Numbers 17:1-13

The Old Testament Book of Numbers

In the Desert

Numbers

Marion Adams

Chapter 17

Aaron’s stick – Numbers 17:1-13

v1 The *LORD said to Moses, v2 ‘Speak to the *Israelites. Tell them to give you 12 sticks, one from the leader of each *tribe. Write each leader’s name on his stick. v3 Write Aaron’s name on the stick from Levi’s *tribe. There must be one stick for the leader of each *tribe. v4 Take the sticks to *God’s Tent and put them in front of the *Ark. That is the place where I meet you. v5 Then, I will choose one man to be my priest. Leaves will start to grow on his stick. After that happens, the people will not continue to complain about you.’

v6 So Moses spoke to the *Israelites. Their leaders each gave a stick to him, one for each *tribe. There were 12 sticks. Aaron’s stick was there with the other sticks. v7 Then Moses put all the sticks in *God’s Tent, in front of the *Ark.

v8 The next day, Moses went into *God’s Tent. He saw Aaron’s stick, which he had put there on behalf of Levi’s *tribe. Leaves were growing on it. And flowers were growing on it. Ripe almonds (a type of nut) were already growing on it, too! v9 Moses brought the 12 sticks out of *God’s Tent. He showed the sticks to the people. They saw what had happened. Each leader took his own stick.

v10 The *LORD said to Moses, ‘Put Aaron’s stick in front of the *Ark again. It will remind the people that they must not oppose me. It will warn them that they must not complain about me. If they continue to complain, they will die!’ v11 Moses obeyed the *LORD’s instructions.

v12 The *Israelites said to Moses, ‘We shall die! This is awful! This is awful for us all! v13 Anyone who even comes near to *God’s Tent will die. So we shall die!’

Verses 1-13 This is the third story to show that Aaron was God’s *High Priest. These sticks were not branches that people had just cut off a tree. They were the special sticks that the leaders carried. The sticks were dead. Leaves did not grow on them.

Each leader wrote his name on his stick. So there could not be a mistake about whose stick had started to grow leaves.

Moses put all the sticks close to the *Ark. He returned the next day to collect the sticks. Aaron’s stick had leaves, flowers and nuts on it! God had made a dead stick alive again. This proved that he had chosen Aaron to be his *High Priest. Nobody could doubt it. God told Moses to keep Aaron’s stick in front of the *Ark always.

The *tassels on the *Israelites’ clothes reminded them to obey God’s *Law (Numbers 15:37-41). The cover on the *altar reminded them that they must never oppose God (Numbers 16:36-40). Aaron’s stick reminded them that God had chosen Aaron and his family to be his only priests.

God did not want the people to die. And they would not die if they obeyed God’s *Law. But the people said that this would happen anyway. They had become very afraid. So they said this to show their despair because so many people had died.

LORD ~ a special name for God that his people use. In Hebrew, it is Yahweh. This name means something like ‘I am’ or ‘always alive’.

Lord ~ one who rules. God is the Lord who rules everyone.

Hebrew ~ the language of the *Jews.
Israel ~ the Israelites and their nation.
Ark ~ a wooden box that contained things that were special to the Israelites. God said that he would meet his people at the Ark. It was a *symbol that God was there in a special way.

Israel ~ the Israelites and their nation.

'High Priest ~ the most important priest.
Law ~ the rules that God gave to Moses for the *Jews.
altar ~ a special table where the priests burned animals or other gifts as a *sacrifice to God (or, to a false god).