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The First Spokesman
by John M. Reed
Among the sobriquets we may carry along the path of public relations practice is that of "spokesman." The purpose of this homily is to call attention to The First Spokesman. It will come as no surprise to those who know a shekel from a cubit, or Douay from Vulgate, to recall that no less a client than the Lord, Himself, appointed as the earliest recorded "spokesman," Aaron the Levite. Aaron's temporal client was the great leader and lawgiver, Moses.
The story of Aaron's appointment is found in Exodus 4, and with apologies for paraphrasing, it goes like this: Speaking from a burning bush, the Lord commanded Moses to visit Pharaoh and seek the release of the Chosen People so that they could go to the Promised Land, Canaan, flowing with milk and honey. Moses was also told to rally the captive Jews by speaking to them, and by performing certain signs, such as turning a rod of wood into a snake. Moses protested to God that he was, in short, not eloquent, not able to speak well, nor to perform signs convincingly; in short, not a good platform performer. His protest annoyed God who then solved the problem by informing Moses that He would designate Aaron as Moses' "spokesman."What, you may wonder, were Aaron's qualifications to become "spokesman" for this important special event? How did he get the assignment? Well, for one think he was the older brother of Moses, thus possessing a good client relationship. For another, as the Lord said, "I know that he can speak well." The results of this persuasion assignment? Let the Bible tell us (Exodus 4: 30-31): "And Aaron spake all the words which the Lord had spoke unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. And the people believed." They also took the desired action, packing and departing Egypt. Pretty good going for a public relations neophyte.
Not unlike many of us in the public relations field today, Aaron had his ups and downs. A direct descendent of Levi by both parents, Amram and Jochebed, Aaron was elder bother to both Moses and their sister, Miriam. After becoming "spokesman" at age 83, Aaron went on to a nobler career as a priest. At various stages, however, he proved his human frailty by slipping into idolatry at one point, and by murmuring against his brother/client at another. He repented in both cases and died in grace on Mt. Hor at the age of 123. Truly, Aaron is an exemplary model for all subsequent "spokesmen," whether carnival barkers or presidential press secretaries.