A good friend sent me an email this morning with some great, fresh insight on the well-known story in the Scriptures of Aaron's Rod. In tennis fashion, I did some study of my own and lobbed my thoughts back over the cyber fence onto his side of the court. Here is the story:
Numbers 17:7-11: 7 And Moses placed the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness. 8 Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses went into the tabernacle of witness, and behold, the rod of Aaron, of the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds. 9 Then Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord to all the children of Israel; and they looked, and each man took his rod. 10 And the Lord said to Moses, “Bring Aaron’s rod back before the Testimony, to be kept as a sign against the rebels, that you may put their complaints away from Me, lest they die.” 11 Thus did Moses; just as the Lord had commanded him, so he did.
Now, I won't steal his thunder by sharing his insights, but here are my nuggets:
- Healthy leaders aren't afraid to be tested. They are totally comfortable with the idea that they "serve at the pleasure of the King." If He wants to bring in more or other leaders, they are happy to yield to His wisdom and will. Testing isn't personal, it's supernatural.
- God used miracles of destruction against Israel's enemies to confirm their deliverance; and now He uses a miracle of creation with Israel's leaders to confirm their guidance.
- Miracles are not only used for convincing unbelievers but also to address complaining believers. This is not God placating, but recapturing the attention of His people.
- When the miracle takes place, it is laced with significant elements:
- Only one rod came to life. The life wasn't in the box, it was in the will of the Father. This also means that He is okay with isolating a blessing, which is no show of favoritism or slight of love.
- Even in miracle mode, God loves to honor His natural processes. The rod showed evidence of going through all stages of growth: sprouting, budding, blossoming, and a mature harvest of fruit.
- Even when God reveals His leadership choices, we must remember that every leader, in addition to the mature fruit they carry, also has places where they are only sprouting - and all other stages in between.
- There is a humbling that takes place when we grumble about our position (or lack thereof) and then must take back our "un-budded" rod from the pile. This may be painful, but even not being chosen for a certain position in a certain season is an impartation of God's certain grace.
- Our complaints aren't a problem because they annoy God, but because they threaten the flow of Life through His people. His words are life and complaining deafens us to His life-giving instruction.
- The evidence of miracles used to confirm us is never meant to be a relic of superstition or an idol for our ego. It is merely a testimony to be used to protect life and advance the cause of Christ - the exciting and holy endeavor to which we have been humbly called.
Hope these are a blessing to you. God has a sprouting, budding, blossoming, fruit-yielding rod for each one of us. I pray you find out a little more about yours today!
Forever panning for gold,
Chris Liotta
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