Numbers 17:1-13 – A lesson from Aaron's budding rod

The event of Numbers 16 made what happened in Numbers 17 necessary.  God’s one objective was to stop the perpetual grumbling. Why was God so disturbed by the grumbling? At the heart of their grumbling was the spirit of discontent. He knew that it was not only harmful to the people who did it, but also to the people who listened to it. People’s view of God and respect for Him would be drastically altered when they listen to grumbling long enough. It gnaws at the spirit like an infectious disease and creates doubt and distrust in God. When God’s people grumble, they discredit God by portraying Him as an oppressive overlord and deprive Him of the glory He deserves. To God, the Israelites’ grumbling was a serious sin. That accounts for why he judged them so severely.

The rebellion of Dathan and Abiram was a challenge to the right of Moses to lead. Whereas Korah’s rebellion was a challenge to the rights of Aaron and his posterity to the priesthood. Bear in mind that both Moses and Aaron were from the tribe of Levite. God wanted to seal the fact that the tribe of Levi, especially the family of Aaron, was His choice for the priesthood. Numbers 17:1-8 tell us what God did to affirm His choice of Aaron for the priesthood. He instructed Moses to obtain a rod from each of the leaders of the 12 tribes and to inscribe their names on their rods. And for the rod from the tribe of Levi, Aaron’s rod was to be written on it. The 12 rods plus the one with Aaron’s name on it would be placed overnight before the presence of the LORD inside the tent of meeting. And the rod that would sprout would be the person God had chosen for the priesthood. Notice God’s purpose was to relieve Himself of the people’s grumbling against Moses.

When Moses went into the tent of meeting the next day, the rod with Aaron’s name not only had budded but that it blossomed and even yielded almond fruits. Remember they were all dead rods that were cut off from the roots and were lifeless. For a dead rod to bud, blossom, and bear fruit was indeed miraculous. When the rods were returned to their owners, the rod of Aaron’s that budded had definitively proven God’s choice of who should be serving before Him.  

One more interesting fact in this whole drama was that the fruits on the rod of Aaron were almonds. The golden lampstand with the seven sprouts in the holy place was the shape of an almond tree. Its function was to shine its light on the Table of showbread, a picture of God’s favor and blessings on the 12 tribes. Aaron’s rod and the lampstand were God’s way of showing that He would be watching over His word to fulfill it. In the rod of Aaron, God’s intention was to show that the Aaronic priesthood was His chosen channel for blessing and life in the community. And the blossoming and appearance of the almonds was an indication of His greater blessings that would follow. Moses was instructed to put Aaron’s budded rod back into the tent of meeting as a reminder of God’s choice so that it would stop the murmuring of the people.    

Verses 12-13 show the people crying out in fear. This was an indication that they understood God’s message. They knew how serious it was to approach God. Their cry was a way of showing that they understood not everyone could safely approach the presence of God but only the Aaronic priests who were ordained and called to the role. They now could see the graciousness of God, who through the establishment of the Aaronic priesthood enabled them, sinners, to approach Him without any fear for their lives.

The lesson: if not for Christ, we by ourselves would be ineligible to approach the presence of God. We were dead in our trespasses. But God in His great love and mercy has showered His grace on us in Christ. And Him who knew no sin He made Him to be sin on our behalf. Now through Him, we can have excess to God and enjoy a blessed life of fruitfulness and fulfillment. How great is our God!