Slices
Prepare
What do you do when you reach the end of your tether? Personally, I tend to rant and rave and collapse in a heap! How do you show it when you have really had enough?
Bible passage
The budding of Aaron’s staff
17 The 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.
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.’ 11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him.
12 The Israelites said to Moses, ‘We shall 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?’
Explore
We don’t know the timescale of these chapters – days, months, years – but we know the grumbling was constant (v 5). I imagine Moses had had enough: the people were too busy grumbling to listen. Yesterday we saw God respond to the grumbling with signs of judgement; today he offers a sign of election, not by democratic vote, but by divine appointment (v 5).
But why almonds (v 8)? Whether or not you like marzipan, it seems an odd detail but it’s a powerful image. Almond blossom is white, pure as snow; also, almonds were expensive and highly prized. When sending his sons to Pharaoh, Jacob counted them among the ‘best products of the land’ (Genesis 43:11). Then, in Hebrew, ‘almond tree’ sounds like ‘watching’ (Jeremiah 1:11,12).
The almond-budded staff was therefore a sign of the person God chose and their role: to be an example of purity and holiness, to be valued, to keep watch over God’s people. Sadly, it was a sign God’s people needed then, and in perpetuity (v 10).
Respond
The priestly mediator role, standing between us and God, is fulfilled by Jesus. But there is still a place for leadership and authority within the church. Ask God to show you how you can affirm and encourage those who lead you in your faith.
Deeper Bible study
Give thanks to the Lord for fruitfulness from dead sticks.
The Aaronic leadership has been vindicated by judgement on those who had sought to usurp it, but now it is to be vindicated by its fruitfulness. The picture of a dead staff coming to life and producing leaves and fruit is a powerful one.
The word for ‘staff’ (AV, ‘rod’) can also be translated ‘tribe’ and we can think of the way in which the tribe of Levi, noted for its anger and violence and cursed with a scattering in Israel,1 becomes a spiritual blessing to the nation. The metaphorical image has stirred imagination down the centuries: Aaron’s staff that budded has been applied to the virgin womb of Mary, the dead stump of Jesse, the wooden cross of Christ and, in comparison to the dead staffs of others, the good tree or vine that bears fruit. We have a God who brings life out of death.
Verse 10 records the Lord telling Moses to place Aaron’s staff before the Ark of the Covenant, but Hebrews 9:4 depicts it within the sacred box together with the jar of manna and the tablets of the covenant. It is a permanent reminder of God’s prerogative in choosing his ministers, with their role as mediators between him and his people. Hebrews presents Jesus as our true High Priest and the one Mediator between mankind and God, by bearing the sacrifice that is himself. Those who minister in the church today should not view themselves as Aaronic priests, but as ministers of the new covenant entrusted as stewards with the mysteries of God.2
The people are traumatised by all the events that have happened in the vindication of the leadership of Moses and Aaron. They cry out that they are all going to die. Now they realise the danger of approaching a holy God and grumbling.
May the Lord teach us to understand his holiness, the blessing of an eternal Mediator – and not to grumble!
1 Gen 49:5–7 2 1 Cor 4:1
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Exodus 29,30; Psalm 18
Pray for Scripture Union
Pray for continued inspiration and fresh creative ideas for Communications Assistant Chloe Shivraj as she works to effectively communicate the vision and mission of Scripture Union to a wide range of audiences in a variety of ways.
