Numbers 17:1-13; 8:1-7 NKJV
17 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and get from them a rod from each father’s house, all their leaders according to their fathers’ houses—twelve rods. Write each man’s name on his rod. 3 And you shall write Aaron’s name on the rod of Levi. For there shall be one rod for the head of each father’s house. 4 Then you shall place them in the tabernacle of meeting before the Testimony, where I meet with you. 5 And it shall be that the rod of the man whom I choose will blossom; thus I will rid Myself of the complaints of the children of Israel, which they make against you.”
6 So Moses spoke to the children of Israel, and each of their leaders gave him a rod apiece, for each leader according to their fathers’ houses, twelve rods; and the rod of Aaron was among their rods. 7 And Moses placed the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness.
8 Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses went into the tabernacle of witness, and behold, the rod of Aaron, of the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds. 9 Then Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord to all the children of Israel; and they looked, and each man took his rod.
10 And the Lord said to Moses, “Bring Aaron’s rod back before the Testimony, to be kept as a sign against the rebels, that you may put their complaints away from Me, lest they die.” 11 Thus did Moses; just as the Lord had commanded him, so he did.
12 So the children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, “Surely we die, we perish, we all perish! 13 Whoever even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord must die. Shall we all utterly die?”
God reveals how He works through men selected by His doing to be in oversight of God’s children, to lead them into and through the way of life. As high priest, Aaron would also be head of the tribe of Levi. Aaron’s rod was to be placed “before the testimony” (That is, the ark of the covenant) and preserved there as a warning for those rebellious Israelites in their grumblings against the Lord.
To demonstrate the validity of Aaron’s ordination, the Lord brings Aaron’s rod to blossom during the night, while the other eleven rods (representing the eleven other tribes) showed no signs of having life come through them. This miraculous sign was to convince the people to “make an end of their grumblings” against the Lord (see v 10).
God provides a visual reminder of God’s seal of approval on the Levitical priesthood. Properly ordained and installed leadership is a blessing from God. Proper respect is due to God’s rightly called and ordained servants, mainly because they should be viewed as having been selected by God Himself — sent as a blessing, not a curse.
Aaron’s rod was revealed as having life come through it — reflecting what Aaron would be bringing as well. God reveals His strict (narrow) way to bring about that life — not desiring that there be any kind of loose understanding. To veer from the narrow way God established would lead to death — to the Israelites this was very clear. Rejoice that the Lord Himself reigns among you by His life-giving Word — working through the faithful called, ordained, and installed pastors, who utilize the means of grace that God has established to create and sustain life-giving faith through the narrow way of Jesus Christ and Him crucified and risen! Let us pray: Almighty God, Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the day of our Lord’s resurrection, may be raised from the death of sin by Your life-giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.