171 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel, and get from them staffs, one for each fathers’ house, from all their chiefs according to their fathers’ houses, twelve staffs. Write each man’s name on his staff, 3 and write Aaron’s name on the staff of Levi. For there shall be one staff for the head of each fathers’ house. 4 Then you shall deposit them in the tent of meeting before the testimony, where I meet with you. 5 And the staff of the man whom I choose shall sprout. Thus I will make to cease from me the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against you.” 6 Moses spoke to the people of Israel. And all their chiefs gave him staffs, one for each chief, according to their fathers’ houses, twelve staffs. And the staff of Aaron was among their staffs. 7 And Moses deposited the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the testimony.
8 On the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony, and behold, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds. 9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from before the Lord to all the people of Israel. And they looked, and each man took his staff. 10 And the Lord said to Moses, “Put back the staff of Aaron before the testimony, to be kept as a sign for the rebels, that you may make an end of their grumblings against me, lest they die.” 11 Thus did Moses; as the Lord commanded him, so he did.
12 And the people of Israel said to Moses, “Behold, we perish, we are undone, we are all undone. 13 Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of the Lord, shall die. Are we all to perish?”
Section Overview
This passage details the sequel to Korah’s rebellion. The focus is on the “people of Israel” (vv. 2, 5, 6, 9, 12), sympathizers who “grumbled against Moses and against Aaron,” accusing them “You have killed the people of the Lord” (16:41; i.e., Korah and his followers). The Lord now declares to them he will put an end to the “grumblings of the people of Israel . . . against you [pl.]” (17:5). The challenges of the Israelite leaders to Moses’ and Aaron’s prerogatives have by now reached the grassroots of the people.
To show the legitimacy of the Aaronic priesthood—as descendant of the second son of Levi, Aaron is not the natural head but the divinely appointed one122—a test is made, with the staffs of the chiefs representing all the tribes of Israel. These staffs, each with the name of a tribe written on it, are placed before the testimony. The Lord will show his choice by the staff that sprouts. Aaron’s staff not only buds and blossoms; it bears almonds. The Israelites now fear that anyone who comes near the tabernacle will perish (vv. 12–13). Chapter 18 describes how the Lord will allay their fears by reiterating the duties of the priests and Levites, which are designed to keep the people safe.
Section Outline
Response
Dissension over ecclesiology has remained a part of the history of God’s people. The Reverend George Gillespie (1613–1648), a Scottish theologian, penned Aaron’s Rod Blossoming; or The Divine Ordinance of Church Government Vindicated (1646). A strong defender of Presbyterian polity, Gillespie, by distinguishing between ecclesial and civil government, made the case for the exclusive spiritual jurisdiction in the church at a time in which the Church of Scotland was resisting strong English influence. Gillespie was a member of the Westminster Assembly of Divines and assisted in the preparation of its Confession of Faith. Aaron’s rod is a reminder of distinctions that are, in principle, still valid. Although those in civil and ecclesiastical authority are servants of God, those serving in the kingdom “not of this world” (John 18:36) have qualifications of a higher standard (1 Tim. 3:1–13). Their spheres of authority and rule differ.Numbers 17