Take 5 minutes to listen for the Lord’s voice. Sit or kneel in a quiet place by yourself seeking His presence. Set a timer for 5 minutes and try to just quietly listen for the Lord’s voice. If you feel your mind wandering, say a short prayer about it and continue listening. God’s voice in your heart is rarely audible, but He can and does speak directly to His children if they are listening. Be sure, however, that one thing God will never do is whisper something into His child’s ear that goes against the Word of God. So, if your friend says, “God told me to get a divorce.” That would be the friend listening to their own desires, and not the God of the marriage covenant.
What God tells Moses to do in Numbers 17 is to get a staff from each of the tribes and write the name of the leader on the staff. For the Levite staff, Moses was to write Aaron’s name on it. God was going to further affirm Aaron as the chosen man whose line would serve as the priests of Israel. God said He would rid Himself of this constant grumbling against Moses and Aaron. Moses does not “object that the matter was sufficiently settled already,…nor did he suggest that it would be to no purpose to offer satisfaction to a people who were willingly blind.” (Matthew Henry) In this, also, Moses was humble and just followed God’s directives. What about us? Do we just do what God says, or do we debate Him, second-guess His wishes, or wait for a sign? What can you change now to be a person of action for the Lord?
The staffs were to be placed in front of the Ark in the tent of meeting where Moses met with God. God was going to cause Aaron’s staff to bud to prove that Aaron was His chosen priest. There were twelve staffs, including Levi’s; this means that Joseph had one staff. For this test, Ephraim and Manasseh had one staff together as the tribe of Joseph. If any rebellion had come from one of the tribes of Joseph, God probably would have seen fit to represent them separately to send a stronger message.
Moses placed the staffs in the tent of meeting or Tabernacle before the Lord. The next day, Moses went in to the Tent of meeting and found that Aaron’s staff had not only budded but also blossomed and produced almonds. This is an irrefutable miracle! Sometimes we may read things like this in the Bible and not even stop for a second to ponder how amazing they are. Let us stop for a minute and marvel at the Lord bringing fruit overnight from a dead stick! :) Praise God for being a God of miracles. God went above and beyond the sign He said He would give. “[J]ust as God could make an apparently dead rod miraculously bear fruit, so He could elect a line of descendants like any other and enable it to render priestly service faithfully.” (NIV Appl Comm, p. 644)
A SIGN
The Lord directed Moses to keep Aaron’s staff that had budded in front of the ark. It was a sign to the rebellious. Since only Levites would see inside the tent of meeting, it serves as a reminder to these men who would desire more than the service they have been given as Korah had. It is an honor to serve the Lord, but it is the Lord that assigns our positions. We should show respect for those given greater positions. Consider: How can you show respect for your pastor today? This week?
God said the staff budding should put an end to grumbling so the Israelites wouldn’t die for complaining. The Israelites suddenly start crying, “We shall die! We are lost, we are all lost! Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die. Are we all going to die?” Do they finally understand? Are they really showing fear for the Lord? Is it a holy awe or a fear for their bodies?
Let us be grateful today that God has given us His Word in our language and that He speaks to us through it. Take time to listen for His voice and commit to spend regular time in His Word. Respect the people who teach the Word and let God speak to you through them as well.
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