Twitter
RSS
Facebook
ClickBank1

6-29-16. Numbers 17:1-3. God’s Glory Revealed in The Dry Rod That Budded-my devotional

God’s Glory Revealed in The Dry Rod That Budded 

Numbers 17:1-13 6-29-16

Key Verse: 17:5                         Kevin E. Jesmer

”The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelites.”

aarons-rod-e1420569944309

Part 1: God’s Unique Way To Solve The Grumbling Problem (1-7).

Verses 1-7 read, “ 1The LORD said to Moses, 2 ‘Speak to the Israelites and get twelve staffs from them, one from the leader of each of their ancestral tribes. Write the name of each man on his staff. 3 On the staff of Levi write Aaron’s name, for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe. 4 Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law, where I meet with you. 5 The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelites.” 6 So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and their leaders gave him twelve staffs, one for the leader of each of their ancestral tribes, and Aaron’s staff was among them. 7 Moses placed the staffs before the LORD in the tent of the covenant law.”

 The rebellion against Aaron (16:10-11) had been quelled, but people continued to question his spiritual authority and grumble against him. God wanted to solve this constant grumbling problem. He didn’t have to prove anything to anyone. He is God. But he did make this special effort to reveal his glory to the people. How gracious is that? Hey people! Instead of grumbling how about saying words of faith and hope and encouragement?

First of all, I can’t; believe what it took for the Israelites to simply surrender their hearts and lives to the Lord. They were so prone to unbelief and rebellion. But though they were so persistent in their unbelief, God was gracious to hold back in doling out a complete measure of his judgment. He always listened to Moses’ prayer for his people and relented. God was providing yet another means to reveal his glory and his sovereign choice of leadership.

Moses was up to his regular habit as a servant of God, prayer. And God was communicating to him. Look at verses 1-5 again. Moses was very obedient. He knew that God’s way and God’s words were the best. And so he invited prominent men in the community to come as God commanded.

Moses trusted that God would reveal his own glory. The people were full of contempt. They would not accept anything less that sign from God. So many times they were on the verge of stoning Moses and Aaron to death. Moses had no other choice, but to bring everything to the Lord to submit and do what God wishes.

Moses was a good leader. He left everything up to God. That is actually the only way that anyone can serve as a spiritual leader. If a person tried to be a spiritual leader in their own strength and effort they would surely burn out. There is no way that a pastor, like Moses, could shepherd over three million people prone to grumbling and complaining. But he could, when he consistently brought everything to the Lord. Actually this is the policy and the principle that any servant of God must operate. Do not stand in the way of God, step aside and allow the glory of God to shine forth. This is the role of any servant of God.

Very influential men, leaders of all the tribes of Israel, submitted to Moses’ request to hand over rods with their names written on them. Moses gathered up the rods and he placed them before the ark. He was leaving it all up to God.

Part 2.  Open Your Eyes To See The Hand Of God And Submit To Him (8-13).

Verse 8-13, “ 8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaron’s staff, which represented the tribe of Levi, had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds. 9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the LORD’s presence to all the Israelites. They looked at them, and each of the leaders took his own staff.  10 The LORD said to Moses, “Put back Aaron’s staff in front of the ark of the covenant law, to be kept as a sign to the rebellious. This will put an end to their grumbling against me, so that they will not die.” 11Moses did just as the LORD commanded him.  12 The Israelites said to Moses, “We will die! We are lost, we are all lost! 13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the LORD will die. Are we all going to die?”

God revealed his own sovereign choice in verses 8-9. “The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaron’s staff, which represented the tribe of Levi, had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds. 9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lord’s presence to all the Israelites. They looked at them, and each of the leaders took his own staff.”  The rods were placed in the Most Holy Place, before the veil that hid the Ark of the Covenant. God would make the staff of his chosen servant sprout. Aaron’s staff budded with blossoms and almonds all from a single branch overnight. It as a complete miracle! Only the Creator God can give life to the dead. God displayed his glory and his power and confirmed Aaron as the servant whom he had chosen. Aaron was clearly God’s choice and all of the staffs of the people who quarreled remained the same. It was very clear to everyone who was God’s choice.

Moses was told to put Aaron’s staff that budded in the ark. Why? Look at verse 10, “The LORD said to Moses, “Put back Aaron’s staff in front of the ark of the covenant law, to be kept as a sign to the rebellious. This will put an end to their grumbling against me, so that they will not die.” 

God wanted to memorialize the test. Look at verse 10a again. ““Put back Aaron’s staff in front of the ark of the covenant law, to be kept as a sign to the rebellious…” Aarons budded rod would placed in the ark, next to the jar of manna and Moses two stone tablets. It would be a testimony of God’s grace and how he was trying to get them to stop sinning for the sake of his glory and for their very lives and the spiritual health of their nation. It is a testimony that God is the sovereign Lord and that he chooses whom he wills, and his will prevails.

But the Israelites did not trust God’s love when it was revealed to them that they were in the wrong. The leaders cried out in verses 12-13, “ 12 The Israelites said to Moses, “We will die! We are lost, we are all lost! 13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the LORD will die. Are we all going to die?”  Aaron’s staff in front of the ark of the Testimony reminded the people that God is the living God and that Aaron is a leader because God appointed him. God has his way of showing who is right and who is wrong.

The grumblers were terrified because they realized that they had been opposing God. They were full of dread. The same spirit that filled the hearts of those who presumptuously went to war, filled their hearts too. But this time, the people were left with no options to try to save themselves. They felt that God would kill them on the spot. To them trusting in God’s love and submitting to his sovereign wasn’t an option. Why is it never an option for some people?

These people came to the wrong conclusion for anyone who came to the Tabernacle would not die. It is like someone say, “We can not go onto the church or we will die.” They could not approach a certain area of the Tabernacle and they couldn’t take on a priestly role. But they could go there to worship and bring to God their sacrifices. The people really needed to learn how to repent of their sins and come to the Lord humbly and in God’s way. They needed to trust God’s love and grace.

Their panicked attitude is exactly what happens when people don’t know the Lord or his love. They hide from God and when they can’t hide behind excuses or human attempts to make things right, their hearts become full of fear and even terror or impending judgment and doom. Such is a heart not rooted in the Savior.

I would be the same if it were not for Jesus who came into this world to reveal the Father’s love and mercy. Those who know Jesus know the Fathers’ love and do not stand before him terrified. They can come to him as his dearly beloved children seeking restoration.

Prayer: Lord, why is it that trust and submission to you is not an option for so many people? Lord, open our eyes to see you glory, your power and your sovereign will and come to your reverent submission.”

One Word: See the leading of the Sovereign Lord and humbly submit.  

 

 




Interact with us using Facebook

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.