accepts an idea because he has been defeated in an argument or passively defers to someone who seems to know what he is talking about. The persuaded person does not see it as accurate for himself. He does not understand the idea. His concept is limited to what he is told, and he cannot use that idea as a starting point to think further. As a result, there is no freedom of thought. It is like one is in a daze, for he cannot think because he does not understand.
What is worse, any idea that is so accepted is hard and unyielding. Since it is not well understood, the person does not want to think about it and will refuse to discuss it to examine its worth. A persuasive idea is often defended vehemently because it cannot tolerate questioning. It is like a hard rock whose only use seems to be to beat on others. This indicates that one does not have his ideas but has been persuaded without much comprehension.
Ultimately, persuasion fails. No one can be forced to believe in something or care for something he does not want to. Even when we have been shown that what we said was wrong, we do not want to admit it. Why? Perhaps because of pride, but also because for us to accept something as true, we must see it in our way, in our own time. When we are forced, we rebel. Moreover, if we are persuaded, instead of accepting them on our own, we will reject the ideas as soon as that persuasive sphere leaves us. Lasting changes are not made by force but by freedom and reason.
This is why the Lord allowed the magicians to perform the miracle Aaron had done - to allow doubt to enter their minds. Moses and Aaron might have felt conceited with their power if they had not matched Aaron's deed. So the Lord allows us to doubt, to have experiences of failure when our ideas are not readily accepted by others, that their freedom might be preserved. One person who had recently discovered the truths of the New Church wanted to share them with his friends and bought many complete sets of the Writings. He could not understand when they did not see the truth as he had. Each person must come to the truth in his or her way. Yes, we can communicate ideas, but no one should accept them too quickly, for they need to be understood individually.
How then should we communicate ideas to others without becoming persuasive? The basic principle is found in an ancient law of Israel concerning loans and collateral. If one made a loan to someone, one's cloak called a "pledge" was given in return to assure repayment. The person making the loan was to go to his house and stand outside. He was not permitted to enter the house but had to wait outside for the person to bring the pledge out.
To make a loan to someone is to offer them our ideas. When they receive them, we are not to enter their houses, forcing our way into their minds and taking what they have. Instead, we are to wait outside for the person to respond to our ideas. Spiritually this represents how we can communicate without force
The image of the loan is compelling. When ideas are shared, they are not lost. They belong to the one offering them, not to the one receiving them. They are to be used but are still owned by the giver. When we borrow a tool from someone, we do not want him standing over our shoulder telling us exactly how to use it. We will use it in our way and then return it to him. We do the same with ideas - we take them from others and use them in our way.
The pledge then given is symbolic of the individual response that must be given. It cannot be taken but can only be given. The person making the loan is not permitted within the house, just as the communicator of ideas does not control how they are used or how the person responds.
What is the effect of giving the loan of an idea rather than attempting to persuade another? Well, one's intent should be to spark thoughts in others that will enable them to see things in a new light. By receiving a loan, a person has mulled an idea over and considered it in many different lights. As a result, a new and slightly different idea is stimulated in his mind. It is his, flexible, and living. There is an appreciation of the idea as an opening to other ideas. Things are not seen entirely in black and white but are perceived in various colors. Because of this, the ideas are more firmly and more deeply implanted. They seem to make sense in one's life and might be used freely!
What is the difference between loaning and persuading? Perhaps it is the difference between saying, "You are wrong. Here is why," and, "I disagree. This is how I look at it." Alternatively, "Anyone who knows anything agrees with this idea," and "From what I know, it seems this way." Each person communicates in his way and shares what he cares about. Persuading someone is forcefully or slyly insinuating ideas that will tolerate no opposition or questioning. Giving a loan of ideas is to offer them, hoping nothing in return but that they might help others.
The Lord protects people from undue persuasion, as seen in His allowing the magicians to turn their rods into water snakes. He leads people to accept what is accurate: in their own time, in their way. Doubts are not necessarily wrong, and neither are disagreements. What is vital is the individual's free and reasoned response to truth. We may want someone to believe something so badly that it appears to justify persuasive methods, but in the end, they will defeat their purpose. Variety is inevitable, for each person is different. Rarely is any issue so important that everyone must agree exactly. If so, the Lord indeed would be giving us instruction in a different way!
Let us, then, refrain from compelling others to believe exactly as we do, and let us rejoice in our ability to give the loan of truths to others so that they may approach the Lord in their way.
