Numbers 17:1-8

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “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. 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. Then you shall place them in the tabernacle of meeting before the Testimony, where I meet with you. 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.” 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. And Moses placed the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness. 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.

Numbers 17:1-8

As we come to this passage in Numbers, we are fresh off the rebellion of Korah. The Lord has just poured out His wrath on the rebellious congregation in the form of a plague. To make it clear that Aaron is the one He has chosen, the Lord sets up a demonstration. He tells the children of Israel to get a rod from each father’s house and write each man’s name on it. There were 12 rods including Aaron’s. 

Moses takes those rods and puts them before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness. Here is where things get interesting. The next morning Moses goes into the tabernacle and one rod has changed overnight. One rod only has done three things, it has budded, blossomed and bore fruit. This is the Lord’s way of showing them that though they all are holy, only one from among them is chosen for the position of high priest. All 12 men put in dead sticks; sticks that had been cut off from the vine long ago. One of those sticks went from death to life. One of those sticks was chosen to put on display the miraculous power of God. 

God is the one who takes dead things and brings life from them and when we (like those sticks) go into the presence of God He is able to transform us and use our lives to bear fruit.  “You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”  I Peter 2:5

Pastor Brenden McPeek