Aaron's Rod That Budded

Minister:
Date: PM
Text: Numbers 17:1-13
Psalters: 232, 298, 368, 317
  1. The event.
    1. The people were murmuring (3,10).
      1. Their murmurings has the sense of obstinacy - they are stubbornly continuing in their complaints.
      2. Against God and against Moses and Aaron.
    2. God commanded that every prince of the tribes of Israel take his rod, put his name on it, and place them in the tabernacle before the ark of the testimony (in the Most Holy Place) as a test.
    3. The next day only Aaron’s rod budded, brought forth blossoms, and yielded almonds (8); the rest were unchanged.
  2. The significance was to bring to an end the murmurings of Israel.
    1. The issue: can man stand before God by himself or does he need a Mediator.
    2. The sign shows that natural man cannot stand before God, that they are not holy but dead as dead sticks.
      1. The dead rods portray natural, carnal man.
      2. That the rods remained dead rods portrays the falseness of their claim of holiness before God.
    3. There is a positive significance in this event.
      1. One rod budded and bore fruit; what was dead (just like all the other rods) became live and bore fruit.
      2. Aaron is a type of Christ, God’s gracious gift to make the way into the arms of the holy God.
  3. The effect of this sign.
    1. Sadly, there was a negative effect (12,13).
    2. The faithful in Israel saw the sign, believed, and rejoiced.