Today's Scripture Reading (January 13, 2025): Numbers 3
Alphonso de Borja was elevated to the Papacy on April 8, 1455, becoming Pope Callixtus III. It was a time of great trial for the Roman Catholic Church. Western Civilization was under threat from Turkey, and the Western nations needed a leader who could defend them from Turkish power. Callixtus was instrumental in setting the model for future leaders. German historian Ludwig von Pastor (1854-1928) argued that Pope Calixtus III …
gave a grand example to Christendom, and it is to be observed that in the midst of the military and political interest which claimed so large a share of his time and attention, he did not neglect the internal affairs of the Church, and vigorously opposed heresies (Ludwig von Pastor, History of the Popes, Volume 2).
If there was a black mark on his short reign as Pope, which was just over three years, it was that he promoted two of his nephews to the office of Cardinal. One of them, Rodrigo de Borgia, who later ruled as Pope Alexander VI, became recognized for his corruption and immortality. It got so bad that his successor, Julius II, on the day of his election to the papacy, remarked, "I will not live in the same rooms as the Borgias lived. He desecrated the Holy Church as none before." As a result, the Borgia Apartments were closed from Alexander's death in 1503 until 1889, when Pope Leo XIII had the rooms restored and opened to the public. One has to wonder what might have happened if Calixtus had not elevated his nephew to the office of Cardinal in the first place.
Nepotism, elevating relatives to important positions, has a history of being negative on any institution. It is not always a bad idea, but when a person is elevated more because they are the relative of someone important than because they are good at some task, there is a problem. In my estimation, hiring a relative needs to be closely examined by people unrelated to the person in charge. I think my children are great at several tasks in the church, but I absolutely should not be the one to elevate them. If they were to be hired, I would want that move to come from an independent board, not me.
Moses seems to have agreed. This passage opens up by saying it is "the account of the family of Aaron and Moses," but one thing is missing from what follows: the family of Moses. We hear about Aaron's family, and his sons were elevated to key positions in the Tabernacle, but the sons of Moses are rarely even mentioned. Moses's descendants are lost in the mix of other Levites. None of Moses' family members received any position in the Tabernacle despite their relationship with the lawgiver.
Maybe the next logical question is whether Moses even had children since none are mentioned in this passage. We know that Moses had at least two sons. The oldest son was Gershom, and the younger was called Eliezer. These sons did not accompany Moses through the complete journey of the Exodus. Instead, they lived with their maternal Grandfather during their youth. Eventually, they joined Moses for the wilderness wanderings. However, they also enjoyed a life of anonymity among the Levites of Israel.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Numbers 4
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