Phinehas

In 1st Corinthians chapter 10 God gave us these examples to warn us that we should not fall into the same sins of rebellion against those whom God has appointed to be our rulers. 

We read in 1 Corinthians 10:10-11. 

1 Corinthians 10:10
Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.

1 Corinthians 10:11
Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

We have seen that this refers to the Rebellion of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Moreover Korah has obtained the support of 250 princes of the congregation, meaning that actually the majority of the congregation was on their side. And we see this in the sixteenth chapter of Numbers. 

Here in the Prophecy of Numbers we find all the historical details of the wanderings of the children of Israel in the wilderness. But all these historical details have been written in such a way that we can find their spiritual meaning as it applies to our days. God was angry and God swallowed up in the earth Korah, Dathan and Abiram with all their household and all that were in their families, their wives, their children, and even their little ones. In addition a fire from God killed the 250 princes of the congregation that were joined to the rebellion. Then we read about the hardness of heart of the children of Israel.

The Double Rebellion (1 Corinthians 10:10-11, Numbers 16:1-3, Romans 9:16) 

The next day, after everyone saw the wrath of God on the rebels, the majority of the congregation again rebelled against Moses and Aaron, blaming them for the death of Korah, Dathan and Abiram and the 250 princes. Again God was angry and sent a plague of flesh eating bacteria among them and 14,700 people died within a few hours. Then God finished this entire debate about who was really appointed by God to represent Him as priest and prophet. 

You can see that the following chapter, Numbers 17, is intimately tied to chapter 16, and here God shows everyone in the world how God’s salvation plan operates. The principle is written for us in Romans 9:16, “It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.”

 What exactly was Korah’s rebellion?

Korah wanted to usurp a place of honor in the congregation, a place where people would accept his words as words coming from God, much like where Antichrist wants to be near the end of time, in the middle of the New Testament congregation. But God’s plan is not to go along “with him that willeth, nor of him that runneth,” like Korah; but God’s plan is to have mercy with those on whom He planned to show mercy. God has made His choices long before the foundation of the world. And so, this chapter deals with a sign from God who He has chosen; a sign who His favorites are. 

Take a Rod According to Each Tribe (Numbers 17:1-5)

In the kingdom of this world it is commendable if we seek to climb up the managerial ladder, but in the Kingdom of God, it is God who makes the appointments, and He chooses whom He wills. We do not lift up ourselves. God calls this: Rebellion. The children of Israel had to learn this the hard way. It was in this context, right after the double rebellion, that the LORD created a miracle to establish Aaron as His chosen one. We read in Numbers 17:1-5,

Numbers 17:1
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

Numbers 17:2
Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of every one of them a rod according to the house of their fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods: write thou every man’s name upon his rod.

Numbers 17:3
And thou shalt write Aaron’s name upon the rod of Levi: for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers.

Numbers 17:4
And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, where I will meet with you.

Numbers 17:5
And it shall come to pass, that the man’s rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you.

In other words, God commanded that each tribe of Israel be represented in the Tabernacle by a rod, which is a wooden stick. Moses wrote the name of the tribe on the rod that was submitted. Twelve tribes submitted their representative rods, and God commanded Moses to add a thirteenth rod for the tribe of Levi. 

How many rods were there in total?

There were thirteen rods, because there are thirteen tribes in Israel. Not one could be missing. But God commanded Moses to write the name of Aaron on the rod for the tribe of Levi, because the entire tribe of Levites was given to the house of Aaron as a gift from God to do the service of the Tabernacle. Therefore Aaron was their representative and their federal head. These thirteen rods were to be placed before the Ark of the Covenant, in the Holy of Holies. The Ark of the Covenant is here called “the testimony”, because inside the Ark was “the evidence of the revelation of God’s Will”. 

It contained the Ten Commandments written on two stone tables, and it contained a pot with manna. Both of these were evidences, or witnesses, or testimonies of God’s Will for Israel. Israel was to feed on the Word of God and they were to feed on the manna from heaven. Then God promised in verse 5 to make one of those rods to blossom. And that was the miracle by which:

God Shall Appoint His High Priest (Numbers 17:6-9, Deuteronomy 18:2, Deuteronomy 18:5, Psalm 110:1-2) 

Numbers 17:6
And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, and every one of their princes gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, according to their fathers’ houses, even twelve rods:

Numbers 17:7
And the rod of Aaron was among their rods. And Moses laid up the rods before the LORD in the tabernacle of witness. And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness;

Numbers 17:8
And, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.

Numbers 17:9
And Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD unto all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod.

And then they saw that Aaron’s Rod had changed. It was no longer a dead wooden stick, but it had become so much alive that it was bearing buds for new flowers, and it was bearing blossoms, and it was bearing almonds, indicating that it was already bearing fruit.

That was a stupendous miracle that God performed, but what was it for?

Why did God do that?

Was this only for the purpose of showing that in the history of the nation of Israel God appointed Aaron as high priest?

But then, what has this to do with the Gospel?

Well, first of all, God showed hereby that He had chosen Aaron to be the High Priest in Israel, and God had chosen the tribe of Levi as a symbol of His special people, His elect. The picture is that God has given all His elect to the high priest Aaron. But take notice that twelve of the thirteen tribes received real estate as their inheritance, a symbol of something earthly, like the earthly kingdom of God, but not the tribe of Levi. Actually the tribe of Levi received the greatest inheritance, because the LORD is their inheritance. We read in Deuteronomy 18:2 and 5 about this honor that was bestowed upon the tribe of Levi, and upon Aaron.

Deuteronomy 18:2
“Therefore shall they have no inheritance among their brethren: the LORD is their inheritance, as he hath said unto them.”

And then Deuteronomy 18:5, “For the LORD thy God hath chosen him (the priest) out of all thy tribes, to stand to minister in the name of the LORD, him and his sons for ever.”

And notice the words “for ever.” It means that this has everlasting consequences. But now, imagine the consternation of the other twelve tribes: The rod of Levi was transformed from dead to life, but their wooden sticks remained dead wood. It indicated that the tribe of Levi was alive unto God, but the other tribes were as good as dead wood. And Aaron was undeniably the high priest of Israel. All their murmurings against Moses and Aaron were actually rebellion against God. 

Now they saw it themselves. Is it not interesting that the word for “Rod” that is used in Numbers 17 is the Hebrew word “matteh”. Aaron’s rod is the word “matteh”.

Is it not amazing that God used this same word “matteh” in Psalm 110 where it refers to Christ?

Psalm 110:1-2
The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The LORD shall send the rod (matteh) of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.

This is unmistakably a Messianic Psalm, because the Lord Jesus quoted these words to the Pharisees. He says in verse 2 that God shall send Christ, the Rod of His strength, out of Zion, which is the place where God resides, and Christ shall rule in the midst of His enemies.

And how shall He rule there?

We already know that our God is an absolutely righteous God, and we already know that our God is a Sovereign God, which means that God does not wait taking the next step until He has seen our reaction. God rules as a Sovereign King.

But we also read in the Bible:

The Lord Killeth and Maketh Alive (1 Samuel 2:6-8, Genesis 15:1, Romans 9:15-16) 

This is how God rules. Is it not amazing that this verse is in the Bible?

We read in 1 Samuel 2:6-8,

1 Samuel 2:6
The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.

1 Samuel 2:7
The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.

1 Samuel 2:8
He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD’S, and he hath set the world upon them.

What is the common denominator in all these examples that God brings up here?

You see, all these examples show how God brings salvation. In each case a person is first made low, and then he is lifted up. First he is dead, and then he is made alive. Just like Aaron’s rod that was dead, and then it was made alive. 

When Adam and Eve sinned they came under the curse of God, spiritually they became dead; the LORD killeth. Afterward, God had mercy on them and He made them spiritually alive.

God brought Christ down to the grave, and then He raised him up.

For what purpose?

To bring justification to many.

Before we were saved we were spiritually poor, but then He saved us and made us spiritually rich. Before God saves us, God first makes us see what a terrible sinners we are; He bringeth low; and then He lifts us up. Before God saves us, God first makes us see that we are poor and made out of dust, and we are actually beggars pleading for salvation because this sin cursed earth is but a dunghill. But then He found us on the dunghill, and when He saves us He sets us among princes in heaven, and makes us inherit the throne of glory.

And then God says to us, like He said to Abraham in Genesis 15:1, “I Am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward”.

What greater glory could God bestow upon us?

We inherit God Himself. There is no greater glory that He could give us. You see, that is the significance of the miracle of Aaron’s Rod that budded. It signified the miracle of salvation. Something that was dead was made alive. We all were dead in trespasses and sins, and by nature children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, has made us alive together with Christ; therefore, by grace are ye saved. And then God gave Himself to us. In the tabernacle not all thirteen sticks of dead wood were made alive. God chose only whom He wanted to make alive.

God says in Romans 9:15-16,

Romans 9:15
For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

Romans 9:16
So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

God chooses whom He wants to save. God does the saving. It is all a gift by the grace of God.

But now, let me show you another aspect of Numbers 17. 

The Shadow; the Ark of the Covenant (Numbers 17:8-10, Hebrews 9:1-4)

Numbers 17:8
And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.

We have seen that God performed this miracle to show that He has chosen Aaron as the high priest and that He has chosen the tribe of Levi as His special people to minister unto Aaron. We have seen that God performed this miracle to show us what salvation is: God takes something that is dead and makes it alive. But there is more that is attached to this miracle done with Aaron’s Rod.

Numbers 17:10
“And the LORD said unto Moses, Bring Aaron’s rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not.”

In other words, God said to Moses: “Bring Aaron’s Rod back before the Ark of the Covenant, to be kept for a token against the rebels”.

To be kept where?

Is it in front of the Ark of the Covenant? 

But we don’t read anywhere in the history of the nation of Israel where Aaron’s Rod was kept. It is only when we turn to the New Testament that we see Aaron’s Rod again.

In Hebrews 8 God declared His terms for His covenant of grace: God takes the initiative. Salvation is entirely in God’s hands, and does not depend on our will, or our desire for salvation. Then in Hebrews 9 God speaks about the ceremonial law as an integral part of His covenant with the children of Israel. Within that ceremonial law was the command to build a tabernacle, or tent, wherein was a compartment that was called the Holy of Holies, and therein was the Ark of the Covenant. 

We read in Hebrews 9:1-4,

Hebrews 9:1
Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.

Hebrews 9:2
For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the showbread; which is called the sanctuary.

Hebrews 9:3
And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;

Hebrews 9:4
Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;

There you have it. The Ark of the Covenant contained the golden pot with manna, and Aaron’s Rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant, which refers to the Ten Commandments. If we did not have the New Testament we would never have known where Aaron’s Rod was kept. 

But why was Aaron’s Rod so special that it should be kept in the golden Ark of the Covenant?

It was because Aaron’s Rod, together with the two other items in the Ark of the Covenant, were types of Christ as savior, and Christ the giver of life. The Ark of the Covenant was kept behind the second veil in the Holy of Holies, where only the High Priest was allowed to come, once a year on the Day of Atonement, and he had to come with blood of a goat, which was a picture of the Sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross, and the High Priest had to sprinkle the blood on the lid of the Ark, which was called the Mercy-Seat.

The Word of God, and the Bread of Life (John 1:1-4, John 6:33-35) 

The tables of the covenant were two tables of stone that Moses brought down from Mount Sinai. On those tables were written the Ten Commandments, written by the finger of God. These Ten Commandments were not the whole Law of God, but these were a representation of the Law of God, and these were a representation of the Word of God. 

By itself, the Law of God could not save anyone, because the Law could not change the rottenness of the human soul. These two tables of stone were only a shadow of the real Word of God. And the Word of God could bring salvation, because the Word of God stands for the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ could bring salvation. 

We read in John 1:1-4, 

John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:2
The same was in the beginning with God.

John 1:3
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Jon 1:4
In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

Do you know who is in view here in this passage?

It is Christ as the Word of God.

Did you notice verse 4?

In Christ as the Word of God was life, and it is this life He could give to men so that they could see the light of the Gospel. Thus Christ as the Word of God is pictured here as a life giver.

The second item in the Ark is the golden pot with manna. The Jews knew the manna as “the bread from heaven”. But the Lord Jesus corrected that view. The manna was only a type of the real Bread from heaven. The Lord Jesus said in John 6:33-35, 

John 6:33
For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

John 6:34
Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.

John 6:35
And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

The Lord Jesus said that the manna was only a shadow of Christ. He really was the bread from heaven, and He was not just food for their physical life, but He was food for their spiritual life, because everyone who comes to Christ shall never hunger nor thirst. Christ did not mean to say that we as Christians would never be hungry or thirsty any more. He was speaking in spiritual terms. The Lord Jesus said that He is the true bread from heaven, and that He is the bread of Life. Christ is the bread that was pictured as the life giver. The pot with manna was only a shadow of that bread.

How do we partake of Christ as the bread of Life?

How do we eat Christ?

Many people believe that we eat this bread of life in the communion service when the bread and wine are passed around. But that is false. To partake of Christ, the bread of life, means to read the Bible and to believe with all our heart that the sufferings and death of Christ were a complete atonement for all our sins. Thus, to partake of Christ means to draw closer and closer to Christ, by reading His Word and beseeching Him in prayer.

The Rod that Budded (Hebrews 9:11-15, Numbers 17:11-13)

Let me come back to that Hebrew word for “Rod”. You remember that is the word “matteh”. That word matteh has been translated “rod” 52 times, but the same word has been translated “tribe” 182 times. Of course it was not the whole tribe of Levi that was locked up in the Ark of the Covenant. But Aaron’s Rod was representing the whole tribe of Levi. 

But how does this apply to us? 

Well, this Rod that Budded was representing a whole tribe that was dead, and was made alive. Aaron’s Rod that Budded was a picture of Christ as the life giver of the tribe of all His elect, because He as our High Priest was giving His blood behind the veil. When the high priest, once a year, on the Day of Atonement, went behind the veil with the blood of a goat and of a bullock, that was a spiritual picture of Christ as our High Priest going behind the veil, sprinkling His blood on the mercy seat.

Hebrews 9:11
But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;

Hebrews 9:12
Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Hebrews 9:13
For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:

Hebrews 9:14
How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Hebrews 9:15
And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

All the Old Testament ceremonial laws were just shadows of the more perfect sacrifice that the Lord Jesus Christ gave when He was crucified. On the Cross, Christ was the Lamb of God that was slain, but Christ was also the High Priest who killed that Lamb, and Christ was also the Tabernacle where the High Priest offered that Lamb. His body was a greater and more perfect tabernacle than the tabernacle that was made with hands. He offered not the blood of goats and calves, but He offered His own blood. He did not have to do this year after year, but only once. 

All this is symbolized in Aaron’s Rod that Budded, and that is why it was placed in the Ark of the Covenant. Something that was dead was made alive. And that Rod symbolized the tribe of all the saints throughout time. This is the tribe that budded, and brought forth flowers and fruit, because we all must be fruit bearing.

Now, take a good look at why God did all this in Numbers 17.

The Substance; the Kingdom of God (Numbers 17:10)

Look closely at the wording in Numbers 17:10.

There would be a change within the children of Israel.

Numbers 17:10
And the LORD said unto Moses, Bring Aaron’s rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not.

In other words (and now we use our New Testament information) God says: “Bring Aaron’s Rod again before the Ark, and later place it later in the Ark of the Covenant, to be preserved for a token against the rebels; and hereby you shall make an end of their murmurings, so that they die not”.

But what does this mean?

Why would the act of placing Aaron’s Rod that Budded into the Ark of the Covenant, have the double effect that they would stop murmuring and that they die not? 

Is this really what God means?

Check again.

God says in verse 5, “to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you.”

Definitely, God said it twice that this miracle and the act of placing Aaron’s Rod in the Ark will stop the murmurings of the children of Israel. But if we continue Israel’s history in Numbers 20, we read that the people again murmured for lack of water, and nobody died there. If God was not lying in Numbers 17, verses 5 and 10, then we conclude that we must not interpret verses 5 and 10 in a historical fashion. 

What then was God saying in verse 5 and 10?

What was Aaron’s Rod representing?

Aaron’s Rod that Budded was a picture of Christ as the life giver of the tribe of all the elect, because He as our High Priest was giving His blood behind the veil. Aaron’s Rod became a symbol of the Atonement. Christ became the giver of Life to those for whom He died on the cross of Calvary. 

For whom did Christ die? 

For rebels like you and me; for dirty rotten sinners like you and me.

Now look again at the words of verse 10, Aaron’s Rod was to be kept before the testimony of Christ, as the Word of God, and Christ, as the bread of life, for a token against the rebels that their murmurings might be taken away, that they die not. 

What was that token before Christ died?

It was Aaron’s Rod that Budded. 

What is that token after Christ died? 

It is the cross of Christ: It was an empty Cross, because Christ was risen from the dead, and all our sins have been taken away, so that we die not: We will not be condemned to Hell. Instead we will be drafted into the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Did the children of Israel understand all of this?

Perhaps not, but these words were written for our instruction:

Numbers 17:12
“And the children of Israel spake unto Moses, saying, Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish.”They realized that they all were dead in trespasses and sins.

The Honor of Making Atonement for Us (Numbers 17:5, Ephesians 1:4)

Were all of them condemned for their sins?

Or were they all saved from their sins?

Let us look again at the words of verse 5.

Numbers 17:5
“And it shall come to pass, that the man’s rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you.”

God says: “It shall come to pass that the man’s tribe whom I shall choose, shall blossom”, shall be made alive. God chooses whom He will make alive, and God chooses whose sins He will make to cease from Him, by casting their sins into the depths of the sea. That rod, or that tribe of Levi, was symbolic of all the elect who belong to Christ. 

We, the elect of God, were all at one time, by nature the children of wrath, even as others. We all were dead in trespasses and sins. We all started out as dead sticks. Therefore, it is impossible that God would reward anyone with the gift of salvation based on something that we did. We could not do anything right, because we were dead.

Is it then any wonder that God will choose whom He wishes to save?

It is no surprise to God who will become saved and who will remain in their sins. God decided that before the foundation of the world and His plan is the wisest plan there is, and He has so written it in the Bible.

God says in Ephesians 1:4,

Ephesians 1:4
“According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:”

Is it then any wonder that the Lord Jesus Christ died only for those whom God has chosen to save?

That is why God said to Moses: “and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel”.

But which Israel did God have in view?

The Lord Jesus Christ is called Israel in the Bible.

We only need to read it carefully.

Who then are the children of Israel?

We call ourselves Christians, meaning “of the family of Christ”, or “of the family of Israel”.

And how can we know that we indeed are the children of God?

This is how: “and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel”.

Do we still murmur against God?

Do we grumble and complain that we deserve a better life?

Do we feel sorry for ourselves?

Stop it!

It is all rebellion. God says that He will cause to cease from Him the murmurings of the children of Israel. God’s children are going to be content with their lot. God’s children are not complaining to God that God has given them the short end of the stick. But also, it means that God has removed the sins of His children far from Him. He has removed the sins of our past murmurings far away from Him, as far as the East is from the West.

Murmurings; Are They Still With Us? (1 Corinthians 10:11, Isaiah 58:13-14, Jeremiah 17:9) 

It certainly seems so.

Why else would God remind us of these sordid stories?

For example, God says in 1 Corinthians 10:11, “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.”

Therefore, we need to meditate on the following question:

Why does God take rebellion against His instructions so seriously?

Why did God take such drastic measures sometimes?

And why was God so lenient at other times?

Do we still have to worry about our sins?

Did not Christ pay for all our sins?

Did He?

How can we know the assurance of our salvation?

Remember the words of 1 Corinthians 10:11. God wrote these words for our admonition, for our learning, because we need this instruction.

Why is God warning us for falling into these sins?

And what has this to do with the words, “upon whom the ends of the world are come”? 

Are these sins particularly magnified when we approach the end of time?

Just think of what happened to so many marriages; they ended up in divorce. But God hates divorce. People divorce anyway, regardless what God says, for when we approach the end of time the Word of God becomes more and more scarce, and people are less and less interested in learning what the Word of God says.

Just think of why so many women are fond to occupy the office of elders and deacons in the church. God said that an elder or a deacon is to be the husband of one wife.

But people ignore what God says. They go their own way.

Just think of what happened to the gathering on the first day of the week. It used to be a joyous celebration. But people have taken the joy out of it and made it a law. And then it became an obligation, and there was no more joy in worship any more. Just think of how many people generate idols. When they do not consult the Word of God they generate idols, for all the things they imagine out of their own mind come out of an evil heart.

God says in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

And so, all concepts of God that do not find a solid basis in the Bible are actually idols, and people really fall down and worship these idols. It sounds unbelievable, but that is what most people do these days, because their Bibles are collecting dust on their bookshelves.

And what about their murmurings; are they still with us?

Those who have an unhappy marriage and seek for a divorce are murmuring.

Those women who occupy a church office such as elder or deacon are murmuring, for they do not find many men who are willing to take their place.

Those who are attending church reluctantly are murmuring, for they rather be on the beach.

Those who generate idols are murmuring, for their idols do not seem to do what their owners desire, And so on, and so on.

But let us now look into our own bosom. 

We like Christ to be our Savior. O Yes! 

Was that not nice of Jesus to go to the cross for us? 

But we do not like it when Jesus says: “He who does not take up his cross and follow Me, is not worthy of Me”. And yet, this is nothing compared to what Jesus has done for us. 

And will we then treat Him like the children of Israel treated Him? 

They had no love for the God who brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of slavery. 

God demonstrated by this great miracle of Aaron’s rod that God has a desire to dwell with man? 

Is this a one way love, or do we see in ourselves a passionate desire to be with God? 

Let us consider if we might have lost our first love, for that is an important sign. 

Let us now summarize what we have learned in this study: Aaron’s Rod that budded is synonymous with the Tribe of Christ that blossomed in the midst of a Congregation that was in rebellion against Christ. That is how we were. We were in Church, we were in the Congregation, but we were not saved. The Lord killeth and then He maketh alive. 

How do we know if we have been made alive? 

Are those murmurings still with us, or has Christ become our greatest desire in this life? 

How great is our love for Him? 

Now the BIG question: 

Are you one of God’s favorites? 

Only you know the answer to this question. 

Amen. 

By Alfred J. Chompff