NUMBERS 17 COMMENTARYEDITED BY GLENN PEASE

The Budding of Aaronrsquos Staff1 [a]The Lord said to Moses

GILL And the Lord spake unto Moses After the plague ceased for the further confirmation of the priesthood in Aarons family another method is directed to by the Lord

HENRY 1-5 Here we have I Orders given for the bringing in of a rod for every tribe (which was peculiarly significant for the word here used for a rod sometimes signifies a tribe as particularly Num_3413) that God by a miracle wrought on purpose might make it known on whom he had conferred the honour of the priesthood 1 It seems then the priesthood was a preferment worth seeking and striving for even by the princes of the tribes It is an honour to the greatest of men to be employed in the service of God Yet perhaps these contended for it rather for the sake of the profit and power that attended the office than for the sake of that in it which was divine and sacred 2 It seems likewise after all that had been done to settle this matter there were those who would be ready upon any occasion to contest it They would not acquiesce in the divine appointment but would make an interest in opposition to it They strive with God for the dominion and the question is whose will shall stand God will rule but Israel will not be ruled and this is the quarrel 3 It is an instance of the grace of God that having wrought divers miracles to punish sin he would work one more on purpose to prevent it God has effectually provided that the obstinate shall be left inexcusable and every mouth shall be stopped Israel were very prone to murmur both against God and against their governors ldquoNowrdquo said God ldquoI will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel Num_175 If any thing will convince them they shall be convinced and if this will not convince them nothing willrdquo This was to be to them as Christ said the sign of the prophet Jonas (that is his own resurrection) should be to the men of that generation the highest proof of his mission that should be given them The directions are (1) That twelve rods or staves should be brought in It is probable that they were not now fresh cut out of a tree for then the miracle would not have been so great but that they were the staves which the princes ordinarily used as ensigns of their authority (of

1

which we read Num_2118) old dry staves that had no sap in them and it is probable that they were all made of the almond-tree It should seem they were but twelve in all with Aarons for when Levi comes into the account Ephraim and Manasseh make but one under the name of Joseph (2) That the name of each prince should be written upon his rod that every man might know his own and to prevent contests Writing is often a good preservative against strife for what is written may be appealed to (3) That they should be laid up in the tabernacle for one night before the testimony that is before the ark which with its mercy seat was a symbol token or testimony of Gods presence with them (4) They were to expect being told it before that the rod of the tribe or prince whom God chose to the priesthood should bud and blossom Num_175 It was requisite that they should be told of it that it might appear not to be casual but according to the counsel and will of GodKampD 1-5 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713)

Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dyingThis may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

CALVIN Verse 11And the Lord spoke unto Moses Howsoever stubborn the Israelites might be yet their hardness of heart being now subdued and their pride broken down they

2

ought to have acknowledged the authority of the priesthood and to have perpetually held it in pious reverence But it is plain from the confirmation of it which is now added that they were not yet thoroughly overcome For God never appoints anything in vain the remedy therefore was necessary that He now applied to that disease of obstinacy which He perceived still to maintain its secret hold upon their hearts Herein we also behold His inestimable goodness when He not only had regard to the relief of their infirmity but even struggled with their depravity and perverseness in order to restore them to their senses In the same way also He now deals with us for he not only strengthens the weakness of our faith by many aids but He puts constraint upon our light and inconstant minds and retains us in the path of duty though we strive against Him He likewise anticipates our willfulness so as to keep us from growing presumptuous or rouses us up when we are disposed to be slothful In fact his our business so to apply to our use whatever helps to faith and piety He sets before us as to be assured that they are so many pieces of evidence to convict us of unbelief Although therefore the majesty of the priesthood had been already sufficiently and more than sufficiently established still God saw float in the extreme perversity of the people there would be no end to their murmurs and rebellions unless the final ratification were added and that too in a season of repose inasmuch as whilst the sedition was in progress they were not so disposed and ready to learn By this confirmation then He set aside whatever doubts could at any time arise when Aaronrsquos rod severed as it was from the tree was the only one of the twelve which blossomed For it was no natural circumstance that a branch which derived no sap from the root and which at that season of the year would have been dry upon the tree should produce flowers and fruit when it was east before the Ark of the Covenant whilst the others although altogether similar remained dry and dead COFFMAN And Jehovah spake unto Moses saying Speak unto the children of Israel and take of them rods one for each fathers house of all their princes according to their fathers houses twelve rods write thou every mans name upon his rod And thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathers houses And thou shalt lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony where I meet with you And it shall come to pass that the rod of the man whom I shall choose shall bud and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel which they murmur against you And Moses spake unto the children of Israel and all their princes gave him rods for each prince one according to their fathers houses even twelve rods and the rod of Aaron was among their rods And Moses laid up the rods before Jehovah in the tent of the testimonyRods mentioned extensively here to all intents and purposes were walking canes exactly the type of staff that men of all generations have carried It was the rod of Moses that became the Rod of God to lead Israel out of slavery and the test proposed here coming of God Himself was exactly the type of thing that could have decided forever the question of WHERE the priesthood of Israel was to be centered

3

We are not at all impressed by the so-called examples cited by the critics comparing this to such fables as that of Hercules whose club of wild olive wood was leaned up against the statue of the god Hermes promptly sprouted and has been growing ever since[1] or to that of Joseph of Arimatheas stick which was placed in the ground of Weary-All hill and became the remarkable thorn of Glastonbury[2] Plutarch has a similar yarn regarding the spear of Romulus the legendary founder of Rome[3] Such things only show that the impressive truth of this narrative in Numbers resulted in the invention of similar tales by the pagans and by some superstitious Christians of later agesAncient literature indeed all ancient civilizations placed a remarkable weight of significance upon the staff Homer for example gave an account of the oath sworn by Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon in these wordsBut hearken I swear a solemn oathBy this same sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodman lopped off its foliage greenAnd stripped its bark shall never grow again[4]Sceptres or staves or walking sticks were considered to be of the greatest importance Kings swore by them[5] and Judah was condemned by Tamar using his staff as invincible proof (Genesis 3818) Esther touched only the sceptre of King Ahasuerus but it saved her life (Esther 411) The Holy Messiah was identified by Zechariah as the one above all others who would have both a rod and a staff a thought also echoed in the Shepherd Psalm Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me (Psalms 234) The ancient authority and symbolism of the rod are still evident today in that impressive remnant of it called The Mace by which Parliament itself is opened in London and by the symbolical Sceptres belonging to the regalia of royalty in all ages Today one may see the Sceptre of the English monarch in the Tower of LondonThus it was no ordinary rod that each prince of Israel brought to Moses The symbolical authority and concurrence of all of them in the test was thus achieved

EBC A widespread rebellion an organised rebellion not homogeneous but with many elements in it tending to utter confusion is what we see Suppose it to have succeeded the unity of worship would have been destroyed completely Each tribe

4

with its own cultus would have gone its own way so far as religion was concerned In a very short time there would have been as many debased cults as there were wandering companies Then the claim of autonomy if not of right to lead the tribes made on behalf of Reuben involved a further danger Moses had not only the sagacity but the inspiration which ought to have commanded obedience The princes of Reuben had neither Whether all under the lead of Reuben or each tribe led by its own princes the Israelites would have travelled to disaster Futile attempts at conquest strife or alliance with neighbouring peoples internal dissension would have worn the tribes piecemeal away The dictatorship of Moses the Aaronic priesthood and the unity of worship stood or fell together One of the three removed the others would have given way But the revolutionary spirit springing out of ambition and a disaffection for which there was no excuse was blind to consequences And the stern suppression of this revolt at whatever cost was absolutely needful if there was to be any future for IsraelIt has been supposed that we have in this rebellion of Korah the first example of ecclesiastical dissension and that the punishment is a warning to all who presumptuously intrude into the priestly office Laymen take the censer and the fire of the Lord burns them up So let not laymen at any time in the Churchrsquos history venture to touch the sacred mysteries If ritual and sacramentarian miracle were the heart of religion if there could be no worship of God and no salvation for men now unless through a consecrated priesthood this might be said But the old covenant with its symbols and shadows has been superseded We have another censer now another tabernacle another way which has been consecrated for ever by the sacrifice of Christ a way into the holiest of all open to every believer Our unity does not depend on the priesthood of men but on the universal and eternal priesthood of Christ The co-operation of Aaron as priest was needful to Moses not that his power might be maintained for his own sake but that he might have authority over the host for Israelrsquos sake It was not the dignity of an order or of a man that was at stake but the very existence of religion and of the nation This bond snapped at any point the tribes would have been scattered and lostA leader of men standing above them for their temporal interests can rarely take upon him to be the instrument of administering the penalty of their sins What king for instance ever invoked an interdict on his own people or in his own right of judging for God condemned them to pay a tax to the Church because they had done what was morally wrong Rulers generally have regarded disobedience to themselves as the only crime it was worth their while to punish When Moses stood against the faithless spirit of the Israelites and issued orders by way of punishing that bad spirit he certainly put his authority to a tremendous test Without a sure ground of confidence in Divine support he would have been foolhardy in the extreme And we are not surprised that the coalition against him represented many causes of discontent Under his administration the long sojourn in the desert had been decreed and a whole generation deprived of what they held their right-a settlement in Canaan He appeared to be tyrannising over the tribes and proud Reubenites sought to put an end to his rule The priesthood was his creation and

5

seemed to be made exclusive simply that through Aaron he might have a firmer hold of the peoplersquos liberties Why was the old prerogative of the headmen in religious-matters taken from them They would reclaim their rights Neither Levi nor Reuben should be denied its priestly autonomy any longer In the whole rebellion there was one spirit but there were also divided counsels and Moses showed his wisdom by taking the revolt not as a single movement but part by partFirst he met the Levites with Korah at their head professing great zeal for the principle that all the congregation were holy every one of them A claim made on that ground could not be disproved by argument perhaps although the holiness of the congregation was evidently an ideal not a fact Jehovah Himself would have to decide Yet Moses remonstrated in a way that was fitted to move the Levites and perhaps did touch some of them They had been honoured by God in having a certain holy office assigned to them Were they to renounce it in joining a revolt which would make the very priesthood they desired common to all the tribes From Jehovah Himself the Levites had their commission It was against Jehovah they were fighting and how could they speed They spoke of Aaron and his dignity But what was Aaron Only a servant of God and of the people a man who personally assumed no great airs By this appeal some would seem to have been detached from the rebellion for in Numbers 269-11 when the judgment of Korah and his company is referred to it is added Notwithstanding the children of Korah died not From 1 Chronicles 61-81 we learn that in the line of Korahrsquos descendants appeared certain makers and leaders of sacred song Heman among them one of Davidrsquos singers to whom Psalms 881-18 is ascribedWith the Reubenites Moses deals in the next place taking their cause of discontent by itself Already one of the three Reubenite chiefs had withdrawn and Dathan and Abiram stood by themselves Refusing to obey the call of Moses to a conference they stated their grievance roughly by the mouth of a messenger and Moses could only with indignation express before God his blamelessness in regard to them I have not taken one ass from them neither have I hurt one of them Neither for his own enrichment nor in personal ambition had he acted Could they maintain did the people think that the present revolt was equally disinterested Under cover of opposition to tyranny are they not desiring to play the part of tyrants and aggrandise themselves at the expense of the peopleIt is singular that not a word is said in special condemnation of the two hundred and fifty because they were in possession of censers and incense May it be the case that the complete reservation of the high-priestly duties to the house of Aaron had not as yet taken effect that it was a purpose rather than a fact May it not further be the case that the rebellion partly took form and ripened because an order had been given withdrawing the use of censers from the headmen of the tribes If there had as yet been a certain temporary allowance of the tribal priesthood and ritual we should not have to ask how incense and censers were in the hands of the two hundred and fifty and why the brass of their vessels was held to be sacred and put to holy use

6

The prayer of Moses in which he interceded for the people Numbers 1622 is marked by an expression of singular breadth O God the God of the spirits of all flesh The men misled on the fleshly side by appetite (Numbers 1613) and shrinking from pain were against God But their spirits were in His hand Would He not move their spirits redeem and save them Would He not look on the hearts of all and distinguish the guilty from the innocent the more rebellious from the less One man had sinned but would God burst out on the whole congregation The form of the intercession is abrupt crude Even Moses with all his justice and all his pity could not be more just more compassionate than Jehovah The purpose of destruction was not as the leader thought it to beRegarding the judgments that of the earthquake and that of the fire we are too remote in time to form any proper conception of what they were how they were inflicted Moses says Lange appears as a man whose wonderful presentiment becomes a miraculous prophecy by the Spirit of revelation But this is not sufficient There was more than a presentiment Moses knew what was coming knew that where the rebels stood the earth would open the consuming fire burn The plague on the other hand which next day spread rapidly among the excited people and threatened to destroy them was not foreseen It came as if straight from the hand of Divine wrath But it afforded an opportunity for Aaron to prove his power with God and his courage Carrying the sacred fire into the midst of the infected people he became the means of their deliverance As he waved his censer and its fumes went up to heaven faith in Jehovah and in Aaron as the true priest of Jehovah was revived in the hearts of men Their spirits came again under the healing power of that symbolism which had lost its virtue in common use and was now associated in a grave crisis with an appeal to Him who smites and heals who kills and makes aliveIt has been maintained by some that the closing sentences of chapter 17 should follow chapter 16 with which they appear to be closely connected the incident of the budding of Aaronrsquos rod seeming to call rather for a festal celebration than a lament The theory of the Book of Numbers we have seen reason to adopt would account for the introduction of the fresh episode simply because it relates to the priesthood and tends to confirm the Aaronites in exclusive dignity The symbolic test of the claim raised by the tribes corresponds closely to the signs that were used by some of the prophets such as the girdle laid up by the river Euphrates and the basket of summer fruits The rod on which Aaronrsquos name was written was of almond a tree for which Syria was famous Like the sloe it sends forth blossoms before the leaves and the unique way in which this twig showed its living vigour as compared with the others was a token of the choice of Levi to serve and Aaron to minister in the holiest office before JehovahThe whole circumstances and the closing cry of the people leave the impression of a grave difficulty found in establishing the hierarchy and centralising the worship It was a necessity-shall we call it a sad necessity-that the men of the tribes should be

7

deprived of direct access to the sanctuary and the oracle Earthly disobedient and far from trustful in God they could not be allowed even the hereditary chiefs among them to offer sacrifices The ideas of the Divine holiness embodied in the Mosaic law were so far in advance of the common thought of Israel that the old order had to be superseded by one fitted to promote the spiritual education of the people and prepare them for a time when there shall be on the bells of the horses HOLY UNTO THE LORD and every pot in Judah shall be holy unto the Lord of hosts and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them and seethe therein The institution of the Aaronic priesthood was a step of progress indispensable to the security of religion and the brotherhood of the tribes in that high sense for which they were made a nation But it was at the same time a confession that Israel was not spiritual was not the holy congregation Korah declared it to be The greater was the pity that afterwards in the day of Israelrsquos opportunity when Christ came to lead the wholepeople into the spiritual liberty and grace for which prophets had longed the priestly system was held tenaciously as the pride of the nation When the law of ritual and sacrifice and priestly mediation should have been left behind as no longer necessary because the Messiah had come the way of higher life was opened in vain Sacerdotalism held its place with full consent of those who guided affairs Israel as a nation was blinded and its day shone in vainOf all priesthoods as corporate bodies however estimable zealous and spiritually-minded individual members of them may be must it not be said that their existence is a sad necessity They may be educative A sacerdotal system now may like that of the Mosaic law be a tutor to bring men to Christ Realising that those who hold office under it may bring help to men not yet fit for liberty But priestly dominance is no perpetual rule in any church certainly not in the Kingdom of God The freedom with which Christ makes men free is the goal The highest duty a priest can fulfil is to prepare men for that liberty and as soon as he can he should discharge them for the enjoyment of it To find in episodes like those of Korahrsquos revolt and its suppression a rule applicable to modern religious affairs is too great an anachronism For whatever right sacerdotalism now has is purely of the Churchrsquos tolerance in the measure not of Divine right but of the need of uninstructed men To the spiritual to those who know the priestly system with its symbols and authoritative claim is but an interference with privilege and dutyCan any Aaron now make an atonement for a mass of people or even in virtue of his office apply to them the atonement made by Christ How does his absolution help a soul that knows Christ the Redeemer as every Christian soul ought to know Him The great fault of priesthoods always is that having once gained power they endeavour to retain it and extend it making greater claims the longer they exist Affirming that they speak for the Church they endeavour to control the voice of the Church Affirming that they speak for Christ they deny or minimise His great gift of liberty Freedom of thought and reason was to Cardinal Newman for example the cause of all deplorable heresies and infidelities of a divided Church and a ruined world The candid priest of our day is found making his claim as largely as ever and then virtually explaining it away Should not the vain attempt to hold by

8

Judaic institutions cease And although the Church of Christ early made the mistake of harking back to Mosaism should not confession now be made that priesthood of the exclusive kind is out of date that every believer may perform the highest functions of the consecrated lifeThe Divine choice of Aaron his confirmation in high religious office by the budding of the almond twig as well as by the acceptance of his intercession have their parallels now The realities of one age become symbols for anotherLike the whole ritual of Israel these particular incidents may be turned to Christian use by way of illustration But not with regard to the prerogative of any arch-hierarch The availing intercession is that of Christ the sole headship over the tribes of men is that which He has gained by Divine courage love and sacrifice Among those who believe there is equal dependence on the work of Christ When we come to intercession which they make for each other it is of value in consideration not of office but of faith The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much It is as righteous men humble men not as priests they prevail The sacraments are efficacious not from any virtue in them or in him that administers them but through faith by the energy of the omnipresent SpiritYet there are men chosen to special duty whose almond twigs bud and blossom and become their sceptres Appointment and ordination are our expedients grace is given by God in a higher line of calling and endowment While there are blessings pronounced that fall upon the ear or gratify the sensibility theirs reach the soul For them the world has need to thank God They keep religion alive and make it bourgeon and yield the new fruits for which the generations hunger They are new branches of the Living Vine Of them it has often to be said as of the Lord Himself The stone which the builders rejected the same has become head of the corner this is the Lordrsquos doing and it is marvellous in our eyes

PETT ntroductionChapter 17 The Rod That Budded In Numbers 16 the question has been dealt with as to who could act as a mediator between Israel and God in the offering of incense Now the further question is dealt with as to who may enter the Holy Placeb) Who Has The Right To Enter The Sanctuary - Issues of Life and Death Evidenced By The Rod That Budded (chapter 17)Here those with the right to enter the Sanctuary are determined once and for all as the sons of Aaron We are given no background to the incident although it may well have followed not long after the preceding event and is clearly connected with it

9

This is the third in the trio of incidents which confirm the Aaronic priesthood the first two of which overlap Each of them covers two days (Numbers 161-50 Numbers 171-13) and each of them ends with the thought of the people being consumed (Numbers 1621 Numbers 1645-48 Numbers 1713)a Yahweh commands each tribe to lay a rod before Him in the Tent of Testimony one for each head of their fatherrsquos house (Numbers 171-3)b The rods to be laid up in the Tent of meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)c The rod of the chosen one will bud and put an end to murmuring (Numbers 175)d All the chieftains give rods including Aaron (Numbers 176)d The rods are placed in the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)c Aaronrsquos Rod buds and flowers in the Tent of Testimony and the budded and unbudded rods are revealed to all the people who look on them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)b Aaronrsquos rod is laid up lsquobefore the Testimonyrsquo to put an end to their murmuring (Numbers 1710)a The people recognise that none but Aaronrsquos house may enter the Tabernacle for they alone can enter the Sanctuary and live and the rod which is evidence for the fact is laid up before the Testimony (Numbers 1712-13)Verses 1-3Yahweh Commands Each Tribe to Lay a Rod Before Him in the Tent of Testimony One For Each Head of Their Fatherrsquos House (Numbers 171-3)Numbers 171lsquoAnd Yahweh spoke to Moses sayingrsquoAgain it is emphasised here that we have the words of Yahweh as spoken to Moses

BI 1-13 Write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of LeviAaronrsquos rodI Instructive to the Israelites

1 An end hereby put to murmuring By an incontrovertible sign they 10

knew who was the true priest2 A preventative furnished against future rebellion Miracles apt to be forgotten of this the evidence was to be preserved Kept for a token

II Suggestive to Christians Every man has some rod on which he leans The Christianrsquos is faith Like Aaronrsquos rod faith flourishesmdash1 Most in the sanctuary There are strengthening influences and a Divine power It will become a barren stock elsewhere2 Under circumstances in which other rods cannot live The almond flourishes even before the winter is fully past Faith budding in adversity3 Produces fruit and flowers on the bare stock of adversity4 Bears fruit speedily when God causes His blessing to rest upon it ldquoBelieve and be savedrdquo5 Stirs the Christian up to vigilance Almond-tree a symbol of watchfulness

III Typical of Christ1 For it is perpetual Aaronrsquos rod laid up as a lasting remembrance2 It bore fruit on a barren stock Jesus a root out of a dry ground3 It was distinguished among the sceptres of the princes Christrsquos kingdom and sceptre rule over all He is a plant of renown4 It was the object of special favour So in Jesus He ldquowas well pleasedrdquo He was ldquoelect and preciousrdquo

IV Symbolical of a true teacher1 His home the house of God2 Presents himself constantly before the testimony3 In himself dry and barren4 Relies upon God for fruitfulness5 Produces by Divine help not flowers only but fruit also6 As a dry and lifeless stock he receives quickening power from God so with his flowers and fruit he presents himself before God and offers all his works to Him

Learnmdash1 The wisdom of God in choice of methods2 To seek a strong and living and practical faith3 To rejoice in and rely upon the perpetual high priesthood of Christ4 To endeavour like the almond-tree to bring forth fruit early (J C Gray)

11

Aaronrsquos rod that buddedThis is our subject the miraculous conversion of Aaronrsquos rod into a living blossoming and fruit-bearing plant It must have been a most convincing prodigy for the purpose it was designed to answer for the people no sooner saw it than they cried out in remorse for their wavering allegiance ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perishrdquo But beyond the age wherein the marvel occurred this putting vegetable life into that dry staff has frequently been borrowed and used for other objects Thus Achilles in classic poetry when enraged against Agamemnon is made by Homer to refer to this miraclemdash

ldquoBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts stock on the high mountains at what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopt off its foliage greenAnd stript its bark shall never grow again -By this I swearrdquo

And amongst Latin literature you will some of you remember that a certain king confirms a covenant with AEneas by a similar oathI We begin by reminding you that among the greatest of our blessings in this world is our strict obligation to do the Divine will and to keep the Divine law It is far more worth our while to sing of Godrsquos statutes than it is to sing of Godrsquos promises Where should we be in a country without human authority and a human authority founded on a reverence for the Divine Very truly does Bushnell say that ldquowithout law man does not live he only grazesrdquo If he had no government he would never discern any reason for existence and would soon not care to exist How different is the world of Voltaire from the world of Milton I The one finds nothing but this clay world and its material beauties flashes into a shallow brilliancy of speech and weaving a song of surfaces empties himself into a book of all that he has felt or seen But the other at the back of all and through all visible things beholds a spirit and a Divinity Now is there not a very beautiful picture of the comeliness and the beneficence of law in the old miracle that was wrought upon the rod of Aaron That staff as we have put it to you was selected as the sign of authority This was a declaration first that no law was perfect that did not display life and beauty and fertility and a declaration secondly that by Godrsquos choice that perfect law dwelt in the high priest But apart from the imagery as a message to the children of Israel I cling to that blooming staff as the very best type I can find anywhere of what Godrsquos rule is amongst us and in His Church I find myself taught by this early prodigy on Aaronrsquos staff that Godrsquos dominion is the dominion of the almond-branch It is a rod alas for us if there were no rod But it is a rod displaying all the three several pledges and gradations of life and thusmdashoh beautiful coincidence if it be nothing moremdashGod turns His law towards the

12

children of men into what the forbidden tree so falsely appeared to the first transgressormdashldquopleasant to the eye and good for foodrdquo Of course I know that the staff or the sceptre is the symbol of authority because a staff is that with which one person smites another The ultimate significance of a rod is a blow But is it nothing to be taught by Godrsquos picture-alphabet of the Old Testament that He smites only with buds and with flowers and with fruit This seems to change even to any childrsquos apprehension the whole character of the sovereignty under which we bow in the modern camp of the Church You tremble as you read the chapter of hard duties Turn the leaf and you will come upon the chapter of precious promises There is not a verse in the Bible that is not in flower with some comfort aye though it be a verse that smites you with a difficult commandment You are never to tell a man to do a single thing in religion without telling him that God will help him to do it You are never to command a sacrifice from me for Christrsquos sake without comforting me with the assurance that ldquoGod is able to give me much more than thisrdquo If you have a strong rough hard stick of responsibility you must show it to me bursting out all over with the rich petals and the hanging clusters of the sovereignty of Divine grace Aye for I want you to mark well that here was a miracle within a miracle The natural almond-branch never has upon it at one time buds blossoms and fruit But I seem to be taught by this accumulation of successive life all at once on one stem that there is no element of mercy wanting in the code by which I am to be managed But remember that if we deserve nothing but the rod and yet if God never uses the rod save with the buds the blossoms and the fruit ldquoHe may well record it against us if either we despise the chastening of the Lord or faint when we are rebuked of HimrdquoII But now the real and only proper commentary on the facts of the Pentateuch will be found in the doctrines of the Epistle to the Hebrews Do you believe that all those lives would have been lost and all that commotion would have been made about the prerogative of Aaronrsquos priesthood but for that other Priest on whom the whole world was to relymdashthe Priest for evermdashldquomade not after the law of a carnal commandment but after the power of an endless liferdquo It is not by one Scripture it is by scores that I find myself pointed through that staff to the real government of this world in the rod out of the stem of Jesse ldquoHe shall grow up before Him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground without form or comelinessrdquo And yet all the while He was the ldquorod out of the stem of Jesserdquo And when I read in the Book of Numbers how the Hebrews rose up against Aaron and put him to shame I can only take it for a foreshadowing of another rebellion when they insulted another Sceptre who was ldquodespised and rejected of menrdquo We preach to you Christ a stumbling-block to the Jews And scarcely can you wonder that so long as the rod was only the root out of a dry ground the Son of the carpenter and the Friend of sinners there was ldquo no beauty in Him that they should desire Himrdquo But that is not the staff with which this day God governs His Church No no He hath declared that lowly peasant preacher to be ldquothe Son of God with power in that He hath raised Him from the deadrdquo Ah that night in which they concealed Aaronrsquos rod in the tabernacle of witness it was never less living never less blossoming than then But it was not left in darkness neither did it see corruption And on

13

the appointed morning men found it marked by the choice of the Omnipotent with the buds the blossoms and the fruit In like manner the coldest darkest least living period in Immanuelrsquos career was when they hid Him among all the other millions of the dead in the tomb cut out of the rock in the garden of Joseph ldquoBut now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first-fruits of them that sleptrdquo He was raised up ldquoa plant of renownrdquo And from that glorious Easter morning the ldquorod out of the stem of Jesserdquo has been ldquothe tree whose leaves are for the healing of the nationsrdquo and ldquofilling the face of the world with fruitrdquo Men can be governed by a Mediator and yet not perish ldquoThe soul that sinneth it shall dierdquo That is a rod but ldquoif any man sin we have an Advocate with the Fatherrdquo that is ldquoAaronrsquos rod that buddedrdquomdashthe rod of the Priest Reuben Gad and all the rest have rods Christianity is not alone in the sternness of its government or the severity of its sanctions But it is alone in telling me how I can receive remission of sins that are past and how I can obtain the strongest of motives for a life of obedience in the time to come (H Christopherson)

Aaronrsquos rod blossoming and bearing fruitI As the priesthood of Aaron was a type of the priesthood of Christ there is here a suggestion of facts which must have their counterpart in Christrsquos life and history

1 The atonement and death of our Lord Jesus were matters of Divine appointment The whole work of our salvation originated with God2 But more than thismdashwhich is the essential truth here enshrinedmdashwe see here that God often manifests Himself in unexpected forms of beauty and of grace The dry rod blossomed and bare fruit The powers of Divine salvation were enshrined in the person of the Carpenter of Nazareth There was life for a dead world in the Cross and in the grave of the dead Christ

II There are suggestions here concerning Christian life1 Christian life begins with God2 The Christian life manifests itself in unfavourable conditions It is in human souls a power of active benevolence or it is nothing at all It takes hold of human misery with a healing hand and it changes it into blessing Where sin abounded there grace does much more abound3 There is beauty associated with the developments of Christian life and character There is nothing half so winning as Christian grace

III Suggestions in relation to the gospel ministry1 There is a Divine designation of men to the highest service of the Church2 But what is the qualification of men thus sent Evidently the possession of Divine life the gift which is to be imparted to those needing it To be a Christian teacher a man must be a Christian and must

14

know the things of Christ3 How then are we to judge a manrsquos Divine call and authority Only and solely by the blossoms and fruitmdashby the spiritual results of his ministry

IV Last of all there are here suggestions concerning Christian humiliation1 The world has not known its best benefactors It has always had a scornful word for the saintly and the true-hearted It has always risen up in rebellion against the anointed of the Lord2 Here is a word of encouragement to all weak and mistrustful and diffident and self-emptied souls ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says the old labourer in the Masterrsquos vineyard and the holy matron whose life has been careful and troubled about many things but who has ever been anxious to honour and serve her dear Lord in lowliest ways and household duties ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says the saint waiting dismission to rest who has not done what he would or been as useful as he desired and hoped and prayed to be ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says one whose strength has been weakened by the way and whose unfinished purposes lie sadly enough at his feet fallen out of hands which could not longer hold them or fashion them into completeness ldquoWe are but dry rodsrdquo say many earnest anxious longing souls who hardly dare to trust for the future because so often when they would do good evil is present with them We are not saved by trust in our own righteousness or by satisfaction with our own goodness and deeds But Godrsquos grace is all-sufficient and He can work miracles of beauty and fruitfulness where human might is feeblest and self mistrust is greatest and humility of spirit is deepest (W H Davison D D)

The Divine plan for vindicating the high priesthood of Aaron and its moral teachingI That true ministers of religion are elected by GodII It is of great importance that men should know that their ministers of religion are called by God

1 In order that they may regard them with becoming respect2 In order that they may take heed to their message

III The vitality of sin is of dreadful tenacity ldquoMany menrsquos lipsrdquo says Trapp ldquolike rusty hinges for want of the oil of grace and gladness move not without murmuring and complainingrdquo It is a thing of extreme difficulty to eradicate any evil disposition from the human heart ldquoFor such is the habitual hardness of menrsquos hearts as neither ministry nor misery nor miracle nor mercy can possibly mollify Nothing can do it but an extraordinary touch from the hand of HeavenrdquoIV God is engaged in eradicating sin from human hearts (W Jones)

15

Aaronrsquos rod an illustration of the true Christian ministryI The characteristics of the true Christian ministry

1 Life2 Beauty3 Fruitfulness

II The origin of the true Christian ministry Godrsquos creation and gift to the ChurchIII The influence of the true Christian ministry Abiding (W Jones)

The budded rod a type of ChristThe rod in many graphic tints shows Jesus The very name is caught by raptured prophets (Isa_111 Zec_612-13) Thus faith gleans lessons from the very titlemdashRod But the grand purport of the type is to reject all rivals It sets Aaron alone upon the priestly seat The parallel proclaims that similarly Jesus is our only Priest God calls anoints appoints accepts and ever hears Him but Him alone In His hands only do these functions live Next the constant luxuriance has a clear voice In naturersquos field buds blossoms fruit soon wither Not so this rod Its verdure was for ever green its fruit was ever ripe Beside the ark it was reserved in never-fading beauty Here is the ever-blooming Priesthood of our Lord (Psa_1104 Heb_724) Mark moreover that types of Jesus often comprehend the Church It is so with these rods The twelve at first seem all alike They are all sapless twigs But suddenly one puts forth loveliness while the others still remain worthless and withered Here is a picture of Godrsquos dealings with a sin-slain race Since Adamrsquos fall all are born lifeless branches of a withered stock When any child of man arises from the death of sin and blooms in grace God has arisen with Divine almightiness Believer the budded rod gives another warning It is a picture of luxuriance Turn from it and look inward Is your soul thus richly fertile Instead of fruit you often yield the thorn (Joh_158) Whence is the fault (Joh_154) Perhaps your neglectful soul departs from Christ Meditate in Godrsquos law day and night (Psa_13) But if the budded rod rebukes the scanty fruit in the new-born soul what is its voice to unregenerate worldlings (Heb_68) (Dean Law)

The rod of AaronBuds are evidence of life A nominal Christian is like a dead trunk and he cannot bud unless the sap of Divine grace courses through him Spiritual life is an attribute of the converted Christian The spiritual life of a being is his presiding sentiment or dispositionmdashthe chief inspiration of his soulmdashthat which gives motion and character to his mental and moral beingI Life is a resistless force The smallest blade of grass that raises its tiny head into light or the feeblest insect that sports in the sunbeam displays a

16

force superior to that which governs the ocean or controls the stars Man stands erect the tree rises and the bird soars because of lifeII Life is an appropriating force Vegetable and animal existences have a power of appropriating to themselves all surrounding elements conducive to their well-being just as the life of the plant converts the various gases around it into nutriment to promote its strength and development Wherever there is true religion there is a power to render all external circumstances subservient to its own strength and growth all things work together for its goodIII Life is a propagating force It has ldquothe seed in itselfrdquo Forests start from acorns and boundless harvests from the solitary grain It is said that the grateful Israelites anxious to carry away a bud a blossom or almond as a memento of the occasion the flowers and fruit on the rod were repeatedly and miraculously renewed for that purpose Be that as it may wherever there is religious life it will spread it scatters broadcast the incorruptible seed which liveth and abideth for everIV Life is a beautifying force There are two kinds of beautymdashthe sensational and the moral Nature in her ten thousand forms of loveliness and art in her exquisite expressions of taste are ministries to the former whilst spiritual truth moral goodness and the holiness of God address the latter The one is the poetry of the eye and ear the other of the soul The beauty that appeals to the religious nature of man is the beauty of holinessmdashthe beauty of the Lordmdashthe glory of God in His goodnessV Life is a fructifying force The true Christian not only lives and unfolds a noble disposition but is really useful St Paul speaks of ldquothe fruit of the Spiritrdquomdashrighteousness goodness truth The first as opposed to all injustice and dishonesty the second as opposed to the ten thousand forms of selfishness the third as opposed to all that is erroneous and false in the doctrines and theories of men (G L Saywell)

Aaronrsquos rodHere are three miracles in onemdash

1 That a dry rodmdashmade of the almond treemdashshould bring forth buds in a moment2 That those buds should presently become blossoms anal flowers3 That these should immediately become ripe fruit and that all at once or at least in a little space

Nature makes no such leaps All this was supernatural to these ends1 For a testimony of Godrsquos calling Aaron to the priesthood2 For a type of Christ the Branch (Isa_111)3 For a figure of the fruitfulness of a gospel ministry4 For a lively representation of a glorious resurrection (C Ness)

17

Lessons from the budding rodA wonderful work of God which sundry ways may profit us

1 As first to consider that if the power of God can do this in a dry stick cannot He make the barren woman to bare and be a joyful mother of children Can He not do whatsoever He will do By this power the sea is dried the rock gives water the earth cleaveth under the feet of men fire descends whose nature is to ascend raiseth the dead and calleth things that are not as if they were In a word He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think ampc2 This rod is a notable type of Christ His person and office Of His person in that He was born of the Virgin Mary who though He descended of the royal blood yet was now poor and mean as that royal race was brought exceeding low nothing remaining but as it were a root only Now the said Virgin flourisheth again as Aaronrsquos rod did and beareth such fruit as never woman bear Of this speaks Isaiah the prophet when he saith ldquoThere shall come a rod forth of the stock of Jesse and a graft shall grow out of his rootsrdquo Of His office both priestly and kingly His priestly office is figured in that being offered upon the cross He was as Aaronrsquos dried rod or as the Psalm saith ldquodried up like a potsherdrdquo But when He rose again He became like Aaronrsquos budding and fruit-bearing rod bringing forth to man believing on Him remission of sins righteousness and eternal life His kingly office in that He governeth His Church with a rod or sceptre of righteousness as it is in the Psalm ldquoThe sceptre of Thy kingdom is a right sceptrerdquo Which rod and sceptre is the preaching of the gospel ampc3 Again it was a resemblance of true ministers and of all faithful men and women for none of all these ought to be dry and withered sticks but bear and bring forth buds and fruit according to their places4 It is a shadow also of our resurrection by which we should grow green again and flourish with a new and an eternal glory having like dead seed lain in the ground and we shall bring forth ripe almonds that is the praise of Godrsquos incomprehensible goodness to us for ever and ever5 It resembleth our reformation and amendment of life for when our heart feeleth what is amiss this is as the bud when it resolveth of a change and a future amendment this is the blossom and when it performeth the same by a new reformed life indeed this is as the ripe almonds of Aaronrsquos rod(Bp Babington)

The priesthood divinely selectedWhat matchless wisdom shines in this arrangement How completely is the matter taken out of manrsquos hands and placed where alone it ought to be namely in the hands of the living God It was not to be a man appointing

18

himself or a man appointing his fellow but God appointing the man of His own selection In a word the question was to be definitively settled by God Himself so that all murmurings might be silenced for ever and no one be able again to charge Godrsquos high priest with taking too much upon him The human will had nothing whatever to do with this solemn matter The twelve rods all in a like condition were laid up before the Lord man retired and left God to act There was no room no opportunity because there was no occasion for human management In the profound retirement of the sanctuary far away from all manrsquos thinkings was the grand question of priesthood settled by Divine decision and being thus settled it could never again be raised (C H Mackintosh)

Aaronrsquos fruitful rodStriking and beautiful figure of Him who was ldquodeclared to be the Son of God with power by resurrection from the deadrdquo The twelve rods were all alike lifeless but God the living God entered the scene and by that power peculiar to Himself infused life into Aaronrsquos rod and brought it forth to view bearing upon it the fragrant fruits of resurrection Who could gainsay this The rationalist may sneer at it and raise a thousand questions Faith gazes on that fruit-bearing rod and sees in it a lovely figure of the new creation in the which all things are of God Infidelity may argue on the ground of the apparent impossibility of a dry stick budding blossoming and bearing fruit in the course of one night But to whelm does it appear impossible To the infidel the rationalist the sceptic And why Because he always shuts out God Let us remember this Infidelity invariably shuts out God God can do as He pleases The One who called worlds into existence could make a rod to bud blossom and bear fruit in a moment Bring God in and all is simple and plain as possible Leave God out and all is plunged in hopeless confusion (C H Mackintosh)

The rods contrastedPonder the difference between the rod of Moses and the rod of Aaron We have seen the former doing its characteristic work in other days and amid other scenes We have seen the land of Egypt trembling beneath the heavy strokes of that rod Plague after plague fell upon that devoted scene in answer to that outstretched rod We have seen the waters of the sea divided in answer to that rod In short the rod of Moses was a rod of power a rod of authority But it could not avail to hush the murmurings of the children of Israel nor yet to bring the people through the desert Grace alone could do that and we have the expression of pure gracemdashfree sovereign gracemdashin the budding of Aaronrsquos rod Nothing can be more forcible nothing more lovely That dry dead stick was the apt figure of Israelrsquos condition and indeed of the condition of every one of us by nature There was no sap no life no power One might well say ldquoWhat good can ever come of itrdquo None whatever had not grace come in and displayed its quickening power So was it with Israel in the wilderness and so is it with us now How were they to

19

be led along from day to day How were they to be sustained in all their weakness and need How were they to be borne with in all their sin and folly The answer is found in Aaronrsquos budding rod If the dry dead stick was the expression of naturersquos barren and worthless condition the buds blossoms and fruit set forth that living and life-giving grace and power of God on which was based the priestly ministry that alone could bear the congregation through the wilderness Grace alone could answer the ten thousand necessities of the militant host Power could not suffice Authority could not avail Priesthood alone could supply what was needed and this priesthood was instituted on the foundation of that efficacious grace which could bring fruit out of a dry rod Thus it was as to priesthood of old and thus it is as to ministry now All ministry in the Church of God is the fruit of Divine gracemdashthe gift of Christ the Churchrsquos Head (C H Mackintosh)

2 ldquoSpeak 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

BARNES Compare Eze_3716 ff

CLARKE And take of every one of them a rod - matteh the staff or מטהscepter which the prince or chief of each tribe bore and which was the sign of office or royalty among almost all the people of the earth

GILL Speak unto the children of Israel The principal men among them of the several tribes and take of everyone of them not of every individual of the people of Israel but of their princes as afterwards explained a rod according to the house of their fathers or father of whom their house or tribe was called as Reuben Simeon ampc this rod was either a

20

common walking staff as some think or rather the ensign of their princely office and dignity peculiar to each tribe though some think it was now freshly cut off from an almond tree and that all the rods were of one and the same tree but supposing they were all of the almond kind as Josephus (d) thinks yet being dry rods and of long use served to make the miracle appear the greater of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods this explains who they were to be taken of the princes of the several tribes whose names are given Num_15 and the number of them twelve according to the number of the twelve tribes write thou every mans name upon his rod the name of each prince or head of a tribe either by cutting it into the rod or fastening a writing to it after the manner of those times as for instance the name of Elizur for the tribe of Reuben by which it was to be made and was made to appear that to none of these tribes belonged the priesthood but to the tribe of Levi and to none of that tribe but the family of Aaron whereby it should seem that some of all the tribes made pretensions to it as being all holy and especially the chief firstborn of every tribe as such their princes were

JAMISON 2-5 Speak unto the children of Israel mdash The controversy with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood was of such a nature and magnitude as required a decisive and authoritative settlement For the removal of all doubts and the silencing of all murmuring in the future regarding the holder of the office a miracle was wrought of a remarkable character and permanent duration and in the manner of performing it all the people were made to have a direct and special interest

take of every one princes twelve rods mdash As the princes being the oldest sons of the chief family and heads of their tribes might have advanced the best claims to the priesthood if that sacred dignity was to be shared among all the tribes they were therefore selected and being twelve in number - that of Joseph being counted only one - Moses was ordered to see that the name of each was inscribed - a practice borrowed from the Egyptians - upon his rod or wand of office The name of Aaron rather than of Levi was used as the latter name would have opened a door of controversy among the Levites and as there was to be one rod only for the head of each tribe the express appointment of a rod for Aaron determined him to be the head of that tribe as well as that branch or family of the tribe to which the priestly dignity should belong These rods were to be laid in the tabernacle close to the ark (compare Num_1710 and Heb_94) where a divine token was promised that would for all time terminate the dispute

CALVIN 2Speak unto the children of Israel They are mistaken who suppose that to the twelve rods there was another added for the tribe of Levi (103) for since there was no question here as to the possession of the land there was no occasion at

21

all for the division of the tribe of Joseph into two parts We know too that it was endowed with a double portion because the Levites had no inheritance and in this case the circumstances were different because all the other tribes were contending for the priesthood with the tribe of Levi alone Hence it was then that rods were given to each of them in accordance with the origin of their race But when Aaronrsquos rod is said to have been ldquoin the midst of themrdquo (104) it is in the usual phrase of the Hebrew language because it was mixed with them as one of their number And this is expressly stated to show us that all ground for caviling might be taken from the ungodly since all the rods were east promiscuously into the same bundle so that none should be distinguished above the others and thus nothing could be ascribed to the collusion of men If any should object that by these means the rivalry was not extinguished which the other Levites had with the house of Aaron since his own name alone was inscribed upon the rod so that there would be no comparison between the families I reply that since the power of God manifested itself distinctly in the name of Aaron the rejection of the others was sufficiently shown forth by his election for if this honor had been common to the others God would have defrauded them by giving distinction to him alone Besides no other plan could have been adopted for putting an end to this quarrel for if there had been several rods for one tribe the whole people would have complained of the inequality It was necessary then that all should be brought to the contest on equal terms so that the difference between them might be seen to depend upon Godrsquos good pleasure But if the name of Levi had been inscribed all its families would have claimed the right of succession as if common to them all There was therefore no other course open but that God should prefer to the whole people one individual chosen from amongst the members of his own kindred and tribe COKE Numbers 172 Take of every one of them a rodmdash The minds of a considerable number of the people having been poisoned by the insinuations of Korah and his accomplices against Aaron and his family upon the account of the priesthood God is pleased to add another signal miracle in confirmation of his priests authority accordingly the head of each tribe is ordered to take a rod and bring it before the Lord Some have supposed that these were the ordinary rods or batoons which the princes of the tribes bore while from the 8th verse of this chapter others infer that these were twigs or branches from one and the same almond tree whichever was the case the miracle was sufficiently great to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of ProvidenceBENSON Numbers 172 Take of every one mdash Not of every person but of every tribe A rod mdash A twig or branch from one and the same almond-tree as some infer from Numbers 178 Or according to others the ordinary rods which the princes of the tribes carried in their hands as tokens of their dignity and authority Numbers 2118 And indeed the miracle would appear the greater if neither Aaronrsquos rod nor any of the rest was of the almond-tree But the miracle was sufficiently great either way to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of Providence Every manrsquos name mdash Every princersquos for they being the firstborn and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of

22

their tribes and besides the prince represented all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the question And this place seems to confirm the opinion that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contended with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holyELLICOTT (2) And take of every one of them mdashBetter And take of them a rod for each fatherrsquos houseTwelve rodsmdashSome suppose that Aaronrsquos rod was not included amongst the twelve Others suppose that one rod only was taken for the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh The latter supposition is more accordant with the terms here employed than the former and is supported by Deuteronomy 2712-13 where Joseph stands for the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh and Levi is included amongst the twelve tribesWrite thou every manrsquos name upon his rodmdashThis was in accordance with an Egyptian custom (See Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians III 388) The prophet Ezekiel received a similar injunction (Ezekiel 3716)POOLE Speak unto the children of Israel that I may fully and finally satisfy all their scruples and take away all pretence and cause of murmuringOf every one of them not of every person but of every tribe as it followsA rod either an ordinary walking staff or rather that staff or rod which the princes carried in their hand as tokens of their dignity and authority as may be gathered from Numbers 2118 compared with Psalms 1102 Jeremiah 481617According to the house of their fathers ie according to each family proceeding from the patriarch or father of that tribeEvery manrsquos name ie every princersquos for they being the first-born and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of their tribes and besides each prince represented and acted for all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the whole question And this plate seems to confirm what was before observed that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contested with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holy as they said Numbers 163

WHEDON 2 A rod mdash Each chief prince of the twelve tribes bore a staff or sceptre as the sign of office Such rods were often hereditary and of great antiquity That such dry staves should blossom and bear fruit again is so improbable that the Greeks were accustomed to swear by their sceptres Thus Achilles

23

ldquoBut hearken I will swear a solemn oathBy this sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as oncerdquoWritehellip every manrsquos name mdash To identify beyond dispute the rod of Aaron after the trial The illiteracy of Moses and his generation as alleged by some modern writers is here abundantly confuted Since there were twelve rods including Levirsquos it is evident that the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim are here counted as one tribe mdash that of JosephPETT Numbers 172lsquoSpeak to the children of Israel and take of them rods one for each fathersrsquo house of all their princes according to their fathersrsquo houses twelve rods You write every manrsquos name on his rodrsquoAll the men of Israel were to be involved in this It is possible that Levi were included among lsquothe twelversquo and that Manasseh and Ephraim were for this event treated as one tribe the rods representing the lsquohouseholdsrsquo of the original patriarchal fathers But a rod was taken for each of their fathersrsquo houses and the names of each of the chieftains of those fathersrsquo houses was written on the rods This would suggest in the light of previous references to twelve chieftains that the lsquotwelversquo rods were in contrast with Aaronrsquos rod (Alternately one rod may have represented Joseph including both Ephraim and Manasseh It was Joseph who was to be lsquoa fruitful boughrsquo (Genesis 4922) but not as pertaining to the priesthood)The word for lsquorodsrsquo also indicates lsquotribes and can in fact be used to indicate either Thus the rods symbolised each tribe

PULPIT Numbers 172Take of every one of them a rod Literally take of them a rod a rod ie a rod apiece in the way immediately particularized hsilgnEegaugnaL מטה is used for the staff of Judah (Genesis 3818) and for the rod of Moses (Exodus 42) It is also used in the sense of tribe (Numbers 14 Numbers 116) Each tribe was but a branch or rod out of the stock of Israel and therefore was most naturally represented by the rod cut from the tree lsquoThe words used for scepter in Genesis 4910 and in Psalms 457 and for rod in Isaiah 111 and elsewhere are different but the same imagery underlies the use of all of them Of all their princes hellip twelve rods These princes must be those named in Isaiah 22-21 and Isaiah 25-71 Since among these are to be found the tribe princes of Ephraim and Manasseh standing upon a perfect equality with the rest it is evident that the twelve rods were exclusive

24

of that of Aaron The joining together of Ephraim and Manasseh in Deuteronomy 2712 was a very different thing because it could not raise any question as between the two

3 On the staff of Levi write Aaronrsquos name for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe

BARNES Thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of Levi - The Levites had taken part in the late outbreak It was therefore necessary to vindicate the supremacy of the house of Aaron over them and accordingly his name was written on the rod of Levi although being the son of Kohath the second son of Levi (Exo_616 ff) he would not be the natural head of the tribe

GILL And thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi Or upon the rod that was for the tribe of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written not the word Levi or a Levite as Josephus (e) for that would not have decided the controversy about the priesthood which chiefly lay between the Levites and the family of Aaron who were of the same tribe for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers one rod for the head or prince of every tribe every prince representing his own tribe he was the head of and the rod the prince and though the tribe of Levi was divided into two families the family of the priests and the family of the Levites yet as Jarchi observes they were but one tribe and so one rod for them as for the other tribes

ELLICOTT (3) And thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of LevimdashAaron was descended from the second son of Levi He was not therefore the natural but the divinely-appointed head of his fatherrsquos house and hence it would not have sufficed for the purpose contemplated to have inscribed the name of Levi upon the rod Aaron was constituted the head alike of the priests and of the Levites into which two classes the tribe of Levi was divided

25

BENSON Numbers 173 Aaronrsquos name mdash Rather than Levirsquos for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos family One rod mdash There shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixed

POOLE Aaronrsquos rather than Levirsquos name for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos familyFor the head of the house of their fathers ie there shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixedPETT Numbers 173lsquoAnd you shall write Aaronrsquos name on the rod of Levi for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathersrsquo housesrsquoOn the rod of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written There was to be one for each head of their fathersrsquo houses In the light of the earlier divisions in chapters 1-4 we are probably therefore to see that there were thirteen rods the twelve which represented Israel in contrast with the Levites and the one that specifically represented AaronHere Aaron is depicted as the head of the house of Levi That may well be why earlier he was called lsquothe Levitersquo as the head of the family (Exodus 414)

PULPIT Numbers 173Thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi There was no tribe prince of Levi and it is not probable that either of the three chiefs of the sub-tribes (Numbers 324 Numbers 330 55) was called upon to bring a rod This rod was therefore provided by Moses himself and inscribed by him with the name of Aaron who stood by Divine appointment (so recently and fearfully attested) above all his brethren For the significance of the act cf Ezekiel 3716-28 For one rod hellip for the head of the house of their fathers For Levi therefore there must be not three rods inscribed with the names of the chiefs but one only bearing the name of Aaron as

26

their common superior

4 Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law where I meet with you

GILL And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation In the most holy place before the testimony that is the ark in which the testimony or the law was here they were laid as in the presence of God who was in a miraculous way to decide the controversy by them and put an end to it for upon the ark was the mercy seat over which were the cherubim the seat of the divine Majesty and where none could come at them and where no fraud could be supposed to be committed where I will meet with you not with the people in person who might not go at any time into the most holy place nor with Aaron who only might go into it on the day of atonement but with Moses the chief ruler and representative of the whole body of the people and who might go in there at any time to consult with God about matters of moment and difficulty and where the Lord had said he would meet him Exo_2522 and now would in a miraculous way clearly show him and the people of Israel by him who was the priest he had chosen of all the tribesCALVIN 4And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle The place itself had not a little to do with the effectual decision of the matter because it was clearly manifested that God was the author of the miracle and consequently that the priesthood proceeded from Him For we have elsewhere said that the whole government of the Church so entirely depends upon His decree that men are not permitted to interfere with it Wherefore He set the ark of the covenant in opposition to the voices of the whole people in order to testify that no further dispute was to be raised respecting the priest whom He had appointed by His own declaration and authority At the same time it had the effect of consoling the people and silencing their complaints that the rods of all the tribes were brought in common into the sanctuary before God for although a peculiar dignity was accorded to that of Aaron alone still the people ceased not to be a priestly kingdom Hence it follows that the honorable privilege conferred on one family contributed to the public welfare of all so far was it from being the case that their inferiority ought to have caused them pain or envy

27

POOLE Before the testimony ie before the ark of the testimony either mediately close by the veil behind which the ark stood or rather immediately within the veil in the most holy place close by the ark as may be gathered by comparing this place with Numbers 1710 and with Hebrews 94I will meet with you and manifest my mind to you for the ending of this dispute PETT The Rods Are To Be Laid Up in the Tent of Meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)Numbers 174lsquoAnd you shall lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony where I meet with yoursquoThese were then to be lsquolaid up in the Tent of meeting before the testimonyrsquo in the place where Yahweh meets with His people This probably meant in front of the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh lsquothe testimonyrsquo indicating the presence of the covenant tablets in the Ark and their testimony to the covenant

5 The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelitesrdquo

CLARKE The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossom - It was necessary that something farther should be done to quiet the minds of the people and for ever to settle the dispute in what tribe the priesthood should be fixed God therefore took the method described in the text and it had the desired effect the Aaronical priesthood was never after disputed

GILL And it shall come to pass that the mans rod whom I shall choose Or make it manifest that he had chosen him and so confirm the choice he had made of him and his family for the priesthood to be and continue in

28

shall blossom bud and blossom and yield fruit as it afterwards did which is here declared beforehand that the miracle might appear the greater exactly answering to a prediction delivered out before of it and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel whereby they murmur against you against Moses for setting up his brother as an high priest and establishing the priesthood in his family and against Aaron for accepting of it and officiating in it but by this method now taken God would for ever silence their murmurings so that they should never be able with any face to object any more to the authority of the Aaronic priesthood which should appear by the predicted miracle beyond all dispute and contradictionCALVIN 5And it shall come to pass that the manrsquos rod Aaron indeed had been previously chosen but the expression here refers to his manifestation (105) because God is said again to choose those whom He has chosen by His secret counsel when He brings them forth into the sight of men with their peculiar marks of distinction and this not once only but as often as he confirms their election by new indications And this seems to be spoken of by way of concession as if God would pass over all His former decrees and invite the people afresh to take cognizance of the matter With this view tie states that He will put an end to all the malevolent and noisy detractions of the people so that Aaron may henceforth exercise his office without controversy for although not even thus was their perverseness altogether cured still their insolence was restrained

ELLICOTT (5) The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossommdashOr shall sprout forth or put forthmdashie leaves or blossoms Achilles when enraged against Agamemnon is made to swear a solemn oath by his sceptre which having once left its stock on the mountains shall never again grow King Latinus is represented by Virgil as confirming his covenant with AEligneas by a similar oath

WHEDON 5 Whom I shall choose mdash That is select for the priesthoodCeasehellip murmurings mdash Suppress them beyond all possibility of a revival Jehovahrsquos claims are set forth in his word with such cogency that there is no just ground for gainsaying On all questions of duty there is a redundancy of evidencePETT The Rod of the Chosen One Will Bud and Put an End to Murmuring (Numbers 175)Numbers 175lsquoAnd it will come about that the rod of the man whom I shall choose will bud and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel which they

29

murmur against yoursquoThen Yahweh would make the rod of the man that Yahweh had chosen spring to life and bud This final display on Yahwehrsquos initiative should cause all further murmurings against Moses and Aaron on the question of who had the right of priesthood to cease

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 Aaronrsquos staff was among them

BARNES The whole number of rods was twelve exclusive of Aaronrsquos as the Vulgate expressly states

GILL And Moses spake unto the children of Israel What the Lord had bid him say unto them concerning the rods which they hearkened unto and observed and everyone of their princes gave him a rod apiece for each prince one every prince of the several tribes and so a rod for every tribe as well as for each prince according to their fathers houses even twelve rods there being twelve tribes named after their fathers or the patriarchs the twelve sons of Jacob and Joseph having two tribes which sprung from him called after his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh there were twelve rods besides that of Aaron and so the Vulgate Latin version renders the words with the next clauseand there were twelve rods besides the rod of Aaronin all thirteen though the Jews say there were but twelve with it allowing but one rod for Joseph under whom were comprehended Ephraim and Manasseh and reckoning the tribe of Levi one of the twelve so Aben Ezra observes that the rod of Levi was among the twelve and Joseph had but one rod and the rod of Aaron was among their rods in the middle of them and was

30

so placed as Jarchi thinks that it might not be said because it was put on the side of the Shechinah or divine Majesty therefore it budded but being in the middle of them there could be no difference in that respectJAMISON the rod of Aaron was among their rods mdash either one of the

twelve or as many suppose a thirteenth in the midst (Heb_94) The rods were of dry sticks or wands probably old as transmitted from one head of the family to a succeeding

KampD Num_176-11Moses carried out this command And when he went into the tabernacle the following morning behold Aarons rod of the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth shoots and had borne blossoms and matured almonds And Moses brought all the rods out of the sanctuary and gave every man his own the rest as we may gather from the context being all unchanged so that the whole nation could satisfy itself that God had chosen Aaron Thus was the word fulfilled which Moses had spoken at the commencement of the rebellion of the company of Korah (Num_165) and that in a way which could not fail to accredit him before the whole congregation as sent of GodSo far as the occurrence itself is concerned there can hardly be any need to remark that the natural interpretation which has lately been attempted by Ewald viz that Moses had laid several almond rods in the holy place which had just been freshly cut off that he might see the next day which of them would flower the best during the night is directly at variance with the words of the text and also with the fact that a rod even freshly cut off when laid in a dry place would not bear ripe fruit in a single night The miracle which God wrought here as the Creator of nature was at the same time a significant symbol of the nature and meaning of the priesthood The choice of the rods had also a bearing upon the object in question A mans rod was the sign of his position as ruler in the house and congregation with a prince the rod becomes a sceptre the insignia of rule (Gen_4910) As a severed branch the rod could not put forth shoots and blossom in a natural way But God could impart new vital powers even to the dry rod And so Aaron had naturally no pre-eminence above the heads of the other tribes But the priesthood was founded not upon natural qualifications and gifts but upon the power of the Spirit which God communicates according to the choice of His wisdom and which He had imparted to Aaron through his consecration with holy anointing oil It was this which the Lord intended to show to the people by causing Aarons rod to put forth branches blossom and fruit through a miracle of His omnipotence whereas the rods of the other heads of the tribes remained as barren as before In this way therefore it was not without deep significance that Aarons rod not only put forth shoots by which the divine election might be recognised but bore even blossom and ripe fruit This showed that Aaron was not only qualified for his calling but administered his office in the full power of the Spirit and bore the fruit expected of him The almond rod was especially adapted to exhibit this as

31

an almond-tree flowers and bears fruit the earliest of all the trees and has received its name of שקד ldquoawakerdquo from this very fact (cf Jer_111)

God then commanded (Num_1710 Num_1711) that Aarons rod should be taken back into the sanctuary and preserved before the testimony ldquofor a sign for the rebellious that thou puttest an end to their murmuring and they die notrdquo The preservation of the rod before the ark of the covenant in the immediate presence of the Lord was a pledge to Aaron of the continuance of his election and the permanent duration of his priesthood though we have no need to assume that through a perpetual miracle the staff continued green and blossoming In this way the staff became a sign to the rebellious which could not fail to stop their murmuringPETT All the Chieftains Give Rods Including Aaron (Numbers 176)Numbers 176lsquoAnd Moses spoke to the children of Israel and all their princes gave him rods for each prince one according to their fathersrsquo houses even twelve rods and the rod of Aaron was among their rodsrsquoSo Moses did as Yahweh commanded and requested rods from each of the chieftains of the twelve tribes These rods may well have been their symbols of authority Thus twelve rods were gathered and Aaronrsquos rod was placed among them PULPIT And the rod of Aaron was among the rods As there was no prince from whom this rod could have come and as there were twelve rods without it this must mean that Moses did not keep Aarons rod separate (which might have caused suspicion) but let it be seen amongst the others

7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law

GILL And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness In that part of the tabernacle where the testimony or witness was that is the law which was in the ark over which was the mercy seat with the cherubim between which Jehovah dwelt and this was the most holy place and the rods being laid here might be said to be laid before the Lord who by making a difference in one of those rods from the rest would decide the controversy about the priesthood which was the end of their being laid

32

before himHENRY The preparing of the rods accordingly The princes brought

them in some of them perhaps fondly expecting that the choice would fall upon them and all of them thinking it honour enough to be competitors with Aaron and to stand candidates even for the priesthood (Num_177) and Moses laid them up before the Lord He did not object that the matter was sufficiently settled already and enough done to convince those that were not invincibly hardened in their prejudices He did not undertake to determine the controversy himself though it might easily have been done nor did he suggest that it would be to no purpose to offer satisfaction to a people that were willingly blind But since God will have it so he did his part and lodged the case before the Lord to whom the appeal was made by consent and left it with him

WHEDON 7 Witness mdash The Hebrew is the same as that for testimony in Numbers 174 The reason for choosing this place may have been that no one would suspect the performance of any legerdemain or jugglery in the holy of holies a sanctuary too awful for any man to enter but the high priest one day in the year Moses entered on this occasion by express commandPETT The Rods Are Placed In the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)Numbers 177lsquoAnd Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimonyrsquoThe rods were then laid up lsquobefore Yahwehrsquo in lsquothe Tent of the testimonyrsquo Note the change in name for the Tent Emphasis is placed here on the fact that the Tent testifies to Yahweh and His covenant As we have already suggested this probably meant that they were placed before the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh although it may be that Moses uniquely had access into the Holy of Holies itself

8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaronrsquos staff which represented the tribe of Levi had not only sprouted but had budded blossomed and produced almonds 33

BARNES Yielded almonds - ldquoRipened almondsrdquo i e ldquobrought forth ripe almondsrdquo The name almond in Hebrew denotes the ldquowaking-treerdquo the ldquowaking-fruitrdquo and is applied to this tree because it blossoms early in the season It serves here as in Jer_111-12 to set forth the speed and certainty with which at Godrsquos will His purposes are accomplished So again the blossoming and bearing of Aaronrsquos rod naturally impotent when severed from the parent tree may signify the profitableness because of Godrsquos appointment and blessing of the various means of grace (e g the priesthood the sacraments) which of themselves and apart from Him could have no such efficacy Compare Isa_42 Isa_111 Isa_532 Jer_335 Zec_612

CLARKE The rod of Aaron - was budded etc - That is on the same rod or staff were found buds blossoms and ripe fruit This fact was so unquestionably miraculous as to decide the business for ever and probably this was intended to show that in the priesthood represented by that of Aaron the beginning middle and end of every good work must be found The buds of good desires the blossoms of holy resolutions and promising professions and the ripe fruit of faith love and obedience all spring from the priesthood of the Lord Jesus It has been thought by some that Aaronrsquos staff (and perhaps the staves of all the tribes) was made out of the amygdala communis or common almond tree In a favorable soil and climate it grows to twenty feet in height is one of the most noble flourishing trees in nature its flowers are of a delicate red and it puts them forth early in March having begun to bud in January It has its name שקד shaked from shakad to awake because it buds and flowers sooner than most other trees And it is very likely that the staves of office borne by the chiefs of all the tribes were made of this tree merely to signify that watchfulness and assiduous care which the chiefs should take of the persons committed in the course of the Divine providence to their keeping

Every thing in this miracle is so far beyond the power of nature that no doubt could remain on the minds of the people or the envious chiefs of the Divine appointment of Aaron and of the especial interference of God in this case To see a piece of wood long cut off from the parent stock without bark or moisture remaining laid up in a dry place for a single night with others in the same circumstances - to see such a piece of wood resume and evince the perfection of vegetative life budding blossoming and bringing forth ripe fruit at the same time must be such a demonstration of the peculiar interference of God as to silence every doubt and satisfy every scruple It is worthy of remark that a scepter or staff of office resuming its vegetative life was considered an absolute impossibility among the ancients and as 34

they were accustomed to swear by their sceptres this circumstance was added to establish and confirm the oath A remarkable instance of this we have in Homer Iliad lib i ver 233 etc where Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon thus speaks -Αλλrsquo εκ τοι ερεω και επι μεγαν ὁρκον ομουμαιΝαι μα τοδε σκηπτρον το μεν ουποτε φυλλα και οζουςΦυσει επειδη πρωτα τομην εν ορεσσι λελοιπενΟυδrsquo αναθηλησει περι γαρ ῥα ἑ χαλκος ελεψεΦυλλα τε και φλοιονὁ δε τοι μεγας εσσεται ὁρκοςBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same scepter which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopprsquod off its foliage greenAnd stripprsquod its bark shall never grow againCowper

Virgil represents King Latinus swearing in the same way to confirm his covenant with Aeneas -Ut Sceptrum hoc (dextra sceptrum nam forte gerebat)Nunquam fronde levi fundet virgulta neque umbrasCum semel in silvis imo de stirpe recisumMatre caret posuitque comas et brachia ferroOlim arbos nunc artificis manus aere decoroInclusit patribusque dedit gestare LatinisTalibus inter se firmabant foedera dictisAen lib xii ver 206-12Even as this royal Sceptre (for he boreA scepter in his hand) shall never moreShoot out in branches or renew the birthAn orphan now cut from the mother earthBy the keen axe dishonorrsquod of its hairAnd cased in brass for Latian kings to bearAnd thus in public view the peace was tiedWith solemn vows and sworn on either sideDryden

When the circumstance of the rod or scepter being used anciently in this way and the absolute impossibility of its reviviscence so strongly appealed to is considered it appears to have been a very proper instrument for the present occasion for the change that passed on it must be acknowledged as an immediate and incontestable miracle

35

GILL And it came to pass that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness Where none but he could go at any time this was the day after the rods had been placed there and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi the rod that had Aarons name upon it which was to represent the tribe of Levi of which he was was budded and brought forth buds knobs of blossom such that are seen on trees before they open for the almond tree puts forth its blossoms before its leaves though the Targum of Jonathan renders it branches as do some versions and some think this is to be understood of its putting out its leaves first contrary to the nature of the almond tree and so makes the miracle the greater thus Ben Melech and blossomed blossoms open flowers or blossoms such as appear on the almond tree in the spring and look very beautiful and yielded almonds ripe almonds in their full perfection as the Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan the latter of which isin the same night it perfected and brought forth almondsthe word used has the signification of weaning and alludes to children grown up to some ripeness and maturity Gen_218 the case seems to be this that in one part of the rod were buds swelling and just putting out in another part open flowers quite blown and in others full ripe fruit now this clearly showed it to be supernatural since the almond tree though quick and early in its production of buds and flowers yet never has those and ripe fruit on it at the same time to which may be added that this was not the time of year the almond tree blossoms not the spring but rather autumn as it should seem since it was after the affair of the spies and the murmurs of the people on their report now it was the time of the first ripe grapes when they went into the land and they were forty days searching it and it was after their return the insurrections before recorded were the design of this was to confirm the priesthood in Aarons family and show that it would continue there in a flourishing condition and that there would be a succession of priests from him to the time of the Messiah as there were and the almond tree having its name in Hebrew from watchfulness and haste see Jer_111 may denote the vigilance of the priests in their office and the haste punishment makes to come upon such that should oppose them or usurp the priesthood as in the case of Uzziah so Jarchi remarks this rod of Aarons may be an emblem of the Gospel ministry of that rod that should come out of Zion Psa_1102 which in the eyes of men is mean and despicable like a dry stick but becomes a fruitful one through the power of divine grace and an almond tree rod may denote the vigilance and watchfulness of Gospel ministers over themselves and others and their doctrine and oftentimes whom God puts into the ministry he early calls them by his grace and frequently makes the first part of their ministry most useful and fruit is brought forth which remains moreover this rod may be considered as a type of Christ it being a dry rod or stick may denote the

36

meanness of his descent and appearance in the world and the unpromising aspect of his being the King Messiah and Saviour of men and being an almond tree rod may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time which the Lord hastened his being the firstborn and his right to the priesthood and his vigilance in it its lying among other rods and budding and blossoming and bringing forth fruit may point at Christs assuming the common nature or man his being cut off by death his resurrection from the dead and the fruits arising from thence justification peace pardon and eternal life and as Aarons priesthood was confirmed by the budding ampc of this rod so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are by his resurrection from the dead See Gill on Heb_94HENRY 8-9 Here is I The final determination of the controversy

concerning the priesthood by a miracle Num_178 Num_179 The rods or staves were brought out from the most holy place where they were laid up and publicly produced before the people and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were Aarons rod only of a dry stick became a living branch budded and blossomed and yielded almonds In some places there were buds in others blossoms in others fruit at the same time This was miraculous and took away all suspicion of a fraud as if in the night Moses had taken away Aarons rod and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it for no ordinary branch would have buds blossoms and fruits upon it all at once Now1 This was a plain indication to the people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood and not any other of the princes of the tribes Thus he was distinguished from them and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven which sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor watering by the hand of man Bishop Hall here observes that fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call and that the plants of Gods setting and the boughs cut off from them will flourish See Psa_9212-14 The trees of the Lord though they seem dry trees are full of sap2 It was a very proper sign to represent the priesthood itself which was hereby confirmed to Aaron (1) That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God It produced not only blossoms but almonds for the priesthood was designed not only for an honour to Aaron but for a blessing to Israel Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they should go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit should remain Joh_1516 (2) That there should be a succession of priests Here were not only almonds for the present but buds and blossoms promising more hereafter Thus has Christ provided in his church that a seed should serve him from generation to generation (3) That yet this priesthood should not be perpetual but in process of time like the branches and blossoms of a tree should fail and wither The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age Ecc_125 This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood which soon became old and ready to vanish away Heb_8133 It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood for he is the man the branch that is to be a priest upon his throne as it follows (Zec_612) and he was to grow up before God as this before the ark like a tender

37

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

which we read Num_2118) old dry staves that had no sap in them and it is probable that they were all made of the almond-tree It should seem they were but twelve in all with Aarons for when Levi comes into the account Ephraim and Manasseh make but one under the name of Joseph (2) That the name of each prince should be written upon his rod that every man might know his own and to prevent contests Writing is often a good preservative against strife for what is written may be appealed to (3) That they should be laid up in the tabernacle for one night before the testimony that is before the ark which with its mercy seat was a symbol token or testimony of Gods presence with them (4) They were to expect being told it before that the rod of the tribe or prince whom God chose to the priesthood should bud and blossom Num_175 It was requisite that they should be told of it that it might appear not to be casual but according to the counsel and will of GodKampD 1-5 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713)

Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dyingThis may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

CALVIN Verse 11And the Lord spoke unto Moses Howsoever stubborn the Israelites might be yet their hardness of heart being now subdued and their pride broken down they

2

ought to have acknowledged the authority of the priesthood and to have perpetually held it in pious reverence But it is plain from the confirmation of it which is now added that they were not yet thoroughly overcome For God never appoints anything in vain the remedy therefore was necessary that He now applied to that disease of obstinacy which He perceived still to maintain its secret hold upon their hearts Herein we also behold His inestimable goodness when He not only had regard to the relief of their infirmity but even struggled with their depravity and perverseness in order to restore them to their senses In the same way also He now deals with us for he not only strengthens the weakness of our faith by many aids but He puts constraint upon our light and inconstant minds and retains us in the path of duty though we strive against Him He likewise anticipates our willfulness so as to keep us from growing presumptuous or rouses us up when we are disposed to be slothful In fact his our business so to apply to our use whatever helps to faith and piety He sets before us as to be assured that they are so many pieces of evidence to convict us of unbelief Although therefore the majesty of the priesthood had been already sufficiently and more than sufficiently established still God saw float in the extreme perversity of the people there would be no end to their murmurs and rebellions unless the final ratification were added and that too in a season of repose inasmuch as whilst the sedition was in progress they were not so disposed and ready to learn By this confirmation then He set aside whatever doubts could at any time arise when Aaronrsquos rod severed as it was from the tree was the only one of the twelve which blossomed For it was no natural circumstance that a branch which derived no sap from the root and which at that season of the year would have been dry upon the tree should produce flowers and fruit when it was east before the Ark of the Covenant whilst the others although altogether similar remained dry and dead COFFMAN And Jehovah spake unto Moses saying Speak unto the children of Israel and take of them rods one for each fathers house of all their princes according to their fathers houses twelve rods write thou every mans name upon his rod And thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathers houses And thou shalt lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony where I meet with you And it shall come to pass that the rod of the man whom I shall choose shall bud and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel which they murmur against you And Moses spake unto the children of Israel and all their princes gave him rods for each prince one according to their fathers houses even twelve rods and the rod of Aaron was among their rods And Moses laid up the rods before Jehovah in the tent of the testimonyRods mentioned extensively here to all intents and purposes were walking canes exactly the type of staff that men of all generations have carried It was the rod of Moses that became the Rod of God to lead Israel out of slavery and the test proposed here coming of God Himself was exactly the type of thing that could have decided forever the question of WHERE the priesthood of Israel was to be centered

3

We are not at all impressed by the so-called examples cited by the critics comparing this to such fables as that of Hercules whose club of wild olive wood was leaned up against the statue of the god Hermes promptly sprouted and has been growing ever since[1] or to that of Joseph of Arimatheas stick which was placed in the ground of Weary-All hill and became the remarkable thorn of Glastonbury[2] Plutarch has a similar yarn regarding the spear of Romulus the legendary founder of Rome[3] Such things only show that the impressive truth of this narrative in Numbers resulted in the invention of similar tales by the pagans and by some superstitious Christians of later agesAncient literature indeed all ancient civilizations placed a remarkable weight of significance upon the staff Homer for example gave an account of the oath sworn by Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon in these wordsBut hearken I swear a solemn oathBy this same sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodman lopped off its foliage greenAnd stripped its bark shall never grow again[4]Sceptres or staves or walking sticks were considered to be of the greatest importance Kings swore by them[5] and Judah was condemned by Tamar using his staff as invincible proof (Genesis 3818) Esther touched only the sceptre of King Ahasuerus but it saved her life (Esther 411) The Holy Messiah was identified by Zechariah as the one above all others who would have both a rod and a staff a thought also echoed in the Shepherd Psalm Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me (Psalms 234) The ancient authority and symbolism of the rod are still evident today in that impressive remnant of it called The Mace by which Parliament itself is opened in London and by the symbolical Sceptres belonging to the regalia of royalty in all ages Today one may see the Sceptre of the English monarch in the Tower of LondonThus it was no ordinary rod that each prince of Israel brought to Moses The symbolical authority and concurrence of all of them in the test was thus achieved

EBC A widespread rebellion an organised rebellion not homogeneous but with many elements in it tending to utter confusion is what we see Suppose it to have succeeded the unity of worship would have been destroyed completely Each tribe

4

with its own cultus would have gone its own way so far as religion was concerned In a very short time there would have been as many debased cults as there were wandering companies Then the claim of autonomy if not of right to lead the tribes made on behalf of Reuben involved a further danger Moses had not only the sagacity but the inspiration which ought to have commanded obedience The princes of Reuben had neither Whether all under the lead of Reuben or each tribe led by its own princes the Israelites would have travelled to disaster Futile attempts at conquest strife or alliance with neighbouring peoples internal dissension would have worn the tribes piecemeal away The dictatorship of Moses the Aaronic priesthood and the unity of worship stood or fell together One of the three removed the others would have given way But the revolutionary spirit springing out of ambition and a disaffection for which there was no excuse was blind to consequences And the stern suppression of this revolt at whatever cost was absolutely needful if there was to be any future for IsraelIt has been supposed that we have in this rebellion of Korah the first example of ecclesiastical dissension and that the punishment is a warning to all who presumptuously intrude into the priestly office Laymen take the censer and the fire of the Lord burns them up So let not laymen at any time in the Churchrsquos history venture to touch the sacred mysteries If ritual and sacramentarian miracle were the heart of religion if there could be no worship of God and no salvation for men now unless through a consecrated priesthood this might be said But the old covenant with its symbols and shadows has been superseded We have another censer now another tabernacle another way which has been consecrated for ever by the sacrifice of Christ a way into the holiest of all open to every believer Our unity does not depend on the priesthood of men but on the universal and eternal priesthood of Christ The co-operation of Aaron as priest was needful to Moses not that his power might be maintained for his own sake but that he might have authority over the host for Israelrsquos sake It was not the dignity of an order or of a man that was at stake but the very existence of religion and of the nation This bond snapped at any point the tribes would have been scattered and lostA leader of men standing above them for their temporal interests can rarely take upon him to be the instrument of administering the penalty of their sins What king for instance ever invoked an interdict on his own people or in his own right of judging for God condemned them to pay a tax to the Church because they had done what was morally wrong Rulers generally have regarded disobedience to themselves as the only crime it was worth their while to punish When Moses stood against the faithless spirit of the Israelites and issued orders by way of punishing that bad spirit he certainly put his authority to a tremendous test Without a sure ground of confidence in Divine support he would have been foolhardy in the extreme And we are not surprised that the coalition against him represented many causes of discontent Under his administration the long sojourn in the desert had been decreed and a whole generation deprived of what they held their right-a settlement in Canaan He appeared to be tyrannising over the tribes and proud Reubenites sought to put an end to his rule The priesthood was his creation and

5

seemed to be made exclusive simply that through Aaron he might have a firmer hold of the peoplersquos liberties Why was the old prerogative of the headmen in religious-matters taken from them They would reclaim their rights Neither Levi nor Reuben should be denied its priestly autonomy any longer In the whole rebellion there was one spirit but there were also divided counsels and Moses showed his wisdom by taking the revolt not as a single movement but part by partFirst he met the Levites with Korah at their head professing great zeal for the principle that all the congregation were holy every one of them A claim made on that ground could not be disproved by argument perhaps although the holiness of the congregation was evidently an ideal not a fact Jehovah Himself would have to decide Yet Moses remonstrated in a way that was fitted to move the Levites and perhaps did touch some of them They had been honoured by God in having a certain holy office assigned to them Were they to renounce it in joining a revolt which would make the very priesthood they desired common to all the tribes From Jehovah Himself the Levites had their commission It was against Jehovah they were fighting and how could they speed They spoke of Aaron and his dignity But what was Aaron Only a servant of God and of the people a man who personally assumed no great airs By this appeal some would seem to have been detached from the rebellion for in Numbers 269-11 when the judgment of Korah and his company is referred to it is added Notwithstanding the children of Korah died not From 1 Chronicles 61-81 we learn that in the line of Korahrsquos descendants appeared certain makers and leaders of sacred song Heman among them one of Davidrsquos singers to whom Psalms 881-18 is ascribedWith the Reubenites Moses deals in the next place taking their cause of discontent by itself Already one of the three Reubenite chiefs had withdrawn and Dathan and Abiram stood by themselves Refusing to obey the call of Moses to a conference they stated their grievance roughly by the mouth of a messenger and Moses could only with indignation express before God his blamelessness in regard to them I have not taken one ass from them neither have I hurt one of them Neither for his own enrichment nor in personal ambition had he acted Could they maintain did the people think that the present revolt was equally disinterested Under cover of opposition to tyranny are they not desiring to play the part of tyrants and aggrandise themselves at the expense of the peopleIt is singular that not a word is said in special condemnation of the two hundred and fifty because they were in possession of censers and incense May it be the case that the complete reservation of the high-priestly duties to the house of Aaron had not as yet taken effect that it was a purpose rather than a fact May it not further be the case that the rebellion partly took form and ripened because an order had been given withdrawing the use of censers from the headmen of the tribes If there had as yet been a certain temporary allowance of the tribal priesthood and ritual we should not have to ask how incense and censers were in the hands of the two hundred and fifty and why the brass of their vessels was held to be sacred and put to holy use

6

The prayer of Moses in which he interceded for the people Numbers 1622 is marked by an expression of singular breadth O God the God of the spirits of all flesh The men misled on the fleshly side by appetite (Numbers 1613) and shrinking from pain were against God But their spirits were in His hand Would He not move their spirits redeem and save them Would He not look on the hearts of all and distinguish the guilty from the innocent the more rebellious from the less One man had sinned but would God burst out on the whole congregation The form of the intercession is abrupt crude Even Moses with all his justice and all his pity could not be more just more compassionate than Jehovah The purpose of destruction was not as the leader thought it to beRegarding the judgments that of the earthquake and that of the fire we are too remote in time to form any proper conception of what they were how they were inflicted Moses says Lange appears as a man whose wonderful presentiment becomes a miraculous prophecy by the Spirit of revelation But this is not sufficient There was more than a presentiment Moses knew what was coming knew that where the rebels stood the earth would open the consuming fire burn The plague on the other hand which next day spread rapidly among the excited people and threatened to destroy them was not foreseen It came as if straight from the hand of Divine wrath But it afforded an opportunity for Aaron to prove his power with God and his courage Carrying the sacred fire into the midst of the infected people he became the means of their deliverance As he waved his censer and its fumes went up to heaven faith in Jehovah and in Aaron as the true priest of Jehovah was revived in the hearts of men Their spirits came again under the healing power of that symbolism which had lost its virtue in common use and was now associated in a grave crisis with an appeal to Him who smites and heals who kills and makes aliveIt has been maintained by some that the closing sentences of chapter 17 should follow chapter 16 with which they appear to be closely connected the incident of the budding of Aaronrsquos rod seeming to call rather for a festal celebration than a lament The theory of the Book of Numbers we have seen reason to adopt would account for the introduction of the fresh episode simply because it relates to the priesthood and tends to confirm the Aaronites in exclusive dignity The symbolic test of the claim raised by the tribes corresponds closely to the signs that were used by some of the prophets such as the girdle laid up by the river Euphrates and the basket of summer fruits The rod on which Aaronrsquos name was written was of almond a tree for which Syria was famous Like the sloe it sends forth blossoms before the leaves and the unique way in which this twig showed its living vigour as compared with the others was a token of the choice of Levi to serve and Aaron to minister in the holiest office before JehovahThe whole circumstances and the closing cry of the people leave the impression of a grave difficulty found in establishing the hierarchy and centralising the worship It was a necessity-shall we call it a sad necessity-that the men of the tribes should be

7

deprived of direct access to the sanctuary and the oracle Earthly disobedient and far from trustful in God they could not be allowed even the hereditary chiefs among them to offer sacrifices The ideas of the Divine holiness embodied in the Mosaic law were so far in advance of the common thought of Israel that the old order had to be superseded by one fitted to promote the spiritual education of the people and prepare them for a time when there shall be on the bells of the horses HOLY UNTO THE LORD and every pot in Judah shall be holy unto the Lord of hosts and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them and seethe therein The institution of the Aaronic priesthood was a step of progress indispensable to the security of religion and the brotherhood of the tribes in that high sense for which they were made a nation But it was at the same time a confession that Israel was not spiritual was not the holy congregation Korah declared it to be The greater was the pity that afterwards in the day of Israelrsquos opportunity when Christ came to lead the wholepeople into the spiritual liberty and grace for which prophets had longed the priestly system was held tenaciously as the pride of the nation When the law of ritual and sacrifice and priestly mediation should have been left behind as no longer necessary because the Messiah had come the way of higher life was opened in vain Sacerdotalism held its place with full consent of those who guided affairs Israel as a nation was blinded and its day shone in vainOf all priesthoods as corporate bodies however estimable zealous and spiritually-minded individual members of them may be must it not be said that their existence is a sad necessity They may be educative A sacerdotal system now may like that of the Mosaic law be a tutor to bring men to Christ Realising that those who hold office under it may bring help to men not yet fit for liberty But priestly dominance is no perpetual rule in any church certainly not in the Kingdom of God The freedom with which Christ makes men free is the goal The highest duty a priest can fulfil is to prepare men for that liberty and as soon as he can he should discharge them for the enjoyment of it To find in episodes like those of Korahrsquos revolt and its suppression a rule applicable to modern religious affairs is too great an anachronism For whatever right sacerdotalism now has is purely of the Churchrsquos tolerance in the measure not of Divine right but of the need of uninstructed men To the spiritual to those who know the priestly system with its symbols and authoritative claim is but an interference with privilege and dutyCan any Aaron now make an atonement for a mass of people or even in virtue of his office apply to them the atonement made by Christ How does his absolution help a soul that knows Christ the Redeemer as every Christian soul ought to know Him The great fault of priesthoods always is that having once gained power they endeavour to retain it and extend it making greater claims the longer they exist Affirming that they speak for the Church they endeavour to control the voice of the Church Affirming that they speak for Christ they deny or minimise His great gift of liberty Freedom of thought and reason was to Cardinal Newman for example the cause of all deplorable heresies and infidelities of a divided Church and a ruined world The candid priest of our day is found making his claim as largely as ever and then virtually explaining it away Should not the vain attempt to hold by

8

Judaic institutions cease And although the Church of Christ early made the mistake of harking back to Mosaism should not confession now be made that priesthood of the exclusive kind is out of date that every believer may perform the highest functions of the consecrated lifeThe Divine choice of Aaron his confirmation in high religious office by the budding of the almond twig as well as by the acceptance of his intercession have their parallels now The realities of one age become symbols for anotherLike the whole ritual of Israel these particular incidents may be turned to Christian use by way of illustration But not with regard to the prerogative of any arch-hierarch The availing intercession is that of Christ the sole headship over the tribes of men is that which He has gained by Divine courage love and sacrifice Among those who believe there is equal dependence on the work of Christ When we come to intercession which they make for each other it is of value in consideration not of office but of faith The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much It is as righteous men humble men not as priests they prevail The sacraments are efficacious not from any virtue in them or in him that administers them but through faith by the energy of the omnipresent SpiritYet there are men chosen to special duty whose almond twigs bud and blossom and become their sceptres Appointment and ordination are our expedients grace is given by God in a higher line of calling and endowment While there are blessings pronounced that fall upon the ear or gratify the sensibility theirs reach the soul For them the world has need to thank God They keep religion alive and make it bourgeon and yield the new fruits for which the generations hunger They are new branches of the Living Vine Of them it has often to be said as of the Lord Himself The stone which the builders rejected the same has become head of the corner this is the Lordrsquos doing and it is marvellous in our eyes

PETT ntroductionChapter 17 The Rod That Budded In Numbers 16 the question has been dealt with as to who could act as a mediator between Israel and God in the offering of incense Now the further question is dealt with as to who may enter the Holy Placeb) Who Has The Right To Enter The Sanctuary - Issues of Life and Death Evidenced By The Rod That Budded (chapter 17)Here those with the right to enter the Sanctuary are determined once and for all as the sons of Aaron We are given no background to the incident although it may well have followed not long after the preceding event and is clearly connected with it

9

This is the third in the trio of incidents which confirm the Aaronic priesthood the first two of which overlap Each of them covers two days (Numbers 161-50 Numbers 171-13) and each of them ends with the thought of the people being consumed (Numbers 1621 Numbers 1645-48 Numbers 1713)a Yahweh commands each tribe to lay a rod before Him in the Tent of Testimony one for each head of their fatherrsquos house (Numbers 171-3)b The rods to be laid up in the Tent of meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)c The rod of the chosen one will bud and put an end to murmuring (Numbers 175)d All the chieftains give rods including Aaron (Numbers 176)d The rods are placed in the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)c Aaronrsquos Rod buds and flowers in the Tent of Testimony and the budded and unbudded rods are revealed to all the people who look on them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)b Aaronrsquos rod is laid up lsquobefore the Testimonyrsquo to put an end to their murmuring (Numbers 1710)a The people recognise that none but Aaronrsquos house may enter the Tabernacle for they alone can enter the Sanctuary and live and the rod which is evidence for the fact is laid up before the Testimony (Numbers 1712-13)Verses 1-3Yahweh Commands Each Tribe to Lay a Rod Before Him in the Tent of Testimony One For Each Head of Their Fatherrsquos House (Numbers 171-3)Numbers 171lsquoAnd Yahweh spoke to Moses sayingrsquoAgain it is emphasised here that we have the words of Yahweh as spoken to Moses

BI 1-13 Write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of LeviAaronrsquos rodI Instructive to the Israelites

1 An end hereby put to murmuring By an incontrovertible sign they 10

knew who was the true priest2 A preventative furnished against future rebellion Miracles apt to be forgotten of this the evidence was to be preserved Kept for a token

II Suggestive to Christians Every man has some rod on which he leans The Christianrsquos is faith Like Aaronrsquos rod faith flourishesmdash1 Most in the sanctuary There are strengthening influences and a Divine power It will become a barren stock elsewhere2 Under circumstances in which other rods cannot live The almond flourishes even before the winter is fully past Faith budding in adversity3 Produces fruit and flowers on the bare stock of adversity4 Bears fruit speedily when God causes His blessing to rest upon it ldquoBelieve and be savedrdquo5 Stirs the Christian up to vigilance Almond-tree a symbol of watchfulness

III Typical of Christ1 For it is perpetual Aaronrsquos rod laid up as a lasting remembrance2 It bore fruit on a barren stock Jesus a root out of a dry ground3 It was distinguished among the sceptres of the princes Christrsquos kingdom and sceptre rule over all He is a plant of renown4 It was the object of special favour So in Jesus He ldquowas well pleasedrdquo He was ldquoelect and preciousrdquo

IV Symbolical of a true teacher1 His home the house of God2 Presents himself constantly before the testimony3 In himself dry and barren4 Relies upon God for fruitfulness5 Produces by Divine help not flowers only but fruit also6 As a dry and lifeless stock he receives quickening power from God so with his flowers and fruit he presents himself before God and offers all his works to Him

Learnmdash1 The wisdom of God in choice of methods2 To seek a strong and living and practical faith3 To rejoice in and rely upon the perpetual high priesthood of Christ4 To endeavour like the almond-tree to bring forth fruit early (J C Gray)

11

Aaronrsquos rod that buddedThis is our subject the miraculous conversion of Aaronrsquos rod into a living blossoming and fruit-bearing plant It must have been a most convincing prodigy for the purpose it was designed to answer for the people no sooner saw it than they cried out in remorse for their wavering allegiance ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perishrdquo But beyond the age wherein the marvel occurred this putting vegetable life into that dry staff has frequently been borrowed and used for other objects Thus Achilles in classic poetry when enraged against Agamemnon is made by Homer to refer to this miraclemdash

ldquoBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts stock on the high mountains at what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopt off its foliage greenAnd stript its bark shall never grow again -By this I swearrdquo

And amongst Latin literature you will some of you remember that a certain king confirms a covenant with AEneas by a similar oathI We begin by reminding you that among the greatest of our blessings in this world is our strict obligation to do the Divine will and to keep the Divine law It is far more worth our while to sing of Godrsquos statutes than it is to sing of Godrsquos promises Where should we be in a country without human authority and a human authority founded on a reverence for the Divine Very truly does Bushnell say that ldquowithout law man does not live he only grazesrdquo If he had no government he would never discern any reason for existence and would soon not care to exist How different is the world of Voltaire from the world of Milton I The one finds nothing but this clay world and its material beauties flashes into a shallow brilliancy of speech and weaving a song of surfaces empties himself into a book of all that he has felt or seen But the other at the back of all and through all visible things beholds a spirit and a Divinity Now is there not a very beautiful picture of the comeliness and the beneficence of law in the old miracle that was wrought upon the rod of Aaron That staff as we have put it to you was selected as the sign of authority This was a declaration first that no law was perfect that did not display life and beauty and fertility and a declaration secondly that by Godrsquos choice that perfect law dwelt in the high priest But apart from the imagery as a message to the children of Israel I cling to that blooming staff as the very best type I can find anywhere of what Godrsquos rule is amongst us and in His Church I find myself taught by this early prodigy on Aaronrsquos staff that Godrsquos dominion is the dominion of the almond-branch It is a rod alas for us if there were no rod But it is a rod displaying all the three several pledges and gradations of life and thusmdashoh beautiful coincidence if it be nothing moremdashGod turns His law towards the

12

children of men into what the forbidden tree so falsely appeared to the first transgressormdashldquopleasant to the eye and good for foodrdquo Of course I know that the staff or the sceptre is the symbol of authority because a staff is that with which one person smites another The ultimate significance of a rod is a blow But is it nothing to be taught by Godrsquos picture-alphabet of the Old Testament that He smites only with buds and with flowers and with fruit This seems to change even to any childrsquos apprehension the whole character of the sovereignty under which we bow in the modern camp of the Church You tremble as you read the chapter of hard duties Turn the leaf and you will come upon the chapter of precious promises There is not a verse in the Bible that is not in flower with some comfort aye though it be a verse that smites you with a difficult commandment You are never to tell a man to do a single thing in religion without telling him that God will help him to do it You are never to command a sacrifice from me for Christrsquos sake without comforting me with the assurance that ldquoGod is able to give me much more than thisrdquo If you have a strong rough hard stick of responsibility you must show it to me bursting out all over with the rich petals and the hanging clusters of the sovereignty of Divine grace Aye for I want you to mark well that here was a miracle within a miracle The natural almond-branch never has upon it at one time buds blossoms and fruit But I seem to be taught by this accumulation of successive life all at once on one stem that there is no element of mercy wanting in the code by which I am to be managed But remember that if we deserve nothing but the rod and yet if God never uses the rod save with the buds the blossoms and the fruit ldquoHe may well record it against us if either we despise the chastening of the Lord or faint when we are rebuked of HimrdquoII But now the real and only proper commentary on the facts of the Pentateuch will be found in the doctrines of the Epistle to the Hebrews Do you believe that all those lives would have been lost and all that commotion would have been made about the prerogative of Aaronrsquos priesthood but for that other Priest on whom the whole world was to relymdashthe Priest for evermdashldquomade not after the law of a carnal commandment but after the power of an endless liferdquo It is not by one Scripture it is by scores that I find myself pointed through that staff to the real government of this world in the rod out of the stem of Jesse ldquoHe shall grow up before Him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground without form or comelinessrdquo And yet all the while He was the ldquorod out of the stem of Jesserdquo And when I read in the Book of Numbers how the Hebrews rose up against Aaron and put him to shame I can only take it for a foreshadowing of another rebellion when they insulted another Sceptre who was ldquodespised and rejected of menrdquo We preach to you Christ a stumbling-block to the Jews And scarcely can you wonder that so long as the rod was only the root out of a dry ground the Son of the carpenter and the Friend of sinners there was ldquo no beauty in Him that they should desire Himrdquo But that is not the staff with which this day God governs His Church No no He hath declared that lowly peasant preacher to be ldquothe Son of God with power in that He hath raised Him from the deadrdquo Ah that night in which they concealed Aaronrsquos rod in the tabernacle of witness it was never less living never less blossoming than then But it was not left in darkness neither did it see corruption And on

13

the appointed morning men found it marked by the choice of the Omnipotent with the buds the blossoms and the fruit In like manner the coldest darkest least living period in Immanuelrsquos career was when they hid Him among all the other millions of the dead in the tomb cut out of the rock in the garden of Joseph ldquoBut now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first-fruits of them that sleptrdquo He was raised up ldquoa plant of renownrdquo And from that glorious Easter morning the ldquorod out of the stem of Jesserdquo has been ldquothe tree whose leaves are for the healing of the nationsrdquo and ldquofilling the face of the world with fruitrdquo Men can be governed by a Mediator and yet not perish ldquoThe soul that sinneth it shall dierdquo That is a rod but ldquoif any man sin we have an Advocate with the Fatherrdquo that is ldquoAaronrsquos rod that buddedrdquomdashthe rod of the Priest Reuben Gad and all the rest have rods Christianity is not alone in the sternness of its government or the severity of its sanctions But it is alone in telling me how I can receive remission of sins that are past and how I can obtain the strongest of motives for a life of obedience in the time to come (H Christopherson)

Aaronrsquos rod blossoming and bearing fruitI As the priesthood of Aaron was a type of the priesthood of Christ there is here a suggestion of facts which must have their counterpart in Christrsquos life and history

1 The atonement and death of our Lord Jesus were matters of Divine appointment The whole work of our salvation originated with God2 But more than thismdashwhich is the essential truth here enshrinedmdashwe see here that God often manifests Himself in unexpected forms of beauty and of grace The dry rod blossomed and bare fruit The powers of Divine salvation were enshrined in the person of the Carpenter of Nazareth There was life for a dead world in the Cross and in the grave of the dead Christ

II There are suggestions here concerning Christian life1 Christian life begins with God2 The Christian life manifests itself in unfavourable conditions It is in human souls a power of active benevolence or it is nothing at all It takes hold of human misery with a healing hand and it changes it into blessing Where sin abounded there grace does much more abound3 There is beauty associated with the developments of Christian life and character There is nothing half so winning as Christian grace

III Suggestions in relation to the gospel ministry1 There is a Divine designation of men to the highest service of the Church2 But what is the qualification of men thus sent Evidently the possession of Divine life the gift which is to be imparted to those needing it To be a Christian teacher a man must be a Christian and must

14

know the things of Christ3 How then are we to judge a manrsquos Divine call and authority Only and solely by the blossoms and fruitmdashby the spiritual results of his ministry

IV Last of all there are here suggestions concerning Christian humiliation1 The world has not known its best benefactors It has always had a scornful word for the saintly and the true-hearted It has always risen up in rebellion against the anointed of the Lord2 Here is a word of encouragement to all weak and mistrustful and diffident and self-emptied souls ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says the old labourer in the Masterrsquos vineyard and the holy matron whose life has been careful and troubled about many things but who has ever been anxious to honour and serve her dear Lord in lowliest ways and household duties ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says the saint waiting dismission to rest who has not done what he would or been as useful as he desired and hoped and prayed to be ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says one whose strength has been weakened by the way and whose unfinished purposes lie sadly enough at his feet fallen out of hands which could not longer hold them or fashion them into completeness ldquoWe are but dry rodsrdquo say many earnest anxious longing souls who hardly dare to trust for the future because so often when they would do good evil is present with them We are not saved by trust in our own righteousness or by satisfaction with our own goodness and deeds But Godrsquos grace is all-sufficient and He can work miracles of beauty and fruitfulness where human might is feeblest and self mistrust is greatest and humility of spirit is deepest (W H Davison D D)

The Divine plan for vindicating the high priesthood of Aaron and its moral teachingI That true ministers of religion are elected by GodII It is of great importance that men should know that their ministers of religion are called by God

1 In order that they may regard them with becoming respect2 In order that they may take heed to their message

III The vitality of sin is of dreadful tenacity ldquoMany menrsquos lipsrdquo says Trapp ldquolike rusty hinges for want of the oil of grace and gladness move not without murmuring and complainingrdquo It is a thing of extreme difficulty to eradicate any evil disposition from the human heart ldquoFor such is the habitual hardness of menrsquos hearts as neither ministry nor misery nor miracle nor mercy can possibly mollify Nothing can do it but an extraordinary touch from the hand of HeavenrdquoIV God is engaged in eradicating sin from human hearts (W Jones)

15

Aaronrsquos rod an illustration of the true Christian ministryI The characteristics of the true Christian ministry

1 Life2 Beauty3 Fruitfulness

II The origin of the true Christian ministry Godrsquos creation and gift to the ChurchIII The influence of the true Christian ministry Abiding (W Jones)

The budded rod a type of ChristThe rod in many graphic tints shows Jesus The very name is caught by raptured prophets (Isa_111 Zec_612-13) Thus faith gleans lessons from the very titlemdashRod But the grand purport of the type is to reject all rivals It sets Aaron alone upon the priestly seat The parallel proclaims that similarly Jesus is our only Priest God calls anoints appoints accepts and ever hears Him but Him alone In His hands only do these functions live Next the constant luxuriance has a clear voice In naturersquos field buds blossoms fruit soon wither Not so this rod Its verdure was for ever green its fruit was ever ripe Beside the ark it was reserved in never-fading beauty Here is the ever-blooming Priesthood of our Lord (Psa_1104 Heb_724) Mark moreover that types of Jesus often comprehend the Church It is so with these rods The twelve at first seem all alike They are all sapless twigs But suddenly one puts forth loveliness while the others still remain worthless and withered Here is a picture of Godrsquos dealings with a sin-slain race Since Adamrsquos fall all are born lifeless branches of a withered stock When any child of man arises from the death of sin and blooms in grace God has arisen with Divine almightiness Believer the budded rod gives another warning It is a picture of luxuriance Turn from it and look inward Is your soul thus richly fertile Instead of fruit you often yield the thorn (Joh_158) Whence is the fault (Joh_154) Perhaps your neglectful soul departs from Christ Meditate in Godrsquos law day and night (Psa_13) But if the budded rod rebukes the scanty fruit in the new-born soul what is its voice to unregenerate worldlings (Heb_68) (Dean Law)

The rod of AaronBuds are evidence of life A nominal Christian is like a dead trunk and he cannot bud unless the sap of Divine grace courses through him Spiritual life is an attribute of the converted Christian The spiritual life of a being is his presiding sentiment or dispositionmdashthe chief inspiration of his soulmdashthat which gives motion and character to his mental and moral beingI Life is a resistless force The smallest blade of grass that raises its tiny head into light or the feeblest insect that sports in the sunbeam displays a

16

force superior to that which governs the ocean or controls the stars Man stands erect the tree rises and the bird soars because of lifeII Life is an appropriating force Vegetable and animal existences have a power of appropriating to themselves all surrounding elements conducive to their well-being just as the life of the plant converts the various gases around it into nutriment to promote its strength and development Wherever there is true religion there is a power to render all external circumstances subservient to its own strength and growth all things work together for its goodIII Life is a propagating force It has ldquothe seed in itselfrdquo Forests start from acorns and boundless harvests from the solitary grain It is said that the grateful Israelites anxious to carry away a bud a blossom or almond as a memento of the occasion the flowers and fruit on the rod were repeatedly and miraculously renewed for that purpose Be that as it may wherever there is religious life it will spread it scatters broadcast the incorruptible seed which liveth and abideth for everIV Life is a beautifying force There are two kinds of beautymdashthe sensational and the moral Nature in her ten thousand forms of loveliness and art in her exquisite expressions of taste are ministries to the former whilst spiritual truth moral goodness and the holiness of God address the latter The one is the poetry of the eye and ear the other of the soul The beauty that appeals to the religious nature of man is the beauty of holinessmdashthe beauty of the Lordmdashthe glory of God in His goodnessV Life is a fructifying force The true Christian not only lives and unfolds a noble disposition but is really useful St Paul speaks of ldquothe fruit of the Spiritrdquomdashrighteousness goodness truth The first as opposed to all injustice and dishonesty the second as opposed to the ten thousand forms of selfishness the third as opposed to all that is erroneous and false in the doctrines and theories of men (G L Saywell)

Aaronrsquos rodHere are three miracles in onemdash

1 That a dry rodmdashmade of the almond treemdashshould bring forth buds in a moment2 That those buds should presently become blossoms anal flowers3 That these should immediately become ripe fruit and that all at once or at least in a little space

Nature makes no such leaps All this was supernatural to these ends1 For a testimony of Godrsquos calling Aaron to the priesthood2 For a type of Christ the Branch (Isa_111)3 For a figure of the fruitfulness of a gospel ministry4 For a lively representation of a glorious resurrection (C Ness)

17

Lessons from the budding rodA wonderful work of God which sundry ways may profit us

1 As first to consider that if the power of God can do this in a dry stick cannot He make the barren woman to bare and be a joyful mother of children Can He not do whatsoever He will do By this power the sea is dried the rock gives water the earth cleaveth under the feet of men fire descends whose nature is to ascend raiseth the dead and calleth things that are not as if they were In a word He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think ampc2 This rod is a notable type of Christ His person and office Of His person in that He was born of the Virgin Mary who though He descended of the royal blood yet was now poor and mean as that royal race was brought exceeding low nothing remaining but as it were a root only Now the said Virgin flourisheth again as Aaronrsquos rod did and beareth such fruit as never woman bear Of this speaks Isaiah the prophet when he saith ldquoThere shall come a rod forth of the stock of Jesse and a graft shall grow out of his rootsrdquo Of His office both priestly and kingly His priestly office is figured in that being offered upon the cross He was as Aaronrsquos dried rod or as the Psalm saith ldquodried up like a potsherdrdquo But when He rose again He became like Aaronrsquos budding and fruit-bearing rod bringing forth to man believing on Him remission of sins righteousness and eternal life His kingly office in that He governeth His Church with a rod or sceptre of righteousness as it is in the Psalm ldquoThe sceptre of Thy kingdom is a right sceptrerdquo Which rod and sceptre is the preaching of the gospel ampc3 Again it was a resemblance of true ministers and of all faithful men and women for none of all these ought to be dry and withered sticks but bear and bring forth buds and fruit according to their places4 It is a shadow also of our resurrection by which we should grow green again and flourish with a new and an eternal glory having like dead seed lain in the ground and we shall bring forth ripe almonds that is the praise of Godrsquos incomprehensible goodness to us for ever and ever5 It resembleth our reformation and amendment of life for when our heart feeleth what is amiss this is as the bud when it resolveth of a change and a future amendment this is the blossom and when it performeth the same by a new reformed life indeed this is as the ripe almonds of Aaronrsquos rod(Bp Babington)

The priesthood divinely selectedWhat matchless wisdom shines in this arrangement How completely is the matter taken out of manrsquos hands and placed where alone it ought to be namely in the hands of the living God It was not to be a man appointing

18

himself or a man appointing his fellow but God appointing the man of His own selection In a word the question was to be definitively settled by God Himself so that all murmurings might be silenced for ever and no one be able again to charge Godrsquos high priest with taking too much upon him The human will had nothing whatever to do with this solemn matter The twelve rods all in a like condition were laid up before the Lord man retired and left God to act There was no room no opportunity because there was no occasion for human management In the profound retirement of the sanctuary far away from all manrsquos thinkings was the grand question of priesthood settled by Divine decision and being thus settled it could never again be raised (C H Mackintosh)

Aaronrsquos fruitful rodStriking and beautiful figure of Him who was ldquodeclared to be the Son of God with power by resurrection from the deadrdquo The twelve rods were all alike lifeless but God the living God entered the scene and by that power peculiar to Himself infused life into Aaronrsquos rod and brought it forth to view bearing upon it the fragrant fruits of resurrection Who could gainsay this The rationalist may sneer at it and raise a thousand questions Faith gazes on that fruit-bearing rod and sees in it a lovely figure of the new creation in the which all things are of God Infidelity may argue on the ground of the apparent impossibility of a dry stick budding blossoming and bearing fruit in the course of one night But to whelm does it appear impossible To the infidel the rationalist the sceptic And why Because he always shuts out God Let us remember this Infidelity invariably shuts out God God can do as He pleases The One who called worlds into existence could make a rod to bud blossom and bear fruit in a moment Bring God in and all is simple and plain as possible Leave God out and all is plunged in hopeless confusion (C H Mackintosh)

The rods contrastedPonder the difference between the rod of Moses and the rod of Aaron We have seen the former doing its characteristic work in other days and amid other scenes We have seen the land of Egypt trembling beneath the heavy strokes of that rod Plague after plague fell upon that devoted scene in answer to that outstretched rod We have seen the waters of the sea divided in answer to that rod In short the rod of Moses was a rod of power a rod of authority But it could not avail to hush the murmurings of the children of Israel nor yet to bring the people through the desert Grace alone could do that and we have the expression of pure gracemdashfree sovereign gracemdashin the budding of Aaronrsquos rod Nothing can be more forcible nothing more lovely That dry dead stick was the apt figure of Israelrsquos condition and indeed of the condition of every one of us by nature There was no sap no life no power One might well say ldquoWhat good can ever come of itrdquo None whatever had not grace come in and displayed its quickening power So was it with Israel in the wilderness and so is it with us now How were they to

19

be led along from day to day How were they to be sustained in all their weakness and need How were they to be borne with in all their sin and folly The answer is found in Aaronrsquos budding rod If the dry dead stick was the expression of naturersquos barren and worthless condition the buds blossoms and fruit set forth that living and life-giving grace and power of God on which was based the priestly ministry that alone could bear the congregation through the wilderness Grace alone could answer the ten thousand necessities of the militant host Power could not suffice Authority could not avail Priesthood alone could supply what was needed and this priesthood was instituted on the foundation of that efficacious grace which could bring fruit out of a dry rod Thus it was as to priesthood of old and thus it is as to ministry now All ministry in the Church of God is the fruit of Divine gracemdashthe gift of Christ the Churchrsquos Head (C H Mackintosh)

2 ldquoSpeak 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

BARNES Compare Eze_3716 ff

CLARKE And take of every one of them a rod - matteh the staff or מטהscepter which the prince or chief of each tribe bore and which was the sign of office or royalty among almost all the people of the earth

GILL Speak unto the children of Israel The principal men among them of the several tribes and take of everyone of them not of every individual of the people of Israel but of their princes as afterwards explained a rod according to the house of their fathers or father of whom their house or tribe was called as Reuben Simeon ampc this rod was either a

20

common walking staff as some think or rather the ensign of their princely office and dignity peculiar to each tribe though some think it was now freshly cut off from an almond tree and that all the rods were of one and the same tree but supposing they were all of the almond kind as Josephus (d) thinks yet being dry rods and of long use served to make the miracle appear the greater of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods this explains who they were to be taken of the princes of the several tribes whose names are given Num_15 and the number of them twelve according to the number of the twelve tribes write thou every mans name upon his rod the name of each prince or head of a tribe either by cutting it into the rod or fastening a writing to it after the manner of those times as for instance the name of Elizur for the tribe of Reuben by which it was to be made and was made to appear that to none of these tribes belonged the priesthood but to the tribe of Levi and to none of that tribe but the family of Aaron whereby it should seem that some of all the tribes made pretensions to it as being all holy and especially the chief firstborn of every tribe as such their princes were

JAMISON 2-5 Speak unto the children of Israel mdash The controversy with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood was of such a nature and magnitude as required a decisive and authoritative settlement For the removal of all doubts and the silencing of all murmuring in the future regarding the holder of the office a miracle was wrought of a remarkable character and permanent duration and in the manner of performing it all the people were made to have a direct and special interest

take of every one princes twelve rods mdash As the princes being the oldest sons of the chief family and heads of their tribes might have advanced the best claims to the priesthood if that sacred dignity was to be shared among all the tribes they were therefore selected and being twelve in number - that of Joseph being counted only one - Moses was ordered to see that the name of each was inscribed - a practice borrowed from the Egyptians - upon his rod or wand of office The name of Aaron rather than of Levi was used as the latter name would have opened a door of controversy among the Levites and as there was to be one rod only for the head of each tribe the express appointment of a rod for Aaron determined him to be the head of that tribe as well as that branch or family of the tribe to which the priestly dignity should belong These rods were to be laid in the tabernacle close to the ark (compare Num_1710 and Heb_94) where a divine token was promised that would for all time terminate the dispute

CALVIN 2Speak unto the children of Israel They are mistaken who suppose that to the twelve rods there was another added for the tribe of Levi (103) for since there was no question here as to the possession of the land there was no occasion at

21

all for the division of the tribe of Joseph into two parts We know too that it was endowed with a double portion because the Levites had no inheritance and in this case the circumstances were different because all the other tribes were contending for the priesthood with the tribe of Levi alone Hence it was then that rods were given to each of them in accordance with the origin of their race But when Aaronrsquos rod is said to have been ldquoin the midst of themrdquo (104) it is in the usual phrase of the Hebrew language because it was mixed with them as one of their number And this is expressly stated to show us that all ground for caviling might be taken from the ungodly since all the rods were east promiscuously into the same bundle so that none should be distinguished above the others and thus nothing could be ascribed to the collusion of men If any should object that by these means the rivalry was not extinguished which the other Levites had with the house of Aaron since his own name alone was inscribed upon the rod so that there would be no comparison between the families I reply that since the power of God manifested itself distinctly in the name of Aaron the rejection of the others was sufficiently shown forth by his election for if this honor had been common to the others God would have defrauded them by giving distinction to him alone Besides no other plan could have been adopted for putting an end to this quarrel for if there had been several rods for one tribe the whole people would have complained of the inequality It was necessary then that all should be brought to the contest on equal terms so that the difference between them might be seen to depend upon Godrsquos good pleasure But if the name of Levi had been inscribed all its families would have claimed the right of succession as if common to them all There was therefore no other course open but that God should prefer to the whole people one individual chosen from amongst the members of his own kindred and tribe COKE Numbers 172 Take of every one of them a rodmdash The minds of a considerable number of the people having been poisoned by the insinuations of Korah and his accomplices against Aaron and his family upon the account of the priesthood God is pleased to add another signal miracle in confirmation of his priests authority accordingly the head of each tribe is ordered to take a rod and bring it before the Lord Some have supposed that these were the ordinary rods or batoons which the princes of the tribes bore while from the 8th verse of this chapter others infer that these were twigs or branches from one and the same almond tree whichever was the case the miracle was sufficiently great to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of ProvidenceBENSON Numbers 172 Take of every one mdash Not of every person but of every tribe A rod mdash A twig or branch from one and the same almond-tree as some infer from Numbers 178 Or according to others the ordinary rods which the princes of the tribes carried in their hands as tokens of their dignity and authority Numbers 2118 And indeed the miracle would appear the greater if neither Aaronrsquos rod nor any of the rest was of the almond-tree But the miracle was sufficiently great either way to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of Providence Every manrsquos name mdash Every princersquos for they being the firstborn and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of

22

their tribes and besides the prince represented all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the question And this place seems to confirm the opinion that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contended with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holyELLICOTT (2) And take of every one of them mdashBetter And take of them a rod for each fatherrsquos houseTwelve rodsmdashSome suppose that Aaronrsquos rod was not included amongst the twelve Others suppose that one rod only was taken for the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh The latter supposition is more accordant with the terms here employed than the former and is supported by Deuteronomy 2712-13 where Joseph stands for the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh and Levi is included amongst the twelve tribesWrite thou every manrsquos name upon his rodmdashThis was in accordance with an Egyptian custom (See Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians III 388) The prophet Ezekiel received a similar injunction (Ezekiel 3716)POOLE Speak unto the children of Israel that I may fully and finally satisfy all their scruples and take away all pretence and cause of murmuringOf every one of them not of every person but of every tribe as it followsA rod either an ordinary walking staff or rather that staff or rod which the princes carried in their hand as tokens of their dignity and authority as may be gathered from Numbers 2118 compared with Psalms 1102 Jeremiah 481617According to the house of their fathers ie according to each family proceeding from the patriarch or father of that tribeEvery manrsquos name ie every princersquos for they being the first-born and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of their tribes and besides each prince represented and acted for all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the whole question And this plate seems to confirm what was before observed that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contested with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holy as they said Numbers 163

WHEDON 2 A rod mdash Each chief prince of the twelve tribes bore a staff or sceptre as the sign of office Such rods were often hereditary and of great antiquity That such dry staves should blossom and bear fruit again is so improbable that the Greeks were accustomed to swear by their sceptres Thus Achilles

23

ldquoBut hearken I will swear a solemn oathBy this sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as oncerdquoWritehellip every manrsquos name mdash To identify beyond dispute the rod of Aaron after the trial The illiteracy of Moses and his generation as alleged by some modern writers is here abundantly confuted Since there were twelve rods including Levirsquos it is evident that the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim are here counted as one tribe mdash that of JosephPETT Numbers 172lsquoSpeak to the children of Israel and take of them rods one for each fathersrsquo house of all their princes according to their fathersrsquo houses twelve rods You write every manrsquos name on his rodrsquoAll the men of Israel were to be involved in this It is possible that Levi were included among lsquothe twelversquo and that Manasseh and Ephraim were for this event treated as one tribe the rods representing the lsquohouseholdsrsquo of the original patriarchal fathers But a rod was taken for each of their fathersrsquo houses and the names of each of the chieftains of those fathersrsquo houses was written on the rods This would suggest in the light of previous references to twelve chieftains that the lsquotwelversquo rods were in contrast with Aaronrsquos rod (Alternately one rod may have represented Joseph including both Ephraim and Manasseh It was Joseph who was to be lsquoa fruitful boughrsquo (Genesis 4922) but not as pertaining to the priesthood)The word for lsquorodsrsquo also indicates lsquotribes and can in fact be used to indicate either Thus the rods symbolised each tribe

PULPIT Numbers 172Take of every one of them a rod Literally take of them a rod a rod ie a rod apiece in the way immediately particularized hsilgnEegaugnaL מטה is used for the staff of Judah (Genesis 3818) and for the rod of Moses (Exodus 42) It is also used in the sense of tribe (Numbers 14 Numbers 116) Each tribe was but a branch or rod out of the stock of Israel and therefore was most naturally represented by the rod cut from the tree lsquoThe words used for scepter in Genesis 4910 and in Psalms 457 and for rod in Isaiah 111 and elsewhere are different but the same imagery underlies the use of all of them Of all their princes hellip twelve rods These princes must be those named in Isaiah 22-21 and Isaiah 25-71 Since among these are to be found the tribe princes of Ephraim and Manasseh standing upon a perfect equality with the rest it is evident that the twelve rods were exclusive

24

of that of Aaron The joining together of Ephraim and Manasseh in Deuteronomy 2712 was a very different thing because it could not raise any question as between the two

3 On the staff of Levi write Aaronrsquos name for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe

BARNES Thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of Levi - The Levites had taken part in the late outbreak It was therefore necessary to vindicate the supremacy of the house of Aaron over them and accordingly his name was written on the rod of Levi although being the son of Kohath the second son of Levi (Exo_616 ff) he would not be the natural head of the tribe

GILL And thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi Or upon the rod that was for the tribe of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written not the word Levi or a Levite as Josephus (e) for that would not have decided the controversy about the priesthood which chiefly lay between the Levites and the family of Aaron who were of the same tribe for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers one rod for the head or prince of every tribe every prince representing his own tribe he was the head of and the rod the prince and though the tribe of Levi was divided into two families the family of the priests and the family of the Levites yet as Jarchi observes they were but one tribe and so one rod for them as for the other tribes

ELLICOTT (3) And thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of LevimdashAaron was descended from the second son of Levi He was not therefore the natural but the divinely-appointed head of his fatherrsquos house and hence it would not have sufficed for the purpose contemplated to have inscribed the name of Levi upon the rod Aaron was constituted the head alike of the priests and of the Levites into which two classes the tribe of Levi was divided

25

BENSON Numbers 173 Aaronrsquos name mdash Rather than Levirsquos for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos family One rod mdash There shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixed

POOLE Aaronrsquos rather than Levirsquos name for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos familyFor the head of the house of their fathers ie there shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixedPETT Numbers 173lsquoAnd you shall write Aaronrsquos name on the rod of Levi for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathersrsquo housesrsquoOn the rod of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written There was to be one for each head of their fathersrsquo houses In the light of the earlier divisions in chapters 1-4 we are probably therefore to see that there were thirteen rods the twelve which represented Israel in contrast with the Levites and the one that specifically represented AaronHere Aaron is depicted as the head of the house of Levi That may well be why earlier he was called lsquothe Levitersquo as the head of the family (Exodus 414)

PULPIT Numbers 173Thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi There was no tribe prince of Levi and it is not probable that either of the three chiefs of the sub-tribes (Numbers 324 Numbers 330 55) was called upon to bring a rod This rod was therefore provided by Moses himself and inscribed by him with the name of Aaron who stood by Divine appointment (so recently and fearfully attested) above all his brethren For the significance of the act cf Ezekiel 3716-28 For one rod hellip for the head of the house of their fathers For Levi therefore there must be not three rods inscribed with the names of the chiefs but one only bearing the name of Aaron as

26

their common superior

4 Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law where I meet with you

GILL And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation In the most holy place before the testimony that is the ark in which the testimony or the law was here they were laid as in the presence of God who was in a miraculous way to decide the controversy by them and put an end to it for upon the ark was the mercy seat over which were the cherubim the seat of the divine Majesty and where none could come at them and where no fraud could be supposed to be committed where I will meet with you not with the people in person who might not go at any time into the most holy place nor with Aaron who only might go into it on the day of atonement but with Moses the chief ruler and representative of the whole body of the people and who might go in there at any time to consult with God about matters of moment and difficulty and where the Lord had said he would meet him Exo_2522 and now would in a miraculous way clearly show him and the people of Israel by him who was the priest he had chosen of all the tribesCALVIN 4And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle The place itself had not a little to do with the effectual decision of the matter because it was clearly manifested that God was the author of the miracle and consequently that the priesthood proceeded from Him For we have elsewhere said that the whole government of the Church so entirely depends upon His decree that men are not permitted to interfere with it Wherefore He set the ark of the covenant in opposition to the voices of the whole people in order to testify that no further dispute was to be raised respecting the priest whom He had appointed by His own declaration and authority At the same time it had the effect of consoling the people and silencing their complaints that the rods of all the tribes were brought in common into the sanctuary before God for although a peculiar dignity was accorded to that of Aaron alone still the people ceased not to be a priestly kingdom Hence it follows that the honorable privilege conferred on one family contributed to the public welfare of all so far was it from being the case that their inferiority ought to have caused them pain or envy

27

POOLE Before the testimony ie before the ark of the testimony either mediately close by the veil behind which the ark stood or rather immediately within the veil in the most holy place close by the ark as may be gathered by comparing this place with Numbers 1710 and with Hebrews 94I will meet with you and manifest my mind to you for the ending of this dispute PETT The Rods Are To Be Laid Up in the Tent of Meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)Numbers 174lsquoAnd you shall lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony where I meet with yoursquoThese were then to be lsquolaid up in the Tent of meeting before the testimonyrsquo in the place where Yahweh meets with His people This probably meant in front of the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh lsquothe testimonyrsquo indicating the presence of the covenant tablets in the Ark and their testimony to the covenant

5 The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelitesrdquo

CLARKE The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossom - It was necessary that something farther should be done to quiet the minds of the people and for ever to settle the dispute in what tribe the priesthood should be fixed God therefore took the method described in the text and it had the desired effect the Aaronical priesthood was never after disputed

GILL And it shall come to pass that the mans rod whom I shall choose Or make it manifest that he had chosen him and so confirm the choice he had made of him and his family for the priesthood to be and continue in

28

shall blossom bud and blossom and yield fruit as it afterwards did which is here declared beforehand that the miracle might appear the greater exactly answering to a prediction delivered out before of it and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel whereby they murmur against you against Moses for setting up his brother as an high priest and establishing the priesthood in his family and against Aaron for accepting of it and officiating in it but by this method now taken God would for ever silence their murmurings so that they should never be able with any face to object any more to the authority of the Aaronic priesthood which should appear by the predicted miracle beyond all dispute and contradictionCALVIN 5And it shall come to pass that the manrsquos rod Aaron indeed had been previously chosen but the expression here refers to his manifestation (105) because God is said again to choose those whom He has chosen by His secret counsel when He brings them forth into the sight of men with their peculiar marks of distinction and this not once only but as often as he confirms their election by new indications And this seems to be spoken of by way of concession as if God would pass over all His former decrees and invite the people afresh to take cognizance of the matter With this view tie states that He will put an end to all the malevolent and noisy detractions of the people so that Aaron may henceforth exercise his office without controversy for although not even thus was their perverseness altogether cured still their insolence was restrained

ELLICOTT (5) The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossommdashOr shall sprout forth or put forthmdashie leaves or blossoms Achilles when enraged against Agamemnon is made to swear a solemn oath by his sceptre which having once left its stock on the mountains shall never again grow King Latinus is represented by Virgil as confirming his covenant with AEligneas by a similar oath

WHEDON 5 Whom I shall choose mdash That is select for the priesthoodCeasehellip murmurings mdash Suppress them beyond all possibility of a revival Jehovahrsquos claims are set forth in his word with such cogency that there is no just ground for gainsaying On all questions of duty there is a redundancy of evidencePETT The Rod of the Chosen One Will Bud and Put an End to Murmuring (Numbers 175)Numbers 175lsquoAnd it will come about that the rod of the man whom I shall choose will bud and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel which they

29

murmur against yoursquoThen Yahweh would make the rod of the man that Yahweh had chosen spring to life and bud This final display on Yahwehrsquos initiative should cause all further murmurings against Moses and Aaron on the question of who had the right of priesthood to cease

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 Aaronrsquos staff was among them

BARNES The whole number of rods was twelve exclusive of Aaronrsquos as the Vulgate expressly states

GILL And Moses spake unto the children of Israel What the Lord had bid him say unto them concerning the rods which they hearkened unto and observed and everyone of their princes gave him a rod apiece for each prince one every prince of the several tribes and so a rod for every tribe as well as for each prince according to their fathers houses even twelve rods there being twelve tribes named after their fathers or the patriarchs the twelve sons of Jacob and Joseph having two tribes which sprung from him called after his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh there were twelve rods besides that of Aaron and so the Vulgate Latin version renders the words with the next clauseand there were twelve rods besides the rod of Aaronin all thirteen though the Jews say there were but twelve with it allowing but one rod for Joseph under whom were comprehended Ephraim and Manasseh and reckoning the tribe of Levi one of the twelve so Aben Ezra observes that the rod of Levi was among the twelve and Joseph had but one rod and the rod of Aaron was among their rods in the middle of them and was

30

so placed as Jarchi thinks that it might not be said because it was put on the side of the Shechinah or divine Majesty therefore it budded but being in the middle of them there could be no difference in that respectJAMISON the rod of Aaron was among their rods mdash either one of the

twelve or as many suppose a thirteenth in the midst (Heb_94) The rods were of dry sticks or wands probably old as transmitted from one head of the family to a succeeding

KampD Num_176-11Moses carried out this command And when he went into the tabernacle the following morning behold Aarons rod of the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth shoots and had borne blossoms and matured almonds And Moses brought all the rods out of the sanctuary and gave every man his own the rest as we may gather from the context being all unchanged so that the whole nation could satisfy itself that God had chosen Aaron Thus was the word fulfilled which Moses had spoken at the commencement of the rebellion of the company of Korah (Num_165) and that in a way which could not fail to accredit him before the whole congregation as sent of GodSo far as the occurrence itself is concerned there can hardly be any need to remark that the natural interpretation which has lately been attempted by Ewald viz that Moses had laid several almond rods in the holy place which had just been freshly cut off that he might see the next day which of them would flower the best during the night is directly at variance with the words of the text and also with the fact that a rod even freshly cut off when laid in a dry place would not bear ripe fruit in a single night The miracle which God wrought here as the Creator of nature was at the same time a significant symbol of the nature and meaning of the priesthood The choice of the rods had also a bearing upon the object in question A mans rod was the sign of his position as ruler in the house and congregation with a prince the rod becomes a sceptre the insignia of rule (Gen_4910) As a severed branch the rod could not put forth shoots and blossom in a natural way But God could impart new vital powers even to the dry rod And so Aaron had naturally no pre-eminence above the heads of the other tribes But the priesthood was founded not upon natural qualifications and gifts but upon the power of the Spirit which God communicates according to the choice of His wisdom and which He had imparted to Aaron through his consecration with holy anointing oil It was this which the Lord intended to show to the people by causing Aarons rod to put forth branches blossom and fruit through a miracle of His omnipotence whereas the rods of the other heads of the tribes remained as barren as before In this way therefore it was not without deep significance that Aarons rod not only put forth shoots by which the divine election might be recognised but bore even blossom and ripe fruit This showed that Aaron was not only qualified for his calling but administered his office in the full power of the Spirit and bore the fruit expected of him The almond rod was especially adapted to exhibit this as

31

an almond-tree flowers and bears fruit the earliest of all the trees and has received its name of שקד ldquoawakerdquo from this very fact (cf Jer_111)

God then commanded (Num_1710 Num_1711) that Aarons rod should be taken back into the sanctuary and preserved before the testimony ldquofor a sign for the rebellious that thou puttest an end to their murmuring and they die notrdquo The preservation of the rod before the ark of the covenant in the immediate presence of the Lord was a pledge to Aaron of the continuance of his election and the permanent duration of his priesthood though we have no need to assume that through a perpetual miracle the staff continued green and blossoming In this way the staff became a sign to the rebellious which could not fail to stop their murmuringPETT All the Chieftains Give Rods Including Aaron (Numbers 176)Numbers 176lsquoAnd Moses spoke to the children of Israel and all their princes gave him rods for each prince one according to their fathersrsquo houses even twelve rods and the rod of Aaron was among their rodsrsquoSo Moses did as Yahweh commanded and requested rods from each of the chieftains of the twelve tribes These rods may well have been their symbols of authority Thus twelve rods were gathered and Aaronrsquos rod was placed among them PULPIT And the rod of Aaron was among the rods As there was no prince from whom this rod could have come and as there were twelve rods without it this must mean that Moses did not keep Aarons rod separate (which might have caused suspicion) but let it be seen amongst the others

7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law

GILL And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness In that part of the tabernacle where the testimony or witness was that is the law which was in the ark over which was the mercy seat with the cherubim between which Jehovah dwelt and this was the most holy place and the rods being laid here might be said to be laid before the Lord who by making a difference in one of those rods from the rest would decide the controversy about the priesthood which was the end of their being laid

32

before himHENRY The preparing of the rods accordingly The princes brought

them in some of them perhaps fondly expecting that the choice would fall upon them and all of them thinking it honour enough to be competitors with Aaron and to stand candidates even for the priesthood (Num_177) and Moses laid them up before the Lord He did not object that the matter was sufficiently settled already and enough done to convince those that were not invincibly hardened in their prejudices He did not undertake to determine the controversy himself though it might easily have been done nor did he suggest that it would be to no purpose to offer satisfaction to a people that were willingly blind But since God will have it so he did his part and lodged the case before the Lord to whom the appeal was made by consent and left it with him

WHEDON 7 Witness mdash The Hebrew is the same as that for testimony in Numbers 174 The reason for choosing this place may have been that no one would suspect the performance of any legerdemain or jugglery in the holy of holies a sanctuary too awful for any man to enter but the high priest one day in the year Moses entered on this occasion by express commandPETT The Rods Are Placed In the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)Numbers 177lsquoAnd Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimonyrsquoThe rods were then laid up lsquobefore Yahwehrsquo in lsquothe Tent of the testimonyrsquo Note the change in name for the Tent Emphasis is placed here on the fact that the Tent testifies to Yahweh and His covenant As we have already suggested this probably meant that they were placed before the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh although it may be that Moses uniquely had access into the Holy of Holies itself

8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaronrsquos staff which represented the tribe of Levi had not only sprouted but had budded blossomed and produced almonds 33

BARNES Yielded almonds - ldquoRipened almondsrdquo i e ldquobrought forth ripe almondsrdquo The name almond in Hebrew denotes the ldquowaking-treerdquo the ldquowaking-fruitrdquo and is applied to this tree because it blossoms early in the season It serves here as in Jer_111-12 to set forth the speed and certainty with which at Godrsquos will His purposes are accomplished So again the blossoming and bearing of Aaronrsquos rod naturally impotent when severed from the parent tree may signify the profitableness because of Godrsquos appointment and blessing of the various means of grace (e g the priesthood the sacraments) which of themselves and apart from Him could have no such efficacy Compare Isa_42 Isa_111 Isa_532 Jer_335 Zec_612

CLARKE The rod of Aaron - was budded etc - That is on the same rod or staff were found buds blossoms and ripe fruit This fact was so unquestionably miraculous as to decide the business for ever and probably this was intended to show that in the priesthood represented by that of Aaron the beginning middle and end of every good work must be found The buds of good desires the blossoms of holy resolutions and promising professions and the ripe fruit of faith love and obedience all spring from the priesthood of the Lord Jesus It has been thought by some that Aaronrsquos staff (and perhaps the staves of all the tribes) was made out of the amygdala communis or common almond tree In a favorable soil and climate it grows to twenty feet in height is one of the most noble flourishing trees in nature its flowers are of a delicate red and it puts them forth early in March having begun to bud in January It has its name שקד shaked from shakad to awake because it buds and flowers sooner than most other trees And it is very likely that the staves of office borne by the chiefs of all the tribes were made of this tree merely to signify that watchfulness and assiduous care which the chiefs should take of the persons committed in the course of the Divine providence to their keeping

Every thing in this miracle is so far beyond the power of nature that no doubt could remain on the minds of the people or the envious chiefs of the Divine appointment of Aaron and of the especial interference of God in this case To see a piece of wood long cut off from the parent stock without bark or moisture remaining laid up in a dry place for a single night with others in the same circumstances - to see such a piece of wood resume and evince the perfection of vegetative life budding blossoming and bringing forth ripe fruit at the same time must be such a demonstration of the peculiar interference of God as to silence every doubt and satisfy every scruple It is worthy of remark that a scepter or staff of office resuming its vegetative life was considered an absolute impossibility among the ancients and as 34

they were accustomed to swear by their sceptres this circumstance was added to establish and confirm the oath A remarkable instance of this we have in Homer Iliad lib i ver 233 etc where Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon thus speaks -Αλλrsquo εκ τοι ερεω και επι μεγαν ὁρκον ομουμαιΝαι μα τοδε σκηπτρον το μεν ουποτε φυλλα και οζουςΦυσει επειδη πρωτα τομην εν ορεσσι λελοιπενΟυδrsquo αναθηλησει περι γαρ ῥα ἑ χαλκος ελεψεΦυλλα τε και φλοιονὁ δε τοι μεγας εσσεται ὁρκοςBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same scepter which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopprsquod off its foliage greenAnd stripprsquod its bark shall never grow againCowper

Virgil represents King Latinus swearing in the same way to confirm his covenant with Aeneas -Ut Sceptrum hoc (dextra sceptrum nam forte gerebat)Nunquam fronde levi fundet virgulta neque umbrasCum semel in silvis imo de stirpe recisumMatre caret posuitque comas et brachia ferroOlim arbos nunc artificis manus aere decoroInclusit patribusque dedit gestare LatinisTalibus inter se firmabant foedera dictisAen lib xii ver 206-12Even as this royal Sceptre (for he boreA scepter in his hand) shall never moreShoot out in branches or renew the birthAn orphan now cut from the mother earthBy the keen axe dishonorrsquod of its hairAnd cased in brass for Latian kings to bearAnd thus in public view the peace was tiedWith solemn vows and sworn on either sideDryden

When the circumstance of the rod or scepter being used anciently in this way and the absolute impossibility of its reviviscence so strongly appealed to is considered it appears to have been a very proper instrument for the present occasion for the change that passed on it must be acknowledged as an immediate and incontestable miracle

35

GILL And it came to pass that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness Where none but he could go at any time this was the day after the rods had been placed there and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi the rod that had Aarons name upon it which was to represent the tribe of Levi of which he was was budded and brought forth buds knobs of blossom such that are seen on trees before they open for the almond tree puts forth its blossoms before its leaves though the Targum of Jonathan renders it branches as do some versions and some think this is to be understood of its putting out its leaves first contrary to the nature of the almond tree and so makes the miracle the greater thus Ben Melech and blossomed blossoms open flowers or blossoms such as appear on the almond tree in the spring and look very beautiful and yielded almonds ripe almonds in their full perfection as the Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan the latter of which isin the same night it perfected and brought forth almondsthe word used has the signification of weaning and alludes to children grown up to some ripeness and maturity Gen_218 the case seems to be this that in one part of the rod were buds swelling and just putting out in another part open flowers quite blown and in others full ripe fruit now this clearly showed it to be supernatural since the almond tree though quick and early in its production of buds and flowers yet never has those and ripe fruit on it at the same time to which may be added that this was not the time of year the almond tree blossoms not the spring but rather autumn as it should seem since it was after the affair of the spies and the murmurs of the people on their report now it was the time of the first ripe grapes when they went into the land and they were forty days searching it and it was after their return the insurrections before recorded were the design of this was to confirm the priesthood in Aarons family and show that it would continue there in a flourishing condition and that there would be a succession of priests from him to the time of the Messiah as there were and the almond tree having its name in Hebrew from watchfulness and haste see Jer_111 may denote the vigilance of the priests in their office and the haste punishment makes to come upon such that should oppose them or usurp the priesthood as in the case of Uzziah so Jarchi remarks this rod of Aarons may be an emblem of the Gospel ministry of that rod that should come out of Zion Psa_1102 which in the eyes of men is mean and despicable like a dry stick but becomes a fruitful one through the power of divine grace and an almond tree rod may denote the vigilance and watchfulness of Gospel ministers over themselves and others and their doctrine and oftentimes whom God puts into the ministry he early calls them by his grace and frequently makes the first part of their ministry most useful and fruit is brought forth which remains moreover this rod may be considered as a type of Christ it being a dry rod or stick may denote the

36

meanness of his descent and appearance in the world and the unpromising aspect of his being the King Messiah and Saviour of men and being an almond tree rod may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time which the Lord hastened his being the firstborn and his right to the priesthood and his vigilance in it its lying among other rods and budding and blossoming and bringing forth fruit may point at Christs assuming the common nature or man his being cut off by death his resurrection from the dead and the fruits arising from thence justification peace pardon and eternal life and as Aarons priesthood was confirmed by the budding ampc of this rod so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are by his resurrection from the dead See Gill on Heb_94HENRY 8-9 Here is I The final determination of the controversy

concerning the priesthood by a miracle Num_178 Num_179 The rods or staves were brought out from the most holy place where they were laid up and publicly produced before the people and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were Aarons rod only of a dry stick became a living branch budded and blossomed and yielded almonds In some places there were buds in others blossoms in others fruit at the same time This was miraculous and took away all suspicion of a fraud as if in the night Moses had taken away Aarons rod and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it for no ordinary branch would have buds blossoms and fruits upon it all at once Now1 This was a plain indication to the people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood and not any other of the princes of the tribes Thus he was distinguished from them and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven which sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor watering by the hand of man Bishop Hall here observes that fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call and that the plants of Gods setting and the boughs cut off from them will flourish See Psa_9212-14 The trees of the Lord though they seem dry trees are full of sap2 It was a very proper sign to represent the priesthood itself which was hereby confirmed to Aaron (1) That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God It produced not only blossoms but almonds for the priesthood was designed not only for an honour to Aaron but for a blessing to Israel Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they should go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit should remain Joh_1516 (2) That there should be a succession of priests Here were not only almonds for the present but buds and blossoms promising more hereafter Thus has Christ provided in his church that a seed should serve him from generation to generation (3) That yet this priesthood should not be perpetual but in process of time like the branches and blossoms of a tree should fail and wither The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age Ecc_125 This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood which soon became old and ready to vanish away Heb_8133 It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood for he is the man the branch that is to be a priest upon his throne as it follows (Zec_612) and he was to grow up before God as this before the ark like a tender

37

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

ought to have acknowledged the authority of the priesthood and to have perpetually held it in pious reverence But it is plain from the confirmation of it which is now added that they were not yet thoroughly overcome For God never appoints anything in vain the remedy therefore was necessary that He now applied to that disease of obstinacy which He perceived still to maintain its secret hold upon their hearts Herein we also behold His inestimable goodness when He not only had regard to the relief of their infirmity but even struggled with their depravity and perverseness in order to restore them to their senses In the same way also He now deals with us for he not only strengthens the weakness of our faith by many aids but He puts constraint upon our light and inconstant minds and retains us in the path of duty though we strive against Him He likewise anticipates our willfulness so as to keep us from growing presumptuous or rouses us up when we are disposed to be slothful In fact his our business so to apply to our use whatever helps to faith and piety He sets before us as to be assured that they are so many pieces of evidence to convict us of unbelief Although therefore the majesty of the priesthood had been already sufficiently and more than sufficiently established still God saw float in the extreme perversity of the people there would be no end to their murmurs and rebellions unless the final ratification were added and that too in a season of repose inasmuch as whilst the sedition was in progress they were not so disposed and ready to learn By this confirmation then He set aside whatever doubts could at any time arise when Aaronrsquos rod severed as it was from the tree was the only one of the twelve which blossomed For it was no natural circumstance that a branch which derived no sap from the root and which at that season of the year would have been dry upon the tree should produce flowers and fruit when it was east before the Ark of the Covenant whilst the others although altogether similar remained dry and dead COFFMAN And Jehovah spake unto Moses saying Speak unto the children of Israel and take of them rods one for each fathers house of all their princes according to their fathers houses twelve rods write thou every mans name upon his rod And thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathers houses And thou shalt lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony where I meet with you And it shall come to pass that the rod of the man whom I shall choose shall bud and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel which they murmur against you And Moses spake unto the children of Israel and all their princes gave him rods for each prince one according to their fathers houses even twelve rods and the rod of Aaron was among their rods And Moses laid up the rods before Jehovah in the tent of the testimonyRods mentioned extensively here to all intents and purposes were walking canes exactly the type of staff that men of all generations have carried It was the rod of Moses that became the Rod of God to lead Israel out of slavery and the test proposed here coming of God Himself was exactly the type of thing that could have decided forever the question of WHERE the priesthood of Israel was to be centered

3

We are not at all impressed by the so-called examples cited by the critics comparing this to such fables as that of Hercules whose club of wild olive wood was leaned up against the statue of the god Hermes promptly sprouted and has been growing ever since[1] or to that of Joseph of Arimatheas stick which was placed in the ground of Weary-All hill and became the remarkable thorn of Glastonbury[2] Plutarch has a similar yarn regarding the spear of Romulus the legendary founder of Rome[3] Such things only show that the impressive truth of this narrative in Numbers resulted in the invention of similar tales by the pagans and by some superstitious Christians of later agesAncient literature indeed all ancient civilizations placed a remarkable weight of significance upon the staff Homer for example gave an account of the oath sworn by Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon in these wordsBut hearken I swear a solemn oathBy this same sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodman lopped off its foliage greenAnd stripped its bark shall never grow again[4]Sceptres or staves or walking sticks were considered to be of the greatest importance Kings swore by them[5] and Judah was condemned by Tamar using his staff as invincible proof (Genesis 3818) Esther touched only the sceptre of King Ahasuerus but it saved her life (Esther 411) The Holy Messiah was identified by Zechariah as the one above all others who would have both a rod and a staff a thought also echoed in the Shepherd Psalm Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me (Psalms 234) The ancient authority and symbolism of the rod are still evident today in that impressive remnant of it called The Mace by which Parliament itself is opened in London and by the symbolical Sceptres belonging to the regalia of royalty in all ages Today one may see the Sceptre of the English monarch in the Tower of LondonThus it was no ordinary rod that each prince of Israel brought to Moses The symbolical authority and concurrence of all of them in the test was thus achieved

EBC A widespread rebellion an organised rebellion not homogeneous but with many elements in it tending to utter confusion is what we see Suppose it to have succeeded the unity of worship would have been destroyed completely Each tribe

4

with its own cultus would have gone its own way so far as religion was concerned In a very short time there would have been as many debased cults as there were wandering companies Then the claim of autonomy if not of right to lead the tribes made on behalf of Reuben involved a further danger Moses had not only the sagacity but the inspiration which ought to have commanded obedience The princes of Reuben had neither Whether all under the lead of Reuben or each tribe led by its own princes the Israelites would have travelled to disaster Futile attempts at conquest strife or alliance with neighbouring peoples internal dissension would have worn the tribes piecemeal away The dictatorship of Moses the Aaronic priesthood and the unity of worship stood or fell together One of the three removed the others would have given way But the revolutionary spirit springing out of ambition and a disaffection for which there was no excuse was blind to consequences And the stern suppression of this revolt at whatever cost was absolutely needful if there was to be any future for IsraelIt has been supposed that we have in this rebellion of Korah the first example of ecclesiastical dissension and that the punishment is a warning to all who presumptuously intrude into the priestly office Laymen take the censer and the fire of the Lord burns them up So let not laymen at any time in the Churchrsquos history venture to touch the sacred mysteries If ritual and sacramentarian miracle were the heart of religion if there could be no worship of God and no salvation for men now unless through a consecrated priesthood this might be said But the old covenant with its symbols and shadows has been superseded We have another censer now another tabernacle another way which has been consecrated for ever by the sacrifice of Christ a way into the holiest of all open to every believer Our unity does not depend on the priesthood of men but on the universal and eternal priesthood of Christ The co-operation of Aaron as priest was needful to Moses not that his power might be maintained for his own sake but that he might have authority over the host for Israelrsquos sake It was not the dignity of an order or of a man that was at stake but the very existence of religion and of the nation This bond snapped at any point the tribes would have been scattered and lostA leader of men standing above them for their temporal interests can rarely take upon him to be the instrument of administering the penalty of their sins What king for instance ever invoked an interdict on his own people or in his own right of judging for God condemned them to pay a tax to the Church because they had done what was morally wrong Rulers generally have regarded disobedience to themselves as the only crime it was worth their while to punish When Moses stood against the faithless spirit of the Israelites and issued orders by way of punishing that bad spirit he certainly put his authority to a tremendous test Without a sure ground of confidence in Divine support he would have been foolhardy in the extreme And we are not surprised that the coalition against him represented many causes of discontent Under his administration the long sojourn in the desert had been decreed and a whole generation deprived of what they held their right-a settlement in Canaan He appeared to be tyrannising over the tribes and proud Reubenites sought to put an end to his rule The priesthood was his creation and

5

seemed to be made exclusive simply that through Aaron he might have a firmer hold of the peoplersquos liberties Why was the old prerogative of the headmen in religious-matters taken from them They would reclaim their rights Neither Levi nor Reuben should be denied its priestly autonomy any longer In the whole rebellion there was one spirit but there were also divided counsels and Moses showed his wisdom by taking the revolt not as a single movement but part by partFirst he met the Levites with Korah at their head professing great zeal for the principle that all the congregation were holy every one of them A claim made on that ground could not be disproved by argument perhaps although the holiness of the congregation was evidently an ideal not a fact Jehovah Himself would have to decide Yet Moses remonstrated in a way that was fitted to move the Levites and perhaps did touch some of them They had been honoured by God in having a certain holy office assigned to them Were they to renounce it in joining a revolt which would make the very priesthood they desired common to all the tribes From Jehovah Himself the Levites had their commission It was against Jehovah they were fighting and how could they speed They spoke of Aaron and his dignity But what was Aaron Only a servant of God and of the people a man who personally assumed no great airs By this appeal some would seem to have been detached from the rebellion for in Numbers 269-11 when the judgment of Korah and his company is referred to it is added Notwithstanding the children of Korah died not From 1 Chronicles 61-81 we learn that in the line of Korahrsquos descendants appeared certain makers and leaders of sacred song Heman among them one of Davidrsquos singers to whom Psalms 881-18 is ascribedWith the Reubenites Moses deals in the next place taking their cause of discontent by itself Already one of the three Reubenite chiefs had withdrawn and Dathan and Abiram stood by themselves Refusing to obey the call of Moses to a conference they stated their grievance roughly by the mouth of a messenger and Moses could only with indignation express before God his blamelessness in regard to them I have not taken one ass from them neither have I hurt one of them Neither for his own enrichment nor in personal ambition had he acted Could they maintain did the people think that the present revolt was equally disinterested Under cover of opposition to tyranny are they not desiring to play the part of tyrants and aggrandise themselves at the expense of the peopleIt is singular that not a word is said in special condemnation of the two hundred and fifty because they were in possession of censers and incense May it be the case that the complete reservation of the high-priestly duties to the house of Aaron had not as yet taken effect that it was a purpose rather than a fact May it not further be the case that the rebellion partly took form and ripened because an order had been given withdrawing the use of censers from the headmen of the tribes If there had as yet been a certain temporary allowance of the tribal priesthood and ritual we should not have to ask how incense and censers were in the hands of the two hundred and fifty and why the brass of their vessels was held to be sacred and put to holy use

6

The prayer of Moses in which he interceded for the people Numbers 1622 is marked by an expression of singular breadth O God the God of the spirits of all flesh The men misled on the fleshly side by appetite (Numbers 1613) and shrinking from pain were against God But their spirits were in His hand Would He not move their spirits redeem and save them Would He not look on the hearts of all and distinguish the guilty from the innocent the more rebellious from the less One man had sinned but would God burst out on the whole congregation The form of the intercession is abrupt crude Even Moses with all his justice and all his pity could not be more just more compassionate than Jehovah The purpose of destruction was not as the leader thought it to beRegarding the judgments that of the earthquake and that of the fire we are too remote in time to form any proper conception of what they were how they were inflicted Moses says Lange appears as a man whose wonderful presentiment becomes a miraculous prophecy by the Spirit of revelation But this is not sufficient There was more than a presentiment Moses knew what was coming knew that where the rebels stood the earth would open the consuming fire burn The plague on the other hand which next day spread rapidly among the excited people and threatened to destroy them was not foreseen It came as if straight from the hand of Divine wrath But it afforded an opportunity for Aaron to prove his power with God and his courage Carrying the sacred fire into the midst of the infected people he became the means of their deliverance As he waved his censer and its fumes went up to heaven faith in Jehovah and in Aaron as the true priest of Jehovah was revived in the hearts of men Their spirits came again under the healing power of that symbolism which had lost its virtue in common use and was now associated in a grave crisis with an appeal to Him who smites and heals who kills and makes aliveIt has been maintained by some that the closing sentences of chapter 17 should follow chapter 16 with which they appear to be closely connected the incident of the budding of Aaronrsquos rod seeming to call rather for a festal celebration than a lament The theory of the Book of Numbers we have seen reason to adopt would account for the introduction of the fresh episode simply because it relates to the priesthood and tends to confirm the Aaronites in exclusive dignity The symbolic test of the claim raised by the tribes corresponds closely to the signs that were used by some of the prophets such as the girdle laid up by the river Euphrates and the basket of summer fruits The rod on which Aaronrsquos name was written was of almond a tree for which Syria was famous Like the sloe it sends forth blossoms before the leaves and the unique way in which this twig showed its living vigour as compared with the others was a token of the choice of Levi to serve and Aaron to minister in the holiest office before JehovahThe whole circumstances and the closing cry of the people leave the impression of a grave difficulty found in establishing the hierarchy and centralising the worship It was a necessity-shall we call it a sad necessity-that the men of the tribes should be

7

deprived of direct access to the sanctuary and the oracle Earthly disobedient and far from trustful in God they could not be allowed even the hereditary chiefs among them to offer sacrifices The ideas of the Divine holiness embodied in the Mosaic law were so far in advance of the common thought of Israel that the old order had to be superseded by one fitted to promote the spiritual education of the people and prepare them for a time when there shall be on the bells of the horses HOLY UNTO THE LORD and every pot in Judah shall be holy unto the Lord of hosts and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them and seethe therein The institution of the Aaronic priesthood was a step of progress indispensable to the security of religion and the brotherhood of the tribes in that high sense for which they were made a nation But it was at the same time a confession that Israel was not spiritual was not the holy congregation Korah declared it to be The greater was the pity that afterwards in the day of Israelrsquos opportunity when Christ came to lead the wholepeople into the spiritual liberty and grace for which prophets had longed the priestly system was held tenaciously as the pride of the nation When the law of ritual and sacrifice and priestly mediation should have been left behind as no longer necessary because the Messiah had come the way of higher life was opened in vain Sacerdotalism held its place with full consent of those who guided affairs Israel as a nation was blinded and its day shone in vainOf all priesthoods as corporate bodies however estimable zealous and spiritually-minded individual members of them may be must it not be said that their existence is a sad necessity They may be educative A sacerdotal system now may like that of the Mosaic law be a tutor to bring men to Christ Realising that those who hold office under it may bring help to men not yet fit for liberty But priestly dominance is no perpetual rule in any church certainly not in the Kingdom of God The freedom with which Christ makes men free is the goal The highest duty a priest can fulfil is to prepare men for that liberty and as soon as he can he should discharge them for the enjoyment of it To find in episodes like those of Korahrsquos revolt and its suppression a rule applicable to modern religious affairs is too great an anachronism For whatever right sacerdotalism now has is purely of the Churchrsquos tolerance in the measure not of Divine right but of the need of uninstructed men To the spiritual to those who know the priestly system with its symbols and authoritative claim is but an interference with privilege and dutyCan any Aaron now make an atonement for a mass of people or even in virtue of his office apply to them the atonement made by Christ How does his absolution help a soul that knows Christ the Redeemer as every Christian soul ought to know Him The great fault of priesthoods always is that having once gained power they endeavour to retain it and extend it making greater claims the longer they exist Affirming that they speak for the Church they endeavour to control the voice of the Church Affirming that they speak for Christ they deny or minimise His great gift of liberty Freedom of thought and reason was to Cardinal Newman for example the cause of all deplorable heresies and infidelities of a divided Church and a ruined world The candid priest of our day is found making his claim as largely as ever and then virtually explaining it away Should not the vain attempt to hold by

8

Judaic institutions cease And although the Church of Christ early made the mistake of harking back to Mosaism should not confession now be made that priesthood of the exclusive kind is out of date that every believer may perform the highest functions of the consecrated lifeThe Divine choice of Aaron his confirmation in high religious office by the budding of the almond twig as well as by the acceptance of his intercession have their parallels now The realities of one age become symbols for anotherLike the whole ritual of Israel these particular incidents may be turned to Christian use by way of illustration But not with regard to the prerogative of any arch-hierarch The availing intercession is that of Christ the sole headship over the tribes of men is that which He has gained by Divine courage love and sacrifice Among those who believe there is equal dependence on the work of Christ When we come to intercession which they make for each other it is of value in consideration not of office but of faith The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much It is as righteous men humble men not as priests they prevail The sacraments are efficacious not from any virtue in them or in him that administers them but through faith by the energy of the omnipresent SpiritYet there are men chosen to special duty whose almond twigs bud and blossom and become their sceptres Appointment and ordination are our expedients grace is given by God in a higher line of calling and endowment While there are blessings pronounced that fall upon the ear or gratify the sensibility theirs reach the soul For them the world has need to thank God They keep religion alive and make it bourgeon and yield the new fruits for which the generations hunger They are new branches of the Living Vine Of them it has often to be said as of the Lord Himself The stone which the builders rejected the same has become head of the corner this is the Lordrsquos doing and it is marvellous in our eyes

PETT ntroductionChapter 17 The Rod That Budded In Numbers 16 the question has been dealt with as to who could act as a mediator between Israel and God in the offering of incense Now the further question is dealt with as to who may enter the Holy Placeb) Who Has The Right To Enter The Sanctuary - Issues of Life and Death Evidenced By The Rod That Budded (chapter 17)Here those with the right to enter the Sanctuary are determined once and for all as the sons of Aaron We are given no background to the incident although it may well have followed not long after the preceding event and is clearly connected with it

9

This is the third in the trio of incidents which confirm the Aaronic priesthood the first two of which overlap Each of them covers two days (Numbers 161-50 Numbers 171-13) and each of them ends with the thought of the people being consumed (Numbers 1621 Numbers 1645-48 Numbers 1713)a Yahweh commands each tribe to lay a rod before Him in the Tent of Testimony one for each head of their fatherrsquos house (Numbers 171-3)b The rods to be laid up in the Tent of meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)c The rod of the chosen one will bud and put an end to murmuring (Numbers 175)d All the chieftains give rods including Aaron (Numbers 176)d The rods are placed in the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)c Aaronrsquos Rod buds and flowers in the Tent of Testimony and the budded and unbudded rods are revealed to all the people who look on them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)b Aaronrsquos rod is laid up lsquobefore the Testimonyrsquo to put an end to their murmuring (Numbers 1710)a The people recognise that none but Aaronrsquos house may enter the Tabernacle for they alone can enter the Sanctuary and live and the rod which is evidence for the fact is laid up before the Testimony (Numbers 1712-13)Verses 1-3Yahweh Commands Each Tribe to Lay a Rod Before Him in the Tent of Testimony One For Each Head of Their Fatherrsquos House (Numbers 171-3)Numbers 171lsquoAnd Yahweh spoke to Moses sayingrsquoAgain it is emphasised here that we have the words of Yahweh as spoken to Moses

BI 1-13 Write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of LeviAaronrsquos rodI Instructive to the Israelites

1 An end hereby put to murmuring By an incontrovertible sign they 10

knew who was the true priest2 A preventative furnished against future rebellion Miracles apt to be forgotten of this the evidence was to be preserved Kept for a token

II Suggestive to Christians Every man has some rod on which he leans The Christianrsquos is faith Like Aaronrsquos rod faith flourishesmdash1 Most in the sanctuary There are strengthening influences and a Divine power It will become a barren stock elsewhere2 Under circumstances in which other rods cannot live The almond flourishes even before the winter is fully past Faith budding in adversity3 Produces fruit and flowers on the bare stock of adversity4 Bears fruit speedily when God causes His blessing to rest upon it ldquoBelieve and be savedrdquo5 Stirs the Christian up to vigilance Almond-tree a symbol of watchfulness

III Typical of Christ1 For it is perpetual Aaronrsquos rod laid up as a lasting remembrance2 It bore fruit on a barren stock Jesus a root out of a dry ground3 It was distinguished among the sceptres of the princes Christrsquos kingdom and sceptre rule over all He is a plant of renown4 It was the object of special favour So in Jesus He ldquowas well pleasedrdquo He was ldquoelect and preciousrdquo

IV Symbolical of a true teacher1 His home the house of God2 Presents himself constantly before the testimony3 In himself dry and barren4 Relies upon God for fruitfulness5 Produces by Divine help not flowers only but fruit also6 As a dry and lifeless stock he receives quickening power from God so with his flowers and fruit he presents himself before God and offers all his works to Him

Learnmdash1 The wisdom of God in choice of methods2 To seek a strong and living and practical faith3 To rejoice in and rely upon the perpetual high priesthood of Christ4 To endeavour like the almond-tree to bring forth fruit early (J C Gray)

11

Aaronrsquos rod that buddedThis is our subject the miraculous conversion of Aaronrsquos rod into a living blossoming and fruit-bearing plant It must have been a most convincing prodigy for the purpose it was designed to answer for the people no sooner saw it than they cried out in remorse for their wavering allegiance ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perishrdquo But beyond the age wherein the marvel occurred this putting vegetable life into that dry staff has frequently been borrowed and used for other objects Thus Achilles in classic poetry when enraged against Agamemnon is made by Homer to refer to this miraclemdash

ldquoBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts stock on the high mountains at what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopt off its foliage greenAnd stript its bark shall never grow again -By this I swearrdquo

And amongst Latin literature you will some of you remember that a certain king confirms a covenant with AEneas by a similar oathI We begin by reminding you that among the greatest of our blessings in this world is our strict obligation to do the Divine will and to keep the Divine law It is far more worth our while to sing of Godrsquos statutes than it is to sing of Godrsquos promises Where should we be in a country without human authority and a human authority founded on a reverence for the Divine Very truly does Bushnell say that ldquowithout law man does not live he only grazesrdquo If he had no government he would never discern any reason for existence and would soon not care to exist How different is the world of Voltaire from the world of Milton I The one finds nothing but this clay world and its material beauties flashes into a shallow brilliancy of speech and weaving a song of surfaces empties himself into a book of all that he has felt or seen But the other at the back of all and through all visible things beholds a spirit and a Divinity Now is there not a very beautiful picture of the comeliness and the beneficence of law in the old miracle that was wrought upon the rod of Aaron That staff as we have put it to you was selected as the sign of authority This was a declaration first that no law was perfect that did not display life and beauty and fertility and a declaration secondly that by Godrsquos choice that perfect law dwelt in the high priest But apart from the imagery as a message to the children of Israel I cling to that blooming staff as the very best type I can find anywhere of what Godrsquos rule is amongst us and in His Church I find myself taught by this early prodigy on Aaronrsquos staff that Godrsquos dominion is the dominion of the almond-branch It is a rod alas for us if there were no rod But it is a rod displaying all the three several pledges and gradations of life and thusmdashoh beautiful coincidence if it be nothing moremdashGod turns His law towards the

12

children of men into what the forbidden tree so falsely appeared to the first transgressormdashldquopleasant to the eye and good for foodrdquo Of course I know that the staff or the sceptre is the symbol of authority because a staff is that with which one person smites another The ultimate significance of a rod is a blow But is it nothing to be taught by Godrsquos picture-alphabet of the Old Testament that He smites only with buds and with flowers and with fruit This seems to change even to any childrsquos apprehension the whole character of the sovereignty under which we bow in the modern camp of the Church You tremble as you read the chapter of hard duties Turn the leaf and you will come upon the chapter of precious promises There is not a verse in the Bible that is not in flower with some comfort aye though it be a verse that smites you with a difficult commandment You are never to tell a man to do a single thing in religion without telling him that God will help him to do it You are never to command a sacrifice from me for Christrsquos sake without comforting me with the assurance that ldquoGod is able to give me much more than thisrdquo If you have a strong rough hard stick of responsibility you must show it to me bursting out all over with the rich petals and the hanging clusters of the sovereignty of Divine grace Aye for I want you to mark well that here was a miracle within a miracle The natural almond-branch never has upon it at one time buds blossoms and fruit But I seem to be taught by this accumulation of successive life all at once on one stem that there is no element of mercy wanting in the code by which I am to be managed But remember that if we deserve nothing but the rod and yet if God never uses the rod save with the buds the blossoms and the fruit ldquoHe may well record it against us if either we despise the chastening of the Lord or faint when we are rebuked of HimrdquoII But now the real and only proper commentary on the facts of the Pentateuch will be found in the doctrines of the Epistle to the Hebrews Do you believe that all those lives would have been lost and all that commotion would have been made about the prerogative of Aaronrsquos priesthood but for that other Priest on whom the whole world was to relymdashthe Priest for evermdashldquomade not after the law of a carnal commandment but after the power of an endless liferdquo It is not by one Scripture it is by scores that I find myself pointed through that staff to the real government of this world in the rod out of the stem of Jesse ldquoHe shall grow up before Him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground without form or comelinessrdquo And yet all the while He was the ldquorod out of the stem of Jesserdquo And when I read in the Book of Numbers how the Hebrews rose up against Aaron and put him to shame I can only take it for a foreshadowing of another rebellion when they insulted another Sceptre who was ldquodespised and rejected of menrdquo We preach to you Christ a stumbling-block to the Jews And scarcely can you wonder that so long as the rod was only the root out of a dry ground the Son of the carpenter and the Friend of sinners there was ldquo no beauty in Him that they should desire Himrdquo But that is not the staff with which this day God governs His Church No no He hath declared that lowly peasant preacher to be ldquothe Son of God with power in that He hath raised Him from the deadrdquo Ah that night in which they concealed Aaronrsquos rod in the tabernacle of witness it was never less living never less blossoming than then But it was not left in darkness neither did it see corruption And on

13

the appointed morning men found it marked by the choice of the Omnipotent with the buds the blossoms and the fruit In like manner the coldest darkest least living period in Immanuelrsquos career was when they hid Him among all the other millions of the dead in the tomb cut out of the rock in the garden of Joseph ldquoBut now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first-fruits of them that sleptrdquo He was raised up ldquoa plant of renownrdquo And from that glorious Easter morning the ldquorod out of the stem of Jesserdquo has been ldquothe tree whose leaves are for the healing of the nationsrdquo and ldquofilling the face of the world with fruitrdquo Men can be governed by a Mediator and yet not perish ldquoThe soul that sinneth it shall dierdquo That is a rod but ldquoif any man sin we have an Advocate with the Fatherrdquo that is ldquoAaronrsquos rod that buddedrdquomdashthe rod of the Priest Reuben Gad and all the rest have rods Christianity is not alone in the sternness of its government or the severity of its sanctions But it is alone in telling me how I can receive remission of sins that are past and how I can obtain the strongest of motives for a life of obedience in the time to come (H Christopherson)

Aaronrsquos rod blossoming and bearing fruitI As the priesthood of Aaron was a type of the priesthood of Christ there is here a suggestion of facts which must have their counterpart in Christrsquos life and history

1 The atonement and death of our Lord Jesus were matters of Divine appointment The whole work of our salvation originated with God2 But more than thismdashwhich is the essential truth here enshrinedmdashwe see here that God often manifests Himself in unexpected forms of beauty and of grace The dry rod blossomed and bare fruit The powers of Divine salvation were enshrined in the person of the Carpenter of Nazareth There was life for a dead world in the Cross and in the grave of the dead Christ

II There are suggestions here concerning Christian life1 Christian life begins with God2 The Christian life manifests itself in unfavourable conditions It is in human souls a power of active benevolence or it is nothing at all It takes hold of human misery with a healing hand and it changes it into blessing Where sin abounded there grace does much more abound3 There is beauty associated with the developments of Christian life and character There is nothing half so winning as Christian grace

III Suggestions in relation to the gospel ministry1 There is a Divine designation of men to the highest service of the Church2 But what is the qualification of men thus sent Evidently the possession of Divine life the gift which is to be imparted to those needing it To be a Christian teacher a man must be a Christian and must

14

know the things of Christ3 How then are we to judge a manrsquos Divine call and authority Only and solely by the blossoms and fruitmdashby the spiritual results of his ministry

IV Last of all there are here suggestions concerning Christian humiliation1 The world has not known its best benefactors It has always had a scornful word for the saintly and the true-hearted It has always risen up in rebellion against the anointed of the Lord2 Here is a word of encouragement to all weak and mistrustful and diffident and self-emptied souls ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says the old labourer in the Masterrsquos vineyard and the holy matron whose life has been careful and troubled about many things but who has ever been anxious to honour and serve her dear Lord in lowliest ways and household duties ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says the saint waiting dismission to rest who has not done what he would or been as useful as he desired and hoped and prayed to be ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says one whose strength has been weakened by the way and whose unfinished purposes lie sadly enough at his feet fallen out of hands which could not longer hold them or fashion them into completeness ldquoWe are but dry rodsrdquo say many earnest anxious longing souls who hardly dare to trust for the future because so often when they would do good evil is present with them We are not saved by trust in our own righteousness or by satisfaction with our own goodness and deeds But Godrsquos grace is all-sufficient and He can work miracles of beauty and fruitfulness where human might is feeblest and self mistrust is greatest and humility of spirit is deepest (W H Davison D D)

The Divine plan for vindicating the high priesthood of Aaron and its moral teachingI That true ministers of religion are elected by GodII It is of great importance that men should know that their ministers of religion are called by God

1 In order that they may regard them with becoming respect2 In order that they may take heed to their message

III The vitality of sin is of dreadful tenacity ldquoMany menrsquos lipsrdquo says Trapp ldquolike rusty hinges for want of the oil of grace and gladness move not without murmuring and complainingrdquo It is a thing of extreme difficulty to eradicate any evil disposition from the human heart ldquoFor such is the habitual hardness of menrsquos hearts as neither ministry nor misery nor miracle nor mercy can possibly mollify Nothing can do it but an extraordinary touch from the hand of HeavenrdquoIV God is engaged in eradicating sin from human hearts (W Jones)

15

Aaronrsquos rod an illustration of the true Christian ministryI The characteristics of the true Christian ministry

1 Life2 Beauty3 Fruitfulness

II The origin of the true Christian ministry Godrsquos creation and gift to the ChurchIII The influence of the true Christian ministry Abiding (W Jones)

The budded rod a type of ChristThe rod in many graphic tints shows Jesus The very name is caught by raptured prophets (Isa_111 Zec_612-13) Thus faith gleans lessons from the very titlemdashRod But the grand purport of the type is to reject all rivals It sets Aaron alone upon the priestly seat The parallel proclaims that similarly Jesus is our only Priest God calls anoints appoints accepts and ever hears Him but Him alone In His hands only do these functions live Next the constant luxuriance has a clear voice In naturersquos field buds blossoms fruit soon wither Not so this rod Its verdure was for ever green its fruit was ever ripe Beside the ark it was reserved in never-fading beauty Here is the ever-blooming Priesthood of our Lord (Psa_1104 Heb_724) Mark moreover that types of Jesus often comprehend the Church It is so with these rods The twelve at first seem all alike They are all sapless twigs But suddenly one puts forth loveliness while the others still remain worthless and withered Here is a picture of Godrsquos dealings with a sin-slain race Since Adamrsquos fall all are born lifeless branches of a withered stock When any child of man arises from the death of sin and blooms in grace God has arisen with Divine almightiness Believer the budded rod gives another warning It is a picture of luxuriance Turn from it and look inward Is your soul thus richly fertile Instead of fruit you often yield the thorn (Joh_158) Whence is the fault (Joh_154) Perhaps your neglectful soul departs from Christ Meditate in Godrsquos law day and night (Psa_13) But if the budded rod rebukes the scanty fruit in the new-born soul what is its voice to unregenerate worldlings (Heb_68) (Dean Law)

The rod of AaronBuds are evidence of life A nominal Christian is like a dead trunk and he cannot bud unless the sap of Divine grace courses through him Spiritual life is an attribute of the converted Christian The spiritual life of a being is his presiding sentiment or dispositionmdashthe chief inspiration of his soulmdashthat which gives motion and character to his mental and moral beingI Life is a resistless force The smallest blade of grass that raises its tiny head into light or the feeblest insect that sports in the sunbeam displays a

16

force superior to that which governs the ocean or controls the stars Man stands erect the tree rises and the bird soars because of lifeII Life is an appropriating force Vegetable and animal existences have a power of appropriating to themselves all surrounding elements conducive to their well-being just as the life of the plant converts the various gases around it into nutriment to promote its strength and development Wherever there is true religion there is a power to render all external circumstances subservient to its own strength and growth all things work together for its goodIII Life is a propagating force It has ldquothe seed in itselfrdquo Forests start from acorns and boundless harvests from the solitary grain It is said that the grateful Israelites anxious to carry away a bud a blossom or almond as a memento of the occasion the flowers and fruit on the rod were repeatedly and miraculously renewed for that purpose Be that as it may wherever there is religious life it will spread it scatters broadcast the incorruptible seed which liveth and abideth for everIV Life is a beautifying force There are two kinds of beautymdashthe sensational and the moral Nature in her ten thousand forms of loveliness and art in her exquisite expressions of taste are ministries to the former whilst spiritual truth moral goodness and the holiness of God address the latter The one is the poetry of the eye and ear the other of the soul The beauty that appeals to the religious nature of man is the beauty of holinessmdashthe beauty of the Lordmdashthe glory of God in His goodnessV Life is a fructifying force The true Christian not only lives and unfolds a noble disposition but is really useful St Paul speaks of ldquothe fruit of the Spiritrdquomdashrighteousness goodness truth The first as opposed to all injustice and dishonesty the second as opposed to the ten thousand forms of selfishness the third as opposed to all that is erroneous and false in the doctrines and theories of men (G L Saywell)

Aaronrsquos rodHere are three miracles in onemdash

1 That a dry rodmdashmade of the almond treemdashshould bring forth buds in a moment2 That those buds should presently become blossoms anal flowers3 That these should immediately become ripe fruit and that all at once or at least in a little space

Nature makes no such leaps All this was supernatural to these ends1 For a testimony of Godrsquos calling Aaron to the priesthood2 For a type of Christ the Branch (Isa_111)3 For a figure of the fruitfulness of a gospel ministry4 For a lively representation of a glorious resurrection (C Ness)

17

Lessons from the budding rodA wonderful work of God which sundry ways may profit us

1 As first to consider that if the power of God can do this in a dry stick cannot He make the barren woman to bare and be a joyful mother of children Can He not do whatsoever He will do By this power the sea is dried the rock gives water the earth cleaveth under the feet of men fire descends whose nature is to ascend raiseth the dead and calleth things that are not as if they were In a word He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think ampc2 This rod is a notable type of Christ His person and office Of His person in that He was born of the Virgin Mary who though He descended of the royal blood yet was now poor and mean as that royal race was brought exceeding low nothing remaining but as it were a root only Now the said Virgin flourisheth again as Aaronrsquos rod did and beareth such fruit as never woman bear Of this speaks Isaiah the prophet when he saith ldquoThere shall come a rod forth of the stock of Jesse and a graft shall grow out of his rootsrdquo Of His office both priestly and kingly His priestly office is figured in that being offered upon the cross He was as Aaronrsquos dried rod or as the Psalm saith ldquodried up like a potsherdrdquo But when He rose again He became like Aaronrsquos budding and fruit-bearing rod bringing forth to man believing on Him remission of sins righteousness and eternal life His kingly office in that He governeth His Church with a rod or sceptre of righteousness as it is in the Psalm ldquoThe sceptre of Thy kingdom is a right sceptrerdquo Which rod and sceptre is the preaching of the gospel ampc3 Again it was a resemblance of true ministers and of all faithful men and women for none of all these ought to be dry and withered sticks but bear and bring forth buds and fruit according to their places4 It is a shadow also of our resurrection by which we should grow green again and flourish with a new and an eternal glory having like dead seed lain in the ground and we shall bring forth ripe almonds that is the praise of Godrsquos incomprehensible goodness to us for ever and ever5 It resembleth our reformation and amendment of life for when our heart feeleth what is amiss this is as the bud when it resolveth of a change and a future amendment this is the blossom and when it performeth the same by a new reformed life indeed this is as the ripe almonds of Aaronrsquos rod(Bp Babington)

The priesthood divinely selectedWhat matchless wisdom shines in this arrangement How completely is the matter taken out of manrsquos hands and placed where alone it ought to be namely in the hands of the living God It was not to be a man appointing

18

himself or a man appointing his fellow but God appointing the man of His own selection In a word the question was to be definitively settled by God Himself so that all murmurings might be silenced for ever and no one be able again to charge Godrsquos high priest with taking too much upon him The human will had nothing whatever to do with this solemn matter The twelve rods all in a like condition were laid up before the Lord man retired and left God to act There was no room no opportunity because there was no occasion for human management In the profound retirement of the sanctuary far away from all manrsquos thinkings was the grand question of priesthood settled by Divine decision and being thus settled it could never again be raised (C H Mackintosh)

Aaronrsquos fruitful rodStriking and beautiful figure of Him who was ldquodeclared to be the Son of God with power by resurrection from the deadrdquo The twelve rods were all alike lifeless but God the living God entered the scene and by that power peculiar to Himself infused life into Aaronrsquos rod and brought it forth to view bearing upon it the fragrant fruits of resurrection Who could gainsay this The rationalist may sneer at it and raise a thousand questions Faith gazes on that fruit-bearing rod and sees in it a lovely figure of the new creation in the which all things are of God Infidelity may argue on the ground of the apparent impossibility of a dry stick budding blossoming and bearing fruit in the course of one night But to whelm does it appear impossible To the infidel the rationalist the sceptic And why Because he always shuts out God Let us remember this Infidelity invariably shuts out God God can do as He pleases The One who called worlds into existence could make a rod to bud blossom and bear fruit in a moment Bring God in and all is simple and plain as possible Leave God out and all is plunged in hopeless confusion (C H Mackintosh)

The rods contrastedPonder the difference between the rod of Moses and the rod of Aaron We have seen the former doing its characteristic work in other days and amid other scenes We have seen the land of Egypt trembling beneath the heavy strokes of that rod Plague after plague fell upon that devoted scene in answer to that outstretched rod We have seen the waters of the sea divided in answer to that rod In short the rod of Moses was a rod of power a rod of authority But it could not avail to hush the murmurings of the children of Israel nor yet to bring the people through the desert Grace alone could do that and we have the expression of pure gracemdashfree sovereign gracemdashin the budding of Aaronrsquos rod Nothing can be more forcible nothing more lovely That dry dead stick was the apt figure of Israelrsquos condition and indeed of the condition of every one of us by nature There was no sap no life no power One might well say ldquoWhat good can ever come of itrdquo None whatever had not grace come in and displayed its quickening power So was it with Israel in the wilderness and so is it with us now How were they to

19

be led along from day to day How were they to be sustained in all their weakness and need How were they to be borne with in all their sin and folly The answer is found in Aaronrsquos budding rod If the dry dead stick was the expression of naturersquos barren and worthless condition the buds blossoms and fruit set forth that living and life-giving grace and power of God on which was based the priestly ministry that alone could bear the congregation through the wilderness Grace alone could answer the ten thousand necessities of the militant host Power could not suffice Authority could not avail Priesthood alone could supply what was needed and this priesthood was instituted on the foundation of that efficacious grace which could bring fruit out of a dry rod Thus it was as to priesthood of old and thus it is as to ministry now All ministry in the Church of God is the fruit of Divine gracemdashthe gift of Christ the Churchrsquos Head (C H Mackintosh)

2 ldquoSpeak 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

BARNES Compare Eze_3716 ff

CLARKE And take of every one of them a rod - matteh the staff or מטהscepter which the prince or chief of each tribe bore and which was the sign of office or royalty among almost all the people of the earth

GILL Speak unto the children of Israel The principal men among them of the several tribes and take of everyone of them not of every individual of the people of Israel but of their princes as afterwards explained a rod according to the house of their fathers or father of whom their house or tribe was called as Reuben Simeon ampc this rod was either a

20

common walking staff as some think or rather the ensign of their princely office and dignity peculiar to each tribe though some think it was now freshly cut off from an almond tree and that all the rods were of one and the same tree but supposing they were all of the almond kind as Josephus (d) thinks yet being dry rods and of long use served to make the miracle appear the greater of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods this explains who they were to be taken of the princes of the several tribes whose names are given Num_15 and the number of them twelve according to the number of the twelve tribes write thou every mans name upon his rod the name of each prince or head of a tribe either by cutting it into the rod or fastening a writing to it after the manner of those times as for instance the name of Elizur for the tribe of Reuben by which it was to be made and was made to appear that to none of these tribes belonged the priesthood but to the tribe of Levi and to none of that tribe but the family of Aaron whereby it should seem that some of all the tribes made pretensions to it as being all holy and especially the chief firstborn of every tribe as such their princes were

JAMISON 2-5 Speak unto the children of Israel mdash The controversy with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood was of such a nature and magnitude as required a decisive and authoritative settlement For the removal of all doubts and the silencing of all murmuring in the future regarding the holder of the office a miracle was wrought of a remarkable character and permanent duration and in the manner of performing it all the people were made to have a direct and special interest

take of every one princes twelve rods mdash As the princes being the oldest sons of the chief family and heads of their tribes might have advanced the best claims to the priesthood if that sacred dignity was to be shared among all the tribes they were therefore selected and being twelve in number - that of Joseph being counted only one - Moses was ordered to see that the name of each was inscribed - a practice borrowed from the Egyptians - upon his rod or wand of office The name of Aaron rather than of Levi was used as the latter name would have opened a door of controversy among the Levites and as there was to be one rod only for the head of each tribe the express appointment of a rod for Aaron determined him to be the head of that tribe as well as that branch or family of the tribe to which the priestly dignity should belong These rods were to be laid in the tabernacle close to the ark (compare Num_1710 and Heb_94) where a divine token was promised that would for all time terminate the dispute

CALVIN 2Speak unto the children of Israel They are mistaken who suppose that to the twelve rods there was another added for the tribe of Levi (103) for since there was no question here as to the possession of the land there was no occasion at

21

all for the division of the tribe of Joseph into two parts We know too that it was endowed with a double portion because the Levites had no inheritance and in this case the circumstances were different because all the other tribes were contending for the priesthood with the tribe of Levi alone Hence it was then that rods were given to each of them in accordance with the origin of their race But when Aaronrsquos rod is said to have been ldquoin the midst of themrdquo (104) it is in the usual phrase of the Hebrew language because it was mixed with them as one of their number And this is expressly stated to show us that all ground for caviling might be taken from the ungodly since all the rods were east promiscuously into the same bundle so that none should be distinguished above the others and thus nothing could be ascribed to the collusion of men If any should object that by these means the rivalry was not extinguished which the other Levites had with the house of Aaron since his own name alone was inscribed upon the rod so that there would be no comparison between the families I reply that since the power of God manifested itself distinctly in the name of Aaron the rejection of the others was sufficiently shown forth by his election for if this honor had been common to the others God would have defrauded them by giving distinction to him alone Besides no other plan could have been adopted for putting an end to this quarrel for if there had been several rods for one tribe the whole people would have complained of the inequality It was necessary then that all should be brought to the contest on equal terms so that the difference between them might be seen to depend upon Godrsquos good pleasure But if the name of Levi had been inscribed all its families would have claimed the right of succession as if common to them all There was therefore no other course open but that God should prefer to the whole people one individual chosen from amongst the members of his own kindred and tribe COKE Numbers 172 Take of every one of them a rodmdash The minds of a considerable number of the people having been poisoned by the insinuations of Korah and his accomplices against Aaron and his family upon the account of the priesthood God is pleased to add another signal miracle in confirmation of his priests authority accordingly the head of each tribe is ordered to take a rod and bring it before the Lord Some have supposed that these were the ordinary rods or batoons which the princes of the tribes bore while from the 8th verse of this chapter others infer that these were twigs or branches from one and the same almond tree whichever was the case the miracle was sufficiently great to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of ProvidenceBENSON Numbers 172 Take of every one mdash Not of every person but of every tribe A rod mdash A twig or branch from one and the same almond-tree as some infer from Numbers 178 Or according to others the ordinary rods which the princes of the tribes carried in their hands as tokens of their dignity and authority Numbers 2118 And indeed the miracle would appear the greater if neither Aaronrsquos rod nor any of the rest was of the almond-tree But the miracle was sufficiently great either way to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of Providence Every manrsquos name mdash Every princersquos for they being the firstborn and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of

22

their tribes and besides the prince represented all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the question And this place seems to confirm the opinion that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contended with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holyELLICOTT (2) And take of every one of them mdashBetter And take of them a rod for each fatherrsquos houseTwelve rodsmdashSome suppose that Aaronrsquos rod was not included amongst the twelve Others suppose that one rod only was taken for the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh The latter supposition is more accordant with the terms here employed than the former and is supported by Deuteronomy 2712-13 where Joseph stands for the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh and Levi is included amongst the twelve tribesWrite thou every manrsquos name upon his rodmdashThis was in accordance with an Egyptian custom (See Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians III 388) The prophet Ezekiel received a similar injunction (Ezekiel 3716)POOLE Speak unto the children of Israel that I may fully and finally satisfy all their scruples and take away all pretence and cause of murmuringOf every one of them not of every person but of every tribe as it followsA rod either an ordinary walking staff or rather that staff or rod which the princes carried in their hand as tokens of their dignity and authority as may be gathered from Numbers 2118 compared with Psalms 1102 Jeremiah 481617According to the house of their fathers ie according to each family proceeding from the patriarch or father of that tribeEvery manrsquos name ie every princersquos for they being the first-born and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of their tribes and besides each prince represented and acted for all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the whole question And this plate seems to confirm what was before observed that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contested with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holy as they said Numbers 163

WHEDON 2 A rod mdash Each chief prince of the twelve tribes bore a staff or sceptre as the sign of office Such rods were often hereditary and of great antiquity That such dry staves should blossom and bear fruit again is so improbable that the Greeks were accustomed to swear by their sceptres Thus Achilles

23

ldquoBut hearken I will swear a solemn oathBy this sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as oncerdquoWritehellip every manrsquos name mdash To identify beyond dispute the rod of Aaron after the trial The illiteracy of Moses and his generation as alleged by some modern writers is here abundantly confuted Since there were twelve rods including Levirsquos it is evident that the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim are here counted as one tribe mdash that of JosephPETT Numbers 172lsquoSpeak to the children of Israel and take of them rods one for each fathersrsquo house of all their princes according to their fathersrsquo houses twelve rods You write every manrsquos name on his rodrsquoAll the men of Israel were to be involved in this It is possible that Levi were included among lsquothe twelversquo and that Manasseh and Ephraim were for this event treated as one tribe the rods representing the lsquohouseholdsrsquo of the original patriarchal fathers But a rod was taken for each of their fathersrsquo houses and the names of each of the chieftains of those fathersrsquo houses was written on the rods This would suggest in the light of previous references to twelve chieftains that the lsquotwelversquo rods were in contrast with Aaronrsquos rod (Alternately one rod may have represented Joseph including both Ephraim and Manasseh It was Joseph who was to be lsquoa fruitful boughrsquo (Genesis 4922) but not as pertaining to the priesthood)The word for lsquorodsrsquo also indicates lsquotribes and can in fact be used to indicate either Thus the rods symbolised each tribe

PULPIT Numbers 172Take of every one of them a rod Literally take of them a rod a rod ie a rod apiece in the way immediately particularized hsilgnEegaugnaL מטה is used for the staff of Judah (Genesis 3818) and for the rod of Moses (Exodus 42) It is also used in the sense of tribe (Numbers 14 Numbers 116) Each tribe was but a branch or rod out of the stock of Israel and therefore was most naturally represented by the rod cut from the tree lsquoThe words used for scepter in Genesis 4910 and in Psalms 457 and for rod in Isaiah 111 and elsewhere are different but the same imagery underlies the use of all of them Of all their princes hellip twelve rods These princes must be those named in Isaiah 22-21 and Isaiah 25-71 Since among these are to be found the tribe princes of Ephraim and Manasseh standing upon a perfect equality with the rest it is evident that the twelve rods were exclusive

24

of that of Aaron The joining together of Ephraim and Manasseh in Deuteronomy 2712 was a very different thing because it could not raise any question as between the two

3 On the staff of Levi write Aaronrsquos name for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe

BARNES Thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of Levi - The Levites had taken part in the late outbreak It was therefore necessary to vindicate the supremacy of the house of Aaron over them and accordingly his name was written on the rod of Levi although being the son of Kohath the second son of Levi (Exo_616 ff) he would not be the natural head of the tribe

GILL And thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi Or upon the rod that was for the tribe of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written not the word Levi or a Levite as Josephus (e) for that would not have decided the controversy about the priesthood which chiefly lay between the Levites and the family of Aaron who were of the same tribe for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers one rod for the head or prince of every tribe every prince representing his own tribe he was the head of and the rod the prince and though the tribe of Levi was divided into two families the family of the priests and the family of the Levites yet as Jarchi observes they were but one tribe and so one rod for them as for the other tribes

ELLICOTT (3) And thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of LevimdashAaron was descended from the second son of Levi He was not therefore the natural but the divinely-appointed head of his fatherrsquos house and hence it would not have sufficed for the purpose contemplated to have inscribed the name of Levi upon the rod Aaron was constituted the head alike of the priests and of the Levites into which two classes the tribe of Levi was divided

25

BENSON Numbers 173 Aaronrsquos name mdash Rather than Levirsquos for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos family One rod mdash There shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixed

POOLE Aaronrsquos rather than Levirsquos name for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos familyFor the head of the house of their fathers ie there shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixedPETT Numbers 173lsquoAnd you shall write Aaronrsquos name on the rod of Levi for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathersrsquo housesrsquoOn the rod of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written There was to be one for each head of their fathersrsquo houses In the light of the earlier divisions in chapters 1-4 we are probably therefore to see that there were thirteen rods the twelve which represented Israel in contrast with the Levites and the one that specifically represented AaronHere Aaron is depicted as the head of the house of Levi That may well be why earlier he was called lsquothe Levitersquo as the head of the family (Exodus 414)

PULPIT Numbers 173Thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi There was no tribe prince of Levi and it is not probable that either of the three chiefs of the sub-tribes (Numbers 324 Numbers 330 55) was called upon to bring a rod This rod was therefore provided by Moses himself and inscribed by him with the name of Aaron who stood by Divine appointment (so recently and fearfully attested) above all his brethren For the significance of the act cf Ezekiel 3716-28 For one rod hellip for the head of the house of their fathers For Levi therefore there must be not three rods inscribed with the names of the chiefs but one only bearing the name of Aaron as

26

their common superior

4 Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law where I meet with you

GILL And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation In the most holy place before the testimony that is the ark in which the testimony or the law was here they were laid as in the presence of God who was in a miraculous way to decide the controversy by them and put an end to it for upon the ark was the mercy seat over which were the cherubim the seat of the divine Majesty and where none could come at them and where no fraud could be supposed to be committed where I will meet with you not with the people in person who might not go at any time into the most holy place nor with Aaron who only might go into it on the day of atonement but with Moses the chief ruler and representative of the whole body of the people and who might go in there at any time to consult with God about matters of moment and difficulty and where the Lord had said he would meet him Exo_2522 and now would in a miraculous way clearly show him and the people of Israel by him who was the priest he had chosen of all the tribesCALVIN 4And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle The place itself had not a little to do with the effectual decision of the matter because it was clearly manifested that God was the author of the miracle and consequently that the priesthood proceeded from Him For we have elsewhere said that the whole government of the Church so entirely depends upon His decree that men are not permitted to interfere with it Wherefore He set the ark of the covenant in opposition to the voices of the whole people in order to testify that no further dispute was to be raised respecting the priest whom He had appointed by His own declaration and authority At the same time it had the effect of consoling the people and silencing their complaints that the rods of all the tribes were brought in common into the sanctuary before God for although a peculiar dignity was accorded to that of Aaron alone still the people ceased not to be a priestly kingdom Hence it follows that the honorable privilege conferred on one family contributed to the public welfare of all so far was it from being the case that their inferiority ought to have caused them pain or envy

27

POOLE Before the testimony ie before the ark of the testimony either mediately close by the veil behind which the ark stood or rather immediately within the veil in the most holy place close by the ark as may be gathered by comparing this place with Numbers 1710 and with Hebrews 94I will meet with you and manifest my mind to you for the ending of this dispute PETT The Rods Are To Be Laid Up in the Tent of Meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)Numbers 174lsquoAnd you shall lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony where I meet with yoursquoThese were then to be lsquolaid up in the Tent of meeting before the testimonyrsquo in the place where Yahweh meets with His people This probably meant in front of the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh lsquothe testimonyrsquo indicating the presence of the covenant tablets in the Ark and their testimony to the covenant

5 The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelitesrdquo

CLARKE The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossom - It was necessary that something farther should be done to quiet the minds of the people and for ever to settle the dispute in what tribe the priesthood should be fixed God therefore took the method described in the text and it had the desired effect the Aaronical priesthood was never after disputed

GILL And it shall come to pass that the mans rod whom I shall choose Or make it manifest that he had chosen him and so confirm the choice he had made of him and his family for the priesthood to be and continue in

28

shall blossom bud and blossom and yield fruit as it afterwards did which is here declared beforehand that the miracle might appear the greater exactly answering to a prediction delivered out before of it and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel whereby they murmur against you against Moses for setting up his brother as an high priest and establishing the priesthood in his family and against Aaron for accepting of it and officiating in it but by this method now taken God would for ever silence their murmurings so that they should never be able with any face to object any more to the authority of the Aaronic priesthood which should appear by the predicted miracle beyond all dispute and contradictionCALVIN 5And it shall come to pass that the manrsquos rod Aaron indeed had been previously chosen but the expression here refers to his manifestation (105) because God is said again to choose those whom He has chosen by His secret counsel when He brings them forth into the sight of men with their peculiar marks of distinction and this not once only but as often as he confirms their election by new indications And this seems to be spoken of by way of concession as if God would pass over all His former decrees and invite the people afresh to take cognizance of the matter With this view tie states that He will put an end to all the malevolent and noisy detractions of the people so that Aaron may henceforth exercise his office without controversy for although not even thus was their perverseness altogether cured still their insolence was restrained

ELLICOTT (5) The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossommdashOr shall sprout forth or put forthmdashie leaves or blossoms Achilles when enraged against Agamemnon is made to swear a solemn oath by his sceptre which having once left its stock on the mountains shall never again grow King Latinus is represented by Virgil as confirming his covenant with AEligneas by a similar oath

WHEDON 5 Whom I shall choose mdash That is select for the priesthoodCeasehellip murmurings mdash Suppress them beyond all possibility of a revival Jehovahrsquos claims are set forth in his word with such cogency that there is no just ground for gainsaying On all questions of duty there is a redundancy of evidencePETT The Rod of the Chosen One Will Bud and Put an End to Murmuring (Numbers 175)Numbers 175lsquoAnd it will come about that the rod of the man whom I shall choose will bud and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel which they

29

murmur against yoursquoThen Yahweh would make the rod of the man that Yahweh had chosen spring to life and bud This final display on Yahwehrsquos initiative should cause all further murmurings against Moses and Aaron on the question of who had the right of priesthood to cease

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 Aaronrsquos staff was among them

BARNES The whole number of rods was twelve exclusive of Aaronrsquos as the Vulgate expressly states

GILL And Moses spake unto the children of Israel What the Lord had bid him say unto them concerning the rods which they hearkened unto and observed and everyone of their princes gave him a rod apiece for each prince one every prince of the several tribes and so a rod for every tribe as well as for each prince according to their fathers houses even twelve rods there being twelve tribes named after their fathers or the patriarchs the twelve sons of Jacob and Joseph having two tribes which sprung from him called after his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh there were twelve rods besides that of Aaron and so the Vulgate Latin version renders the words with the next clauseand there were twelve rods besides the rod of Aaronin all thirteen though the Jews say there were but twelve with it allowing but one rod for Joseph under whom were comprehended Ephraim and Manasseh and reckoning the tribe of Levi one of the twelve so Aben Ezra observes that the rod of Levi was among the twelve and Joseph had but one rod and the rod of Aaron was among their rods in the middle of them and was

30

so placed as Jarchi thinks that it might not be said because it was put on the side of the Shechinah or divine Majesty therefore it budded but being in the middle of them there could be no difference in that respectJAMISON the rod of Aaron was among their rods mdash either one of the

twelve or as many suppose a thirteenth in the midst (Heb_94) The rods were of dry sticks or wands probably old as transmitted from one head of the family to a succeeding

KampD Num_176-11Moses carried out this command And when he went into the tabernacle the following morning behold Aarons rod of the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth shoots and had borne blossoms and matured almonds And Moses brought all the rods out of the sanctuary and gave every man his own the rest as we may gather from the context being all unchanged so that the whole nation could satisfy itself that God had chosen Aaron Thus was the word fulfilled which Moses had spoken at the commencement of the rebellion of the company of Korah (Num_165) and that in a way which could not fail to accredit him before the whole congregation as sent of GodSo far as the occurrence itself is concerned there can hardly be any need to remark that the natural interpretation which has lately been attempted by Ewald viz that Moses had laid several almond rods in the holy place which had just been freshly cut off that he might see the next day which of them would flower the best during the night is directly at variance with the words of the text and also with the fact that a rod even freshly cut off when laid in a dry place would not bear ripe fruit in a single night The miracle which God wrought here as the Creator of nature was at the same time a significant symbol of the nature and meaning of the priesthood The choice of the rods had also a bearing upon the object in question A mans rod was the sign of his position as ruler in the house and congregation with a prince the rod becomes a sceptre the insignia of rule (Gen_4910) As a severed branch the rod could not put forth shoots and blossom in a natural way But God could impart new vital powers even to the dry rod And so Aaron had naturally no pre-eminence above the heads of the other tribes But the priesthood was founded not upon natural qualifications and gifts but upon the power of the Spirit which God communicates according to the choice of His wisdom and which He had imparted to Aaron through his consecration with holy anointing oil It was this which the Lord intended to show to the people by causing Aarons rod to put forth branches blossom and fruit through a miracle of His omnipotence whereas the rods of the other heads of the tribes remained as barren as before In this way therefore it was not without deep significance that Aarons rod not only put forth shoots by which the divine election might be recognised but bore even blossom and ripe fruit This showed that Aaron was not only qualified for his calling but administered his office in the full power of the Spirit and bore the fruit expected of him The almond rod was especially adapted to exhibit this as

31

an almond-tree flowers and bears fruit the earliest of all the trees and has received its name of שקד ldquoawakerdquo from this very fact (cf Jer_111)

God then commanded (Num_1710 Num_1711) that Aarons rod should be taken back into the sanctuary and preserved before the testimony ldquofor a sign for the rebellious that thou puttest an end to their murmuring and they die notrdquo The preservation of the rod before the ark of the covenant in the immediate presence of the Lord was a pledge to Aaron of the continuance of his election and the permanent duration of his priesthood though we have no need to assume that through a perpetual miracle the staff continued green and blossoming In this way the staff became a sign to the rebellious which could not fail to stop their murmuringPETT All the Chieftains Give Rods Including Aaron (Numbers 176)Numbers 176lsquoAnd Moses spoke to the children of Israel and all their princes gave him rods for each prince one according to their fathersrsquo houses even twelve rods and the rod of Aaron was among their rodsrsquoSo Moses did as Yahweh commanded and requested rods from each of the chieftains of the twelve tribes These rods may well have been their symbols of authority Thus twelve rods were gathered and Aaronrsquos rod was placed among them PULPIT And the rod of Aaron was among the rods As there was no prince from whom this rod could have come and as there were twelve rods without it this must mean that Moses did not keep Aarons rod separate (which might have caused suspicion) but let it be seen amongst the others

7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law

GILL And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness In that part of the tabernacle where the testimony or witness was that is the law which was in the ark over which was the mercy seat with the cherubim between which Jehovah dwelt and this was the most holy place and the rods being laid here might be said to be laid before the Lord who by making a difference in one of those rods from the rest would decide the controversy about the priesthood which was the end of their being laid

32

before himHENRY The preparing of the rods accordingly The princes brought

them in some of them perhaps fondly expecting that the choice would fall upon them and all of them thinking it honour enough to be competitors with Aaron and to stand candidates even for the priesthood (Num_177) and Moses laid them up before the Lord He did not object that the matter was sufficiently settled already and enough done to convince those that were not invincibly hardened in their prejudices He did not undertake to determine the controversy himself though it might easily have been done nor did he suggest that it would be to no purpose to offer satisfaction to a people that were willingly blind But since God will have it so he did his part and lodged the case before the Lord to whom the appeal was made by consent and left it with him

WHEDON 7 Witness mdash The Hebrew is the same as that for testimony in Numbers 174 The reason for choosing this place may have been that no one would suspect the performance of any legerdemain or jugglery in the holy of holies a sanctuary too awful for any man to enter but the high priest one day in the year Moses entered on this occasion by express commandPETT The Rods Are Placed In the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)Numbers 177lsquoAnd Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimonyrsquoThe rods were then laid up lsquobefore Yahwehrsquo in lsquothe Tent of the testimonyrsquo Note the change in name for the Tent Emphasis is placed here on the fact that the Tent testifies to Yahweh and His covenant As we have already suggested this probably meant that they were placed before the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh although it may be that Moses uniquely had access into the Holy of Holies itself

8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaronrsquos staff which represented the tribe of Levi had not only sprouted but had budded blossomed and produced almonds 33

BARNES Yielded almonds - ldquoRipened almondsrdquo i e ldquobrought forth ripe almondsrdquo The name almond in Hebrew denotes the ldquowaking-treerdquo the ldquowaking-fruitrdquo and is applied to this tree because it blossoms early in the season It serves here as in Jer_111-12 to set forth the speed and certainty with which at Godrsquos will His purposes are accomplished So again the blossoming and bearing of Aaronrsquos rod naturally impotent when severed from the parent tree may signify the profitableness because of Godrsquos appointment and blessing of the various means of grace (e g the priesthood the sacraments) which of themselves and apart from Him could have no such efficacy Compare Isa_42 Isa_111 Isa_532 Jer_335 Zec_612

CLARKE The rod of Aaron - was budded etc - That is on the same rod or staff were found buds blossoms and ripe fruit This fact was so unquestionably miraculous as to decide the business for ever and probably this was intended to show that in the priesthood represented by that of Aaron the beginning middle and end of every good work must be found The buds of good desires the blossoms of holy resolutions and promising professions and the ripe fruit of faith love and obedience all spring from the priesthood of the Lord Jesus It has been thought by some that Aaronrsquos staff (and perhaps the staves of all the tribes) was made out of the amygdala communis or common almond tree In a favorable soil and climate it grows to twenty feet in height is one of the most noble flourishing trees in nature its flowers are of a delicate red and it puts them forth early in March having begun to bud in January It has its name שקד shaked from shakad to awake because it buds and flowers sooner than most other trees And it is very likely that the staves of office borne by the chiefs of all the tribes were made of this tree merely to signify that watchfulness and assiduous care which the chiefs should take of the persons committed in the course of the Divine providence to their keeping

Every thing in this miracle is so far beyond the power of nature that no doubt could remain on the minds of the people or the envious chiefs of the Divine appointment of Aaron and of the especial interference of God in this case To see a piece of wood long cut off from the parent stock without bark or moisture remaining laid up in a dry place for a single night with others in the same circumstances - to see such a piece of wood resume and evince the perfection of vegetative life budding blossoming and bringing forth ripe fruit at the same time must be such a demonstration of the peculiar interference of God as to silence every doubt and satisfy every scruple It is worthy of remark that a scepter or staff of office resuming its vegetative life was considered an absolute impossibility among the ancients and as 34

they were accustomed to swear by their sceptres this circumstance was added to establish and confirm the oath A remarkable instance of this we have in Homer Iliad lib i ver 233 etc where Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon thus speaks -Αλλrsquo εκ τοι ερεω και επι μεγαν ὁρκον ομουμαιΝαι μα τοδε σκηπτρον το μεν ουποτε φυλλα και οζουςΦυσει επειδη πρωτα τομην εν ορεσσι λελοιπενΟυδrsquo αναθηλησει περι γαρ ῥα ἑ χαλκος ελεψεΦυλλα τε και φλοιονὁ δε τοι μεγας εσσεται ὁρκοςBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same scepter which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopprsquod off its foliage greenAnd stripprsquod its bark shall never grow againCowper

Virgil represents King Latinus swearing in the same way to confirm his covenant with Aeneas -Ut Sceptrum hoc (dextra sceptrum nam forte gerebat)Nunquam fronde levi fundet virgulta neque umbrasCum semel in silvis imo de stirpe recisumMatre caret posuitque comas et brachia ferroOlim arbos nunc artificis manus aere decoroInclusit patribusque dedit gestare LatinisTalibus inter se firmabant foedera dictisAen lib xii ver 206-12Even as this royal Sceptre (for he boreA scepter in his hand) shall never moreShoot out in branches or renew the birthAn orphan now cut from the mother earthBy the keen axe dishonorrsquod of its hairAnd cased in brass for Latian kings to bearAnd thus in public view the peace was tiedWith solemn vows and sworn on either sideDryden

When the circumstance of the rod or scepter being used anciently in this way and the absolute impossibility of its reviviscence so strongly appealed to is considered it appears to have been a very proper instrument for the present occasion for the change that passed on it must be acknowledged as an immediate and incontestable miracle

35

GILL And it came to pass that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness Where none but he could go at any time this was the day after the rods had been placed there and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi the rod that had Aarons name upon it which was to represent the tribe of Levi of which he was was budded and brought forth buds knobs of blossom such that are seen on trees before they open for the almond tree puts forth its blossoms before its leaves though the Targum of Jonathan renders it branches as do some versions and some think this is to be understood of its putting out its leaves first contrary to the nature of the almond tree and so makes the miracle the greater thus Ben Melech and blossomed blossoms open flowers or blossoms such as appear on the almond tree in the spring and look very beautiful and yielded almonds ripe almonds in their full perfection as the Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan the latter of which isin the same night it perfected and brought forth almondsthe word used has the signification of weaning and alludes to children grown up to some ripeness and maturity Gen_218 the case seems to be this that in one part of the rod were buds swelling and just putting out in another part open flowers quite blown and in others full ripe fruit now this clearly showed it to be supernatural since the almond tree though quick and early in its production of buds and flowers yet never has those and ripe fruit on it at the same time to which may be added that this was not the time of year the almond tree blossoms not the spring but rather autumn as it should seem since it was after the affair of the spies and the murmurs of the people on their report now it was the time of the first ripe grapes when they went into the land and they were forty days searching it and it was after their return the insurrections before recorded were the design of this was to confirm the priesthood in Aarons family and show that it would continue there in a flourishing condition and that there would be a succession of priests from him to the time of the Messiah as there were and the almond tree having its name in Hebrew from watchfulness and haste see Jer_111 may denote the vigilance of the priests in their office and the haste punishment makes to come upon such that should oppose them or usurp the priesthood as in the case of Uzziah so Jarchi remarks this rod of Aarons may be an emblem of the Gospel ministry of that rod that should come out of Zion Psa_1102 which in the eyes of men is mean and despicable like a dry stick but becomes a fruitful one through the power of divine grace and an almond tree rod may denote the vigilance and watchfulness of Gospel ministers over themselves and others and their doctrine and oftentimes whom God puts into the ministry he early calls them by his grace and frequently makes the first part of their ministry most useful and fruit is brought forth which remains moreover this rod may be considered as a type of Christ it being a dry rod or stick may denote the

36

meanness of his descent and appearance in the world and the unpromising aspect of his being the King Messiah and Saviour of men and being an almond tree rod may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time which the Lord hastened his being the firstborn and his right to the priesthood and his vigilance in it its lying among other rods and budding and blossoming and bringing forth fruit may point at Christs assuming the common nature or man his being cut off by death his resurrection from the dead and the fruits arising from thence justification peace pardon and eternal life and as Aarons priesthood was confirmed by the budding ampc of this rod so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are by his resurrection from the dead See Gill on Heb_94HENRY 8-9 Here is I The final determination of the controversy

concerning the priesthood by a miracle Num_178 Num_179 The rods or staves were brought out from the most holy place where they were laid up and publicly produced before the people and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were Aarons rod only of a dry stick became a living branch budded and blossomed and yielded almonds In some places there were buds in others blossoms in others fruit at the same time This was miraculous and took away all suspicion of a fraud as if in the night Moses had taken away Aarons rod and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it for no ordinary branch would have buds blossoms and fruits upon it all at once Now1 This was a plain indication to the people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood and not any other of the princes of the tribes Thus he was distinguished from them and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven which sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor watering by the hand of man Bishop Hall here observes that fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call and that the plants of Gods setting and the boughs cut off from them will flourish See Psa_9212-14 The trees of the Lord though they seem dry trees are full of sap2 It was a very proper sign to represent the priesthood itself which was hereby confirmed to Aaron (1) That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God It produced not only blossoms but almonds for the priesthood was designed not only for an honour to Aaron but for a blessing to Israel Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they should go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit should remain Joh_1516 (2) That there should be a succession of priests Here were not only almonds for the present but buds and blossoms promising more hereafter Thus has Christ provided in his church that a seed should serve him from generation to generation (3) That yet this priesthood should not be perpetual but in process of time like the branches and blossoms of a tree should fail and wither The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age Ecc_125 This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood which soon became old and ready to vanish away Heb_8133 It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood for he is the man the branch that is to be a priest upon his throne as it follows (Zec_612) and he was to grow up before God as this before the ark like a tender

37

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

We are not at all impressed by the so-called examples cited by the critics comparing this to such fables as that of Hercules whose club of wild olive wood was leaned up against the statue of the god Hermes promptly sprouted and has been growing ever since[1] or to that of Joseph of Arimatheas stick which was placed in the ground of Weary-All hill and became the remarkable thorn of Glastonbury[2] Plutarch has a similar yarn regarding the spear of Romulus the legendary founder of Rome[3] Such things only show that the impressive truth of this narrative in Numbers resulted in the invention of similar tales by the pagans and by some superstitious Christians of later agesAncient literature indeed all ancient civilizations placed a remarkable weight of significance upon the staff Homer for example gave an account of the oath sworn by Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon in these wordsBut hearken I swear a solemn oathBy this same sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodman lopped off its foliage greenAnd stripped its bark shall never grow again[4]Sceptres or staves or walking sticks were considered to be of the greatest importance Kings swore by them[5] and Judah was condemned by Tamar using his staff as invincible proof (Genesis 3818) Esther touched only the sceptre of King Ahasuerus but it saved her life (Esther 411) The Holy Messiah was identified by Zechariah as the one above all others who would have both a rod and a staff a thought also echoed in the Shepherd Psalm Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me (Psalms 234) The ancient authority and symbolism of the rod are still evident today in that impressive remnant of it called The Mace by which Parliament itself is opened in London and by the symbolical Sceptres belonging to the regalia of royalty in all ages Today one may see the Sceptre of the English monarch in the Tower of LondonThus it was no ordinary rod that each prince of Israel brought to Moses The symbolical authority and concurrence of all of them in the test was thus achieved

EBC A widespread rebellion an organised rebellion not homogeneous but with many elements in it tending to utter confusion is what we see Suppose it to have succeeded the unity of worship would have been destroyed completely Each tribe

4

with its own cultus would have gone its own way so far as religion was concerned In a very short time there would have been as many debased cults as there were wandering companies Then the claim of autonomy if not of right to lead the tribes made on behalf of Reuben involved a further danger Moses had not only the sagacity but the inspiration which ought to have commanded obedience The princes of Reuben had neither Whether all under the lead of Reuben or each tribe led by its own princes the Israelites would have travelled to disaster Futile attempts at conquest strife or alliance with neighbouring peoples internal dissension would have worn the tribes piecemeal away The dictatorship of Moses the Aaronic priesthood and the unity of worship stood or fell together One of the three removed the others would have given way But the revolutionary spirit springing out of ambition and a disaffection for which there was no excuse was blind to consequences And the stern suppression of this revolt at whatever cost was absolutely needful if there was to be any future for IsraelIt has been supposed that we have in this rebellion of Korah the first example of ecclesiastical dissension and that the punishment is a warning to all who presumptuously intrude into the priestly office Laymen take the censer and the fire of the Lord burns them up So let not laymen at any time in the Churchrsquos history venture to touch the sacred mysteries If ritual and sacramentarian miracle were the heart of religion if there could be no worship of God and no salvation for men now unless through a consecrated priesthood this might be said But the old covenant with its symbols and shadows has been superseded We have another censer now another tabernacle another way which has been consecrated for ever by the sacrifice of Christ a way into the holiest of all open to every believer Our unity does not depend on the priesthood of men but on the universal and eternal priesthood of Christ The co-operation of Aaron as priest was needful to Moses not that his power might be maintained for his own sake but that he might have authority over the host for Israelrsquos sake It was not the dignity of an order or of a man that was at stake but the very existence of religion and of the nation This bond snapped at any point the tribes would have been scattered and lostA leader of men standing above them for their temporal interests can rarely take upon him to be the instrument of administering the penalty of their sins What king for instance ever invoked an interdict on his own people or in his own right of judging for God condemned them to pay a tax to the Church because they had done what was morally wrong Rulers generally have regarded disobedience to themselves as the only crime it was worth their while to punish When Moses stood against the faithless spirit of the Israelites and issued orders by way of punishing that bad spirit he certainly put his authority to a tremendous test Without a sure ground of confidence in Divine support he would have been foolhardy in the extreme And we are not surprised that the coalition against him represented many causes of discontent Under his administration the long sojourn in the desert had been decreed and a whole generation deprived of what they held their right-a settlement in Canaan He appeared to be tyrannising over the tribes and proud Reubenites sought to put an end to his rule The priesthood was his creation and

5

seemed to be made exclusive simply that through Aaron he might have a firmer hold of the peoplersquos liberties Why was the old prerogative of the headmen in religious-matters taken from them They would reclaim their rights Neither Levi nor Reuben should be denied its priestly autonomy any longer In the whole rebellion there was one spirit but there were also divided counsels and Moses showed his wisdom by taking the revolt not as a single movement but part by partFirst he met the Levites with Korah at their head professing great zeal for the principle that all the congregation were holy every one of them A claim made on that ground could not be disproved by argument perhaps although the holiness of the congregation was evidently an ideal not a fact Jehovah Himself would have to decide Yet Moses remonstrated in a way that was fitted to move the Levites and perhaps did touch some of them They had been honoured by God in having a certain holy office assigned to them Were they to renounce it in joining a revolt which would make the very priesthood they desired common to all the tribes From Jehovah Himself the Levites had their commission It was against Jehovah they were fighting and how could they speed They spoke of Aaron and his dignity But what was Aaron Only a servant of God and of the people a man who personally assumed no great airs By this appeal some would seem to have been detached from the rebellion for in Numbers 269-11 when the judgment of Korah and his company is referred to it is added Notwithstanding the children of Korah died not From 1 Chronicles 61-81 we learn that in the line of Korahrsquos descendants appeared certain makers and leaders of sacred song Heman among them one of Davidrsquos singers to whom Psalms 881-18 is ascribedWith the Reubenites Moses deals in the next place taking their cause of discontent by itself Already one of the three Reubenite chiefs had withdrawn and Dathan and Abiram stood by themselves Refusing to obey the call of Moses to a conference they stated their grievance roughly by the mouth of a messenger and Moses could only with indignation express before God his blamelessness in regard to them I have not taken one ass from them neither have I hurt one of them Neither for his own enrichment nor in personal ambition had he acted Could they maintain did the people think that the present revolt was equally disinterested Under cover of opposition to tyranny are they not desiring to play the part of tyrants and aggrandise themselves at the expense of the peopleIt is singular that not a word is said in special condemnation of the two hundred and fifty because they were in possession of censers and incense May it be the case that the complete reservation of the high-priestly duties to the house of Aaron had not as yet taken effect that it was a purpose rather than a fact May it not further be the case that the rebellion partly took form and ripened because an order had been given withdrawing the use of censers from the headmen of the tribes If there had as yet been a certain temporary allowance of the tribal priesthood and ritual we should not have to ask how incense and censers were in the hands of the two hundred and fifty and why the brass of their vessels was held to be sacred and put to holy use

6

The prayer of Moses in which he interceded for the people Numbers 1622 is marked by an expression of singular breadth O God the God of the spirits of all flesh The men misled on the fleshly side by appetite (Numbers 1613) and shrinking from pain were against God But their spirits were in His hand Would He not move their spirits redeem and save them Would He not look on the hearts of all and distinguish the guilty from the innocent the more rebellious from the less One man had sinned but would God burst out on the whole congregation The form of the intercession is abrupt crude Even Moses with all his justice and all his pity could not be more just more compassionate than Jehovah The purpose of destruction was not as the leader thought it to beRegarding the judgments that of the earthquake and that of the fire we are too remote in time to form any proper conception of what they were how they were inflicted Moses says Lange appears as a man whose wonderful presentiment becomes a miraculous prophecy by the Spirit of revelation But this is not sufficient There was more than a presentiment Moses knew what was coming knew that where the rebels stood the earth would open the consuming fire burn The plague on the other hand which next day spread rapidly among the excited people and threatened to destroy them was not foreseen It came as if straight from the hand of Divine wrath But it afforded an opportunity for Aaron to prove his power with God and his courage Carrying the sacred fire into the midst of the infected people he became the means of their deliverance As he waved his censer and its fumes went up to heaven faith in Jehovah and in Aaron as the true priest of Jehovah was revived in the hearts of men Their spirits came again under the healing power of that symbolism which had lost its virtue in common use and was now associated in a grave crisis with an appeal to Him who smites and heals who kills and makes aliveIt has been maintained by some that the closing sentences of chapter 17 should follow chapter 16 with which they appear to be closely connected the incident of the budding of Aaronrsquos rod seeming to call rather for a festal celebration than a lament The theory of the Book of Numbers we have seen reason to adopt would account for the introduction of the fresh episode simply because it relates to the priesthood and tends to confirm the Aaronites in exclusive dignity The symbolic test of the claim raised by the tribes corresponds closely to the signs that were used by some of the prophets such as the girdle laid up by the river Euphrates and the basket of summer fruits The rod on which Aaronrsquos name was written was of almond a tree for which Syria was famous Like the sloe it sends forth blossoms before the leaves and the unique way in which this twig showed its living vigour as compared with the others was a token of the choice of Levi to serve and Aaron to minister in the holiest office before JehovahThe whole circumstances and the closing cry of the people leave the impression of a grave difficulty found in establishing the hierarchy and centralising the worship It was a necessity-shall we call it a sad necessity-that the men of the tribes should be

7

deprived of direct access to the sanctuary and the oracle Earthly disobedient and far from trustful in God they could not be allowed even the hereditary chiefs among them to offer sacrifices The ideas of the Divine holiness embodied in the Mosaic law were so far in advance of the common thought of Israel that the old order had to be superseded by one fitted to promote the spiritual education of the people and prepare them for a time when there shall be on the bells of the horses HOLY UNTO THE LORD and every pot in Judah shall be holy unto the Lord of hosts and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them and seethe therein The institution of the Aaronic priesthood was a step of progress indispensable to the security of religion and the brotherhood of the tribes in that high sense for which they were made a nation But it was at the same time a confession that Israel was not spiritual was not the holy congregation Korah declared it to be The greater was the pity that afterwards in the day of Israelrsquos opportunity when Christ came to lead the wholepeople into the spiritual liberty and grace for which prophets had longed the priestly system was held tenaciously as the pride of the nation When the law of ritual and sacrifice and priestly mediation should have been left behind as no longer necessary because the Messiah had come the way of higher life was opened in vain Sacerdotalism held its place with full consent of those who guided affairs Israel as a nation was blinded and its day shone in vainOf all priesthoods as corporate bodies however estimable zealous and spiritually-minded individual members of them may be must it not be said that their existence is a sad necessity They may be educative A sacerdotal system now may like that of the Mosaic law be a tutor to bring men to Christ Realising that those who hold office under it may bring help to men not yet fit for liberty But priestly dominance is no perpetual rule in any church certainly not in the Kingdom of God The freedom with which Christ makes men free is the goal The highest duty a priest can fulfil is to prepare men for that liberty and as soon as he can he should discharge them for the enjoyment of it To find in episodes like those of Korahrsquos revolt and its suppression a rule applicable to modern religious affairs is too great an anachronism For whatever right sacerdotalism now has is purely of the Churchrsquos tolerance in the measure not of Divine right but of the need of uninstructed men To the spiritual to those who know the priestly system with its symbols and authoritative claim is but an interference with privilege and dutyCan any Aaron now make an atonement for a mass of people or even in virtue of his office apply to them the atonement made by Christ How does his absolution help a soul that knows Christ the Redeemer as every Christian soul ought to know Him The great fault of priesthoods always is that having once gained power they endeavour to retain it and extend it making greater claims the longer they exist Affirming that they speak for the Church they endeavour to control the voice of the Church Affirming that they speak for Christ they deny or minimise His great gift of liberty Freedom of thought and reason was to Cardinal Newman for example the cause of all deplorable heresies and infidelities of a divided Church and a ruined world The candid priest of our day is found making his claim as largely as ever and then virtually explaining it away Should not the vain attempt to hold by

8

Judaic institutions cease And although the Church of Christ early made the mistake of harking back to Mosaism should not confession now be made that priesthood of the exclusive kind is out of date that every believer may perform the highest functions of the consecrated lifeThe Divine choice of Aaron his confirmation in high religious office by the budding of the almond twig as well as by the acceptance of his intercession have their parallels now The realities of one age become symbols for anotherLike the whole ritual of Israel these particular incidents may be turned to Christian use by way of illustration But not with regard to the prerogative of any arch-hierarch The availing intercession is that of Christ the sole headship over the tribes of men is that which He has gained by Divine courage love and sacrifice Among those who believe there is equal dependence on the work of Christ When we come to intercession which they make for each other it is of value in consideration not of office but of faith The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much It is as righteous men humble men not as priests they prevail The sacraments are efficacious not from any virtue in them or in him that administers them but through faith by the energy of the omnipresent SpiritYet there are men chosen to special duty whose almond twigs bud and blossom and become their sceptres Appointment and ordination are our expedients grace is given by God in a higher line of calling and endowment While there are blessings pronounced that fall upon the ear or gratify the sensibility theirs reach the soul For them the world has need to thank God They keep religion alive and make it bourgeon and yield the new fruits for which the generations hunger They are new branches of the Living Vine Of them it has often to be said as of the Lord Himself The stone which the builders rejected the same has become head of the corner this is the Lordrsquos doing and it is marvellous in our eyes

PETT ntroductionChapter 17 The Rod That Budded In Numbers 16 the question has been dealt with as to who could act as a mediator between Israel and God in the offering of incense Now the further question is dealt with as to who may enter the Holy Placeb) Who Has The Right To Enter The Sanctuary - Issues of Life and Death Evidenced By The Rod That Budded (chapter 17)Here those with the right to enter the Sanctuary are determined once and for all as the sons of Aaron We are given no background to the incident although it may well have followed not long after the preceding event and is clearly connected with it

9

This is the third in the trio of incidents which confirm the Aaronic priesthood the first two of which overlap Each of them covers two days (Numbers 161-50 Numbers 171-13) and each of them ends with the thought of the people being consumed (Numbers 1621 Numbers 1645-48 Numbers 1713)a Yahweh commands each tribe to lay a rod before Him in the Tent of Testimony one for each head of their fatherrsquos house (Numbers 171-3)b The rods to be laid up in the Tent of meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)c The rod of the chosen one will bud and put an end to murmuring (Numbers 175)d All the chieftains give rods including Aaron (Numbers 176)d The rods are placed in the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)c Aaronrsquos Rod buds and flowers in the Tent of Testimony and the budded and unbudded rods are revealed to all the people who look on them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)b Aaronrsquos rod is laid up lsquobefore the Testimonyrsquo to put an end to their murmuring (Numbers 1710)a The people recognise that none but Aaronrsquos house may enter the Tabernacle for they alone can enter the Sanctuary and live and the rod which is evidence for the fact is laid up before the Testimony (Numbers 1712-13)Verses 1-3Yahweh Commands Each Tribe to Lay a Rod Before Him in the Tent of Testimony One For Each Head of Their Fatherrsquos House (Numbers 171-3)Numbers 171lsquoAnd Yahweh spoke to Moses sayingrsquoAgain it is emphasised here that we have the words of Yahweh as spoken to Moses

BI 1-13 Write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of LeviAaronrsquos rodI Instructive to the Israelites

1 An end hereby put to murmuring By an incontrovertible sign they 10

knew who was the true priest2 A preventative furnished against future rebellion Miracles apt to be forgotten of this the evidence was to be preserved Kept for a token

II Suggestive to Christians Every man has some rod on which he leans The Christianrsquos is faith Like Aaronrsquos rod faith flourishesmdash1 Most in the sanctuary There are strengthening influences and a Divine power It will become a barren stock elsewhere2 Under circumstances in which other rods cannot live The almond flourishes even before the winter is fully past Faith budding in adversity3 Produces fruit and flowers on the bare stock of adversity4 Bears fruit speedily when God causes His blessing to rest upon it ldquoBelieve and be savedrdquo5 Stirs the Christian up to vigilance Almond-tree a symbol of watchfulness

III Typical of Christ1 For it is perpetual Aaronrsquos rod laid up as a lasting remembrance2 It bore fruit on a barren stock Jesus a root out of a dry ground3 It was distinguished among the sceptres of the princes Christrsquos kingdom and sceptre rule over all He is a plant of renown4 It was the object of special favour So in Jesus He ldquowas well pleasedrdquo He was ldquoelect and preciousrdquo

IV Symbolical of a true teacher1 His home the house of God2 Presents himself constantly before the testimony3 In himself dry and barren4 Relies upon God for fruitfulness5 Produces by Divine help not flowers only but fruit also6 As a dry and lifeless stock he receives quickening power from God so with his flowers and fruit he presents himself before God and offers all his works to Him

Learnmdash1 The wisdom of God in choice of methods2 To seek a strong and living and practical faith3 To rejoice in and rely upon the perpetual high priesthood of Christ4 To endeavour like the almond-tree to bring forth fruit early (J C Gray)

11

Aaronrsquos rod that buddedThis is our subject the miraculous conversion of Aaronrsquos rod into a living blossoming and fruit-bearing plant It must have been a most convincing prodigy for the purpose it was designed to answer for the people no sooner saw it than they cried out in remorse for their wavering allegiance ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perishrdquo But beyond the age wherein the marvel occurred this putting vegetable life into that dry staff has frequently been borrowed and used for other objects Thus Achilles in classic poetry when enraged against Agamemnon is made by Homer to refer to this miraclemdash

ldquoBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts stock on the high mountains at what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopt off its foliage greenAnd stript its bark shall never grow again -By this I swearrdquo

And amongst Latin literature you will some of you remember that a certain king confirms a covenant with AEneas by a similar oathI We begin by reminding you that among the greatest of our blessings in this world is our strict obligation to do the Divine will and to keep the Divine law It is far more worth our while to sing of Godrsquos statutes than it is to sing of Godrsquos promises Where should we be in a country without human authority and a human authority founded on a reverence for the Divine Very truly does Bushnell say that ldquowithout law man does not live he only grazesrdquo If he had no government he would never discern any reason for existence and would soon not care to exist How different is the world of Voltaire from the world of Milton I The one finds nothing but this clay world and its material beauties flashes into a shallow brilliancy of speech and weaving a song of surfaces empties himself into a book of all that he has felt or seen But the other at the back of all and through all visible things beholds a spirit and a Divinity Now is there not a very beautiful picture of the comeliness and the beneficence of law in the old miracle that was wrought upon the rod of Aaron That staff as we have put it to you was selected as the sign of authority This was a declaration first that no law was perfect that did not display life and beauty and fertility and a declaration secondly that by Godrsquos choice that perfect law dwelt in the high priest But apart from the imagery as a message to the children of Israel I cling to that blooming staff as the very best type I can find anywhere of what Godrsquos rule is amongst us and in His Church I find myself taught by this early prodigy on Aaronrsquos staff that Godrsquos dominion is the dominion of the almond-branch It is a rod alas for us if there were no rod But it is a rod displaying all the three several pledges and gradations of life and thusmdashoh beautiful coincidence if it be nothing moremdashGod turns His law towards the

12

children of men into what the forbidden tree so falsely appeared to the first transgressormdashldquopleasant to the eye and good for foodrdquo Of course I know that the staff or the sceptre is the symbol of authority because a staff is that with which one person smites another The ultimate significance of a rod is a blow But is it nothing to be taught by Godrsquos picture-alphabet of the Old Testament that He smites only with buds and with flowers and with fruit This seems to change even to any childrsquos apprehension the whole character of the sovereignty under which we bow in the modern camp of the Church You tremble as you read the chapter of hard duties Turn the leaf and you will come upon the chapter of precious promises There is not a verse in the Bible that is not in flower with some comfort aye though it be a verse that smites you with a difficult commandment You are never to tell a man to do a single thing in religion without telling him that God will help him to do it You are never to command a sacrifice from me for Christrsquos sake without comforting me with the assurance that ldquoGod is able to give me much more than thisrdquo If you have a strong rough hard stick of responsibility you must show it to me bursting out all over with the rich petals and the hanging clusters of the sovereignty of Divine grace Aye for I want you to mark well that here was a miracle within a miracle The natural almond-branch never has upon it at one time buds blossoms and fruit But I seem to be taught by this accumulation of successive life all at once on one stem that there is no element of mercy wanting in the code by which I am to be managed But remember that if we deserve nothing but the rod and yet if God never uses the rod save with the buds the blossoms and the fruit ldquoHe may well record it against us if either we despise the chastening of the Lord or faint when we are rebuked of HimrdquoII But now the real and only proper commentary on the facts of the Pentateuch will be found in the doctrines of the Epistle to the Hebrews Do you believe that all those lives would have been lost and all that commotion would have been made about the prerogative of Aaronrsquos priesthood but for that other Priest on whom the whole world was to relymdashthe Priest for evermdashldquomade not after the law of a carnal commandment but after the power of an endless liferdquo It is not by one Scripture it is by scores that I find myself pointed through that staff to the real government of this world in the rod out of the stem of Jesse ldquoHe shall grow up before Him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground without form or comelinessrdquo And yet all the while He was the ldquorod out of the stem of Jesserdquo And when I read in the Book of Numbers how the Hebrews rose up against Aaron and put him to shame I can only take it for a foreshadowing of another rebellion when they insulted another Sceptre who was ldquodespised and rejected of menrdquo We preach to you Christ a stumbling-block to the Jews And scarcely can you wonder that so long as the rod was only the root out of a dry ground the Son of the carpenter and the Friend of sinners there was ldquo no beauty in Him that they should desire Himrdquo But that is not the staff with which this day God governs His Church No no He hath declared that lowly peasant preacher to be ldquothe Son of God with power in that He hath raised Him from the deadrdquo Ah that night in which they concealed Aaronrsquos rod in the tabernacle of witness it was never less living never less blossoming than then But it was not left in darkness neither did it see corruption And on

13

the appointed morning men found it marked by the choice of the Omnipotent with the buds the blossoms and the fruit In like manner the coldest darkest least living period in Immanuelrsquos career was when they hid Him among all the other millions of the dead in the tomb cut out of the rock in the garden of Joseph ldquoBut now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first-fruits of them that sleptrdquo He was raised up ldquoa plant of renownrdquo And from that glorious Easter morning the ldquorod out of the stem of Jesserdquo has been ldquothe tree whose leaves are for the healing of the nationsrdquo and ldquofilling the face of the world with fruitrdquo Men can be governed by a Mediator and yet not perish ldquoThe soul that sinneth it shall dierdquo That is a rod but ldquoif any man sin we have an Advocate with the Fatherrdquo that is ldquoAaronrsquos rod that buddedrdquomdashthe rod of the Priest Reuben Gad and all the rest have rods Christianity is not alone in the sternness of its government or the severity of its sanctions But it is alone in telling me how I can receive remission of sins that are past and how I can obtain the strongest of motives for a life of obedience in the time to come (H Christopherson)

Aaronrsquos rod blossoming and bearing fruitI As the priesthood of Aaron was a type of the priesthood of Christ there is here a suggestion of facts which must have their counterpart in Christrsquos life and history

1 The atonement and death of our Lord Jesus were matters of Divine appointment The whole work of our salvation originated with God2 But more than thismdashwhich is the essential truth here enshrinedmdashwe see here that God often manifests Himself in unexpected forms of beauty and of grace The dry rod blossomed and bare fruit The powers of Divine salvation were enshrined in the person of the Carpenter of Nazareth There was life for a dead world in the Cross and in the grave of the dead Christ

II There are suggestions here concerning Christian life1 Christian life begins with God2 The Christian life manifests itself in unfavourable conditions It is in human souls a power of active benevolence or it is nothing at all It takes hold of human misery with a healing hand and it changes it into blessing Where sin abounded there grace does much more abound3 There is beauty associated with the developments of Christian life and character There is nothing half so winning as Christian grace

III Suggestions in relation to the gospel ministry1 There is a Divine designation of men to the highest service of the Church2 But what is the qualification of men thus sent Evidently the possession of Divine life the gift which is to be imparted to those needing it To be a Christian teacher a man must be a Christian and must

14

know the things of Christ3 How then are we to judge a manrsquos Divine call and authority Only and solely by the blossoms and fruitmdashby the spiritual results of his ministry

IV Last of all there are here suggestions concerning Christian humiliation1 The world has not known its best benefactors It has always had a scornful word for the saintly and the true-hearted It has always risen up in rebellion against the anointed of the Lord2 Here is a word of encouragement to all weak and mistrustful and diffident and self-emptied souls ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says the old labourer in the Masterrsquos vineyard and the holy matron whose life has been careful and troubled about many things but who has ever been anxious to honour and serve her dear Lord in lowliest ways and household duties ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says the saint waiting dismission to rest who has not done what he would or been as useful as he desired and hoped and prayed to be ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says one whose strength has been weakened by the way and whose unfinished purposes lie sadly enough at his feet fallen out of hands which could not longer hold them or fashion them into completeness ldquoWe are but dry rodsrdquo say many earnest anxious longing souls who hardly dare to trust for the future because so often when they would do good evil is present with them We are not saved by trust in our own righteousness or by satisfaction with our own goodness and deeds But Godrsquos grace is all-sufficient and He can work miracles of beauty and fruitfulness where human might is feeblest and self mistrust is greatest and humility of spirit is deepest (W H Davison D D)

The Divine plan for vindicating the high priesthood of Aaron and its moral teachingI That true ministers of religion are elected by GodII It is of great importance that men should know that their ministers of religion are called by God

1 In order that they may regard them with becoming respect2 In order that they may take heed to their message

III The vitality of sin is of dreadful tenacity ldquoMany menrsquos lipsrdquo says Trapp ldquolike rusty hinges for want of the oil of grace and gladness move not without murmuring and complainingrdquo It is a thing of extreme difficulty to eradicate any evil disposition from the human heart ldquoFor such is the habitual hardness of menrsquos hearts as neither ministry nor misery nor miracle nor mercy can possibly mollify Nothing can do it but an extraordinary touch from the hand of HeavenrdquoIV God is engaged in eradicating sin from human hearts (W Jones)

15

Aaronrsquos rod an illustration of the true Christian ministryI The characteristics of the true Christian ministry

1 Life2 Beauty3 Fruitfulness

II The origin of the true Christian ministry Godrsquos creation and gift to the ChurchIII The influence of the true Christian ministry Abiding (W Jones)

The budded rod a type of ChristThe rod in many graphic tints shows Jesus The very name is caught by raptured prophets (Isa_111 Zec_612-13) Thus faith gleans lessons from the very titlemdashRod But the grand purport of the type is to reject all rivals It sets Aaron alone upon the priestly seat The parallel proclaims that similarly Jesus is our only Priest God calls anoints appoints accepts and ever hears Him but Him alone In His hands only do these functions live Next the constant luxuriance has a clear voice In naturersquos field buds blossoms fruit soon wither Not so this rod Its verdure was for ever green its fruit was ever ripe Beside the ark it was reserved in never-fading beauty Here is the ever-blooming Priesthood of our Lord (Psa_1104 Heb_724) Mark moreover that types of Jesus often comprehend the Church It is so with these rods The twelve at first seem all alike They are all sapless twigs But suddenly one puts forth loveliness while the others still remain worthless and withered Here is a picture of Godrsquos dealings with a sin-slain race Since Adamrsquos fall all are born lifeless branches of a withered stock When any child of man arises from the death of sin and blooms in grace God has arisen with Divine almightiness Believer the budded rod gives another warning It is a picture of luxuriance Turn from it and look inward Is your soul thus richly fertile Instead of fruit you often yield the thorn (Joh_158) Whence is the fault (Joh_154) Perhaps your neglectful soul departs from Christ Meditate in Godrsquos law day and night (Psa_13) But if the budded rod rebukes the scanty fruit in the new-born soul what is its voice to unregenerate worldlings (Heb_68) (Dean Law)

The rod of AaronBuds are evidence of life A nominal Christian is like a dead trunk and he cannot bud unless the sap of Divine grace courses through him Spiritual life is an attribute of the converted Christian The spiritual life of a being is his presiding sentiment or dispositionmdashthe chief inspiration of his soulmdashthat which gives motion and character to his mental and moral beingI Life is a resistless force The smallest blade of grass that raises its tiny head into light or the feeblest insect that sports in the sunbeam displays a

16

force superior to that which governs the ocean or controls the stars Man stands erect the tree rises and the bird soars because of lifeII Life is an appropriating force Vegetable and animal existences have a power of appropriating to themselves all surrounding elements conducive to their well-being just as the life of the plant converts the various gases around it into nutriment to promote its strength and development Wherever there is true religion there is a power to render all external circumstances subservient to its own strength and growth all things work together for its goodIII Life is a propagating force It has ldquothe seed in itselfrdquo Forests start from acorns and boundless harvests from the solitary grain It is said that the grateful Israelites anxious to carry away a bud a blossom or almond as a memento of the occasion the flowers and fruit on the rod were repeatedly and miraculously renewed for that purpose Be that as it may wherever there is religious life it will spread it scatters broadcast the incorruptible seed which liveth and abideth for everIV Life is a beautifying force There are two kinds of beautymdashthe sensational and the moral Nature in her ten thousand forms of loveliness and art in her exquisite expressions of taste are ministries to the former whilst spiritual truth moral goodness and the holiness of God address the latter The one is the poetry of the eye and ear the other of the soul The beauty that appeals to the religious nature of man is the beauty of holinessmdashthe beauty of the Lordmdashthe glory of God in His goodnessV Life is a fructifying force The true Christian not only lives and unfolds a noble disposition but is really useful St Paul speaks of ldquothe fruit of the Spiritrdquomdashrighteousness goodness truth The first as opposed to all injustice and dishonesty the second as opposed to the ten thousand forms of selfishness the third as opposed to all that is erroneous and false in the doctrines and theories of men (G L Saywell)

Aaronrsquos rodHere are three miracles in onemdash

1 That a dry rodmdashmade of the almond treemdashshould bring forth buds in a moment2 That those buds should presently become blossoms anal flowers3 That these should immediately become ripe fruit and that all at once or at least in a little space

Nature makes no such leaps All this was supernatural to these ends1 For a testimony of Godrsquos calling Aaron to the priesthood2 For a type of Christ the Branch (Isa_111)3 For a figure of the fruitfulness of a gospel ministry4 For a lively representation of a glorious resurrection (C Ness)

17

Lessons from the budding rodA wonderful work of God which sundry ways may profit us

1 As first to consider that if the power of God can do this in a dry stick cannot He make the barren woman to bare and be a joyful mother of children Can He not do whatsoever He will do By this power the sea is dried the rock gives water the earth cleaveth under the feet of men fire descends whose nature is to ascend raiseth the dead and calleth things that are not as if they were In a word He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think ampc2 This rod is a notable type of Christ His person and office Of His person in that He was born of the Virgin Mary who though He descended of the royal blood yet was now poor and mean as that royal race was brought exceeding low nothing remaining but as it were a root only Now the said Virgin flourisheth again as Aaronrsquos rod did and beareth such fruit as never woman bear Of this speaks Isaiah the prophet when he saith ldquoThere shall come a rod forth of the stock of Jesse and a graft shall grow out of his rootsrdquo Of His office both priestly and kingly His priestly office is figured in that being offered upon the cross He was as Aaronrsquos dried rod or as the Psalm saith ldquodried up like a potsherdrdquo But when He rose again He became like Aaronrsquos budding and fruit-bearing rod bringing forth to man believing on Him remission of sins righteousness and eternal life His kingly office in that He governeth His Church with a rod or sceptre of righteousness as it is in the Psalm ldquoThe sceptre of Thy kingdom is a right sceptrerdquo Which rod and sceptre is the preaching of the gospel ampc3 Again it was a resemblance of true ministers and of all faithful men and women for none of all these ought to be dry and withered sticks but bear and bring forth buds and fruit according to their places4 It is a shadow also of our resurrection by which we should grow green again and flourish with a new and an eternal glory having like dead seed lain in the ground and we shall bring forth ripe almonds that is the praise of Godrsquos incomprehensible goodness to us for ever and ever5 It resembleth our reformation and amendment of life for when our heart feeleth what is amiss this is as the bud when it resolveth of a change and a future amendment this is the blossom and when it performeth the same by a new reformed life indeed this is as the ripe almonds of Aaronrsquos rod(Bp Babington)

The priesthood divinely selectedWhat matchless wisdom shines in this arrangement How completely is the matter taken out of manrsquos hands and placed where alone it ought to be namely in the hands of the living God It was not to be a man appointing

18

himself or a man appointing his fellow but God appointing the man of His own selection In a word the question was to be definitively settled by God Himself so that all murmurings might be silenced for ever and no one be able again to charge Godrsquos high priest with taking too much upon him The human will had nothing whatever to do with this solemn matter The twelve rods all in a like condition were laid up before the Lord man retired and left God to act There was no room no opportunity because there was no occasion for human management In the profound retirement of the sanctuary far away from all manrsquos thinkings was the grand question of priesthood settled by Divine decision and being thus settled it could never again be raised (C H Mackintosh)

Aaronrsquos fruitful rodStriking and beautiful figure of Him who was ldquodeclared to be the Son of God with power by resurrection from the deadrdquo The twelve rods were all alike lifeless but God the living God entered the scene and by that power peculiar to Himself infused life into Aaronrsquos rod and brought it forth to view bearing upon it the fragrant fruits of resurrection Who could gainsay this The rationalist may sneer at it and raise a thousand questions Faith gazes on that fruit-bearing rod and sees in it a lovely figure of the new creation in the which all things are of God Infidelity may argue on the ground of the apparent impossibility of a dry stick budding blossoming and bearing fruit in the course of one night But to whelm does it appear impossible To the infidel the rationalist the sceptic And why Because he always shuts out God Let us remember this Infidelity invariably shuts out God God can do as He pleases The One who called worlds into existence could make a rod to bud blossom and bear fruit in a moment Bring God in and all is simple and plain as possible Leave God out and all is plunged in hopeless confusion (C H Mackintosh)

The rods contrastedPonder the difference between the rod of Moses and the rod of Aaron We have seen the former doing its characteristic work in other days and amid other scenes We have seen the land of Egypt trembling beneath the heavy strokes of that rod Plague after plague fell upon that devoted scene in answer to that outstretched rod We have seen the waters of the sea divided in answer to that rod In short the rod of Moses was a rod of power a rod of authority But it could not avail to hush the murmurings of the children of Israel nor yet to bring the people through the desert Grace alone could do that and we have the expression of pure gracemdashfree sovereign gracemdashin the budding of Aaronrsquos rod Nothing can be more forcible nothing more lovely That dry dead stick was the apt figure of Israelrsquos condition and indeed of the condition of every one of us by nature There was no sap no life no power One might well say ldquoWhat good can ever come of itrdquo None whatever had not grace come in and displayed its quickening power So was it with Israel in the wilderness and so is it with us now How were they to

19

be led along from day to day How were they to be sustained in all their weakness and need How were they to be borne with in all their sin and folly The answer is found in Aaronrsquos budding rod If the dry dead stick was the expression of naturersquos barren and worthless condition the buds blossoms and fruit set forth that living and life-giving grace and power of God on which was based the priestly ministry that alone could bear the congregation through the wilderness Grace alone could answer the ten thousand necessities of the militant host Power could not suffice Authority could not avail Priesthood alone could supply what was needed and this priesthood was instituted on the foundation of that efficacious grace which could bring fruit out of a dry rod Thus it was as to priesthood of old and thus it is as to ministry now All ministry in the Church of God is the fruit of Divine gracemdashthe gift of Christ the Churchrsquos Head (C H Mackintosh)

2 ldquoSpeak 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

BARNES Compare Eze_3716 ff

CLARKE And take of every one of them a rod - matteh the staff or מטהscepter which the prince or chief of each tribe bore and which was the sign of office or royalty among almost all the people of the earth

GILL Speak unto the children of Israel The principal men among them of the several tribes and take of everyone of them not of every individual of the people of Israel but of their princes as afterwards explained a rod according to the house of their fathers or father of whom their house or tribe was called as Reuben Simeon ampc this rod was either a

20

common walking staff as some think or rather the ensign of their princely office and dignity peculiar to each tribe though some think it was now freshly cut off from an almond tree and that all the rods were of one and the same tree but supposing they were all of the almond kind as Josephus (d) thinks yet being dry rods and of long use served to make the miracle appear the greater of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods this explains who they were to be taken of the princes of the several tribes whose names are given Num_15 and the number of them twelve according to the number of the twelve tribes write thou every mans name upon his rod the name of each prince or head of a tribe either by cutting it into the rod or fastening a writing to it after the manner of those times as for instance the name of Elizur for the tribe of Reuben by which it was to be made and was made to appear that to none of these tribes belonged the priesthood but to the tribe of Levi and to none of that tribe but the family of Aaron whereby it should seem that some of all the tribes made pretensions to it as being all holy and especially the chief firstborn of every tribe as such their princes were

JAMISON 2-5 Speak unto the children of Israel mdash The controversy with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood was of such a nature and magnitude as required a decisive and authoritative settlement For the removal of all doubts and the silencing of all murmuring in the future regarding the holder of the office a miracle was wrought of a remarkable character and permanent duration and in the manner of performing it all the people were made to have a direct and special interest

take of every one princes twelve rods mdash As the princes being the oldest sons of the chief family and heads of their tribes might have advanced the best claims to the priesthood if that sacred dignity was to be shared among all the tribes they were therefore selected and being twelve in number - that of Joseph being counted only one - Moses was ordered to see that the name of each was inscribed - a practice borrowed from the Egyptians - upon his rod or wand of office The name of Aaron rather than of Levi was used as the latter name would have opened a door of controversy among the Levites and as there was to be one rod only for the head of each tribe the express appointment of a rod for Aaron determined him to be the head of that tribe as well as that branch or family of the tribe to which the priestly dignity should belong These rods were to be laid in the tabernacle close to the ark (compare Num_1710 and Heb_94) where a divine token was promised that would for all time terminate the dispute

CALVIN 2Speak unto the children of Israel They are mistaken who suppose that to the twelve rods there was another added for the tribe of Levi (103) for since there was no question here as to the possession of the land there was no occasion at

21

all for the division of the tribe of Joseph into two parts We know too that it was endowed with a double portion because the Levites had no inheritance and in this case the circumstances were different because all the other tribes were contending for the priesthood with the tribe of Levi alone Hence it was then that rods were given to each of them in accordance with the origin of their race But when Aaronrsquos rod is said to have been ldquoin the midst of themrdquo (104) it is in the usual phrase of the Hebrew language because it was mixed with them as one of their number And this is expressly stated to show us that all ground for caviling might be taken from the ungodly since all the rods were east promiscuously into the same bundle so that none should be distinguished above the others and thus nothing could be ascribed to the collusion of men If any should object that by these means the rivalry was not extinguished which the other Levites had with the house of Aaron since his own name alone was inscribed upon the rod so that there would be no comparison between the families I reply that since the power of God manifested itself distinctly in the name of Aaron the rejection of the others was sufficiently shown forth by his election for if this honor had been common to the others God would have defrauded them by giving distinction to him alone Besides no other plan could have been adopted for putting an end to this quarrel for if there had been several rods for one tribe the whole people would have complained of the inequality It was necessary then that all should be brought to the contest on equal terms so that the difference between them might be seen to depend upon Godrsquos good pleasure But if the name of Levi had been inscribed all its families would have claimed the right of succession as if common to them all There was therefore no other course open but that God should prefer to the whole people one individual chosen from amongst the members of his own kindred and tribe COKE Numbers 172 Take of every one of them a rodmdash The minds of a considerable number of the people having been poisoned by the insinuations of Korah and his accomplices against Aaron and his family upon the account of the priesthood God is pleased to add another signal miracle in confirmation of his priests authority accordingly the head of each tribe is ordered to take a rod and bring it before the Lord Some have supposed that these were the ordinary rods or batoons which the princes of the tribes bore while from the 8th verse of this chapter others infer that these were twigs or branches from one and the same almond tree whichever was the case the miracle was sufficiently great to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of ProvidenceBENSON Numbers 172 Take of every one mdash Not of every person but of every tribe A rod mdash A twig or branch from one and the same almond-tree as some infer from Numbers 178 Or according to others the ordinary rods which the princes of the tribes carried in their hands as tokens of their dignity and authority Numbers 2118 And indeed the miracle would appear the greater if neither Aaronrsquos rod nor any of the rest was of the almond-tree But the miracle was sufficiently great either way to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of Providence Every manrsquos name mdash Every princersquos for they being the firstborn and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of

22

their tribes and besides the prince represented all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the question And this place seems to confirm the opinion that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contended with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holyELLICOTT (2) And take of every one of them mdashBetter And take of them a rod for each fatherrsquos houseTwelve rodsmdashSome suppose that Aaronrsquos rod was not included amongst the twelve Others suppose that one rod only was taken for the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh The latter supposition is more accordant with the terms here employed than the former and is supported by Deuteronomy 2712-13 where Joseph stands for the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh and Levi is included amongst the twelve tribesWrite thou every manrsquos name upon his rodmdashThis was in accordance with an Egyptian custom (See Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians III 388) The prophet Ezekiel received a similar injunction (Ezekiel 3716)POOLE Speak unto the children of Israel that I may fully and finally satisfy all their scruples and take away all pretence and cause of murmuringOf every one of them not of every person but of every tribe as it followsA rod either an ordinary walking staff or rather that staff or rod which the princes carried in their hand as tokens of their dignity and authority as may be gathered from Numbers 2118 compared with Psalms 1102 Jeremiah 481617According to the house of their fathers ie according to each family proceeding from the patriarch or father of that tribeEvery manrsquos name ie every princersquos for they being the first-born and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of their tribes and besides each prince represented and acted for all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the whole question And this plate seems to confirm what was before observed that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contested with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holy as they said Numbers 163

WHEDON 2 A rod mdash Each chief prince of the twelve tribes bore a staff or sceptre as the sign of office Such rods were often hereditary and of great antiquity That such dry staves should blossom and bear fruit again is so improbable that the Greeks were accustomed to swear by their sceptres Thus Achilles

23

ldquoBut hearken I will swear a solemn oathBy this sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as oncerdquoWritehellip every manrsquos name mdash To identify beyond dispute the rod of Aaron after the trial The illiteracy of Moses and his generation as alleged by some modern writers is here abundantly confuted Since there were twelve rods including Levirsquos it is evident that the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim are here counted as one tribe mdash that of JosephPETT Numbers 172lsquoSpeak to the children of Israel and take of them rods one for each fathersrsquo house of all their princes according to their fathersrsquo houses twelve rods You write every manrsquos name on his rodrsquoAll the men of Israel were to be involved in this It is possible that Levi were included among lsquothe twelversquo and that Manasseh and Ephraim were for this event treated as one tribe the rods representing the lsquohouseholdsrsquo of the original patriarchal fathers But a rod was taken for each of their fathersrsquo houses and the names of each of the chieftains of those fathersrsquo houses was written on the rods This would suggest in the light of previous references to twelve chieftains that the lsquotwelversquo rods were in contrast with Aaronrsquos rod (Alternately one rod may have represented Joseph including both Ephraim and Manasseh It was Joseph who was to be lsquoa fruitful boughrsquo (Genesis 4922) but not as pertaining to the priesthood)The word for lsquorodsrsquo also indicates lsquotribes and can in fact be used to indicate either Thus the rods symbolised each tribe

PULPIT Numbers 172Take of every one of them a rod Literally take of them a rod a rod ie a rod apiece in the way immediately particularized hsilgnEegaugnaL מטה is used for the staff of Judah (Genesis 3818) and for the rod of Moses (Exodus 42) It is also used in the sense of tribe (Numbers 14 Numbers 116) Each tribe was but a branch or rod out of the stock of Israel and therefore was most naturally represented by the rod cut from the tree lsquoThe words used for scepter in Genesis 4910 and in Psalms 457 and for rod in Isaiah 111 and elsewhere are different but the same imagery underlies the use of all of them Of all their princes hellip twelve rods These princes must be those named in Isaiah 22-21 and Isaiah 25-71 Since among these are to be found the tribe princes of Ephraim and Manasseh standing upon a perfect equality with the rest it is evident that the twelve rods were exclusive

24

of that of Aaron The joining together of Ephraim and Manasseh in Deuteronomy 2712 was a very different thing because it could not raise any question as between the two

3 On the staff of Levi write Aaronrsquos name for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe

BARNES Thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of Levi - The Levites had taken part in the late outbreak It was therefore necessary to vindicate the supremacy of the house of Aaron over them and accordingly his name was written on the rod of Levi although being the son of Kohath the second son of Levi (Exo_616 ff) he would not be the natural head of the tribe

GILL And thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi Or upon the rod that was for the tribe of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written not the word Levi or a Levite as Josephus (e) for that would not have decided the controversy about the priesthood which chiefly lay between the Levites and the family of Aaron who were of the same tribe for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers one rod for the head or prince of every tribe every prince representing his own tribe he was the head of and the rod the prince and though the tribe of Levi was divided into two families the family of the priests and the family of the Levites yet as Jarchi observes they were but one tribe and so one rod for them as for the other tribes

ELLICOTT (3) And thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of LevimdashAaron was descended from the second son of Levi He was not therefore the natural but the divinely-appointed head of his fatherrsquos house and hence it would not have sufficed for the purpose contemplated to have inscribed the name of Levi upon the rod Aaron was constituted the head alike of the priests and of the Levites into which two classes the tribe of Levi was divided

25

BENSON Numbers 173 Aaronrsquos name mdash Rather than Levirsquos for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos family One rod mdash There shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixed

POOLE Aaronrsquos rather than Levirsquos name for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos familyFor the head of the house of their fathers ie there shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixedPETT Numbers 173lsquoAnd you shall write Aaronrsquos name on the rod of Levi for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathersrsquo housesrsquoOn the rod of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written There was to be one for each head of their fathersrsquo houses In the light of the earlier divisions in chapters 1-4 we are probably therefore to see that there were thirteen rods the twelve which represented Israel in contrast with the Levites and the one that specifically represented AaronHere Aaron is depicted as the head of the house of Levi That may well be why earlier he was called lsquothe Levitersquo as the head of the family (Exodus 414)

PULPIT Numbers 173Thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi There was no tribe prince of Levi and it is not probable that either of the three chiefs of the sub-tribes (Numbers 324 Numbers 330 55) was called upon to bring a rod This rod was therefore provided by Moses himself and inscribed by him with the name of Aaron who stood by Divine appointment (so recently and fearfully attested) above all his brethren For the significance of the act cf Ezekiel 3716-28 For one rod hellip for the head of the house of their fathers For Levi therefore there must be not three rods inscribed with the names of the chiefs but one only bearing the name of Aaron as

26

their common superior

4 Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law where I meet with you

GILL And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation In the most holy place before the testimony that is the ark in which the testimony or the law was here they were laid as in the presence of God who was in a miraculous way to decide the controversy by them and put an end to it for upon the ark was the mercy seat over which were the cherubim the seat of the divine Majesty and where none could come at them and where no fraud could be supposed to be committed where I will meet with you not with the people in person who might not go at any time into the most holy place nor with Aaron who only might go into it on the day of atonement but with Moses the chief ruler and representative of the whole body of the people and who might go in there at any time to consult with God about matters of moment and difficulty and where the Lord had said he would meet him Exo_2522 and now would in a miraculous way clearly show him and the people of Israel by him who was the priest he had chosen of all the tribesCALVIN 4And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle The place itself had not a little to do with the effectual decision of the matter because it was clearly manifested that God was the author of the miracle and consequently that the priesthood proceeded from Him For we have elsewhere said that the whole government of the Church so entirely depends upon His decree that men are not permitted to interfere with it Wherefore He set the ark of the covenant in opposition to the voices of the whole people in order to testify that no further dispute was to be raised respecting the priest whom He had appointed by His own declaration and authority At the same time it had the effect of consoling the people and silencing their complaints that the rods of all the tribes were brought in common into the sanctuary before God for although a peculiar dignity was accorded to that of Aaron alone still the people ceased not to be a priestly kingdom Hence it follows that the honorable privilege conferred on one family contributed to the public welfare of all so far was it from being the case that their inferiority ought to have caused them pain or envy

27

POOLE Before the testimony ie before the ark of the testimony either mediately close by the veil behind which the ark stood or rather immediately within the veil in the most holy place close by the ark as may be gathered by comparing this place with Numbers 1710 and with Hebrews 94I will meet with you and manifest my mind to you for the ending of this dispute PETT The Rods Are To Be Laid Up in the Tent of Meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)Numbers 174lsquoAnd you shall lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony where I meet with yoursquoThese were then to be lsquolaid up in the Tent of meeting before the testimonyrsquo in the place where Yahweh meets with His people This probably meant in front of the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh lsquothe testimonyrsquo indicating the presence of the covenant tablets in the Ark and their testimony to the covenant

5 The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelitesrdquo

CLARKE The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossom - It was necessary that something farther should be done to quiet the minds of the people and for ever to settle the dispute in what tribe the priesthood should be fixed God therefore took the method described in the text and it had the desired effect the Aaronical priesthood was never after disputed

GILL And it shall come to pass that the mans rod whom I shall choose Or make it manifest that he had chosen him and so confirm the choice he had made of him and his family for the priesthood to be and continue in

28

shall blossom bud and blossom and yield fruit as it afterwards did which is here declared beforehand that the miracle might appear the greater exactly answering to a prediction delivered out before of it and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel whereby they murmur against you against Moses for setting up his brother as an high priest and establishing the priesthood in his family and against Aaron for accepting of it and officiating in it but by this method now taken God would for ever silence their murmurings so that they should never be able with any face to object any more to the authority of the Aaronic priesthood which should appear by the predicted miracle beyond all dispute and contradictionCALVIN 5And it shall come to pass that the manrsquos rod Aaron indeed had been previously chosen but the expression here refers to his manifestation (105) because God is said again to choose those whom He has chosen by His secret counsel when He brings them forth into the sight of men with their peculiar marks of distinction and this not once only but as often as he confirms their election by new indications And this seems to be spoken of by way of concession as if God would pass over all His former decrees and invite the people afresh to take cognizance of the matter With this view tie states that He will put an end to all the malevolent and noisy detractions of the people so that Aaron may henceforth exercise his office without controversy for although not even thus was their perverseness altogether cured still their insolence was restrained

ELLICOTT (5) The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossommdashOr shall sprout forth or put forthmdashie leaves or blossoms Achilles when enraged against Agamemnon is made to swear a solemn oath by his sceptre which having once left its stock on the mountains shall never again grow King Latinus is represented by Virgil as confirming his covenant with AEligneas by a similar oath

WHEDON 5 Whom I shall choose mdash That is select for the priesthoodCeasehellip murmurings mdash Suppress them beyond all possibility of a revival Jehovahrsquos claims are set forth in his word with such cogency that there is no just ground for gainsaying On all questions of duty there is a redundancy of evidencePETT The Rod of the Chosen One Will Bud and Put an End to Murmuring (Numbers 175)Numbers 175lsquoAnd it will come about that the rod of the man whom I shall choose will bud and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel which they

29

murmur against yoursquoThen Yahweh would make the rod of the man that Yahweh had chosen spring to life and bud This final display on Yahwehrsquos initiative should cause all further murmurings against Moses and Aaron on the question of who had the right of priesthood to cease

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 Aaronrsquos staff was among them

BARNES The whole number of rods was twelve exclusive of Aaronrsquos as the Vulgate expressly states

GILL And Moses spake unto the children of Israel What the Lord had bid him say unto them concerning the rods which they hearkened unto and observed and everyone of their princes gave him a rod apiece for each prince one every prince of the several tribes and so a rod for every tribe as well as for each prince according to their fathers houses even twelve rods there being twelve tribes named after their fathers or the patriarchs the twelve sons of Jacob and Joseph having two tribes which sprung from him called after his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh there were twelve rods besides that of Aaron and so the Vulgate Latin version renders the words with the next clauseand there were twelve rods besides the rod of Aaronin all thirteen though the Jews say there were but twelve with it allowing but one rod for Joseph under whom were comprehended Ephraim and Manasseh and reckoning the tribe of Levi one of the twelve so Aben Ezra observes that the rod of Levi was among the twelve and Joseph had but one rod and the rod of Aaron was among their rods in the middle of them and was

30

so placed as Jarchi thinks that it might not be said because it was put on the side of the Shechinah or divine Majesty therefore it budded but being in the middle of them there could be no difference in that respectJAMISON the rod of Aaron was among their rods mdash either one of the

twelve or as many suppose a thirteenth in the midst (Heb_94) The rods were of dry sticks or wands probably old as transmitted from one head of the family to a succeeding

KampD Num_176-11Moses carried out this command And when he went into the tabernacle the following morning behold Aarons rod of the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth shoots and had borne blossoms and matured almonds And Moses brought all the rods out of the sanctuary and gave every man his own the rest as we may gather from the context being all unchanged so that the whole nation could satisfy itself that God had chosen Aaron Thus was the word fulfilled which Moses had spoken at the commencement of the rebellion of the company of Korah (Num_165) and that in a way which could not fail to accredit him before the whole congregation as sent of GodSo far as the occurrence itself is concerned there can hardly be any need to remark that the natural interpretation which has lately been attempted by Ewald viz that Moses had laid several almond rods in the holy place which had just been freshly cut off that he might see the next day which of them would flower the best during the night is directly at variance with the words of the text and also with the fact that a rod even freshly cut off when laid in a dry place would not bear ripe fruit in a single night The miracle which God wrought here as the Creator of nature was at the same time a significant symbol of the nature and meaning of the priesthood The choice of the rods had also a bearing upon the object in question A mans rod was the sign of his position as ruler in the house and congregation with a prince the rod becomes a sceptre the insignia of rule (Gen_4910) As a severed branch the rod could not put forth shoots and blossom in a natural way But God could impart new vital powers even to the dry rod And so Aaron had naturally no pre-eminence above the heads of the other tribes But the priesthood was founded not upon natural qualifications and gifts but upon the power of the Spirit which God communicates according to the choice of His wisdom and which He had imparted to Aaron through his consecration with holy anointing oil It was this which the Lord intended to show to the people by causing Aarons rod to put forth branches blossom and fruit through a miracle of His omnipotence whereas the rods of the other heads of the tribes remained as barren as before In this way therefore it was not without deep significance that Aarons rod not only put forth shoots by which the divine election might be recognised but bore even blossom and ripe fruit This showed that Aaron was not only qualified for his calling but administered his office in the full power of the Spirit and bore the fruit expected of him The almond rod was especially adapted to exhibit this as

31

an almond-tree flowers and bears fruit the earliest of all the trees and has received its name of שקד ldquoawakerdquo from this very fact (cf Jer_111)

God then commanded (Num_1710 Num_1711) that Aarons rod should be taken back into the sanctuary and preserved before the testimony ldquofor a sign for the rebellious that thou puttest an end to their murmuring and they die notrdquo The preservation of the rod before the ark of the covenant in the immediate presence of the Lord was a pledge to Aaron of the continuance of his election and the permanent duration of his priesthood though we have no need to assume that through a perpetual miracle the staff continued green and blossoming In this way the staff became a sign to the rebellious which could not fail to stop their murmuringPETT All the Chieftains Give Rods Including Aaron (Numbers 176)Numbers 176lsquoAnd Moses spoke to the children of Israel and all their princes gave him rods for each prince one according to their fathersrsquo houses even twelve rods and the rod of Aaron was among their rodsrsquoSo Moses did as Yahweh commanded and requested rods from each of the chieftains of the twelve tribes These rods may well have been their symbols of authority Thus twelve rods were gathered and Aaronrsquos rod was placed among them PULPIT And the rod of Aaron was among the rods As there was no prince from whom this rod could have come and as there were twelve rods without it this must mean that Moses did not keep Aarons rod separate (which might have caused suspicion) but let it be seen amongst the others

7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law

GILL And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness In that part of the tabernacle where the testimony or witness was that is the law which was in the ark over which was the mercy seat with the cherubim between which Jehovah dwelt and this was the most holy place and the rods being laid here might be said to be laid before the Lord who by making a difference in one of those rods from the rest would decide the controversy about the priesthood which was the end of their being laid

32

before himHENRY The preparing of the rods accordingly The princes brought

them in some of them perhaps fondly expecting that the choice would fall upon them and all of them thinking it honour enough to be competitors with Aaron and to stand candidates even for the priesthood (Num_177) and Moses laid them up before the Lord He did not object that the matter was sufficiently settled already and enough done to convince those that were not invincibly hardened in their prejudices He did not undertake to determine the controversy himself though it might easily have been done nor did he suggest that it would be to no purpose to offer satisfaction to a people that were willingly blind But since God will have it so he did his part and lodged the case before the Lord to whom the appeal was made by consent and left it with him

WHEDON 7 Witness mdash The Hebrew is the same as that for testimony in Numbers 174 The reason for choosing this place may have been that no one would suspect the performance of any legerdemain or jugglery in the holy of holies a sanctuary too awful for any man to enter but the high priest one day in the year Moses entered on this occasion by express commandPETT The Rods Are Placed In the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)Numbers 177lsquoAnd Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimonyrsquoThe rods were then laid up lsquobefore Yahwehrsquo in lsquothe Tent of the testimonyrsquo Note the change in name for the Tent Emphasis is placed here on the fact that the Tent testifies to Yahweh and His covenant As we have already suggested this probably meant that they were placed before the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh although it may be that Moses uniquely had access into the Holy of Holies itself

8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaronrsquos staff which represented the tribe of Levi had not only sprouted but had budded blossomed and produced almonds 33

BARNES Yielded almonds - ldquoRipened almondsrdquo i e ldquobrought forth ripe almondsrdquo The name almond in Hebrew denotes the ldquowaking-treerdquo the ldquowaking-fruitrdquo and is applied to this tree because it blossoms early in the season It serves here as in Jer_111-12 to set forth the speed and certainty with which at Godrsquos will His purposes are accomplished So again the blossoming and bearing of Aaronrsquos rod naturally impotent when severed from the parent tree may signify the profitableness because of Godrsquos appointment and blessing of the various means of grace (e g the priesthood the sacraments) which of themselves and apart from Him could have no such efficacy Compare Isa_42 Isa_111 Isa_532 Jer_335 Zec_612

CLARKE The rod of Aaron - was budded etc - That is on the same rod or staff were found buds blossoms and ripe fruit This fact was so unquestionably miraculous as to decide the business for ever and probably this was intended to show that in the priesthood represented by that of Aaron the beginning middle and end of every good work must be found The buds of good desires the blossoms of holy resolutions and promising professions and the ripe fruit of faith love and obedience all spring from the priesthood of the Lord Jesus It has been thought by some that Aaronrsquos staff (and perhaps the staves of all the tribes) was made out of the amygdala communis or common almond tree In a favorable soil and climate it grows to twenty feet in height is one of the most noble flourishing trees in nature its flowers are of a delicate red and it puts them forth early in March having begun to bud in January It has its name שקד shaked from shakad to awake because it buds and flowers sooner than most other trees And it is very likely that the staves of office borne by the chiefs of all the tribes were made of this tree merely to signify that watchfulness and assiduous care which the chiefs should take of the persons committed in the course of the Divine providence to their keeping

Every thing in this miracle is so far beyond the power of nature that no doubt could remain on the minds of the people or the envious chiefs of the Divine appointment of Aaron and of the especial interference of God in this case To see a piece of wood long cut off from the parent stock without bark or moisture remaining laid up in a dry place for a single night with others in the same circumstances - to see such a piece of wood resume and evince the perfection of vegetative life budding blossoming and bringing forth ripe fruit at the same time must be such a demonstration of the peculiar interference of God as to silence every doubt and satisfy every scruple It is worthy of remark that a scepter or staff of office resuming its vegetative life was considered an absolute impossibility among the ancients and as 34

they were accustomed to swear by their sceptres this circumstance was added to establish and confirm the oath A remarkable instance of this we have in Homer Iliad lib i ver 233 etc where Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon thus speaks -Αλλrsquo εκ τοι ερεω και επι μεγαν ὁρκον ομουμαιΝαι μα τοδε σκηπτρον το μεν ουποτε φυλλα και οζουςΦυσει επειδη πρωτα τομην εν ορεσσι λελοιπενΟυδrsquo αναθηλησει περι γαρ ῥα ἑ χαλκος ελεψεΦυλλα τε και φλοιονὁ δε τοι μεγας εσσεται ὁρκοςBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same scepter which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopprsquod off its foliage greenAnd stripprsquod its bark shall never grow againCowper

Virgil represents King Latinus swearing in the same way to confirm his covenant with Aeneas -Ut Sceptrum hoc (dextra sceptrum nam forte gerebat)Nunquam fronde levi fundet virgulta neque umbrasCum semel in silvis imo de stirpe recisumMatre caret posuitque comas et brachia ferroOlim arbos nunc artificis manus aere decoroInclusit patribusque dedit gestare LatinisTalibus inter se firmabant foedera dictisAen lib xii ver 206-12Even as this royal Sceptre (for he boreA scepter in his hand) shall never moreShoot out in branches or renew the birthAn orphan now cut from the mother earthBy the keen axe dishonorrsquod of its hairAnd cased in brass for Latian kings to bearAnd thus in public view the peace was tiedWith solemn vows and sworn on either sideDryden

When the circumstance of the rod or scepter being used anciently in this way and the absolute impossibility of its reviviscence so strongly appealed to is considered it appears to have been a very proper instrument for the present occasion for the change that passed on it must be acknowledged as an immediate and incontestable miracle

35

GILL And it came to pass that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness Where none but he could go at any time this was the day after the rods had been placed there and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi the rod that had Aarons name upon it which was to represent the tribe of Levi of which he was was budded and brought forth buds knobs of blossom such that are seen on trees before they open for the almond tree puts forth its blossoms before its leaves though the Targum of Jonathan renders it branches as do some versions and some think this is to be understood of its putting out its leaves first contrary to the nature of the almond tree and so makes the miracle the greater thus Ben Melech and blossomed blossoms open flowers or blossoms such as appear on the almond tree in the spring and look very beautiful and yielded almonds ripe almonds in their full perfection as the Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan the latter of which isin the same night it perfected and brought forth almondsthe word used has the signification of weaning and alludes to children grown up to some ripeness and maturity Gen_218 the case seems to be this that in one part of the rod were buds swelling and just putting out in another part open flowers quite blown and in others full ripe fruit now this clearly showed it to be supernatural since the almond tree though quick and early in its production of buds and flowers yet never has those and ripe fruit on it at the same time to which may be added that this was not the time of year the almond tree blossoms not the spring but rather autumn as it should seem since it was after the affair of the spies and the murmurs of the people on their report now it was the time of the first ripe grapes when they went into the land and they were forty days searching it and it was after their return the insurrections before recorded were the design of this was to confirm the priesthood in Aarons family and show that it would continue there in a flourishing condition and that there would be a succession of priests from him to the time of the Messiah as there were and the almond tree having its name in Hebrew from watchfulness and haste see Jer_111 may denote the vigilance of the priests in their office and the haste punishment makes to come upon such that should oppose them or usurp the priesthood as in the case of Uzziah so Jarchi remarks this rod of Aarons may be an emblem of the Gospel ministry of that rod that should come out of Zion Psa_1102 which in the eyes of men is mean and despicable like a dry stick but becomes a fruitful one through the power of divine grace and an almond tree rod may denote the vigilance and watchfulness of Gospel ministers over themselves and others and their doctrine and oftentimes whom God puts into the ministry he early calls them by his grace and frequently makes the first part of their ministry most useful and fruit is brought forth which remains moreover this rod may be considered as a type of Christ it being a dry rod or stick may denote the

36

meanness of his descent and appearance in the world and the unpromising aspect of his being the King Messiah and Saviour of men and being an almond tree rod may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time which the Lord hastened his being the firstborn and his right to the priesthood and his vigilance in it its lying among other rods and budding and blossoming and bringing forth fruit may point at Christs assuming the common nature or man his being cut off by death his resurrection from the dead and the fruits arising from thence justification peace pardon and eternal life and as Aarons priesthood was confirmed by the budding ampc of this rod so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are by his resurrection from the dead See Gill on Heb_94HENRY 8-9 Here is I The final determination of the controversy

concerning the priesthood by a miracle Num_178 Num_179 The rods or staves were brought out from the most holy place where they were laid up and publicly produced before the people and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were Aarons rod only of a dry stick became a living branch budded and blossomed and yielded almonds In some places there were buds in others blossoms in others fruit at the same time This was miraculous and took away all suspicion of a fraud as if in the night Moses had taken away Aarons rod and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it for no ordinary branch would have buds blossoms and fruits upon it all at once Now1 This was a plain indication to the people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood and not any other of the princes of the tribes Thus he was distinguished from them and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven which sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor watering by the hand of man Bishop Hall here observes that fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call and that the plants of Gods setting and the boughs cut off from them will flourish See Psa_9212-14 The trees of the Lord though they seem dry trees are full of sap2 It was a very proper sign to represent the priesthood itself which was hereby confirmed to Aaron (1) That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God It produced not only blossoms but almonds for the priesthood was designed not only for an honour to Aaron but for a blessing to Israel Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they should go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit should remain Joh_1516 (2) That there should be a succession of priests Here were not only almonds for the present but buds and blossoms promising more hereafter Thus has Christ provided in his church that a seed should serve him from generation to generation (3) That yet this priesthood should not be perpetual but in process of time like the branches and blossoms of a tree should fail and wither The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age Ecc_125 This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood which soon became old and ready to vanish away Heb_8133 It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood for he is the man the branch that is to be a priest upon his throne as it follows (Zec_612) and he was to grow up before God as this before the ark like a tender

37

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

with its own cultus would have gone its own way so far as religion was concerned In a very short time there would have been as many debased cults as there were wandering companies Then the claim of autonomy if not of right to lead the tribes made on behalf of Reuben involved a further danger Moses had not only the sagacity but the inspiration which ought to have commanded obedience The princes of Reuben had neither Whether all under the lead of Reuben or each tribe led by its own princes the Israelites would have travelled to disaster Futile attempts at conquest strife or alliance with neighbouring peoples internal dissension would have worn the tribes piecemeal away The dictatorship of Moses the Aaronic priesthood and the unity of worship stood or fell together One of the three removed the others would have given way But the revolutionary spirit springing out of ambition and a disaffection for which there was no excuse was blind to consequences And the stern suppression of this revolt at whatever cost was absolutely needful if there was to be any future for IsraelIt has been supposed that we have in this rebellion of Korah the first example of ecclesiastical dissension and that the punishment is a warning to all who presumptuously intrude into the priestly office Laymen take the censer and the fire of the Lord burns them up So let not laymen at any time in the Churchrsquos history venture to touch the sacred mysteries If ritual and sacramentarian miracle were the heart of religion if there could be no worship of God and no salvation for men now unless through a consecrated priesthood this might be said But the old covenant with its symbols and shadows has been superseded We have another censer now another tabernacle another way which has been consecrated for ever by the sacrifice of Christ a way into the holiest of all open to every believer Our unity does not depend on the priesthood of men but on the universal and eternal priesthood of Christ The co-operation of Aaron as priest was needful to Moses not that his power might be maintained for his own sake but that he might have authority over the host for Israelrsquos sake It was not the dignity of an order or of a man that was at stake but the very existence of religion and of the nation This bond snapped at any point the tribes would have been scattered and lostA leader of men standing above them for their temporal interests can rarely take upon him to be the instrument of administering the penalty of their sins What king for instance ever invoked an interdict on his own people or in his own right of judging for God condemned them to pay a tax to the Church because they had done what was morally wrong Rulers generally have regarded disobedience to themselves as the only crime it was worth their while to punish When Moses stood against the faithless spirit of the Israelites and issued orders by way of punishing that bad spirit he certainly put his authority to a tremendous test Without a sure ground of confidence in Divine support he would have been foolhardy in the extreme And we are not surprised that the coalition against him represented many causes of discontent Under his administration the long sojourn in the desert had been decreed and a whole generation deprived of what they held their right-a settlement in Canaan He appeared to be tyrannising over the tribes and proud Reubenites sought to put an end to his rule The priesthood was his creation and

5

seemed to be made exclusive simply that through Aaron he might have a firmer hold of the peoplersquos liberties Why was the old prerogative of the headmen in religious-matters taken from them They would reclaim their rights Neither Levi nor Reuben should be denied its priestly autonomy any longer In the whole rebellion there was one spirit but there were also divided counsels and Moses showed his wisdom by taking the revolt not as a single movement but part by partFirst he met the Levites with Korah at their head professing great zeal for the principle that all the congregation were holy every one of them A claim made on that ground could not be disproved by argument perhaps although the holiness of the congregation was evidently an ideal not a fact Jehovah Himself would have to decide Yet Moses remonstrated in a way that was fitted to move the Levites and perhaps did touch some of them They had been honoured by God in having a certain holy office assigned to them Were they to renounce it in joining a revolt which would make the very priesthood they desired common to all the tribes From Jehovah Himself the Levites had their commission It was against Jehovah they were fighting and how could they speed They spoke of Aaron and his dignity But what was Aaron Only a servant of God and of the people a man who personally assumed no great airs By this appeal some would seem to have been detached from the rebellion for in Numbers 269-11 when the judgment of Korah and his company is referred to it is added Notwithstanding the children of Korah died not From 1 Chronicles 61-81 we learn that in the line of Korahrsquos descendants appeared certain makers and leaders of sacred song Heman among them one of Davidrsquos singers to whom Psalms 881-18 is ascribedWith the Reubenites Moses deals in the next place taking their cause of discontent by itself Already one of the three Reubenite chiefs had withdrawn and Dathan and Abiram stood by themselves Refusing to obey the call of Moses to a conference they stated their grievance roughly by the mouth of a messenger and Moses could only with indignation express before God his blamelessness in regard to them I have not taken one ass from them neither have I hurt one of them Neither for his own enrichment nor in personal ambition had he acted Could they maintain did the people think that the present revolt was equally disinterested Under cover of opposition to tyranny are they not desiring to play the part of tyrants and aggrandise themselves at the expense of the peopleIt is singular that not a word is said in special condemnation of the two hundred and fifty because they were in possession of censers and incense May it be the case that the complete reservation of the high-priestly duties to the house of Aaron had not as yet taken effect that it was a purpose rather than a fact May it not further be the case that the rebellion partly took form and ripened because an order had been given withdrawing the use of censers from the headmen of the tribes If there had as yet been a certain temporary allowance of the tribal priesthood and ritual we should not have to ask how incense and censers were in the hands of the two hundred and fifty and why the brass of their vessels was held to be sacred and put to holy use

6

The prayer of Moses in which he interceded for the people Numbers 1622 is marked by an expression of singular breadth O God the God of the spirits of all flesh The men misled on the fleshly side by appetite (Numbers 1613) and shrinking from pain were against God But their spirits were in His hand Would He not move their spirits redeem and save them Would He not look on the hearts of all and distinguish the guilty from the innocent the more rebellious from the less One man had sinned but would God burst out on the whole congregation The form of the intercession is abrupt crude Even Moses with all his justice and all his pity could not be more just more compassionate than Jehovah The purpose of destruction was not as the leader thought it to beRegarding the judgments that of the earthquake and that of the fire we are too remote in time to form any proper conception of what they were how they were inflicted Moses says Lange appears as a man whose wonderful presentiment becomes a miraculous prophecy by the Spirit of revelation But this is not sufficient There was more than a presentiment Moses knew what was coming knew that where the rebels stood the earth would open the consuming fire burn The plague on the other hand which next day spread rapidly among the excited people and threatened to destroy them was not foreseen It came as if straight from the hand of Divine wrath But it afforded an opportunity for Aaron to prove his power with God and his courage Carrying the sacred fire into the midst of the infected people he became the means of their deliverance As he waved his censer and its fumes went up to heaven faith in Jehovah and in Aaron as the true priest of Jehovah was revived in the hearts of men Their spirits came again under the healing power of that symbolism which had lost its virtue in common use and was now associated in a grave crisis with an appeal to Him who smites and heals who kills and makes aliveIt has been maintained by some that the closing sentences of chapter 17 should follow chapter 16 with which they appear to be closely connected the incident of the budding of Aaronrsquos rod seeming to call rather for a festal celebration than a lament The theory of the Book of Numbers we have seen reason to adopt would account for the introduction of the fresh episode simply because it relates to the priesthood and tends to confirm the Aaronites in exclusive dignity The symbolic test of the claim raised by the tribes corresponds closely to the signs that were used by some of the prophets such as the girdle laid up by the river Euphrates and the basket of summer fruits The rod on which Aaronrsquos name was written was of almond a tree for which Syria was famous Like the sloe it sends forth blossoms before the leaves and the unique way in which this twig showed its living vigour as compared with the others was a token of the choice of Levi to serve and Aaron to minister in the holiest office before JehovahThe whole circumstances and the closing cry of the people leave the impression of a grave difficulty found in establishing the hierarchy and centralising the worship It was a necessity-shall we call it a sad necessity-that the men of the tribes should be

7

deprived of direct access to the sanctuary and the oracle Earthly disobedient and far from trustful in God they could not be allowed even the hereditary chiefs among them to offer sacrifices The ideas of the Divine holiness embodied in the Mosaic law were so far in advance of the common thought of Israel that the old order had to be superseded by one fitted to promote the spiritual education of the people and prepare them for a time when there shall be on the bells of the horses HOLY UNTO THE LORD and every pot in Judah shall be holy unto the Lord of hosts and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them and seethe therein The institution of the Aaronic priesthood was a step of progress indispensable to the security of religion and the brotherhood of the tribes in that high sense for which they were made a nation But it was at the same time a confession that Israel was not spiritual was not the holy congregation Korah declared it to be The greater was the pity that afterwards in the day of Israelrsquos opportunity when Christ came to lead the wholepeople into the spiritual liberty and grace for which prophets had longed the priestly system was held tenaciously as the pride of the nation When the law of ritual and sacrifice and priestly mediation should have been left behind as no longer necessary because the Messiah had come the way of higher life was opened in vain Sacerdotalism held its place with full consent of those who guided affairs Israel as a nation was blinded and its day shone in vainOf all priesthoods as corporate bodies however estimable zealous and spiritually-minded individual members of them may be must it not be said that their existence is a sad necessity They may be educative A sacerdotal system now may like that of the Mosaic law be a tutor to bring men to Christ Realising that those who hold office under it may bring help to men not yet fit for liberty But priestly dominance is no perpetual rule in any church certainly not in the Kingdom of God The freedom with which Christ makes men free is the goal The highest duty a priest can fulfil is to prepare men for that liberty and as soon as he can he should discharge them for the enjoyment of it To find in episodes like those of Korahrsquos revolt and its suppression a rule applicable to modern religious affairs is too great an anachronism For whatever right sacerdotalism now has is purely of the Churchrsquos tolerance in the measure not of Divine right but of the need of uninstructed men To the spiritual to those who know the priestly system with its symbols and authoritative claim is but an interference with privilege and dutyCan any Aaron now make an atonement for a mass of people or even in virtue of his office apply to them the atonement made by Christ How does his absolution help a soul that knows Christ the Redeemer as every Christian soul ought to know Him The great fault of priesthoods always is that having once gained power they endeavour to retain it and extend it making greater claims the longer they exist Affirming that they speak for the Church they endeavour to control the voice of the Church Affirming that they speak for Christ they deny or minimise His great gift of liberty Freedom of thought and reason was to Cardinal Newman for example the cause of all deplorable heresies and infidelities of a divided Church and a ruined world The candid priest of our day is found making his claim as largely as ever and then virtually explaining it away Should not the vain attempt to hold by

8

Judaic institutions cease And although the Church of Christ early made the mistake of harking back to Mosaism should not confession now be made that priesthood of the exclusive kind is out of date that every believer may perform the highest functions of the consecrated lifeThe Divine choice of Aaron his confirmation in high religious office by the budding of the almond twig as well as by the acceptance of his intercession have their parallels now The realities of one age become symbols for anotherLike the whole ritual of Israel these particular incidents may be turned to Christian use by way of illustration But not with regard to the prerogative of any arch-hierarch The availing intercession is that of Christ the sole headship over the tribes of men is that which He has gained by Divine courage love and sacrifice Among those who believe there is equal dependence on the work of Christ When we come to intercession which they make for each other it is of value in consideration not of office but of faith The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much It is as righteous men humble men not as priests they prevail The sacraments are efficacious not from any virtue in them or in him that administers them but through faith by the energy of the omnipresent SpiritYet there are men chosen to special duty whose almond twigs bud and blossom and become their sceptres Appointment and ordination are our expedients grace is given by God in a higher line of calling and endowment While there are blessings pronounced that fall upon the ear or gratify the sensibility theirs reach the soul For them the world has need to thank God They keep religion alive and make it bourgeon and yield the new fruits for which the generations hunger They are new branches of the Living Vine Of them it has often to be said as of the Lord Himself The stone which the builders rejected the same has become head of the corner this is the Lordrsquos doing and it is marvellous in our eyes

PETT ntroductionChapter 17 The Rod That Budded In Numbers 16 the question has been dealt with as to who could act as a mediator between Israel and God in the offering of incense Now the further question is dealt with as to who may enter the Holy Placeb) Who Has The Right To Enter The Sanctuary - Issues of Life and Death Evidenced By The Rod That Budded (chapter 17)Here those with the right to enter the Sanctuary are determined once and for all as the sons of Aaron We are given no background to the incident although it may well have followed not long after the preceding event and is clearly connected with it

9

This is the third in the trio of incidents which confirm the Aaronic priesthood the first two of which overlap Each of them covers two days (Numbers 161-50 Numbers 171-13) and each of them ends with the thought of the people being consumed (Numbers 1621 Numbers 1645-48 Numbers 1713)a Yahweh commands each tribe to lay a rod before Him in the Tent of Testimony one for each head of their fatherrsquos house (Numbers 171-3)b The rods to be laid up in the Tent of meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)c The rod of the chosen one will bud and put an end to murmuring (Numbers 175)d All the chieftains give rods including Aaron (Numbers 176)d The rods are placed in the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)c Aaronrsquos Rod buds and flowers in the Tent of Testimony and the budded and unbudded rods are revealed to all the people who look on them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)b Aaronrsquos rod is laid up lsquobefore the Testimonyrsquo to put an end to their murmuring (Numbers 1710)a The people recognise that none but Aaronrsquos house may enter the Tabernacle for they alone can enter the Sanctuary and live and the rod which is evidence for the fact is laid up before the Testimony (Numbers 1712-13)Verses 1-3Yahweh Commands Each Tribe to Lay a Rod Before Him in the Tent of Testimony One For Each Head of Their Fatherrsquos House (Numbers 171-3)Numbers 171lsquoAnd Yahweh spoke to Moses sayingrsquoAgain it is emphasised here that we have the words of Yahweh as spoken to Moses

BI 1-13 Write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of LeviAaronrsquos rodI Instructive to the Israelites

1 An end hereby put to murmuring By an incontrovertible sign they 10

knew who was the true priest2 A preventative furnished against future rebellion Miracles apt to be forgotten of this the evidence was to be preserved Kept for a token

II Suggestive to Christians Every man has some rod on which he leans The Christianrsquos is faith Like Aaronrsquos rod faith flourishesmdash1 Most in the sanctuary There are strengthening influences and a Divine power It will become a barren stock elsewhere2 Under circumstances in which other rods cannot live The almond flourishes even before the winter is fully past Faith budding in adversity3 Produces fruit and flowers on the bare stock of adversity4 Bears fruit speedily when God causes His blessing to rest upon it ldquoBelieve and be savedrdquo5 Stirs the Christian up to vigilance Almond-tree a symbol of watchfulness

III Typical of Christ1 For it is perpetual Aaronrsquos rod laid up as a lasting remembrance2 It bore fruit on a barren stock Jesus a root out of a dry ground3 It was distinguished among the sceptres of the princes Christrsquos kingdom and sceptre rule over all He is a plant of renown4 It was the object of special favour So in Jesus He ldquowas well pleasedrdquo He was ldquoelect and preciousrdquo

IV Symbolical of a true teacher1 His home the house of God2 Presents himself constantly before the testimony3 In himself dry and barren4 Relies upon God for fruitfulness5 Produces by Divine help not flowers only but fruit also6 As a dry and lifeless stock he receives quickening power from God so with his flowers and fruit he presents himself before God and offers all his works to Him

Learnmdash1 The wisdom of God in choice of methods2 To seek a strong and living and practical faith3 To rejoice in and rely upon the perpetual high priesthood of Christ4 To endeavour like the almond-tree to bring forth fruit early (J C Gray)

11

Aaronrsquos rod that buddedThis is our subject the miraculous conversion of Aaronrsquos rod into a living blossoming and fruit-bearing plant It must have been a most convincing prodigy for the purpose it was designed to answer for the people no sooner saw it than they cried out in remorse for their wavering allegiance ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perishrdquo But beyond the age wherein the marvel occurred this putting vegetable life into that dry staff has frequently been borrowed and used for other objects Thus Achilles in classic poetry when enraged against Agamemnon is made by Homer to refer to this miraclemdash

ldquoBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts stock on the high mountains at what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopt off its foliage greenAnd stript its bark shall never grow again -By this I swearrdquo

And amongst Latin literature you will some of you remember that a certain king confirms a covenant with AEneas by a similar oathI We begin by reminding you that among the greatest of our blessings in this world is our strict obligation to do the Divine will and to keep the Divine law It is far more worth our while to sing of Godrsquos statutes than it is to sing of Godrsquos promises Where should we be in a country without human authority and a human authority founded on a reverence for the Divine Very truly does Bushnell say that ldquowithout law man does not live he only grazesrdquo If he had no government he would never discern any reason for existence and would soon not care to exist How different is the world of Voltaire from the world of Milton I The one finds nothing but this clay world and its material beauties flashes into a shallow brilliancy of speech and weaving a song of surfaces empties himself into a book of all that he has felt or seen But the other at the back of all and through all visible things beholds a spirit and a Divinity Now is there not a very beautiful picture of the comeliness and the beneficence of law in the old miracle that was wrought upon the rod of Aaron That staff as we have put it to you was selected as the sign of authority This was a declaration first that no law was perfect that did not display life and beauty and fertility and a declaration secondly that by Godrsquos choice that perfect law dwelt in the high priest But apart from the imagery as a message to the children of Israel I cling to that blooming staff as the very best type I can find anywhere of what Godrsquos rule is amongst us and in His Church I find myself taught by this early prodigy on Aaronrsquos staff that Godrsquos dominion is the dominion of the almond-branch It is a rod alas for us if there were no rod But it is a rod displaying all the three several pledges and gradations of life and thusmdashoh beautiful coincidence if it be nothing moremdashGod turns His law towards the

12

children of men into what the forbidden tree so falsely appeared to the first transgressormdashldquopleasant to the eye and good for foodrdquo Of course I know that the staff or the sceptre is the symbol of authority because a staff is that with which one person smites another The ultimate significance of a rod is a blow But is it nothing to be taught by Godrsquos picture-alphabet of the Old Testament that He smites only with buds and with flowers and with fruit This seems to change even to any childrsquos apprehension the whole character of the sovereignty under which we bow in the modern camp of the Church You tremble as you read the chapter of hard duties Turn the leaf and you will come upon the chapter of precious promises There is not a verse in the Bible that is not in flower with some comfort aye though it be a verse that smites you with a difficult commandment You are never to tell a man to do a single thing in religion without telling him that God will help him to do it You are never to command a sacrifice from me for Christrsquos sake without comforting me with the assurance that ldquoGod is able to give me much more than thisrdquo If you have a strong rough hard stick of responsibility you must show it to me bursting out all over with the rich petals and the hanging clusters of the sovereignty of Divine grace Aye for I want you to mark well that here was a miracle within a miracle The natural almond-branch never has upon it at one time buds blossoms and fruit But I seem to be taught by this accumulation of successive life all at once on one stem that there is no element of mercy wanting in the code by which I am to be managed But remember that if we deserve nothing but the rod and yet if God never uses the rod save with the buds the blossoms and the fruit ldquoHe may well record it against us if either we despise the chastening of the Lord or faint when we are rebuked of HimrdquoII But now the real and only proper commentary on the facts of the Pentateuch will be found in the doctrines of the Epistle to the Hebrews Do you believe that all those lives would have been lost and all that commotion would have been made about the prerogative of Aaronrsquos priesthood but for that other Priest on whom the whole world was to relymdashthe Priest for evermdashldquomade not after the law of a carnal commandment but after the power of an endless liferdquo It is not by one Scripture it is by scores that I find myself pointed through that staff to the real government of this world in the rod out of the stem of Jesse ldquoHe shall grow up before Him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground without form or comelinessrdquo And yet all the while He was the ldquorod out of the stem of Jesserdquo And when I read in the Book of Numbers how the Hebrews rose up against Aaron and put him to shame I can only take it for a foreshadowing of another rebellion when they insulted another Sceptre who was ldquodespised and rejected of menrdquo We preach to you Christ a stumbling-block to the Jews And scarcely can you wonder that so long as the rod was only the root out of a dry ground the Son of the carpenter and the Friend of sinners there was ldquo no beauty in Him that they should desire Himrdquo But that is not the staff with which this day God governs His Church No no He hath declared that lowly peasant preacher to be ldquothe Son of God with power in that He hath raised Him from the deadrdquo Ah that night in which they concealed Aaronrsquos rod in the tabernacle of witness it was never less living never less blossoming than then But it was not left in darkness neither did it see corruption And on

13

the appointed morning men found it marked by the choice of the Omnipotent with the buds the blossoms and the fruit In like manner the coldest darkest least living period in Immanuelrsquos career was when they hid Him among all the other millions of the dead in the tomb cut out of the rock in the garden of Joseph ldquoBut now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first-fruits of them that sleptrdquo He was raised up ldquoa plant of renownrdquo And from that glorious Easter morning the ldquorod out of the stem of Jesserdquo has been ldquothe tree whose leaves are for the healing of the nationsrdquo and ldquofilling the face of the world with fruitrdquo Men can be governed by a Mediator and yet not perish ldquoThe soul that sinneth it shall dierdquo That is a rod but ldquoif any man sin we have an Advocate with the Fatherrdquo that is ldquoAaronrsquos rod that buddedrdquomdashthe rod of the Priest Reuben Gad and all the rest have rods Christianity is not alone in the sternness of its government or the severity of its sanctions But it is alone in telling me how I can receive remission of sins that are past and how I can obtain the strongest of motives for a life of obedience in the time to come (H Christopherson)

Aaronrsquos rod blossoming and bearing fruitI As the priesthood of Aaron was a type of the priesthood of Christ there is here a suggestion of facts which must have their counterpart in Christrsquos life and history

1 The atonement and death of our Lord Jesus were matters of Divine appointment The whole work of our salvation originated with God2 But more than thismdashwhich is the essential truth here enshrinedmdashwe see here that God often manifests Himself in unexpected forms of beauty and of grace The dry rod blossomed and bare fruit The powers of Divine salvation were enshrined in the person of the Carpenter of Nazareth There was life for a dead world in the Cross and in the grave of the dead Christ

II There are suggestions here concerning Christian life1 Christian life begins with God2 The Christian life manifests itself in unfavourable conditions It is in human souls a power of active benevolence or it is nothing at all It takes hold of human misery with a healing hand and it changes it into blessing Where sin abounded there grace does much more abound3 There is beauty associated with the developments of Christian life and character There is nothing half so winning as Christian grace

III Suggestions in relation to the gospel ministry1 There is a Divine designation of men to the highest service of the Church2 But what is the qualification of men thus sent Evidently the possession of Divine life the gift which is to be imparted to those needing it To be a Christian teacher a man must be a Christian and must

14

know the things of Christ3 How then are we to judge a manrsquos Divine call and authority Only and solely by the blossoms and fruitmdashby the spiritual results of his ministry

IV Last of all there are here suggestions concerning Christian humiliation1 The world has not known its best benefactors It has always had a scornful word for the saintly and the true-hearted It has always risen up in rebellion against the anointed of the Lord2 Here is a word of encouragement to all weak and mistrustful and diffident and self-emptied souls ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says the old labourer in the Masterrsquos vineyard and the holy matron whose life has been careful and troubled about many things but who has ever been anxious to honour and serve her dear Lord in lowliest ways and household duties ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says the saint waiting dismission to rest who has not done what he would or been as useful as he desired and hoped and prayed to be ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says one whose strength has been weakened by the way and whose unfinished purposes lie sadly enough at his feet fallen out of hands which could not longer hold them or fashion them into completeness ldquoWe are but dry rodsrdquo say many earnest anxious longing souls who hardly dare to trust for the future because so often when they would do good evil is present with them We are not saved by trust in our own righteousness or by satisfaction with our own goodness and deeds But Godrsquos grace is all-sufficient and He can work miracles of beauty and fruitfulness where human might is feeblest and self mistrust is greatest and humility of spirit is deepest (W H Davison D D)

The Divine plan for vindicating the high priesthood of Aaron and its moral teachingI That true ministers of religion are elected by GodII It is of great importance that men should know that their ministers of religion are called by God

1 In order that they may regard them with becoming respect2 In order that they may take heed to their message

III The vitality of sin is of dreadful tenacity ldquoMany menrsquos lipsrdquo says Trapp ldquolike rusty hinges for want of the oil of grace and gladness move not without murmuring and complainingrdquo It is a thing of extreme difficulty to eradicate any evil disposition from the human heart ldquoFor such is the habitual hardness of menrsquos hearts as neither ministry nor misery nor miracle nor mercy can possibly mollify Nothing can do it but an extraordinary touch from the hand of HeavenrdquoIV God is engaged in eradicating sin from human hearts (W Jones)

15

Aaronrsquos rod an illustration of the true Christian ministryI The characteristics of the true Christian ministry

1 Life2 Beauty3 Fruitfulness

II The origin of the true Christian ministry Godrsquos creation and gift to the ChurchIII The influence of the true Christian ministry Abiding (W Jones)

The budded rod a type of ChristThe rod in many graphic tints shows Jesus The very name is caught by raptured prophets (Isa_111 Zec_612-13) Thus faith gleans lessons from the very titlemdashRod But the grand purport of the type is to reject all rivals It sets Aaron alone upon the priestly seat The parallel proclaims that similarly Jesus is our only Priest God calls anoints appoints accepts and ever hears Him but Him alone In His hands only do these functions live Next the constant luxuriance has a clear voice In naturersquos field buds blossoms fruit soon wither Not so this rod Its verdure was for ever green its fruit was ever ripe Beside the ark it was reserved in never-fading beauty Here is the ever-blooming Priesthood of our Lord (Psa_1104 Heb_724) Mark moreover that types of Jesus often comprehend the Church It is so with these rods The twelve at first seem all alike They are all sapless twigs But suddenly one puts forth loveliness while the others still remain worthless and withered Here is a picture of Godrsquos dealings with a sin-slain race Since Adamrsquos fall all are born lifeless branches of a withered stock When any child of man arises from the death of sin and blooms in grace God has arisen with Divine almightiness Believer the budded rod gives another warning It is a picture of luxuriance Turn from it and look inward Is your soul thus richly fertile Instead of fruit you often yield the thorn (Joh_158) Whence is the fault (Joh_154) Perhaps your neglectful soul departs from Christ Meditate in Godrsquos law day and night (Psa_13) But if the budded rod rebukes the scanty fruit in the new-born soul what is its voice to unregenerate worldlings (Heb_68) (Dean Law)

The rod of AaronBuds are evidence of life A nominal Christian is like a dead trunk and he cannot bud unless the sap of Divine grace courses through him Spiritual life is an attribute of the converted Christian The spiritual life of a being is his presiding sentiment or dispositionmdashthe chief inspiration of his soulmdashthat which gives motion and character to his mental and moral beingI Life is a resistless force The smallest blade of grass that raises its tiny head into light or the feeblest insect that sports in the sunbeam displays a

16

force superior to that which governs the ocean or controls the stars Man stands erect the tree rises and the bird soars because of lifeII Life is an appropriating force Vegetable and animal existences have a power of appropriating to themselves all surrounding elements conducive to their well-being just as the life of the plant converts the various gases around it into nutriment to promote its strength and development Wherever there is true religion there is a power to render all external circumstances subservient to its own strength and growth all things work together for its goodIII Life is a propagating force It has ldquothe seed in itselfrdquo Forests start from acorns and boundless harvests from the solitary grain It is said that the grateful Israelites anxious to carry away a bud a blossom or almond as a memento of the occasion the flowers and fruit on the rod were repeatedly and miraculously renewed for that purpose Be that as it may wherever there is religious life it will spread it scatters broadcast the incorruptible seed which liveth and abideth for everIV Life is a beautifying force There are two kinds of beautymdashthe sensational and the moral Nature in her ten thousand forms of loveliness and art in her exquisite expressions of taste are ministries to the former whilst spiritual truth moral goodness and the holiness of God address the latter The one is the poetry of the eye and ear the other of the soul The beauty that appeals to the religious nature of man is the beauty of holinessmdashthe beauty of the Lordmdashthe glory of God in His goodnessV Life is a fructifying force The true Christian not only lives and unfolds a noble disposition but is really useful St Paul speaks of ldquothe fruit of the Spiritrdquomdashrighteousness goodness truth The first as opposed to all injustice and dishonesty the second as opposed to the ten thousand forms of selfishness the third as opposed to all that is erroneous and false in the doctrines and theories of men (G L Saywell)

Aaronrsquos rodHere are three miracles in onemdash

1 That a dry rodmdashmade of the almond treemdashshould bring forth buds in a moment2 That those buds should presently become blossoms anal flowers3 That these should immediately become ripe fruit and that all at once or at least in a little space

Nature makes no such leaps All this was supernatural to these ends1 For a testimony of Godrsquos calling Aaron to the priesthood2 For a type of Christ the Branch (Isa_111)3 For a figure of the fruitfulness of a gospel ministry4 For a lively representation of a glorious resurrection (C Ness)

17

Lessons from the budding rodA wonderful work of God which sundry ways may profit us

1 As first to consider that if the power of God can do this in a dry stick cannot He make the barren woman to bare and be a joyful mother of children Can He not do whatsoever He will do By this power the sea is dried the rock gives water the earth cleaveth under the feet of men fire descends whose nature is to ascend raiseth the dead and calleth things that are not as if they were In a word He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think ampc2 This rod is a notable type of Christ His person and office Of His person in that He was born of the Virgin Mary who though He descended of the royal blood yet was now poor and mean as that royal race was brought exceeding low nothing remaining but as it were a root only Now the said Virgin flourisheth again as Aaronrsquos rod did and beareth such fruit as never woman bear Of this speaks Isaiah the prophet when he saith ldquoThere shall come a rod forth of the stock of Jesse and a graft shall grow out of his rootsrdquo Of His office both priestly and kingly His priestly office is figured in that being offered upon the cross He was as Aaronrsquos dried rod or as the Psalm saith ldquodried up like a potsherdrdquo But when He rose again He became like Aaronrsquos budding and fruit-bearing rod bringing forth to man believing on Him remission of sins righteousness and eternal life His kingly office in that He governeth His Church with a rod or sceptre of righteousness as it is in the Psalm ldquoThe sceptre of Thy kingdom is a right sceptrerdquo Which rod and sceptre is the preaching of the gospel ampc3 Again it was a resemblance of true ministers and of all faithful men and women for none of all these ought to be dry and withered sticks but bear and bring forth buds and fruit according to their places4 It is a shadow also of our resurrection by which we should grow green again and flourish with a new and an eternal glory having like dead seed lain in the ground and we shall bring forth ripe almonds that is the praise of Godrsquos incomprehensible goodness to us for ever and ever5 It resembleth our reformation and amendment of life for when our heart feeleth what is amiss this is as the bud when it resolveth of a change and a future amendment this is the blossom and when it performeth the same by a new reformed life indeed this is as the ripe almonds of Aaronrsquos rod(Bp Babington)

The priesthood divinely selectedWhat matchless wisdom shines in this arrangement How completely is the matter taken out of manrsquos hands and placed where alone it ought to be namely in the hands of the living God It was not to be a man appointing

18

himself or a man appointing his fellow but God appointing the man of His own selection In a word the question was to be definitively settled by God Himself so that all murmurings might be silenced for ever and no one be able again to charge Godrsquos high priest with taking too much upon him The human will had nothing whatever to do with this solemn matter The twelve rods all in a like condition were laid up before the Lord man retired and left God to act There was no room no opportunity because there was no occasion for human management In the profound retirement of the sanctuary far away from all manrsquos thinkings was the grand question of priesthood settled by Divine decision and being thus settled it could never again be raised (C H Mackintosh)

Aaronrsquos fruitful rodStriking and beautiful figure of Him who was ldquodeclared to be the Son of God with power by resurrection from the deadrdquo The twelve rods were all alike lifeless but God the living God entered the scene and by that power peculiar to Himself infused life into Aaronrsquos rod and brought it forth to view bearing upon it the fragrant fruits of resurrection Who could gainsay this The rationalist may sneer at it and raise a thousand questions Faith gazes on that fruit-bearing rod and sees in it a lovely figure of the new creation in the which all things are of God Infidelity may argue on the ground of the apparent impossibility of a dry stick budding blossoming and bearing fruit in the course of one night But to whelm does it appear impossible To the infidel the rationalist the sceptic And why Because he always shuts out God Let us remember this Infidelity invariably shuts out God God can do as He pleases The One who called worlds into existence could make a rod to bud blossom and bear fruit in a moment Bring God in and all is simple and plain as possible Leave God out and all is plunged in hopeless confusion (C H Mackintosh)

The rods contrastedPonder the difference between the rod of Moses and the rod of Aaron We have seen the former doing its characteristic work in other days and amid other scenes We have seen the land of Egypt trembling beneath the heavy strokes of that rod Plague after plague fell upon that devoted scene in answer to that outstretched rod We have seen the waters of the sea divided in answer to that rod In short the rod of Moses was a rod of power a rod of authority But it could not avail to hush the murmurings of the children of Israel nor yet to bring the people through the desert Grace alone could do that and we have the expression of pure gracemdashfree sovereign gracemdashin the budding of Aaronrsquos rod Nothing can be more forcible nothing more lovely That dry dead stick was the apt figure of Israelrsquos condition and indeed of the condition of every one of us by nature There was no sap no life no power One might well say ldquoWhat good can ever come of itrdquo None whatever had not grace come in and displayed its quickening power So was it with Israel in the wilderness and so is it with us now How were they to

19

be led along from day to day How were they to be sustained in all their weakness and need How were they to be borne with in all their sin and folly The answer is found in Aaronrsquos budding rod If the dry dead stick was the expression of naturersquos barren and worthless condition the buds blossoms and fruit set forth that living and life-giving grace and power of God on which was based the priestly ministry that alone could bear the congregation through the wilderness Grace alone could answer the ten thousand necessities of the militant host Power could not suffice Authority could not avail Priesthood alone could supply what was needed and this priesthood was instituted on the foundation of that efficacious grace which could bring fruit out of a dry rod Thus it was as to priesthood of old and thus it is as to ministry now All ministry in the Church of God is the fruit of Divine gracemdashthe gift of Christ the Churchrsquos Head (C H Mackintosh)

2 ldquoSpeak 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

BARNES Compare Eze_3716 ff

CLARKE And take of every one of them a rod - matteh the staff or מטהscepter which the prince or chief of each tribe bore and which was the sign of office or royalty among almost all the people of the earth

GILL Speak unto the children of Israel The principal men among them of the several tribes and take of everyone of them not of every individual of the people of Israel but of their princes as afterwards explained a rod according to the house of their fathers or father of whom their house or tribe was called as Reuben Simeon ampc this rod was either a

20

common walking staff as some think or rather the ensign of their princely office and dignity peculiar to each tribe though some think it was now freshly cut off from an almond tree and that all the rods were of one and the same tree but supposing they were all of the almond kind as Josephus (d) thinks yet being dry rods and of long use served to make the miracle appear the greater of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods this explains who they were to be taken of the princes of the several tribes whose names are given Num_15 and the number of them twelve according to the number of the twelve tribes write thou every mans name upon his rod the name of each prince or head of a tribe either by cutting it into the rod or fastening a writing to it after the manner of those times as for instance the name of Elizur for the tribe of Reuben by which it was to be made and was made to appear that to none of these tribes belonged the priesthood but to the tribe of Levi and to none of that tribe but the family of Aaron whereby it should seem that some of all the tribes made pretensions to it as being all holy and especially the chief firstborn of every tribe as such their princes were

JAMISON 2-5 Speak unto the children of Israel mdash The controversy with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood was of such a nature and magnitude as required a decisive and authoritative settlement For the removal of all doubts and the silencing of all murmuring in the future regarding the holder of the office a miracle was wrought of a remarkable character and permanent duration and in the manner of performing it all the people were made to have a direct and special interest

take of every one princes twelve rods mdash As the princes being the oldest sons of the chief family and heads of their tribes might have advanced the best claims to the priesthood if that sacred dignity was to be shared among all the tribes they were therefore selected and being twelve in number - that of Joseph being counted only one - Moses was ordered to see that the name of each was inscribed - a practice borrowed from the Egyptians - upon his rod or wand of office The name of Aaron rather than of Levi was used as the latter name would have opened a door of controversy among the Levites and as there was to be one rod only for the head of each tribe the express appointment of a rod for Aaron determined him to be the head of that tribe as well as that branch or family of the tribe to which the priestly dignity should belong These rods were to be laid in the tabernacle close to the ark (compare Num_1710 and Heb_94) where a divine token was promised that would for all time terminate the dispute

CALVIN 2Speak unto the children of Israel They are mistaken who suppose that to the twelve rods there was another added for the tribe of Levi (103) for since there was no question here as to the possession of the land there was no occasion at

21

all for the division of the tribe of Joseph into two parts We know too that it was endowed with a double portion because the Levites had no inheritance and in this case the circumstances were different because all the other tribes were contending for the priesthood with the tribe of Levi alone Hence it was then that rods were given to each of them in accordance with the origin of their race But when Aaronrsquos rod is said to have been ldquoin the midst of themrdquo (104) it is in the usual phrase of the Hebrew language because it was mixed with them as one of their number And this is expressly stated to show us that all ground for caviling might be taken from the ungodly since all the rods were east promiscuously into the same bundle so that none should be distinguished above the others and thus nothing could be ascribed to the collusion of men If any should object that by these means the rivalry was not extinguished which the other Levites had with the house of Aaron since his own name alone was inscribed upon the rod so that there would be no comparison between the families I reply that since the power of God manifested itself distinctly in the name of Aaron the rejection of the others was sufficiently shown forth by his election for if this honor had been common to the others God would have defrauded them by giving distinction to him alone Besides no other plan could have been adopted for putting an end to this quarrel for if there had been several rods for one tribe the whole people would have complained of the inequality It was necessary then that all should be brought to the contest on equal terms so that the difference between them might be seen to depend upon Godrsquos good pleasure But if the name of Levi had been inscribed all its families would have claimed the right of succession as if common to them all There was therefore no other course open but that God should prefer to the whole people one individual chosen from amongst the members of his own kindred and tribe COKE Numbers 172 Take of every one of them a rodmdash The minds of a considerable number of the people having been poisoned by the insinuations of Korah and his accomplices against Aaron and his family upon the account of the priesthood God is pleased to add another signal miracle in confirmation of his priests authority accordingly the head of each tribe is ordered to take a rod and bring it before the Lord Some have supposed that these were the ordinary rods or batoons which the princes of the tribes bore while from the 8th verse of this chapter others infer that these were twigs or branches from one and the same almond tree whichever was the case the miracle was sufficiently great to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of ProvidenceBENSON Numbers 172 Take of every one mdash Not of every person but of every tribe A rod mdash A twig or branch from one and the same almond-tree as some infer from Numbers 178 Or according to others the ordinary rods which the princes of the tribes carried in their hands as tokens of their dignity and authority Numbers 2118 And indeed the miracle would appear the greater if neither Aaronrsquos rod nor any of the rest was of the almond-tree But the miracle was sufficiently great either way to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of Providence Every manrsquos name mdash Every princersquos for they being the firstborn and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of

22

their tribes and besides the prince represented all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the question And this place seems to confirm the opinion that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contended with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holyELLICOTT (2) And take of every one of them mdashBetter And take of them a rod for each fatherrsquos houseTwelve rodsmdashSome suppose that Aaronrsquos rod was not included amongst the twelve Others suppose that one rod only was taken for the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh The latter supposition is more accordant with the terms here employed than the former and is supported by Deuteronomy 2712-13 where Joseph stands for the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh and Levi is included amongst the twelve tribesWrite thou every manrsquos name upon his rodmdashThis was in accordance with an Egyptian custom (See Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians III 388) The prophet Ezekiel received a similar injunction (Ezekiel 3716)POOLE Speak unto the children of Israel that I may fully and finally satisfy all their scruples and take away all pretence and cause of murmuringOf every one of them not of every person but of every tribe as it followsA rod either an ordinary walking staff or rather that staff or rod which the princes carried in their hand as tokens of their dignity and authority as may be gathered from Numbers 2118 compared with Psalms 1102 Jeremiah 481617According to the house of their fathers ie according to each family proceeding from the patriarch or father of that tribeEvery manrsquos name ie every princersquos for they being the first-born and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of their tribes and besides each prince represented and acted for all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the whole question And this plate seems to confirm what was before observed that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contested with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holy as they said Numbers 163

WHEDON 2 A rod mdash Each chief prince of the twelve tribes bore a staff or sceptre as the sign of office Such rods were often hereditary and of great antiquity That such dry staves should blossom and bear fruit again is so improbable that the Greeks were accustomed to swear by their sceptres Thus Achilles

23

ldquoBut hearken I will swear a solemn oathBy this sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as oncerdquoWritehellip every manrsquos name mdash To identify beyond dispute the rod of Aaron after the trial The illiteracy of Moses and his generation as alleged by some modern writers is here abundantly confuted Since there were twelve rods including Levirsquos it is evident that the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim are here counted as one tribe mdash that of JosephPETT Numbers 172lsquoSpeak to the children of Israel and take of them rods one for each fathersrsquo house of all their princes according to their fathersrsquo houses twelve rods You write every manrsquos name on his rodrsquoAll the men of Israel were to be involved in this It is possible that Levi were included among lsquothe twelversquo and that Manasseh and Ephraim were for this event treated as one tribe the rods representing the lsquohouseholdsrsquo of the original patriarchal fathers But a rod was taken for each of their fathersrsquo houses and the names of each of the chieftains of those fathersrsquo houses was written on the rods This would suggest in the light of previous references to twelve chieftains that the lsquotwelversquo rods were in contrast with Aaronrsquos rod (Alternately one rod may have represented Joseph including both Ephraim and Manasseh It was Joseph who was to be lsquoa fruitful boughrsquo (Genesis 4922) but not as pertaining to the priesthood)The word for lsquorodsrsquo also indicates lsquotribes and can in fact be used to indicate either Thus the rods symbolised each tribe

PULPIT Numbers 172Take of every one of them a rod Literally take of them a rod a rod ie a rod apiece in the way immediately particularized hsilgnEegaugnaL מטה is used for the staff of Judah (Genesis 3818) and for the rod of Moses (Exodus 42) It is also used in the sense of tribe (Numbers 14 Numbers 116) Each tribe was but a branch or rod out of the stock of Israel and therefore was most naturally represented by the rod cut from the tree lsquoThe words used for scepter in Genesis 4910 and in Psalms 457 and for rod in Isaiah 111 and elsewhere are different but the same imagery underlies the use of all of them Of all their princes hellip twelve rods These princes must be those named in Isaiah 22-21 and Isaiah 25-71 Since among these are to be found the tribe princes of Ephraim and Manasseh standing upon a perfect equality with the rest it is evident that the twelve rods were exclusive

24

of that of Aaron The joining together of Ephraim and Manasseh in Deuteronomy 2712 was a very different thing because it could not raise any question as between the two

3 On the staff of Levi write Aaronrsquos name for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe

BARNES Thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of Levi - The Levites had taken part in the late outbreak It was therefore necessary to vindicate the supremacy of the house of Aaron over them and accordingly his name was written on the rod of Levi although being the son of Kohath the second son of Levi (Exo_616 ff) he would not be the natural head of the tribe

GILL And thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi Or upon the rod that was for the tribe of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written not the word Levi or a Levite as Josephus (e) for that would not have decided the controversy about the priesthood which chiefly lay between the Levites and the family of Aaron who were of the same tribe for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers one rod for the head or prince of every tribe every prince representing his own tribe he was the head of and the rod the prince and though the tribe of Levi was divided into two families the family of the priests and the family of the Levites yet as Jarchi observes they were but one tribe and so one rod for them as for the other tribes

ELLICOTT (3) And thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of LevimdashAaron was descended from the second son of Levi He was not therefore the natural but the divinely-appointed head of his fatherrsquos house and hence it would not have sufficed for the purpose contemplated to have inscribed the name of Levi upon the rod Aaron was constituted the head alike of the priests and of the Levites into which two classes the tribe of Levi was divided

25

BENSON Numbers 173 Aaronrsquos name mdash Rather than Levirsquos for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos family One rod mdash There shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixed

POOLE Aaronrsquos rather than Levirsquos name for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos familyFor the head of the house of their fathers ie there shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixedPETT Numbers 173lsquoAnd you shall write Aaronrsquos name on the rod of Levi for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathersrsquo housesrsquoOn the rod of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written There was to be one for each head of their fathersrsquo houses In the light of the earlier divisions in chapters 1-4 we are probably therefore to see that there were thirteen rods the twelve which represented Israel in contrast with the Levites and the one that specifically represented AaronHere Aaron is depicted as the head of the house of Levi That may well be why earlier he was called lsquothe Levitersquo as the head of the family (Exodus 414)

PULPIT Numbers 173Thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi There was no tribe prince of Levi and it is not probable that either of the three chiefs of the sub-tribes (Numbers 324 Numbers 330 55) was called upon to bring a rod This rod was therefore provided by Moses himself and inscribed by him with the name of Aaron who stood by Divine appointment (so recently and fearfully attested) above all his brethren For the significance of the act cf Ezekiel 3716-28 For one rod hellip for the head of the house of their fathers For Levi therefore there must be not three rods inscribed with the names of the chiefs but one only bearing the name of Aaron as

26

their common superior

4 Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law where I meet with you

GILL And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation In the most holy place before the testimony that is the ark in which the testimony or the law was here they were laid as in the presence of God who was in a miraculous way to decide the controversy by them and put an end to it for upon the ark was the mercy seat over which were the cherubim the seat of the divine Majesty and where none could come at them and where no fraud could be supposed to be committed where I will meet with you not with the people in person who might not go at any time into the most holy place nor with Aaron who only might go into it on the day of atonement but with Moses the chief ruler and representative of the whole body of the people and who might go in there at any time to consult with God about matters of moment and difficulty and where the Lord had said he would meet him Exo_2522 and now would in a miraculous way clearly show him and the people of Israel by him who was the priest he had chosen of all the tribesCALVIN 4And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle The place itself had not a little to do with the effectual decision of the matter because it was clearly manifested that God was the author of the miracle and consequently that the priesthood proceeded from Him For we have elsewhere said that the whole government of the Church so entirely depends upon His decree that men are not permitted to interfere with it Wherefore He set the ark of the covenant in opposition to the voices of the whole people in order to testify that no further dispute was to be raised respecting the priest whom He had appointed by His own declaration and authority At the same time it had the effect of consoling the people and silencing their complaints that the rods of all the tribes were brought in common into the sanctuary before God for although a peculiar dignity was accorded to that of Aaron alone still the people ceased not to be a priestly kingdom Hence it follows that the honorable privilege conferred on one family contributed to the public welfare of all so far was it from being the case that their inferiority ought to have caused them pain or envy

27

POOLE Before the testimony ie before the ark of the testimony either mediately close by the veil behind which the ark stood or rather immediately within the veil in the most holy place close by the ark as may be gathered by comparing this place with Numbers 1710 and with Hebrews 94I will meet with you and manifest my mind to you for the ending of this dispute PETT The Rods Are To Be Laid Up in the Tent of Meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)Numbers 174lsquoAnd you shall lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony where I meet with yoursquoThese were then to be lsquolaid up in the Tent of meeting before the testimonyrsquo in the place where Yahweh meets with His people This probably meant in front of the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh lsquothe testimonyrsquo indicating the presence of the covenant tablets in the Ark and their testimony to the covenant

5 The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelitesrdquo

CLARKE The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossom - It was necessary that something farther should be done to quiet the minds of the people and for ever to settle the dispute in what tribe the priesthood should be fixed God therefore took the method described in the text and it had the desired effect the Aaronical priesthood was never after disputed

GILL And it shall come to pass that the mans rod whom I shall choose Or make it manifest that he had chosen him and so confirm the choice he had made of him and his family for the priesthood to be and continue in

28

shall blossom bud and blossom and yield fruit as it afterwards did which is here declared beforehand that the miracle might appear the greater exactly answering to a prediction delivered out before of it and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel whereby they murmur against you against Moses for setting up his brother as an high priest and establishing the priesthood in his family and against Aaron for accepting of it and officiating in it but by this method now taken God would for ever silence their murmurings so that they should never be able with any face to object any more to the authority of the Aaronic priesthood which should appear by the predicted miracle beyond all dispute and contradictionCALVIN 5And it shall come to pass that the manrsquos rod Aaron indeed had been previously chosen but the expression here refers to his manifestation (105) because God is said again to choose those whom He has chosen by His secret counsel when He brings them forth into the sight of men with their peculiar marks of distinction and this not once only but as often as he confirms their election by new indications And this seems to be spoken of by way of concession as if God would pass over all His former decrees and invite the people afresh to take cognizance of the matter With this view tie states that He will put an end to all the malevolent and noisy detractions of the people so that Aaron may henceforth exercise his office without controversy for although not even thus was their perverseness altogether cured still their insolence was restrained

ELLICOTT (5) The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossommdashOr shall sprout forth or put forthmdashie leaves or blossoms Achilles when enraged against Agamemnon is made to swear a solemn oath by his sceptre which having once left its stock on the mountains shall never again grow King Latinus is represented by Virgil as confirming his covenant with AEligneas by a similar oath

WHEDON 5 Whom I shall choose mdash That is select for the priesthoodCeasehellip murmurings mdash Suppress them beyond all possibility of a revival Jehovahrsquos claims are set forth in his word with such cogency that there is no just ground for gainsaying On all questions of duty there is a redundancy of evidencePETT The Rod of the Chosen One Will Bud and Put an End to Murmuring (Numbers 175)Numbers 175lsquoAnd it will come about that the rod of the man whom I shall choose will bud and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel which they

29

murmur against yoursquoThen Yahweh would make the rod of the man that Yahweh had chosen spring to life and bud This final display on Yahwehrsquos initiative should cause all further murmurings against Moses and Aaron on the question of who had the right of priesthood to cease

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 Aaronrsquos staff was among them

BARNES The whole number of rods was twelve exclusive of Aaronrsquos as the Vulgate expressly states

GILL And Moses spake unto the children of Israel What the Lord had bid him say unto them concerning the rods which they hearkened unto and observed and everyone of their princes gave him a rod apiece for each prince one every prince of the several tribes and so a rod for every tribe as well as for each prince according to their fathers houses even twelve rods there being twelve tribes named after their fathers or the patriarchs the twelve sons of Jacob and Joseph having two tribes which sprung from him called after his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh there were twelve rods besides that of Aaron and so the Vulgate Latin version renders the words with the next clauseand there were twelve rods besides the rod of Aaronin all thirteen though the Jews say there were but twelve with it allowing but one rod for Joseph under whom were comprehended Ephraim and Manasseh and reckoning the tribe of Levi one of the twelve so Aben Ezra observes that the rod of Levi was among the twelve and Joseph had but one rod and the rod of Aaron was among their rods in the middle of them and was

30

so placed as Jarchi thinks that it might not be said because it was put on the side of the Shechinah or divine Majesty therefore it budded but being in the middle of them there could be no difference in that respectJAMISON the rod of Aaron was among their rods mdash either one of the

twelve or as many suppose a thirteenth in the midst (Heb_94) The rods were of dry sticks or wands probably old as transmitted from one head of the family to a succeeding

KampD Num_176-11Moses carried out this command And when he went into the tabernacle the following morning behold Aarons rod of the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth shoots and had borne blossoms and matured almonds And Moses brought all the rods out of the sanctuary and gave every man his own the rest as we may gather from the context being all unchanged so that the whole nation could satisfy itself that God had chosen Aaron Thus was the word fulfilled which Moses had spoken at the commencement of the rebellion of the company of Korah (Num_165) and that in a way which could not fail to accredit him before the whole congregation as sent of GodSo far as the occurrence itself is concerned there can hardly be any need to remark that the natural interpretation which has lately been attempted by Ewald viz that Moses had laid several almond rods in the holy place which had just been freshly cut off that he might see the next day which of them would flower the best during the night is directly at variance with the words of the text and also with the fact that a rod even freshly cut off when laid in a dry place would not bear ripe fruit in a single night The miracle which God wrought here as the Creator of nature was at the same time a significant symbol of the nature and meaning of the priesthood The choice of the rods had also a bearing upon the object in question A mans rod was the sign of his position as ruler in the house and congregation with a prince the rod becomes a sceptre the insignia of rule (Gen_4910) As a severed branch the rod could not put forth shoots and blossom in a natural way But God could impart new vital powers even to the dry rod And so Aaron had naturally no pre-eminence above the heads of the other tribes But the priesthood was founded not upon natural qualifications and gifts but upon the power of the Spirit which God communicates according to the choice of His wisdom and which He had imparted to Aaron through his consecration with holy anointing oil It was this which the Lord intended to show to the people by causing Aarons rod to put forth branches blossom and fruit through a miracle of His omnipotence whereas the rods of the other heads of the tribes remained as barren as before In this way therefore it was not without deep significance that Aarons rod not only put forth shoots by which the divine election might be recognised but bore even blossom and ripe fruit This showed that Aaron was not only qualified for his calling but administered his office in the full power of the Spirit and bore the fruit expected of him The almond rod was especially adapted to exhibit this as

31

an almond-tree flowers and bears fruit the earliest of all the trees and has received its name of שקד ldquoawakerdquo from this very fact (cf Jer_111)

God then commanded (Num_1710 Num_1711) that Aarons rod should be taken back into the sanctuary and preserved before the testimony ldquofor a sign for the rebellious that thou puttest an end to their murmuring and they die notrdquo The preservation of the rod before the ark of the covenant in the immediate presence of the Lord was a pledge to Aaron of the continuance of his election and the permanent duration of his priesthood though we have no need to assume that through a perpetual miracle the staff continued green and blossoming In this way the staff became a sign to the rebellious which could not fail to stop their murmuringPETT All the Chieftains Give Rods Including Aaron (Numbers 176)Numbers 176lsquoAnd Moses spoke to the children of Israel and all their princes gave him rods for each prince one according to their fathersrsquo houses even twelve rods and the rod of Aaron was among their rodsrsquoSo Moses did as Yahweh commanded and requested rods from each of the chieftains of the twelve tribes These rods may well have been their symbols of authority Thus twelve rods were gathered and Aaronrsquos rod was placed among them PULPIT And the rod of Aaron was among the rods As there was no prince from whom this rod could have come and as there were twelve rods without it this must mean that Moses did not keep Aarons rod separate (which might have caused suspicion) but let it be seen amongst the others

7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law

GILL And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness In that part of the tabernacle where the testimony or witness was that is the law which was in the ark over which was the mercy seat with the cherubim between which Jehovah dwelt and this was the most holy place and the rods being laid here might be said to be laid before the Lord who by making a difference in one of those rods from the rest would decide the controversy about the priesthood which was the end of their being laid

32

before himHENRY The preparing of the rods accordingly The princes brought

them in some of them perhaps fondly expecting that the choice would fall upon them and all of them thinking it honour enough to be competitors with Aaron and to stand candidates even for the priesthood (Num_177) and Moses laid them up before the Lord He did not object that the matter was sufficiently settled already and enough done to convince those that were not invincibly hardened in their prejudices He did not undertake to determine the controversy himself though it might easily have been done nor did he suggest that it would be to no purpose to offer satisfaction to a people that were willingly blind But since God will have it so he did his part and lodged the case before the Lord to whom the appeal was made by consent and left it with him

WHEDON 7 Witness mdash The Hebrew is the same as that for testimony in Numbers 174 The reason for choosing this place may have been that no one would suspect the performance of any legerdemain or jugglery in the holy of holies a sanctuary too awful for any man to enter but the high priest one day in the year Moses entered on this occasion by express commandPETT The Rods Are Placed In the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)Numbers 177lsquoAnd Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimonyrsquoThe rods were then laid up lsquobefore Yahwehrsquo in lsquothe Tent of the testimonyrsquo Note the change in name for the Tent Emphasis is placed here on the fact that the Tent testifies to Yahweh and His covenant As we have already suggested this probably meant that they were placed before the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh although it may be that Moses uniquely had access into the Holy of Holies itself

8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaronrsquos staff which represented the tribe of Levi had not only sprouted but had budded blossomed and produced almonds 33

BARNES Yielded almonds - ldquoRipened almondsrdquo i e ldquobrought forth ripe almondsrdquo The name almond in Hebrew denotes the ldquowaking-treerdquo the ldquowaking-fruitrdquo and is applied to this tree because it blossoms early in the season It serves here as in Jer_111-12 to set forth the speed and certainty with which at Godrsquos will His purposes are accomplished So again the blossoming and bearing of Aaronrsquos rod naturally impotent when severed from the parent tree may signify the profitableness because of Godrsquos appointment and blessing of the various means of grace (e g the priesthood the sacraments) which of themselves and apart from Him could have no such efficacy Compare Isa_42 Isa_111 Isa_532 Jer_335 Zec_612

CLARKE The rod of Aaron - was budded etc - That is on the same rod or staff were found buds blossoms and ripe fruit This fact was so unquestionably miraculous as to decide the business for ever and probably this was intended to show that in the priesthood represented by that of Aaron the beginning middle and end of every good work must be found The buds of good desires the blossoms of holy resolutions and promising professions and the ripe fruit of faith love and obedience all spring from the priesthood of the Lord Jesus It has been thought by some that Aaronrsquos staff (and perhaps the staves of all the tribes) was made out of the amygdala communis or common almond tree In a favorable soil and climate it grows to twenty feet in height is one of the most noble flourishing trees in nature its flowers are of a delicate red and it puts them forth early in March having begun to bud in January It has its name שקד shaked from shakad to awake because it buds and flowers sooner than most other trees And it is very likely that the staves of office borne by the chiefs of all the tribes were made of this tree merely to signify that watchfulness and assiduous care which the chiefs should take of the persons committed in the course of the Divine providence to their keeping

Every thing in this miracle is so far beyond the power of nature that no doubt could remain on the minds of the people or the envious chiefs of the Divine appointment of Aaron and of the especial interference of God in this case To see a piece of wood long cut off from the parent stock without bark or moisture remaining laid up in a dry place for a single night with others in the same circumstances - to see such a piece of wood resume and evince the perfection of vegetative life budding blossoming and bringing forth ripe fruit at the same time must be such a demonstration of the peculiar interference of God as to silence every doubt and satisfy every scruple It is worthy of remark that a scepter or staff of office resuming its vegetative life was considered an absolute impossibility among the ancients and as 34

they were accustomed to swear by their sceptres this circumstance was added to establish and confirm the oath A remarkable instance of this we have in Homer Iliad lib i ver 233 etc where Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon thus speaks -Αλλrsquo εκ τοι ερεω και επι μεγαν ὁρκον ομουμαιΝαι μα τοδε σκηπτρον το μεν ουποτε φυλλα και οζουςΦυσει επειδη πρωτα τομην εν ορεσσι λελοιπενΟυδrsquo αναθηλησει περι γαρ ῥα ἑ χαλκος ελεψεΦυλλα τε και φλοιονὁ δε τοι μεγας εσσεται ὁρκοςBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same scepter which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopprsquod off its foliage greenAnd stripprsquod its bark shall never grow againCowper

Virgil represents King Latinus swearing in the same way to confirm his covenant with Aeneas -Ut Sceptrum hoc (dextra sceptrum nam forte gerebat)Nunquam fronde levi fundet virgulta neque umbrasCum semel in silvis imo de stirpe recisumMatre caret posuitque comas et brachia ferroOlim arbos nunc artificis manus aere decoroInclusit patribusque dedit gestare LatinisTalibus inter se firmabant foedera dictisAen lib xii ver 206-12Even as this royal Sceptre (for he boreA scepter in his hand) shall never moreShoot out in branches or renew the birthAn orphan now cut from the mother earthBy the keen axe dishonorrsquod of its hairAnd cased in brass for Latian kings to bearAnd thus in public view the peace was tiedWith solemn vows and sworn on either sideDryden

When the circumstance of the rod or scepter being used anciently in this way and the absolute impossibility of its reviviscence so strongly appealed to is considered it appears to have been a very proper instrument for the present occasion for the change that passed on it must be acknowledged as an immediate and incontestable miracle

35

GILL And it came to pass that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness Where none but he could go at any time this was the day after the rods had been placed there and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi the rod that had Aarons name upon it which was to represent the tribe of Levi of which he was was budded and brought forth buds knobs of blossom such that are seen on trees before they open for the almond tree puts forth its blossoms before its leaves though the Targum of Jonathan renders it branches as do some versions and some think this is to be understood of its putting out its leaves first contrary to the nature of the almond tree and so makes the miracle the greater thus Ben Melech and blossomed blossoms open flowers or blossoms such as appear on the almond tree in the spring and look very beautiful and yielded almonds ripe almonds in their full perfection as the Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan the latter of which isin the same night it perfected and brought forth almondsthe word used has the signification of weaning and alludes to children grown up to some ripeness and maturity Gen_218 the case seems to be this that in one part of the rod were buds swelling and just putting out in another part open flowers quite blown and in others full ripe fruit now this clearly showed it to be supernatural since the almond tree though quick and early in its production of buds and flowers yet never has those and ripe fruit on it at the same time to which may be added that this was not the time of year the almond tree blossoms not the spring but rather autumn as it should seem since it was after the affair of the spies and the murmurs of the people on their report now it was the time of the first ripe grapes when they went into the land and they were forty days searching it and it was after their return the insurrections before recorded were the design of this was to confirm the priesthood in Aarons family and show that it would continue there in a flourishing condition and that there would be a succession of priests from him to the time of the Messiah as there were and the almond tree having its name in Hebrew from watchfulness and haste see Jer_111 may denote the vigilance of the priests in their office and the haste punishment makes to come upon such that should oppose them or usurp the priesthood as in the case of Uzziah so Jarchi remarks this rod of Aarons may be an emblem of the Gospel ministry of that rod that should come out of Zion Psa_1102 which in the eyes of men is mean and despicable like a dry stick but becomes a fruitful one through the power of divine grace and an almond tree rod may denote the vigilance and watchfulness of Gospel ministers over themselves and others and their doctrine and oftentimes whom God puts into the ministry he early calls them by his grace and frequently makes the first part of their ministry most useful and fruit is brought forth which remains moreover this rod may be considered as a type of Christ it being a dry rod or stick may denote the

36

meanness of his descent and appearance in the world and the unpromising aspect of his being the King Messiah and Saviour of men and being an almond tree rod may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time which the Lord hastened his being the firstborn and his right to the priesthood and his vigilance in it its lying among other rods and budding and blossoming and bringing forth fruit may point at Christs assuming the common nature or man his being cut off by death his resurrection from the dead and the fruits arising from thence justification peace pardon and eternal life and as Aarons priesthood was confirmed by the budding ampc of this rod so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are by his resurrection from the dead See Gill on Heb_94HENRY 8-9 Here is I The final determination of the controversy

concerning the priesthood by a miracle Num_178 Num_179 The rods or staves were brought out from the most holy place where they were laid up and publicly produced before the people and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were Aarons rod only of a dry stick became a living branch budded and blossomed and yielded almonds In some places there were buds in others blossoms in others fruit at the same time This was miraculous and took away all suspicion of a fraud as if in the night Moses had taken away Aarons rod and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it for no ordinary branch would have buds blossoms and fruits upon it all at once Now1 This was a plain indication to the people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood and not any other of the princes of the tribes Thus he was distinguished from them and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven which sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor watering by the hand of man Bishop Hall here observes that fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call and that the plants of Gods setting and the boughs cut off from them will flourish See Psa_9212-14 The trees of the Lord though they seem dry trees are full of sap2 It was a very proper sign to represent the priesthood itself which was hereby confirmed to Aaron (1) That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God It produced not only blossoms but almonds for the priesthood was designed not only for an honour to Aaron but for a blessing to Israel Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they should go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit should remain Joh_1516 (2) That there should be a succession of priests Here were not only almonds for the present but buds and blossoms promising more hereafter Thus has Christ provided in his church that a seed should serve him from generation to generation (3) That yet this priesthood should not be perpetual but in process of time like the branches and blossoms of a tree should fail and wither The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age Ecc_125 This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood which soon became old and ready to vanish away Heb_8133 It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood for he is the man the branch that is to be a priest upon his throne as it follows (Zec_612) and he was to grow up before God as this before the ark like a tender

37

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

seemed to be made exclusive simply that through Aaron he might have a firmer hold of the peoplersquos liberties Why was the old prerogative of the headmen in religious-matters taken from them They would reclaim their rights Neither Levi nor Reuben should be denied its priestly autonomy any longer In the whole rebellion there was one spirit but there were also divided counsels and Moses showed his wisdom by taking the revolt not as a single movement but part by partFirst he met the Levites with Korah at their head professing great zeal for the principle that all the congregation were holy every one of them A claim made on that ground could not be disproved by argument perhaps although the holiness of the congregation was evidently an ideal not a fact Jehovah Himself would have to decide Yet Moses remonstrated in a way that was fitted to move the Levites and perhaps did touch some of them They had been honoured by God in having a certain holy office assigned to them Were they to renounce it in joining a revolt which would make the very priesthood they desired common to all the tribes From Jehovah Himself the Levites had their commission It was against Jehovah they were fighting and how could they speed They spoke of Aaron and his dignity But what was Aaron Only a servant of God and of the people a man who personally assumed no great airs By this appeal some would seem to have been detached from the rebellion for in Numbers 269-11 when the judgment of Korah and his company is referred to it is added Notwithstanding the children of Korah died not From 1 Chronicles 61-81 we learn that in the line of Korahrsquos descendants appeared certain makers and leaders of sacred song Heman among them one of Davidrsquos singers to whom Psalms 881-18 is ascribedWith the Reubenites Moses deals in the next place taking their cause of discontent by itself Already one of the three Reubenite chiefs had withdrawn and Dathan and Abiram stood by themselves Refusing to obey the call of Moses to a conference they stated their grievance roughly by the mouth of a messenger and Moses could only with indignation express before God his blamelessness in regard to them I have not taken one ass from them neither have I hurt one of them Neither for his own enrichment nor in personal ambition had he acted Could they maintain did the people think that the present revolt was equally disinterested Under cover of opposition to tyranny are they not desiring to play the part of tyrants and aggrandise themselves at the expense of the peopleIt is singular that not a word is said in special condemnation of the two hundred and fifty because they were in possession of censers and incense May it be the case that the complete reservation of the high-priestly duties to the house of Aaron had not as yet taken effect that it was a purpose rather than a fact May it not further be the case that the rebellion partly took form and ripened because an order had been given withdrawing the use of censers from the headmen of the tribes If there had as yet been a certain temporary allowance of the tribal priesthood and ritual we should not have to ask how incense and censers were in the hands of the two hundred and fifty and why the brass of their vessels was held to be sacred and put to holy use

6

The prayer of Moses in which he interceded for the people Numbers 1622 is marked by an expression of singular breadth O God the God of the spirits of all flesh The men misled on the fleshly side by appetite (Numbers 1613) and shrinking from pain were against God But their spirits were in His hand Would He not move their spirits redeem and save them Would He not look on the hearts of all and distinguish the guilty from the innocent the more rebellious from the less One man had sinned but would God burst out on the whole congregation The form of the intercession is abrupt crude Even Moses with all his justice and all his pity could not be more just more compassionate than Jehovah The purpose of destruction was not as the leader thought it to beRegarding the judgments that of the earthquake and that of the fire we are too remote in time to form any proper conception of what they were how they were inflicted Moses says Lange appears as a man whose wonderful presentiment becomes a miraculous prophecy by the Spirit of revelation But this is not sufficient There was more than a presentiment Moses knew what was coming knew that where the rebels stood the earth would open the consuming fire burn The plague on the other hand which next day spread rapidly among the excited people and threatened to destroy them was not foreseen It came as if straight from the hand of Divine wrath But it afforded an opportunity for Aaron to prove his power with God and his courage Carrying the sacred fire into the midst of the infected people he became the means of their deliverance As he waved his censer and its fumes went up to heaven faith in Jehovah and in Aaron as the true priest of Jehovah was revived in the hearts of men Their spirits came again under the healing power of that symbolism which had lost its virtue in common use and was now associated in a grave crisis with an appeal to Him who smites and heals who kills and makes aliveIt has been maintained by some that the closing sentences of chapter 17 should follow chapter 16 with which they appear to be closely connected the incident of the budding of Aaronrsquos rod seeming to call rather for a festal celebration than a lament The theory of the Book of Numbers we have seen reason to adopt would account for the introduction of the fresh episode simply because it relates to the priesthood and tends to confirm the Aaronites in exclusive dignity The symbolic test of the claim raised by the tribes corresponds closely to the signs that were used by some of the prophets such as the girdle laid up by the river Euphrates and the basket of summer fruits The rod on which Aaronrsquos name was written was of almond a tree for which Syria was famous Like the sloe it sends forth blossoms before the leaves and the unique way in which this twig showed its living vigour as compared with the others was a token of the choice of Levi to serve and Aaron to minister in the holiest office before JehovahThe whole circumstances and the closing cry of the people leave the impression of a grave difficulty found in establishing the hierarchy and centralising the worship It was a necessity-shall we call it a sad necessity-that the men of the tribes should be

7

deprived of direct access to the sanctuary and the oracle Earthly disobedient and far from trustful in God they could not be allowed even the hereditary chiefs among them to offer sacrifices The ideas of the Divine holiness embodied in the Mosaic law were so far in advance of the common thought of Israel that the old order had to be superseded by one fitted to promote the spiritual education of the people and prepare them for a time when there shall be on the bells of the horses HOLY UNTO THE LORD and every pot in Judah shall be holy unto the Lord of hosts and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them and seethe therein The institution of the Aaronic priesthood was a step of progress indispensable to the security of religion and the brotherhood of the tribes in that high sense for which they were made a nation But it was at the same time a confession that Israel was not spiritual was not the holy congregation Korah declared it to be The greater was the pity that afterwards in the day of Israelrsquos opportunity when Christ came to lead the wholepeople into the spiritual liberty and grace for which prophets had longed the priestly system was held tenaciously as the pride of the nation When the law of ritual and sacrifice and priestly mediation should have been left behind as no longer necessary because the Messiah had come the way of higher life was opened in vain Sacerdotalism held its place with full consent of those who guided affairs Israel as a nation was blinded and its day shone in vainOf all priesthoods as corporate bodies however estimable zealous and spiritually-minded individual members of them may be must it not be said that their existence is a sad necessity They may be educative A sacerdotal system now may like that of the Mosaic law be a tutor to bring men to Christ Realising that those who hold office under it may bring help to men not yet fit for liberty But priestly dominance is no perpetual rule in any church certainly not in the Kingdom of God The freedom with which Christ makes men free is the goal The highest duty a priest can fulfil is to prepare men for that liberty and as soon as he can he should discharge them for the enjoyment of it To find in episodes like those of Korahrsquos revolt and its suppression a rule applicable to modern religious affairs is too great an anachronism For whatever right sacerdotalism now has is purely of the Churchrsquos tolerance in the measure not of Divine right but of the need of uninstructed men To the spiritual to those who know the priestly system with its symbols and authoritative claim is but an interference with privilege and dutyCan any Aaron now make an atonement for a mass of people or even in virtue of his office apply to them the atonement made by Christ How does his absolution help a soul that knows Christ the Redeemer as every Christian soul ought to know Him The great fault of priesthoods always is that having once gained power they endeavour to retain it and extend it making greater claims the longer they exist Affirming that they speak for the Church they endeavour to control the voice of the Church Affirming that they speak for Christ they deny or minimise His great gift of liberty Freedom of thought and reason was to Cardinal Newman for example the cause of all deplorable heresies and infidelities of a divided Church and a ruined world The candid priest of our day is found making his claim as largely as ever and then virtually explaining it away Should not the vain attempt to hold by

8

Judaic institutions cease And although the Church of Christ early made the mistake of harking back to Mosaism should not confession now be made that priesthood of the exclusive kind is out of date that every believer may perform the highest functions of the consecrated lifeThe Divine choice of Aaron his confirmation in high religious office by the budding of the almond twig as well as by the acceptance of his intercession have their parallels now The realities of one age become symbols for anotherLike the whole ritual of Israel these particular incidents may be turned to Christian use by way of illustration But not with regard to the prerogative of any arch-hierarch The availing intercession is that of Christ the sole headship over the tribes of men is that which He has gained by Divine courage love and sacrifice Among those who believe there is equal dependence on the work of Christ When we come to intercession which they make for each other it is of value in consideration not of office but of faith The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much It is as righteous men humble men not as priests they prevail The sacraments are efficacious not from any virtue in them or in him that administers them but through faith by the energy of the omnipresent SpiritYet there are men chosen to special duty whose almond twigs bud and blossom and become their sceptres Appointment and ordination are our expedients grace is given by God in a higher line of calling and endowment While there are blessings pronounced that fall upon the ear or gratify the sensibility theirs reach the soul For them the world has need to thank God They keep religion alive and make it bourgeon and yield the new fruits for which the generations hunger They are new branches of the Living Vine Of them it has often to be said as of the Lord Himself The stone which the builders rejected the same has become head of the corner this is the Lordrsquos doing and it is marvellous in our eyes

PETT ntroductionChapter 17 The Rod That Budded In Numbers 16 the question has been dealt with as to who could act as a mediator between Israel and God in the offering of incense Now the further question is dealt with as to who may enter the Holy Placeb) Who Has The Right To Enter The Sanctuary - Issues of Life and Death Evidenced By The Rod That Budded (chapter 17)Here those with the right to enter the Sanctuary are determined once and for all as the sons of Aaron We are given no background to the incident although it may well have followed not long after the preceding event and is clearly connected with it

9

This is the third in the trio of incidents which confirm the Aaronic priesthood the first two of which overlap Each of them covers two days (Numbers 161-50 Numbers 171-13) and each of them ends with the thought of the people being consumed (Numbers 1621 Numbers 1645-48 Numbers 1713)a Yahweh commands each tribe to lay a rod before Him in the Tent of Testimony one for each head of their fatherrsquos house (Numbers 171-3)b The rods to be laid up in the Tent of meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)c The rod of the chosen one will bud and put an end to murmuring (Numbers 175)d All the chieftains give rods including Aaron (Numbers 176)d The rods are placed in the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)c Aaronrsquos Rod buds and flowers in the Tent of Testimony and the budded and unbudded rods are revealed to all the people who look on them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)b Aaronrsquos rod is laid up lsquobefore the Testimonyrsquo to put an end to their murmuring (Numbers 1710)a The people recognise that none but Aaronrsquos house may enter the Tabernacle for they alone can enter the Sanctuary and live and the rod which is evidence for the fact is laid up before the Testimony (Numbers 1712-13)Verses 1-3Yahweh Commands Each Tribe to Lay a Rod Before Him in the Tent of Testimony One For Each Head of Their Fatherrsquos House (Numbers 171-3)Numbers 171lsquoAnd Yahweh spoke to Moses sayingrsquoAgain it is emphasised here that we have the words of Yahweh as spoken to Moses

BI 1-13 Write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of LeviAaronrsquos rodI Instructive to the Israelites

1 An end hereby put to murmuring By an incontrovertible sign they 10

knew who was the true priest2 A preventative furnished against future rebellion Miracles apt to be forgotten of this the evidence was to be preserved Kept for a token

II Suggestive to Christians Every man has some rod on which he leans The Christianrsquos is faith Like Aaronrsquos rod faith flourishesmdash1 Most in the sanctuary There are strengthening influences and a Divine power It will become a barren stock elsewhere2 Under circumstances in which other rods cannot live The almond flourishes even before the winter is fully past Faith budding in adversity3 Produces fruit and flowers on the bare stock of adversity4 Bears fruit speedily when God causes His blessing to rest upon it ldquoBelieve and be savedrdquo5 Stirs the Christian up to vigilance Almond-tree a symbol of watchfulness

III Typical of Christ1 For it is perpetual Aaronrsquos rod laid up as a lasting remembrance2 It bore fruit on a barren stock Jesus a root out of a dry ground3 It was distinguished among the sceptres of the princes Christrsquos kingdom and sceptre rule over all He is a plant of renown4 It was the object of special favour So in Jesus He ldquowas well pleasedrdquo He was ldquoelect and preciousrdquo

IV Symbolical of a true teacher1 His home the house of God2 Presents himself constantly before the testimony3 In himself dry and barren4 Relies upon God for fruitfulness5 Produces by Divine help not flowers only but fruit also6 As a dry and lifeless stock he receives quickening power from God so with his flowers and fruit he presents himself before God and offers all his works to Him

Learnmdash1 The wisdom of God in choice of methods2 To seek a strong and living and practical faith3 To rejoice in and rely upon the perpetual high priesthood of Christ4 To endeavour like the almond-tree to bring forth fruit early (J C Gray)

11

Aaronrsquos rod that buddedThis is our subject the miraculous conversion of Aaronrsquos rod into a living blossoming and fruit-bearing plant It must have been a most convincing prodigy for the purpose it was designed to answer for the people no sooner saw it than they cried out in remorse for their wavering allegiance ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perishrdquo But beyond the age wherein the marvel occurred this putting vegetable life into that dry staff has frequently been borrowed and used for other objects Thus Achilles in classic poetry when enraged against Agamemnon is made by Homer to refer to this miraclemdash

ldquoBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts stock on the high mountains at what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopt off its foliage greenAnd stript its bark shall never grow again -By this I swearrdquo

And amongst Latin literature you will some of you remember that a certain king confirms a covenant with AEneas by a similar oathI We begin by reminding you that among the greatest of our blessings in this world is our strict obligation to do the Divine will and to keep the Divine law It is far more worth our while to sing of Godrsquos statutes than it is to sing of Godrsquos promises Where should we be in a country without human authority and a human authority founded on a reverence for the Divine Very truly does Bushnell say that ldquowithout law man does not live he only grazesrdquo If he had no government he would never discern any reason for existence and would soon not care to exist How different is the world of Voltaire from the world of Milton I The one finds nothing but this clay world and its material beauties flashes into a shallow brilliancy of speech and weaving a song of surfaces empties himself into a book of all that he has felt or seen But the other at the back of all and through all visible things beholds a spirit and a Divinity Now is there not a very beautiful picture of the comeliness and the beneficence of law in the old miracle that was wrought upon the rod of Aaron That staff as we have put it to you was selected as the sign of authority This was a declaration first that no law was perfect that did not display life and beauty and fertility and a declaration secondly that by Godrsquos choice that perfect law dwelt in the high priest But apart from the imagery as a message to the children of Israel I cling to that blooming staff as the very best type I can find anywhere of what Godrsquos rule is amongst us and in His Church I find myself taught by this early prodigy on Aaronrsquos staff that Godrsquos dominion is the dominion of the almond-branch It is a rod alas for us if there were no rod But it is a rod displaying all the three several pledges and gradations of life and thusmdashoh beautiful coincidence if it be nothing moremdashGod turns His law towards the

12

children of men into what the forbidden tree so falsely appeared to the first transgressormdashldquopleasant to the eye and good for foodrdquo Of course I know that the staff or the sceptre is the symbol of authority because a staff is that with which one person smites another The ultimate significance of a rod is a blow But is it nothing to be taught by Godrsquos picture-alphabet of the Old Testament that He smites only with buds and with flowers and with fruit This seems to change even to any childrsquos apprehension the whole character of the sovereignty under which we bow in the modern camp of the Church You tremble as you read the chapter of hard duties Turn the leaf and you will come upon the chapter of precious promises There is not a verse in the Bible that is not in flower with some comfort aye though it be a verse that smites you with a difficult commandment You are never to tell a man to do a single thing in religion without telling him that God will help him to do it You are never to command a sacrifice from me for Christrsquos sake without comforting me with the assurance that ldquoGod is able to give me much more than thisrdquo If you have a strong rough hard stick of responsibility you must show it to me bursting out all over with the rich petals and the hanging clusters of the sovereignty of Divine grace Aye for I want you to mark well that here was a miracle within a miracle The natural almond-branch never has upon it at one time buds blossoms and fruit But I seem to be taught by this accumulation of successive life all at once on one stem that there is no element of mercy wanting in the code by which I am to be managed But remember that if we deserve nothing but the rod and yet if God never uses the rod save with the buds the blossoms and the fruit ldquoHe may well record it against us if either we despise the chastening of the Lord or faint when we are rebuked of HimrdquoII But now the real and only proper commentary on the facts of the Pentateuch will be found in the doctrines of the Epistle to the Hebrews Do you believe that all those lives would have been lost and all that commotion would have been made about the prerogative of Aaronrsquos priesthood but for that other Priest on whom the whole world was to relymdashthe Priest for evermdashldquomade not after the law of a carnal commandment but after the power of an endless liferdquo It is not by one Scripture it is by scores that I find myself pointed through that staff to the real government of this world in the rod out of the stem of Jesse ldquoHe shall grow up before Him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground without form or comelinessrdquo And yet all the while He was the ldquorod out of the stem of Jesserdquo And when I read in the Book of Numbers how the Hebrews rose up against Aaron and put him to shame I can only take it for a foreshadowing of another rebellion when they insulted another Sceptre who was ldquodespised and rejected of menrdquo We preach to you Christ a stumbling-block to the Jews And scarcely can you wonder that so long as the rod was only the root out of a dry ground the Son of the carpenter and the Friend of sinners there was ldquo no beauty in Him that they should desire Himrdquo But that is not the staff with which this day God governs His Church No no He hath declared that lowly peasant preacher to be ldquothe Son of God with power in that He hath raised Him from the deadrdquo Ah that night in which they concealed Aaronrsquos rod in the tabernacle of witness it was never less living never less blossoming than then But it was not left in darkness neither did it see corruption And on

13

the appointed morning men found it marked by the choice of the Omnipotent with the buds the blossoms and the fruit In like manner the coldest darkest least living period in Immanuelrsquos career was when they hid Him among all the other millions of the dead in the tomb cut out of the rock in the garden of Joseph ldquoBut now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first-fruits of them that sleptrdquo He was raised up ldquoa plant of renownrdquo And from that glorious Easter morning the ldquorod out of the stem of Jesserdquo has been ldquothe tree whose leaves are for the healing of the nationsrdquo and ldquofilling the face of the world with fruitrdquo Men can be governed by a Mediator and yet not perish ldquoThe soul that sinneth it shall dierdquo That is a rod but ldquoif any man sin we have an Advocate with the Fatherrdquo that is ldquoAaronrsquos rod that buddedrdquomdashthe rod of the Priest Reuben Gad and all the rest have rods Christianity is not alone in the sternness of its government or the severity of its sanctions But it is alone in telling me how I can receive remission of sins that are past and how I can obtain the strongest of motives for a life of obedience in the time to come (H Christopherson)

Aaronrsquos rod blossoming and bearing fruitI As the priesthood of Aaron was a type of the priesthood of Christ there is here a suggestion of facts which must have their counterpart in Christrsquos life and history

1 The atonement and death of our Lord Jesus were matters of Divine appointment The whole work of our salvation originated with God2 But more than thismdashwhich is the essential truth here enshrinedmdashwe see here that God often manifests Himself in unexpected forms of beauty and of grace The dry rod blossomed and bare fruit The powers of Divine salvation were enshrined in the person of the Carpenter of Nazareth There was life for a dead world in the Cross and in the grave of the dead Christ

II There are suggestions here concerning Christian life1 Christian life begins with God2 The Christian life manifests itself in unfavourable conditions It is in human souls a power of active benevolence or it is nothing at all It takes hold of human misery with a healing hand and it changes it into blessing Where sin abounded there grace does much more abound3 There is beauty associated with the developments of Christian life and character There is nothing half so winning as Christian grace

III Suggestions in relation to the gospel ministry1 There is a Divine designation of men to the highest service of the Church2 But what is the qualification of men thus sent Evidently the possession of Divine life the gift which is to be imparted to those needing it To be a Christian teacher a man must be a Christian and must

14

know the things of Christ3 How then are we to judge a manrsquos Divine call and authority Only and solely by the blossoms and fruitmdashby the spiritual results of his ministry

IV Last of all there are here suggestions concerning Christian humiliation1 The world has not known its best benefactors It has always had a scornful word for the saintly and the true-hearted It has always risen up in rebellion against the anointed of the Lord2 Here is a word of encouragement to all weak and mistrustful and diffident and self-emptied souls ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says the old labourer in the Masterrsquos vineyard and the holy matron whose life has been careful and troubled about many things but who has ever been anxious to honour and serve her dear Lord in lowliest ways and household duties ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says the saint waiting dismission to rest who has not done what he would or been as useful as he desired and hoped and prayed to be ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says one whose strength has been weakened by the way and whose unfinished purposes lie sadly enough at his feet fallen out of hands which could not longer hold them or fashion them into completeness ldquoWe are but dry rodsrdquo say many earnest anxious longing souls who hardly dare to trust for the future because so often when they would do good evil is present with them We are not saved by trust in our own righteousness or by satisfaction with our own goodness and deeds But Godrsquos grace is all-sufficient and He can work miracles of beauty and fruitfulness where human might is feeblest and self mistrust is greatest and humility of spirit is deepest (W H Davison D D)

The Divine plan for vindicating the high priesthood of Aaron and its moral teachingI That true ministers of religion are elected by GodII It is of great importance that men should know that their ministers of religion are called by God

1 In order that they may regard them with becoming respect2 In order that they may take heed to their message

III The vitality of sin is of dreadful tenacity ldquoMany menrsquos lipsrdquo says Trapp ldquolike rusty hinges for want of the oil of grace and gladness move not without murmuring and complainingrdquo It is a thing of extreme difficulty to eradicate any evil disposition from the human heart ldquoFor such is the habitual hardness of menrsquos hearts as neither ministry nor misery nor miracle nor mercy can possibly mollify Nothing can do it but an extraordinary touch from the hand of HeavenrdquoIV God is engaged in eradicating sin from human hearts (W Jones)

15

Aaronrsquos rod an illustration of the true Christian ministryI The characteristics of the true Christian ministry

1 Life2 Beauty3 Fruitfulness

II The origin of the true Christian ministry Godrsquos creation and gift to the ChurchIII The influence of the true Christian ministry Abiding (W Jones)

The budded rod a type of ChristThe rod in many graphic tints shows Jesus The very name is caught by raptured prophets (Isa_111 Zec_612-13) Thus faith gleans lessons from the very titlemdashRod But the grand purport of the type is to reject all rivals It sets Aaron alone upon the priestly seat The parallel proclaims that similarly Jesus is our only Priest God calls anoints appoints accepts and ever hears Him but Him alone In His hands only do these functions live Next the constant luxuriance has a clear voice In naturersquos field buds blossoms fruit soon wither Not so this rod Its verdure was for ever green its fruit was ever ripe Beside the ark it was reserved in never-fading beauty Here is the ever-blooming Priesthood of our Lord (Psa_1104 Heb_724) Mark moreover that types of Jesus often comprehend the Church It is so with these rods The twelve at first seem all alike They are all sapless twigs But suddenly one puts forth loveliness while the others still remain worthless and withered Here is a picture of Godrsquos dealings with a sin-slain race Since Adamrsquos fall all are born lifeless branches of a withered stock When any child of man arises from the death of sin and blooms in grace God has arisen with Divine almightiness Believer the budded rod gives another warning It is a picture of luxuriance Turn from it and look inward Is your soul thus richly fertile Instead of fruit you often yield the thorn (Joh_158) Whence is the fault (Joh_154) Perhaps your neglectful soul departs from Christ Meditate in Godrsquos law day and night (Psa_13) But if the budded rod rebukes the scanty fruit in the new-born soul what is its voice to unregenerate worldlings (Heb_68) (Dean Law)

The rod of AaronBuds are evidence of life A nominal Christian is like a dead trunk and he cannot bud unless the sap of Divine grace courses through him Spiritual life is an attribute of the converted Christian The spiritual life of a being is his presiding sentiment or dispositionmdashthe chief inspiration of his soulmdashthat which gives motion and character to his mental and moral beingI Life is a resistless force The smallest blade of grass that raises its tiny head into light or the feeblest insect that sports in the sunbeam displays a

16

force superior to that which governs the ocean or controls the stars Man stands erect the tree rises and the bird soars because of lifeII Life is an appropriating force Vegetable and animal existences have a power of appropriating to themselves all surrounding elements conducive to their well-being just as the life of the plant converts the various gases around it into nutriment to promote its strength and development Wherever there is true religion there is a power to render all external circumstances subservient to its own strength and growth all things work together for its goodIII Life is a propagating force It has ldquothe seed in itselfrdquo Forests start from acorns and boundless harvests from the solitary grain It is said that the grateful Israelites anxious to carry away a bud a blossom or almond as a memento of the occasion the flowers and fruit on the rod were repeatedly and miraculously renewed for that purpose Be that as it may wherever there is religious life it will spread it scatters broadcast the incorruptible seed which liveth and abideth for everIV Life is a beautifying force There are two kinds of beautymdashthe sensational and the moral Nature in her ten thousand forms of loveliness and art in her exquisite expressions of taste are ministries to the former whilst spiritual truth moral goodness and the holiness of God address the latter The one is the poetry of the eye and ear the other of the soul The beauty that appeals to the religious nature of man is the beauty of holinessmdashthe beauty of the Lordmdashthe glory of God in His goodnessV Life is a fructifying force The true Christian not only lives and unfolds a noble disposition but is really useful St Paul speaks of ldquothe fruit of the Spiritrdquomdashrighteousness goodness truth The first as opposed to all injustice and dishonesty the second as opposed to the ten thousand forms of selfishness the third as opposed to all that is erroneous and false in the doctrines and theories of men (G L Saywell)

Aaronrsquos rodHere are three miracles in onemdash

1 That a dry rodmdashmade of the almond treemdashshould bring forth buds in a moment2 That those buds should presently become blossoms anal flowers3 That these should immediately become ripe fruit and that all at once or at least in a little space

Nature makes no such leaps All this was supernatural to these ends1 For a testimony of Godrsquos calling Aaron to the priesthood2 For a type of Christ the Branch (Isa_111)3 For a figure of the fruitfulness of a gospel ministry4 For a lively representation of a glorious resurrection (C Ness)

17

Lessons from the budding rodA wonderful work of God which sundry ways may profit us

1 As first to consider that if the power of God can do this in a dry stick cannot He make the barren woman to bare and be a joyful mother of children Can He not do whatsoever He will do By this power the sea is dried the rock gives water the earth cleaveth under the feet of men fire descends whose nature is to ascend raiseth the dead and calleth things that are not as if they were In a word He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think ampc2 This rod is a notable type of Christ His person and office Of His person in that He was born of the Virgin Mary who though He descended of the royal blood yet was now poor and mean as that royal race was brought exceeding low nothing remaining but as it were a root only Now the said Virgin flourisheth again as Aaronrsquos rod did and beareth such fruit as never woman bear Of this speaks Isaiah the prophet when he saith ldquoThere shall come a rod forth of the stock of Jesse and a graft shall grow out of his rootsrdquo Of His office both priestly and kingly His priestly office is figured in that being offered upon the cross He was as Aaronrsquos dried rod or as the Psalm saith ldquodried up like a potsherdrdquo But when He rose again He became like Aaronrsquos budding and fruit-bearing rod bringing forth to man believing on Him remission of sins righteousness and eternal life His kingly office in that He governeth His Church with a rod or sceptre of righteousness as it is in the Psalm ldquoThe sceptre of Thy kingdom is a right sceptrerdquo Which rod and sceptre is the preaching of the gospel ampc3 Again it was a resemblance of true ministers and of all faithful men and women for none of all these ought to be dry and withered sticks but bear and bring forth buds and fruit according to their places4 It is a shadow also of our resurrection by which we should grow green again and flourish with a new and an eternal glory having like dead seed lain in the ground and we shall bring forth ripe almonds that is the praise of Godrsquos incomprehensible goodness to us for ever and ever5 It resembleth our reformation and amendment of life for when our heart feeleth what is amiss this is as the bud when it resolveth of a change and a future amendment this is the blossom and when it performeth the same by a new reformed life indeed this is as the ripe almonds of Aaronrsquos rod(Bp Babington)

The priesthood divinely selectedWhat matchless wisdom shines in this arrangement How completely is the matter taken out of manrsquos hands and placed where alone it ought to be namely in the hands of the living God It was not to be a man appointing

18

himself or a man appointing his fellow but God appointing the man of His own selection In a word the question was to be definitively settled by God Himself so that all murmurings might be silenced for ever and no one be able again to charge Godrsquos high priest with taking too much upon him The human will had nothing whatever to do with this solemn matter The twelve rods all in a like condition were laid up before the Lord man retired and left God to act There was no room no opportunity because there was no occasion for human management In the profound retirement of the sanctuary far away from all manrsquos thinkings was the grand question of priesthood settled by Divine decision and being thus settled it could never again be raised (C H Mackintosh)

Aaronrsquos fruitful rodStriking and beautiful figure of Him who was ldquodeclared to be the Son of God with power by resurrection from the deadrdquo The twelve rods were all alike lifeless but God the living God entered the scene and by that power peculiar to Himself infused life into Aaronrsquos rod and brought it forth to view bearing upon it the fragrant fruits of resurrection Who could gainsay this The rationalist may sneer at it and raise a thousand questions Faith gazes on that fruit-bearing rod and sees in it a lovely figure of the new creation in the which all things are of God Infidelity may argue on the ground of the apparent impossibility of a dry stick budding blossoming and bearing fruit in the course of one night But to whelm does it appear impossible To the infidel the rationalist the sceptic And why Because he always shuts out God Let us remember this Infidelity invariably shuts out God God can do as He pleases The One who called worlds into existence could make a rod to bud blossom and bear fruit in a moment Bring God in and all is simple and plain as possible Leave God out and all is plunged in hopeless confusion (C H Mackintosh)

The rods contrastedPonder the difference between the rod of Moses and the rod of Aaron We have seen the former doing its characteristic work in other days and amid other scenes We have seen the land of Egypt trembling beneath the heavy strokes of that rod Plague after plague fell upon that devoted scene in answer to that outstretched rod We have seen the waters of the sea divided in answer to that rod In short the rod of Moses was a rod of power a rod of authority But it could not avail to hush the murmurings of the children of Israel nor yet to bring the people through the desert Grace alone could do that and we have the expression of pure gracemdashfree sovereign gracemdashin the budding of Aaronrsquos rod Nothing can be more forcible nothing more lovely That dry dead stick was the apt figure of Israelrsquos condition and indeed of the condition of every one of us by nature There was no sap no life no power One might well say ldquoWhat good can ever come of itrdquo None whatever had not grace come in and displayed its quickening power So was it with Israel in the wilderness and so is it with us now How were they to

19

be led along from day to day How were they to be sustained in all their weakness and need How were they to be borne with in all their sin and folly The answer is found in Aaronrsquos budding rod If the dry dead stick was the expression of naturersquos barren and worthless condition the buds blossoms and fruit set forth that living and life-giving grace and power of God on which was based the priestly ministry that alone could bear the congregation through the wilderness Grace alone could answer the ten thousand necessities of the militant host Power could not suffice Authority could not avail Priesthood alone could supply what was needed and this priesthood was instituted on the foundation of that efficacious grace which could bring fruit out of a dry rod Thus it was as to priesthood of old and thus it is as to ministry now All ministry in the Church of God is the fruit of Divine gracemdashthe gift of Christ the Churchrsquos Head (C H Mackintosh)

2 ldquoSpeak 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

BARNES Compare Eze_3716 ff

CLARKE And take of every one of them a rod - matteh the staff or מטהscepter which the prince or chief of each tribe bore and which was the sign of office or royalty among almost all the people of the earth

GILL Speak unto the children of Israel The principal men among them of the several tribes and take of everyone of them not of every individual of the people of Israel but of their princes as afterwards explained a rod according to the house of their fathers or father of whom their house or tribe was called as Reuben Simeon ampc this rod was either a

20

common walking staff as some think or rather the ensign of their princely office and dignity peculiar to each tribe though some think it was now freshly cut off from an almond tree and that all the rods were of one and the same tree but supposing they were all of the almond kind as Josephus (d) thinks yet being dry rods and of long use served to make the miracle appear the greater of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods this explains who they were to be taken of the princes of the several tribes whose names are given Num_15 and the number of them twelve according to the number of the twelve tribes write thou every mans name upon his rod the name of each prince or head of a tribe either by cutting it into the rod or fastening a writing to it after the manner of those times as for instance the name of Elizur for the tribe of Reuben by which it was to be made and was made to appear that to none of these tribes belonged the priesthood but to the tribe of Levi and to none of that tribe but the family of Aaron whereby it should seem that some of all the tribes made pretensions to it as being all holy and especially the chief firstborn of every tribe as such their princes were

JAMISON 2-5 Speak unto the children of Israel mdash The controversy with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood was of such a nature and magnitude as required a decisive and authoritative settlement For the removal of all doubts and the silencing of all murmuring in the future regarding the holder of the office a miracle was wrought of a remarkable character and permanent duration and in the manner of performing it all the people were made to have a direct and special interest

take of every one princes twelve rods mdash As the princes being the oldest sons of the chief family and heads of their tribes might have advanced the best claims to the priesthood if that sacred dignity was to be shared among all the tribes they were therefore selected and being twelve in number - that of Joseph being counted only one - Moses was ordered to see that the name of each was inscribed - a practice borrowed from the Egyptians - upon his rod or wand of office The name of Aaron rather than of Levi was used as the latter name would have opened a door of controversy among the Levites and as there was to be one rod only for the head of each tribe the express appointment of a rod for Aaron determined him to be the head of that tribe as well as that branch or family of the tribe to which the priestly dignity should belong These rods were to be laid in the tabernacle close to the ark (compare Num_1710 and Heb_94) where a divine token was promised that would for all time terminate the dispute

CALVIN 2Speak unto the children of Israel They are mistaken who suppose that to the twelve rods there was another added for the tribe of Levi (103) for since there was no question here as to the possession of the land there was no occasion at

21

all for the division of the tribe of Joseph into two parts We know too that it was endowed with a double portion because the Levites had no inheritance and in this case the circumstances were different because all the other tribes were contending for the priesthood with the tribe of Levi alone Hence it was then that rods were given to each of them in accordance with the origin of their race But when Aaronrsquos rod is said to have been ldquoin the midst of themrdquo (104) it is in the usual phrase of the Hebrew language because it was mixed with them as one of their number And this is expressly stated to show us that all ground for caviling might be taken from the ungodly since all the rods were east promiscuously into the same bundle so that none should be distinguished above the others and thus nothing could be ascribed to the collusion of men If any should object that by these means the rivalry was not extinguished which the other Levites had with the house of Aaron since his own name alone was inscribed upon the rod so that there would be no comparison between the families I reply that since the power of God manifested itself distinctly in the name of Aaron the rejection of the others was sufficiently shown forth by his election for if this honor had been common to the others God would have defrauded them by giving distinction to him alone Besides no other plan could have been adopted for putting an end to this quarrel for if there had been several rods for one tribe the whole people would have complained of the inequality It was necessary then that all should be brought to the contest on equal terms so that the difference between them might be seen to depend upon Godrsquos good pleasure But if the name of Levi had been inscribed all its families would have claimed the right of succession as if common to them all There was therefore no other course open but that God should prefer to the whole people one individual chosen from amongst the members of his own kindred and tribe COKE Numbers 172 Take of every one of them a rodmdash The minds of a considerable number of the people having been poisoned by the insinuations of Korah and his accomplices against Aaron and his family upon the account of the priesthood God is pleased to add another signal miracle in confirmation of his priests authority accordingly the head of each tribe is ordered to take a rod and bring it before the Lord Some have supposed that these were the ordinary rods or batoons which the princes of the tribes bore while from the 8th verse of this chapter others infer that these were twigs or branches from one and the same almond tree whichever was the case the miracle was sufficiently great to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of ProvidenceBENSON Numbers 172 Take of every one mdash Not of every person but of every tribe A rod mdash A twig or branch from one and the same almond-tree as some infer from Numbers 178 Or according to others the ordinary rods which the princes of the tribes carried in their hands as tokens of their dignity and authority Numbers 2118 And indeed the miracle would appear the greater if neither Aaronrsquos rod nor any of the rest was of the almond-tree But the miracle was sufficiently great either way to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of Providence Every manrsquos name mdash Every princersquos for they being the firstborn and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of

22

their tribes and besides the prince represented all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the question And this place seems to confirm the opinion that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contended with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holyELLICOTT (2) And take of every one of them mdashBetter And take of them a rod for each fatherrsquos houseTwelve rodsmdashSome suppose that Aaronrsquos rod was not included amongst the twelve Others suppose that one rod only was taken for the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh The latter supposition is more accordant with the terms here employed than the former and is supported by Deuteronomy 2712-13 where Joseph stands for the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh and Levi is included amongst the twelve tribesWrite thou every manrsquos name upon his rodmdashThis was in accordance with an Egyptian custom (See Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians III 388) The prophet Ezekiel received a similar injunction (Ezekiel 3716)POOLE Speak unto the children of Israel that I may fully and finally satisfy all their scruples and take away all pretence and cause of murmuringOf every one of them not of every person but of every tribe as it followsA rod either an ordinary walking staff or rather that staff or rod which the princes carried in their hand as tokens of their dignity and authority as may be gathered from Numbers 2118 compared with Psalms 1102 Jeremiah 481617According to the house of their fathers ie according to each family proceeding from the patriarch or father of that tribeEvery manrsquos name ie every princersquos for they being the first-born and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of their tribes and besides each prince represented and acted for all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the whole question And this plate seems to confirm what was before observed that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contested with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holy as they said Numbers 163

WHEDON 2 A rod mdash Each chief prince of the twelve tribes bore a staff or sceptre as the sign of office Such rods were often hereditary and of great antiquity That such dry staves should blossom and bear fruit again is so improbable that the Greeks were accustomed to swear by their sceptres Thus Achilles

23

ldquoBut hearken I will swear a solemn oathBy this sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as oncerdquoWritehellip every manrsquos name mdash To identify beyond dispute the rod of Aaron after the trial The illiteracy of Moses and his generation as alleged by some modern writers is here abundantly confuted Since there were twelve rods including Levirsquos it is evident that the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim are here counted as one tribe mdash that of JosephPETT Numbers 172lsquoSpeak to the children of Israel and take of them rods one for each fathersrsquo house of all their princes according to their fathersrsquo houses twelve rods You write every manrsquos name on his rodrsquoAll the men of Israel were to be involved in this It is possible that Levi were included among lsquothe twelversquo and that Manasseh and Ephraim were for this event treated as one tribe the rods representing the lsquohouseholdsrsquo of the original patriarchal fathers But a rod was taken for each of their fathersrsquo houses and the names of each of the chieftains of those fathersrsquo houses was written on the rods This would suggest in the light of previous references to twelve chieftains that the lsquotwelversquo rods were in contrast with Aaronrsquos rod (Alternately one rod may have represented Joseph including both Ephraim and Manasseh It was Joseph who was to be lsquoa fruitful boughrsquo (Genesis 4922) but not as pertaining to the priesthood)The word for lsquorodsrsquo also indicates lsquotribes and can in fact be used to indicate either Thus the rods symbolised each tribe

PULPIT Numbers 172Take of every one of them a rod Literally take of them a rod a rod ie a rod apiece in the way immediately particularized hsilgnEegaugnaL מטה is used for the staff of Judah (Genesis 3818) and for the rod of Moses (Exodus 42) It is also used in the sense of tribe (Numbers 14 Numbers 116) Each tribe was but a branch or rod out of the stock of Israel and therefore was most naturally represented by the rod cut from the tree lsquoThe words used for scepter in Genesis 4910 and in Psalms 457 and for rod in Isaiah 111 and elsewhere are different but the same imagery underlies the use of all of them Of all their princes hellip twelve rods These princes must be those named in Isaiah 22-21 and Isaiah 25-71 Since among these are to be found the tribe princes of Ephraim and Manasseh standing upon a perfect equality with the rest it is evident that the twelve rods were exclusive

24

of that of Aaron The joining together of Ephraim and Manasseh in Deuteronomy 2712 was a very different thing because it could not raise any question as between the two

3 On the staff of Levi write Aaronrsquos name for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe

BARNES Thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of Levi - The Levites had taken part in the late outbreak It was therefore necessary to vindicate the supremacy of the house of Aaron over them and accordingly his name was written on the rod of Levi although being the son of Kohath the second son of Levi (Exo_616 ff) he would not be the natural head of the tribe

GILL And thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi Or upon the rod that was for the tribe of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written not the word Levi or a Levite as Josephus (e) for that would not have decided the controversy about the priesthood which chiefly lay between the Levites and the family of Aaron who were of the same tribe for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers one rod for the head or prince of every tribe every prince representing his own tribe he was the head of and the rod the prince and though the tribe of Levi was divided into two families the family of the priests and the family of the Levites yet as Jarchi observes they were but one tribe and so one rod for them as for the other tribes

ELLICOTT (3) And thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of LevimdashAaron was descended from the second son of Levi He was not therefore the natural but the divinely-appointed head of his fatherrsquos house and hence it would not have sufficed for the purpose contemplated to have inscribed the name of Levi upon the rod Aaron was constituted the head alike of the priests and of the Levites into which two classes the tribe of Levi was divided

25

BENSON Numbers 173 Aaronrsquos name mdash Rather than Levirsquos for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos family One rod mdash There shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixed

POOLE Aaronrsquos rather than Levirsquos name for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos familyFor the head of the house of their fathers ie there shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixedPETT Numbers 173lsquoAnd you shall write Aaronrsquos name on the rod of Levi for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathersrsquo housesrsquoOn the rod of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written There was to be one for each head of their fathersrsquo houses In the light of the earlier divisions in chapters 1-4 we are probably therefore to see that there were thirteen rods the twelve which represented Israel in contrast with the Levites and the one that specifically represented AaronHere Aaron is depicted as the head of the house of Levi That may well be why earlier he was called lsquothe Levitersquo as the head of the family (Exodus 414)

PULPIT Numbers 173Thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi There was no tribe prince of Levi and it is not probable that either of the three chiefs of the sub-tribes (Numbers 324 Numbers 330 55) was called upon to bring a rod This rod was therefore provided by Moses himself and inscribed by him with the name of Aaron who stood by Divine appointment (so recently and fearfully attested) above all his brethren For the significance of the act cf Ezekiel 3716-28 For one rod hellip for the head of the house of their fathers For Levi therefore there must be not three rods inscribed with the names of the chiefs but one only bearing the name of Aaron as

26

their common superior

4 Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law where I meet with you

GILL And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation In the most holy place before the testimony that is the ark in which the testimony or the law was here they were laid as in the presence of God who was in a miraculous way to decide the controversy by them and put an end to it for upon the ark was the mercy seat over which were the cherubim the seat of the divine Majesty and where none could come at them and where no fraud could be supposed to be committed where I will meet with you not with the people in person who might not go at any time into the most holy place nor with Aaron who only might go into it on the day of atonement but with Moses the chief ruler and representative of the whole body of the people and who might go in there at any time to consult with God about matters of moment and difficulty and where the Lord had said he would meet him Exo_2522 and now would in a miraculous way clearly show him and the people of Israel by him who was the priest he had chosen of all the tribesCALVIN 4And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle The place itself had not a little to do with the effectual decision of the matter because it was clearly manifested that God was the author of the miracle and consequently that the priesthood proceeded from Him For we have elsewhere said that the whole government of the Church so entirely depends upon His decree that men are not permitted to interfere with it Wherefore He set the ark of the covenant in opposition to the voices of the whole people in order to testify that no further dispute was to be raised respecting the priest whom He had appointed by His own declaration and authority At the same time it had the effect of consoling the people and silencing their complaints that the rods of all the tribes were brought in common into the sanctuary before God for although a peculiar dignity was accorded to that of Aaron alone still the people ceased not to be a priestly kingdom Hence it follows that the honorable privilege conferred on one family contributed to the public welfare of all so far was it from being the case that their inferiority ought to have caused them pain or envy

27

POOLE Before the testimony ie before the ark of the testimony either mediately close by the veil behind which the ark stood or rather immediately within the veil in the most holy place close by the ark as may be gathered by comparing this place with Numbers 1710 and with Hebrews 94I will meet with you and manifest my mind to you for the ending of this dispute PETT The Rods Are To Be Laid Up in the Tent of Meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)Numbers 174lsquoAnd you shall lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony where I meet with yoursquoThese were then to be lsquolaid up in the Tent of meeting before the testimonyrsquo in the place where Yahweh meets with His people This probably meant in front of the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh lsquothe testimonyrsquo indicating the presence of the covenant tablets in the Ark and their testimony to the covenant

5 The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelitesrdquo

CLARKE The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossom - It was necessary that something farther should be done to quiet the minds of the people and for ever to settle the dispute in what tribe the priesthood should be fixed God therefore took the method described in the text and it had the desired effect the Aaronical priesthood was never after disputed

GILL And it shall come to pass that the mans rod whom I shall choose Or make it manifest that he had chosen him and so confirm the choice he had made of him and his family for the priesthood to be and continue in

28

shall blossom bud and blossom and yield fruit as it afterwards did which is here declared beforehand that the miracle might appear the greater exactly answering to a prediction delivered out before of it and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel whereby they murmur against you against Moses for setting up his brother as an high priest and establishing the priesthood in his family and against Aaron for accepting of it and officiating in it but by this method now taken God would for ever silence their murmurings so that they should never be able with any face to object any more to the authority of the Aaronic priesthood which should appear by the predicted miracle beyond all dispute and contradictionCALVIN 5And it shall come to pass that the manrsquos rod Aaron indeed had been previously chosen but the expression here refers to his manifestation (105) because God is said again to choose those whom He has chosen by His secret counsel when He brings them forth into the sight of men with their peculiar marks of distinction and this not once only but as often as he confirms their election by new indications And this seems to be spoken of by way of concession as if God would pass over all His former decrees and invite the people afresh to take cognizance of the matter With this view tie states that He will put an end to all the malevolent and noisy detractions of the people so that Aaron may henceforth exercise his office without controversy for although not even thus was their perverseness altogether cured still their insolence was restrained

ELLICOTT (5) The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossommdashOr shall sprout forth or put forthmdashie leaves or blossoms Achilles when enraged against Agamemnon is made to swear a solemn oath by his sceptre which having once left its stock on the mountains shall never again grow King Latinus is represented by Virgil as confirming his covenant with AEligneas by a similar oath

WHEDON 5 Whom I shall choose mdash That is select for the priesthoodCeasehellip murmurings mdash Suppress them beyond all possibility of a revival Jehovahrsquos claims are set forth in his word with such cogency that there is no just ground for gainsaying On all questions of duty there is a redundancy of evidencePETT The Rod of the Chosen One Will Bud and Put an End to Murmuring (Numbers 175)Numbers 175lsquoAnd it will come about that the rod of the man whom I shall choose will bud and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel which they

29

murmur against yoursquoThen Yahweh would make the rod of the man that Yahweh had chosen spring to life and bud This final display on Yahwehrsquos initiative should cause all further murmurings against Moses and Aaron on the question of who had the right of priesthood to cease

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 Aaronrsquos staff was among them

BARNES The whole number of rods was twelve exclusive of Aaronrsquos as the Vulgate expressly states

GILL And Moses spake unto the children of Israel What the Lord had bid him say unto them concerning the rods which they hearkened unto and observed and everyone of their princes gave him a rod apiece for each prince one every prince of the several tribes and so a rod for every tribe as well as for each prince according to their fathers houses even twelve rods there being twelve tribes named after their fathers or the patriarchs the twelve sons of Jacob and Joseph having two tribes which sprung from him called after his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh there were twelve rods besides that of Aaron and so the Vulgate Latin version renders the words with the next clauseand there were twelve rods besides the rod of Aaronin all thirteen though the Jews say there were but twelve with it allowing but one rod for Joseph under whom were comprehended Ephraim and Manasseh and reckoning the tribe of Levi one of the twelve so Aben Ezra observes that the rod of Levi was among the twelve and Joseph had but one rod and the rod of Aaron was among their rods in the middle of them and was

30

so placed as Jarchi thinks that it might not be said because it was put on the side of the Shechinah or divine Majesty therefore it budded but being in the middle of them there could be no difference in that respectJAMISON the rod of Aaron was among their rods mdash either one of the

twelve or as many suppose a thirteenth in the midst (Heb_94) The rods were of dry sticks or wands probably old as transmitted from one head of the family to a succeeding

KampD Num_176-11Moses carried out this command And when he went into the tabernacle the following morning behold Aarons rod of the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth shoots and had borne blossoms and matured almonds And Moses brought all the rods out of the sanctuary and gave every man his own the rest as we may gather from the context being all unchanged so that the whole nation could satisfy itself that God had chosen Aaron Thus was the word fulfilled which Moses had spoken at the commencement of the rebellion of the company of Korah (Num_165) and that in a way which could not fail to accredit him before the whole congregation as sent of GodSo far as the occurrence itself is concerned there can hardly be any need to remark that the natural interpretation which has lately been attempted by Ewald viz that Moses had laid several almond rods in the holy place which had just been freshly cut off that he might see the next day which of them would flower the best during the night is directly at variance with the words of the text and also with the fact that a rod even freshly cut off when laid in a dry place would not bear ripe fruit in a single night The miracle which God wrought here as the Creator of nature was at the same time a significant symbol of the nature and meaning of the priesthood The choice of the rods had also a bearing upon the object in question A mans rod was the sign of his position as ruler in the house and congregation with a prince the rod becomes a sceptre the insignia of rule (Gen_4910) As a severed branch the rod could not put forth shoots and blossom in a natural way But God could impart new vital powers even to the dry rod And so Aaron had naturally no pre-eminence above the heads of the other tribes But the priesthood was founded not upon natural qualifications and gifts but upon the power of the Spirit which God communicates according to the choice of His wisdom and which He had imparted to Aaron through his consecration with holy anointing oil It was this which the Lord intended to show to the people by causing Aarons rod to put forth branches blossom and fruit through a miracle of His omnipotence whereas the rods of the other heads of the tribes remained as barren as before In this way therefore it was not without deep significance that Aarons rod not only put forth shoots by which the divine election might be recognised but bore even blossom and ripe fruit This showed that Aaron was not only qualified for his calling but administered his office in the full power of the Spirit and bore the fruit expected of him The almond rod was especially adapted to exhibit this as

31

an almond-tree flowers and bears fruit the earliest of all the trees and has received its name of שקד ldquoawakerdquo from this very fact (cf Jer_111)

God then commanded (Num_1710 Num_1711) that Aarons rod should be taken back into the sanctuary and preserved before the testimony ldquofor a sign for the rebellious that thou puttest an end to their murmuring and they die notrdquo The preservation of the rod before the ark of the covenant in the immediate presence of the Lord was a pledge to Aaron of the continuance of his election and the permanent duration of his priesthood though we have no need to assume that through a perpetual miracle the staff continued green and blossoming In this way the staff became a sign to the rebellious which could not fail to stop their murmuringPETT All the Chieftains Give Rods Including Aaron (Numbers 176)Numbers 176lsquoAnd Moses spoke to the children of Israel and all their princes gave him rods for each prince one according to their fathersrsquo houses even twelve rods and the rod of Aaron was among their rodsrsquoSo Moses did as Yahweh commanded and requested rods from each of the chieftains of the twelve tribes These rods may well have been their symbols of authority Thus twelve rods were gathered and Aaronrsquos rod was placed among them PULPIT And the rod of Aaron was among the rods As there was no prince from whom this rod could have come and as there were twelve rods without it this must mean that Moses did not keep Aarons rod separate (which might have caused suspicion) but let it be seen amongst the others

7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law

GILL And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness In that part of the tabernacle where the testimony or witness was that is the law which was in the ark over which was the mercy seat with the cherubim between which Jehovah dwelt and this was the most holy place and the rods being laid here might be said to be laid before the Lord who by making a difference in one of those rods from the rest would decide the controversy about the priesthood which was the end of their being laid

32

before himHENRY The preparing of the rods accordingly The princes brought

them in some of them perhaps fondly expecting that the choice would fall upon them and all of them thinking it honour enough to be competitors with Aaron and to stand candidates even for the priesthood (Num_177) and Moses laid them up before the Lord He did not object that the matter was sufficiently settled already and enough done to convince those that were not invincibly hardened in their prejudices He did not undertake to determine the controversy himself though it might easily have been done nor did he suggest that it would be to no purpose to offer satisfaction to a people that were willingly blind But since God will have it so he did his part and lodged the case before the Lord to whom the appeal was made by consent and left it with him

WHEDON 7 Witness mdash The Hebrew is the same as that for testimony in Numbers 174 The reason for choosing this place may have been that no one would suspect the performance of any legerdemain or jugglery in the holy of holies a sanctuary too awful for any man to enter but the high priest one day in the year Moses entered on this occasion by express commandPETT The Rods Are Placed In the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)Numbers 177lsquoAnd Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimonyrsquoThe rods were then laid up lsquobefore Yahwehrsquo in lsquothe Tent of the testimonyrsquo Note the change in name for the Tent Emphasis is placed here on the fact that the Tent testifies to Yahweh and His covenant As we have already suggested this probably meant that they were placed before the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh although it may be that Moses uniquely had access into the Holy of Holies itself

8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaronrsquos staff which represented the tribe of Levi had not only sprouted but had budded blossomed and produced almonds 33

BARNES Yielded almonds - ldquoRipened almondsrdquo i e ldquobrought forth ripe almondsrdquo The name almond in Hebrew denotes the ldquowaking-treerdquo the ldquowaking-fruitrdquo and is applied to this tree because it blossoms early in the season It serves here as in Jer_111-12 to set forth the speed and certainty with which at Godrsquos will His purposes are accomplished So again the blossoming and bearing of Aaronrsquos rod naturally impotent when severed from the parent tree may signify the profitableness because of Godrsquos appointment and blessing of the various means of grace (e g the priesthood the sacraments) which of themselves and apart from Him could have no such efficacy Compare Isa_42 Isa_111 Isa_532 Jer_335 Zec_612

CLARKE The rod of Aaron - was budded etc - That is on the same rod or staff were found buds blossoms and ripe fruit This fact was so unquestionably miraculous as to decide the business for ever and probably this was intended to show that in the priesthood represented by that of Aaron the beginning middle and end of every good work must be found The buds of good desires the blossoms of holy resolutions and promising professions and the ripe fruit of faith love and obedience all spring from the priesthood of the Lord Jesus It has been thought by some that Aaronrsquos staff (and perhaps the staves of all the tribes) was made out of the amygdala communis or common almond tree In a favorable soil and climate it grows to twenty feet in height is one of the most noble flourishing trees in nature its flowers are of a delicate red and it puts them forth early in March having begun to bud in January It has its name שקד shaked from shakad to awake because it buds and flowers sooner than most other trees And it is very likely that the staves of office borne by the chiefs of all the tribes were made of this tree merely to signify that watchfulness and assiduous care which the chiefs should take of the persons committed in the course of the Divine providence to their keeping

Every thing in this miracle is so far beyond the power of nature that no doubt could remain on the minds of the people or the envious chiefs of the Divine appointment of Aaron and of the especial interference of God in this case To see a piece of wood long cut off from the parent stock without bark or moisture remaining laid up in a dry place for a single night with others in the same circumstances - to see such a piece of wood resume and evince the perfection of vegetative life budding blossoming and bringing forth ripe fruit at the same time must be such a demonstration of the peculiar interference of God as to silence every doubt and satisfy every scruple It is worthy of remark that a scepter or staff of office resuming its vegetative life was considered an absolute impossibility among the ancients and as 34

they were accustomed to swear by their sceptres this circumstance was added to establish and confirm the oath A remarkable instance of this we have in Homer Iliad lib i ver 233 etc where Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon thus speaks -Αλλrsquo εκ τοι ερεω και επι μεγαν ὁρκον ομουμαιΝαι μα τοδε σκηπτρον το μεν ουποτε φυλλα και οζουςΦυσει επειδη πρωτα τομην εν ορεσσι λελοιπενΟυδrsquo αναθηλησει περι γαρ ῥα ἑ χαλκος ελεψεΦυλλα τε και φλοιονὁ δε τοι μεγας εσσεται ὁρκοςBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same scepter which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopprsquod off its foliage greenAnd stripprsquod its bark shall never grow againCowper

Virgil represents King Latinus swearing in the same way to confirm his covenant with Aeneas -Ut Sceptrum hoc (dextra sceptrum nam forte gerebat)Nunquam fronde levi fundet virgulta neque umbrasCum semel in silvis imo de stirpe recisumMatre caret posuitque comas et brachia ferroOlim arbos nunc artificis manus aere decoroInclusit patribusque dedit gestare LatinisTalibus inter se firmabant foedera dictisAen lib xii ver 206-12Even as this royal Sceptre (for he boreA scepter in his hand) shall never moreShoot out in branches or renew the birthAn orphan now cut from the mother earthBy the keen axe dishonorrsquod of its hairAnd cased in brass for Latian kings to bearAnd thus in public view the peace was tiedWith solemn vows and sworn on either sideDryden

When the circumstance of the rod or scepter being used anciently in this way and the absolute impossibility of its reviviscence so strongly appealed to is considered it appears to have been a very proper instrument for the present occasion for the change that passed on it must be acknowledged as an immediate and incontestable miracle

35

GILL And it came to pass that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness Where none but he could go at any time this was the day after the rods had been placed there and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi the rod that had Aarons name upon it which was to represent the tribe of Levi of which he was was budded and brought forth buds knobs of blossom such that are seen on trees before they open for the almond tree puts forth its blossoms before its leaves though the Targum of Jonathan renders it branches as do some versions and some think this is to be understood of its putting out its leaves first contrary to the nature of the almond tree and so makes the miracle the greater thus Ben Melech and blossomed blossoms open flowers or blossoms such as appear on the almond tree in the spring and look very beautiful and yielded almonds ripe almonds in their full perfection as the Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan the latter of which isin the same night it perfected and brought forth almondsthe word used has the signification of weaning and alludes to children grown up to some ripeness and maturity Gen_218 the case seems to be this that in one part of the rod were buds swelling and just putting out in another part open flowers quite blown and in others full ripe fruit now this clearly showed it to be supernatural since the almond tree though quick and early in its production of buds and flowers yet never has those and ripe fruit on it at the same time to which may be added that this was not the time of year the almond tree blossoms not the spring but rather autumn as it should seem since it was after the affair of the spies and the murmurs of the people on their report now it was the time of the first ripe grapes when they went into the land and they were forty days searching it and it was after their return the insurrections before recorded were the design of this was to confirm the priesthood in Aarons family and show that it would continue there in a flourishing condition and that there would be a succession of priests from him to the time of the Messiah as there were and the almond tree having its name in Hebrew from watchfulness and haste see Jer_111 may denote the vigilance of the priests in their office and the haste punishment makes to come upon such that should oppose them or usurp the priesthood as in the case of Uzziah so Jarchi remarks this rod of Aarons may be an emblem of the Gospel ministry of that rod that should come out of Zion Psa_1102 which in the eyes of men is mean and despicable like a dry stick but becomes a fruitful one through the power of divine grace and an almond tree rod may denote the vigilance and watchfulness of Gospel ministers over themselves and others and their doctrine and oftentimes whom God puts into the ministry he early calls them by his grace and frequently makes the first part of their ministry most useful and fruit is brought forth which remains moreover this rod may be considered as a type of Christ it being a dry rod or stick may denote the

36

meanness of his descent and appearance in the world and the unpromising aspect of his being the King Messiah and Saviour of men and being an almond tree rod may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time which the Lord hastened his being the firstborn and his right to the priesthood and his vigilance in it its lying among other rods and budding and blossoming and bringing forth fruit may point at Christs assuming the common nature or man his being cut off by death his resurrection from the dead and the fruits arising from thence justification peace pardon and eternal life and as Aarons priesthood was confirmed by the budding ampc of this rod so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are by his resurrection from the dead See Gill on Heb_94HENRY 8-9 Here is I The final determination of the controversy

concerning the priesthood by a miracle Num_178 Num_179 The rods or staves were brought out from the most holy place where they were laid up and publicly produced before the people and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were Aarons rod only of a dry stick became a living branch budded and blossomed and yielded almonds In some places there were buds in others blossoms in others fruit at the same time This was miraculous and took away all suspicion of a fraud as if in the night Moses had taken away Aarons rod and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it for no ordinary branch would have buds blossoms and fruits upon it all at once Now1 This was a plain indication to the people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood and not any other of the princes of the tribes Thus he was distinguished from them and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven which sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor watering by the hand of man Bishop Hall here observes that fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call and that the plants of Gods setting and the boughs cut off from them will flourish See Psa_9212-14 The trees of the Lord though they seem dry trees are full of sap2 It was a very proper sign to represent the priesthood itself which was hereby confirmed to Aaron (1) That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God It produced not only blossoms but almonds for the priesthood was designed not only for an honour to Aaron but for a blessing to Israel Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they should go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit should remain Joh_1516 (2) That there should be a succession of priests Here were not only almonds for the present but buds and blossoms promising more hereafter Thus has Christ provided in his church that a seed should serve him from generation to generation (3) That yet this priesthood should not be perpetual but in process of time like the branches and blossoms of a tree should fail and wither The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age Ecc_125 This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood which soon became old and ready to vanish away Heb_8133 It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood for he is the man the branch that is to be a priest upon his throne as it follows (Zec_612) and he was to grow up before God as this before the ark like a tender

37

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

The prayer of Moses in which he interceded for the people Numbers 1622 is marked by an expression of singular breadth O God the God of the spirits of all flesh The men misled on the fleshly side by appetite (Numbers 1613) and shrinking from pain were against God But their spirits were in His hand Would He not move their spirits redeem and save them Would He not look on the hearts of all and distinguish the guilty from the innocent the more rebellious from the less One man had sinned but would God burst out on the whole congregation The form of the intercession is abrupt crude Even Moses with all his justice and all his pity could not be more just more compassionate than Jehovah The purpose of destruction was not as the leader thought it to beRegarding the judgments that of the earthquake and that of the fire we are too remote in time to form any proper conception of what they were how they were inflicted Moses says Lange appears as a man whose wonderful presentiment becomes a miraculous prophecy by the Spirit of revelation But this is not sufficient There was more than a presentiment Moses knew what was coming knew that where the rebels stood the earth would open the consuming fire burn The plague on the other hand which next day spread rapidly among the excited people and threatened to destroy them was not foreseen It came as if straight from the hand of Divine wrath But it afforded an opportunity for Aaron to prove his power with God and his courage Carrying the sacred fire into the midst of the infected people he became the means of their deliverance As he waved his censer and its fumes went up to heaven faith in Jehovah and in Aaron as the true priest of Jehovah was revived in the hearts of men Their spirits came again under the healing power of that symbolism which had lost its virtue in common use and was now associated in a grave crisis with an appeal to Him who smites and heals who kills and makes aliveIt has been maintained by some that the closing sentences of chapter 17 should follow chapter 16 with which they appear to be closely connected the incident of the budding of Aaronrsquos rod seeming to call rather for a festal celebration than a lament The theory of the Book of Numbers we have seen reason to adopt would account for the introduction of the fresh episode simply because it relates to the priesthood and tends to confirm the Aaronites in exclusive dignity The symbolic test of the claim raised by the tribes corresponds closely to the signs that were used by some of the prophets such as the girdle laid up by the river Euphrates and the basket of summer fruits The rod on which Aaronrsquos name was written was of almond a tree for which Syria was famous Like the sloe it sends forth blossoms before the leaves and the unique way in which this twig showed its living vigour as compared with the others was a token of the choice of Levi to serve and Aaron to minister in the holiest office before JehovahThe whole circumstances and the closing cry of the people leave the impression of a grave difficulty found in establishing the hierarchy and centralising the worship It was a necessity-shall we call it a sad necessity-that the men of the tribes should be

7

deprived of direct access to the sanctuary and the oracle Earthly disobedient and far from trustful in God they could not be allowed even the hereditary chiefs among them to offer sacrifices The ideas of the Divine holiness embodied in the Mosaic law were so far in advance of the common thought of Israel that the old order had to be superseded by one fitted to promote the spiritual education of the people and prepare them for a time when there shall be on the bells of the horses HOLY UNTO THE LORD and every pot in Judah shall be holy unto the Lord of hosts and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them and seethe therein The institution of the Aaronic priesthood was a step of progress indispensable to the security of religion and the brotherhood of the tribes in that high sense for which they were made a nation But it was at the same time a confession that Israel was not spiritual was not the holy congregation Korah declared it to be The greater was the pity that afterwards in the day of Israelrsquos opportunity when Christ came to lead the wholepeople into the spiritual liberty and grace for which prophets had longed the priestly system was held tenaciously as the pride of the nation When the law of ritual and sacrifice and priestly mediation should have been left behind as no longer necessary because the Messiah had come the way of higher life was opened in vain Sacerdotalism held its place with full consent of those who guided affairs Israel as a nation was blinded and its day shone in vainOf all priesthoods as corporate bodies however estimable zealous and spiritually-minded individual members of them may be must it not be said that their existence is a sad necessity They may be educative A sacerdotal system now may like that of the Mosaic law be a tutor to bring men to Christ Realising that those who hold office under it may bring help to men not yet fit for liberty But priestly dominance is no perpetual rule in any church certainly not in the Kingdom of God The freedom with which Christ makes men free is the goal The highest duty a priest can fulfil is to prepare men for that liberty and as soon as he can he should discharge them for the enjoyment of it To find in episodes like those of Korahrsquos revolt and its suppression a rule applicable to modern religious affairs is too great an anachronism For whatever right sacerdotalism now has is purely of the Churchrsquos tolerance in the measure not of Divine right but of the need of uninstructed men To the spiritual to those who know the priestly system with its symbols and authoritative claim is but an interference with privilege and dutyCan any Aaron now make an atonement for a mass of people or even in virtue of his office apply to them the atonement made by Christ How does his absolution help a soul that knows Christ the Redeemer as every Christian soul ought to know Him The great fault of priesthoods always is that having once gained power they endeavour to retain it and extend it making greater claims the longer they exist Affirming that they speak for the Church they endeavour to control the voice of the Church Affirming that they speak for Christ they deny or minimise His great gift of liberty Freedom of thought and reason was to Cardinal Newman for example the cause of all deplorable heresies and infidelities of a divided Church and a ruined world The candid priest of our day is found making his claim as largely as ever and then virtually explaining it away Should not the vain attempt to hold by

8

Judaic institutions cease And although the Church of Christ early made the mistake of harking back to Mosaism should not confession now be made that priesthood of the exclusive kind is out of date that every believer may perform the highest functions of the consecrated lifeThe Divine choice of Aaron his confirmation in high religious office by the budding of the almond twig as well as by the acceptance of his intercession have their parallels now The realities of one age become symbols for anotherLike the whole ritual of Israel these particular incidents may be turned to Christian use by way of illustration But not with regard to the prerogative of any arch-hierarch The availing intercession is that of Christ the sole headship over the tribes of men is that which He has gained by Divine courage love and sacrifice Among those who believe there is equal dependence on the work of Christ When we come to intercession which they make for each other it is of value in consideration not of office but of faith The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much It is as righteous men humble men not as priests they prevail The sacraments are efficacious not from any virtue in them or in him that administers them but through faith by the energy of the omnipresent SpiritYet there are men chosen to special duty whose almond twigs bud and blossom and become their sceptres Appointment and ordination are our expedients grace is given by God in a higher line of calling and endowment While there are blessings pronounced that fall upon the ear or gratify the sensibility theirs reach the soul For them the world has need to thank God They keep religion alive and make it bourgeon and yield the new fruits for which the generations hunger They are new branches of the Living Vine Of them it has often to be said as of the Lord Himself The stone which the builders rejected the same has become head of the corner this is the Lordrsquos doing and it is marvellous in our eyes

PETT ntroductionChapter 17 The Rod That Budded In Numbers 16 the question has been dealt with as to who could act as a mediator between Israel and God in the offering of incense Now the further question is dealt with as to who may enter the Holy Placeb) Who Has The Right To Enter The Sanctuary - Issues of Life and Death Evidenced By The Rod That Budded (chapter 17)Here those with the right to enter the Sanctuary are determined once and for all as the sons of Aaron We are given no background to the incident although it may well have followed not long after the preceding event and is clearly connected with it

9

This is the third in the trio of incidents which confirm the Aaronic priesthood the first two of which overlap Each of them covers two days (Numbers 161-50 Numbers 171-13) and each of them ends with the thought of the people being consumed (Numbers 1621 Numbers 1645-48 Numbers 1713)a Yahweh commands each tribe to lay a rod before Him in the Tent of Testimony one for each head of their fatherrsquos house (Numbers 171-3)b The rods to be laid up in the Tent of meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)c The rod of the chosen one will bud and put an end to murmuring (Numbers 175)d All the chieftains give rods including Aaron (Numbers 176)d The rods are placed in the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)c Aaronrsquos Rod buds and flowers in the Tent of Testimony and the budded and unbudded rods are revealed to all the people who look on them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)b Aaronrsquos rod is laid up lsquobefore the Testimonyrsquo to put an end to their murmuring (Numbers 1710)a The people recognise that none but Aaronrsquos house may enter the Tabernacle for they alone can enter the Sanctuary and live and the rod which is evidence for the fact is laid up before the Testimony (Numbers 1712-13)Verses 1-3Yahweh Commands Each Tribe to Lay a Rod Before Him in the Tent of Testimony One For Each Head of Their Fatherrsquos House (Numbers 171-3)Numbers 171lsquoAnd Yahweh spoke to Moses sayingrsquoAgain it is emphasised here that we have the words of Yahweh as spoken to Moses

BI 1-13 Write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of LeviAaronrsquos rodI Instructive to the Israelites

1 An end hereby put to murmuring By an incontrovertible sign they 10

knew who was the true priest2 A preventative furnished against future rebellion Miracles apt to be forgotten of this the evidence was to be preserved Kept for a token

II Suggestive to Christians Every man has some rod on which he leans The Christianrsquos is faith Like Aaronrsquos rod faith flourishesmdash1 Most in the sanctuary There are strengthening influences and a Divine power It will become a barren stock elsewhere2 Under circumstances in which other rods cannot live The almond flourishes even before the winter is fully past Faith budding in adversity3 Produces fruit and flowers on the bare stock of adversity4 Bears fruit speedily when God causes His blessing to rest upon it ldquoBelieve and be savedrdquo5 Stirs the Christian up to vigilance Almond-tree a symbol of watchfulness

III Typical of Christ1 For it is perpetual Aaronrsquos rod laid up as a lasting remembrance2 It bore fruit on a barren stock Jesus a root out of a dry ground3 It was distinguished among the sceptres of the princes Christrsquos kingdom and sceptre rule over all He is a plant of renown4 It was the object of special favour So in Jesus He ldquowas well pleasedrdquo He was ldquoelect and preciousrdquo

IV Symbolical of a true teacher1 His home the house of God2 Presents himself constantly before the testimony3 In himself dry and barren4 Relies upon God for fruitfulness5 Produces by Divine help not flowers only but fruit also6 As a dry and lifeless stock he receives quickening power from God so with his flowers and fruit he presents himself before God and offers all his works to Him

Learnmdash1 The wisdom of God in choice of methods2 To seek a strong and living and practical faith3 To rejoice in and rely upon the perpetual high priesthood of Christ4 To endeavour like the almond-tree to bring forth fruit early (J C Gray)

11

Aaronrsquos rod that buddedThis is our subject the miraculous conversion of Aaronrsquos rod into a living blossoming and fruit-bearing plant It must have been a most convincing prodigy for the purpose it was designed to answer for the people no sooner saw it than they cried out in remorse for their wavering allegiance ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perishrdquo But beyond the age wherein the marvel occurred this putting vegetable life into that dry staff has frequently been borrowed and used for other objects Thus Achilles in classic poetry when enraged against Agamemnon is made by Homer to refer to this miraclemdash

ldquoBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts stock on the high mountains at what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopt off its foliage greenAnd stript its bark shall never grow again -By this I swearrdquo

And amongst Latin literature you will some of you remember that a certain king confirms a covenant with AEneas by a similar oathI We begin by reminding you that among the greatest of our blessings in this world is our strict obligation to do the Divine will and to keep the Divine law It is far more worth our while to sing of Godrsquos statutes than it is to sing of Godrsquos promises Where should we be in a country without human authority and a human authority founded on a reverence for the Divine Very truly does Bushnell say that ldquowithout law man does not live he only grazesrdquo If he had no government he would never discern any reason for existence and would soon not care to exist How different is the world of Voltaire from the world of Milton I The one finds nothing but this clay world and its material beauties flashes into a shallow brilliancy of speech and weaving a song of surfaces empties himself into a book of all that he has felt or seen But the other at the back of all and through all visible things beholds a spirit and a Divinity Now is there not a very beautiful picture of the comeliness and the beneficence of law in the old miracle that was wrought upon the rod of Aaron That staff as we have put it to you was selected as the sign of authority This was a declaration first that no law was perfect that did not display life and beauty and fertility and a declaration secondly that by Godrsquos choice that perfect law dwelt in the high priest But apart from the imagery as a message to the children of Israel I cling to that blooming staff as the very best type I can find anywhere of what Godrsquos rule is amongst us and in His Church I find myself taught by this early prodigy on Aaronrsquos staff that Godrsquos dominion is the dominion of the almond-branch It is a rod alas for us if there were no rod But it is a rod displaying all the three several pledges and gradations of life and thusmdashoh beautiful coincidence if it be nothing moremdashGod turns His law towards the

12

children of men into what the forbidden tree so falsely appeared to the first transgressormdashldquopleasant to the eye and good for foodrdquo Of course I know that the staff or the sceptre is the symbol of authority because a staff is that with which one person smites another The ultimate significance of a rod is a blow But is it nothing to be taught by Godrsquos picture-alphabet of the Old Testament that He smites only with buds and with flowers and with fruit This seems to change even to any childrsquos apprehension the whole character of the sovereignty under which we bow in the modern camp of the Church You tremble as you read the chapter of hard duties Turn the leaf and you will come upon the chapter of precious promises There is not a verse in the Bible that is not in flower with some comfort aye though it be a verse that smites you with a difficult commandment You are never to tell a man to do a single thing in religion without telling him that God will help him to do it You are never to command a sacrifice from me for Christrsquos sake without comforting me with the assurance that ldquoGod is able to give me much more than thisrdquo If you have a strong rough hard stick of responsibility you must show it to me bursting out all over with the rich petals and the hanging clusters of the sovereignty of Divine grace Aye for I want you to mark well that here was a miracle within a miracle The natural almond-branch never has upon it at one time buds blossoms and fruit But I seem to be taught by this accumulation of successive life all at once on one stem that there is no element of mercy wanting in the code by which I am to be managed But remember that if we deserve nothing but the rod and yet if God never uses the rod save with the buds the blossoms and the fruit ldquoHe may well record it against us if either we despise the chastening of the Lord or faint when we are rebuked of HimrdquoII But now the real and only proper commentary on the facts of the Pentateuch will be found in the doctrines of the Epistle to the Hebrews Do you believe that all those lives would have been lost and all that commotion would have been made about the prerogative of Aaronrsquos priesthood but for that other Priest on whom the whole world was to relymdashthe Priest for evermdashldquomade not after the law of a carnal commandment but after the power of an endless liferdquo It is not by one Scripture it is by scores that I find myself pointed through that staff to the real government of this world in the rod out of the stem of Jesse ldquoHe shall grow up before Him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground without form or comelinessrdquo And yet all the while He was the ldquorod out of the stem of Jesserdquo And when I read in the Book of Numbers how the Hebrews rose up against Aaron and put him to shame I can only take it for a foreshadowing of another rebellion when they insulted another Sceptre who was ldquodespised and rejected of menrdquo We preach to you Christ a stumbling-block to the Jews And scarcely can you wonder that so long as the rod was only the root out of a dry ground the Son of the carpenter and the Friend of sinners there was ldquo no beauty in Him that they should desire Himrdquo But that is not the staff with which this day God governs His Church No no He hath declared that lowly peasant preacher to be ldquothe Son of God with power in that He hath raised Him from the deadrdquo Ah that night in which they concealed Aaronrsquos rod in the tabernacle of witness it was never less living never less blossoming than then But it was not left in darkness neither did it see corruption And on

13

the appointed morning men found it marked by the choice of the Omnipotent with the buds the blossoms and the fruit In like manner the coldest darkest least living period in Immanuelrsquos career was when they hid Him among all the other millions of the dead in the tomb cut out of the rock in the garden of Joseph ldquoBut now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first-fruits of them that sleptrdquo He was raised up ldquoa plant of renownrdquo And from that glorious Easter morning the ldquorod out of the stem of Jesserdquo has been ldquothe tree whose leaves are for the healing of the nationsrdquo and ldquofilling the face of the world with fruitrdquo Men can be governed by a Mediator and yet not perish ldquoThe soul that sinneth it shall dierdquo That is a rod but ldquoif any man sin we have an Advocate with the Fatherrdquo that is ldquoAaronrsquos rod that buddedrdquomdashthe rod of the Priest Reuben Gad and all the rest have rods Christianity is not alone in the sternness of its government or the severity of its sanctions But it is alone in telling me how I can receive remission of sins that are past and how I can obtain the strongest of motives for a life of obedience in the time to come (H Christopherson)

Aaronrsquos rod blossoming and bearing fruitI As the priesthood of Aaron was a type of the priesthood of Christ there is here a suggestion of facts which must have their counterpart in Christrsquos life and history

1 The atonement and death of our Lord Jesus were matters of Divine appointment The whole work of our salvation originated with God2 But more than thismdashwhich is the essential truth here enshrinedmdashwe see here that God often manifests Himself in unexpected forms of beauty and of grace The dry rod blossomed and bare fruit The powers of Divine salvation were enshrined in the person of the Carpenter of Nazareth There was life for a dead world in the Cross and in the grave of the dead Christ

II There are suggestions here concerning Christian life1 Christian life begins with God2 The Christian life manifests itself in unfavourable conditions It is in human souls a power of active benevolence or it is nothing at all It takes hold of human misery with a healing hand and it changes it into blessing Where sin abounded there grace does much more abound3 There is beauty associated with the developments of Christian life and character There is nothing half so winning as Christian grace

III Suggestions in relation to the gospel ministry1 There is a Divine designation of men to the highest service of the Church2 But what is the qualification of men thus sent Evidently the possession of Divine life the gift which is to be imparted to those needing it To be a Christian teacher a man must be a Christian and must

14

know the things of Christ3 How then are we to judge a manrsquos Divine call and authority Only and solely by the blossoms and fruitmdashby the spiritual results of his ministry

IV Last of all there are here suggestions concerning Christian humiliation1 The world has not known its best benefactors It has always had a scornful word for the saintly and the true-hearted It has always risen up in rebellion against the anointed of the Lord2 Here is a word of encouragement to all weak and mistrustful and diffident and self-emptied souls ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says the old labourer in the Masterrsquos vineyard and the holy matron whose life has been careful and troubled about many things but who has ever been anxious to honour and serve her dear Lord in lowliest ways and household duties ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says the saint waiting dismission to rest who has not done what he would or been as useful as he desired and hoped and prayed to be ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says one whose strength has been weakened by the way and whose unfinished purposes lie sadly enough at his feet fallen out of hands which could not longer hold them or fashion them into completeness ldquoWe are but dry rodsrdquo say many earnest anxious longing souls who hardly dare to trust for the future because so often when they would do good evil is present with them We are not saved by trust in our own righteousness or by satisfaction with our own goodness and deeds But Godrsquos grace is all-sufficient and He can work miracles of beauty and fruitfulness where human might is feeblest and self mistrust is greatest and humility of spirit is deepest (W H Davison D D)

The Divine plan for vindicating the high priesthood of Aaron and its moral teachingI That true ministers of religion are elected by GodII It is of great importance that men should know that their ministers of religion are called by God

1 In order that they may regard them with becoming respect2 In order that they may take heed to their message

III The vitality of sin is of dreadful tenacity ldquoMany menrsquos lipsrdquo says Trapp ldquolike rusty hinges for want of the oil of grace and gladness move not without murmuring and complainingrdquo It is a thing of extreme difficulty to eradicate any evil disposition from the human heart ldquoFor such is the habitual hardness of menrsquos hearts as neither ministry nor misery nor miracle nor mercy can possibly mollify Nothing can do it but an extraordinary touch from the hand of HeavenrdquoIV God is engaged in eradicating sin from human hearts (W Jones)

15

Aaronrsquos rod an illustration of the true Christian ministryI The characteristics of the true Christian ministry

1 Life2 Beauty3 Fruitfulness

II The origin of the true Christian ministry Godrsquos creation and gift to the ChurchIII The influence of the true Christian ministry Abiding (W Jones)

The budded rod a type of ChristThe rod in many graphic tints shows Jesus The very name is caught by raptured prophets (Isa_111 Zec_612-13) Thus faith gleans lessons from the very titlemdashRod But the grand purport of the type is to reject all rivals It sets Aaron alone upon the priestly seat The parallel proclaims that similarly Jesus is our only Priest God calls anoints appoints accepts and ever hears Him but Him alone In His hands only do these functions live Next the constant luxuriance has a clear voice In naturersquos field buds blossoms fruit soon wither Not so this rod Its verdure was for ever green its fruit was ever ripe Beside the ark it was reserved in never-fading beauty Here is the ever-blooming Priesthood of our Lord (Psa_1104 Heb_724) Mark moreover that types of Jesus often comprehend the Church It is so with these rods The twelve at first seem all alike They are all sapless twigs But suddenly one puts forth loveliness while the others still remain worthless and withered Here is a picture of Godrsquos dealings with a sin-slain race Since Adamrsquos fall all are born lifeless branches of a withered stock When any child of man arises from the death of sin and blooms in grace God has arisen with Divine almightiness Believer the budded rod gives another warning It is a picture of luxuriance Turn from it and look inward Is your soul thus richly fertile Instead of fruit you often yield the thorn (Joh_158) Whence is the fault (Joh_154) Perhaps your neglectful soul departs from Christ Meditate in Godrsquos law day and night (Psa_13) But if the budded rod rebukes the scanty fruit in the new-born soul what is its voice to unregenerate worldlings (Heb_68) (Dean Law)

The rod of AaronBuds are evidence of life A nominal Christian is like a dead trunk and he cannot bud unless the sap of Divine grace courses through him Spiritual life is an attribute of the converted Christian The spiritual life of a being is his presiding sentiment or dispositionmdashthe chief inspiration of his soulmdashthat which gives motion and character to his mental and moral beingI Life is a resistless force The smallest blade of grass that raises its tiny head into light or the feeblest insect that sports in the sunbeam displays a

16

force superior to that which governs the ocean or controls the stars Man stands erect the tree rises and the bird soars because of lifeII Life is an appropriating force Vegetable and animal existences have a power of appropriating to themselves all surrounding elements conducive to their well-being just as the life of the plant converts the various gases around it into nutriment to promote its strength and development Wherever there is true religion there is a power to render all external circumstances subservient to its own strength and growth all things work together for its goodIII Life is a propagating force It has ldquothe seed in itselfrdquo Forests start from acorns and boundless harvests from the solitary grain It is said that the grateful Israelites anxious to carry away a bud a blossom or almond as a memento of the occasion the flowers and fruit on the rod were repeatedly and miraculously renewed for that purpose Be that as it may wherever there is religious life it will spread it scatters broadcast the incorruptible seed which liveth and abideth for everIV Life is a beautifying force There are two kinds of beautymdashthe sensational and the moral Nature in her ten thousand forms of loveliness and art in her exquisite expressions of taste are ministries to the former whilst spiritual truth moral goodness and the holiness of God address the latter The one is the poetry of the eye and ear the other of the soul The beauty that appeals to the religious nature of man is the beauty of holinessmdashthe beauty of the Lordmdashthe glory of God in His goodnessV Life is a fructifying force The true Christian not only lives and unfolds a noble disposition but is really useful St Paul speaks of ldquothe fruit of the Spiritrdquomdashrighteousness goodness truth The first as opposed to all injustice and dishonesty the second as opposed to the ten thousand forms of selfishness the third as opposed to all that is erroneous and false in the doctrines and theories of men (G L Saywell)

Aaronrsquos rodHere are three miracles in onemdash

1 That a dry rodmdashmade of the almond treemdashshould bring forth buds in a moment2 That those buds should presently become blossoms anal flowers3 That these should immediately become ripe fruit and that all at once or at least in a little space

Nature makes no such leaps All this was supernatural to these ends1 For a testimony of Godrsquos calling Aaron to the priesthood2 For a type of Christ the Branch (Isa_111)3 For a figure of the fruitfulness of a gospel ministry4 For a lively representation of a glorious resurrection (C Ness)

17

Lessons from the budding rodA wonderful work of God which sundry ways may profit us

1 As first to consider that if the power of God can do this in a dry stick cannot He make the barren woman to bare and be a joyful mother of children Can He not do whatsoever He will do By this power the sea is dried the rock gives water the earth cleaveth under the feet of men fire descends whose nature is to ascend raiseth the dead and calleth things that are not as if they were In a word He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think ampc2 This rod is a notable type of Christ His person and office Of His person in that He was born of the Virgin Mary who though He descended of the royal blood yet was now poor and mean as that royal race was brought exceeding low nothing remaining but as it were a root only Now the said Virgin flourisheth again as Aaronrsquos rod did and beareth such fruit as never woman bear Of this speaks Isaiah the prophet when he saith ldquoThere shall come a rod forth of the stock of Jesse and a graft shall grow out of his rootsrdquo Of His office both priestly and kingly His priestly office is figured in that being offered upon the cross He was as Aaronrsquos dried rod or as the Psalm saith ldquodried up like a potsherdrdquo But when He rose again He became like Aaronrsquos budding and fruit-bearing rod bringing forth to man believing on Him remission of sins righteousness and eternal life His kingly office in that He governeth His Church with a rod or sceptre of righteousness as it is in the Psalm ldquoThe sceptre of Thy kingdom is a right sceptrerdquo Which rod and sceptre is the preaching of the gospel ampc3 Again it was a resemblance of true ministers and of all faithful men and women for none of all these ought to be dry and withered sticks but bear and bring forth buds and fruit according to their places4 It is a shadow also of our resurrection by which we should grow green again and flourish with a new and an eternal glory having like dead seed lain in the ground and we shall bring forth ripe almonds that is the praise of Godrsquos incomprehensible goodness to us for ever and ever5 It resembleth our reformation and amendment of life for when our heart feeleth what is amiss this is as the bud when it resolveth of a change and a future amendment this is the blossom and when it performeth the same by a new reformed life indeed this is as the ripe almonds of Aaronrsquos rod(Bp Babington)

The priesthood divinely selectedWhat matchless wisdom shines in this arrangement How completely is the matter taken out of manrsquos hands and placed where alone it ought to be namely in the hands of the living God It was not to be a man appointing

18

himself or a man appointing his fellow but God appointing the man of His own selection In a word the question was to be definitively settled by God Himself so that all murmurings might be silenced for ever and no one be able again to charge Godrsquos high priest with taking too much upon him The human will had nothing whatever to do with this solemn matter The twelve rods all in a like condition were laid up before the Lord man retired and left God to act There was no room no opportunity because there was no occasion for human management In the profound retirement of the sanctuary far away from all manrsquos thinkings was the grand question of priesthood settled by Divine decision and being thus settled it could never again be raised (C H Mackintosh)

Aaronrsquos fruitful rodStriking and beautiful figure of Him who was ldquodeclared to be the Son of God with power by resurrection from the deadrdquo The twelve rods were all alike lifeless but God the living God entered the scene and by that power peculiar to Himself infused life into Aaronrsquos rod and brought it forth to view bearing upon it the fragrant fruits of resurrection Who could gainsay this The rationalist may sneer at it and raise a thousand questions Faith gazes on that fruit-bearing rod and sees in it a lovely figure of the new creation in the which all things are of God Infidelity may argue on the ground of the apparent impossibility of a dry stick budding blossoming and bearing fruit in the course of one night But to whelm does it appear impossible To the infidel the rationalist the sceptic And why Because he always shuts out God Let us remember this Infidelity invariably shuts out God God can do as He pleases The One who called worlds into existence could make a rod to bud blossom and bear fruit in a moment Bring God in and all is simple and plain as possible Leave God out and all is plunged in hopeless confusion (C H Mackintosh)

The rods contrastedPonder the difference between the rod of Moses and the rod of Aaron We have seen the former doing its characteristic work in other days and amid other scenes We have seen the land of Egypt trembling beneath the heavy strokes of that rod Plague after plague fell upon that devoted scene in answer to that outstretched rod We have seen the waters of the sea divided in answer to that rod In short the rod of Moses was a rod of power a rod of authority But it could not avail to hush the murmurings of the children of Israel nor yet to bring the people through the desert Grace alone could do that and we have the expression of pure gracemdashfree sovereign gracemdashin the budding of Aaronrsquos rod Nothing can be more forcible nothing more lovely That dry dead stick was the apt figure of Israelrsquos condition and indeed of the condition of every one of us by nature There was no sap no life no power One might well say ldquoWhat good can ever come of itrdquo None whatever had not grace come in and displayed its quickening power So was it with Israel in the wilderness and so is it with us now How were they to

19

be led along from day to day How were they to be sustained in all their weakness and need How were they to be borne with in all their sin and folly The answer is found in Aaronrsquos budding rod If the dry dead stick was the expression of naturersquos barren and worthless condition the buds blossoms and fruit set forth that living and life-giving grace and power of God on which was based the priestly ministry that alone could bear the congregation through the wilderness Grace alone could answer the ten thousand necessities of the militant host Power could not suffice Authority could not avail Priesthood alone could supply what was needed and this priesthood was instituted on the foundation of that efficacious grace which could bring fruit out of a dry rod Thus it was as to priesthood of old and thus it is as to ministry now All ministry in the Church of God is the fruit of Divine gracemdashthe gift of Christ the Churchrsquos Head (C H Mackintosh)

2 ldquoSpeak 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

BARNES Compare Eze_3716 ff

CLARKE And take of every one of them a rod - matteh the staff or מטהscepter which the prince or chief of each tribe bore and which was the sign of office or royalty among almost all the people of the earth

GILL Speak unto the children of Israel The principal men among them of the several tribes and take of everyone of them not of every individual of the people of Israel but of their princes as afterwards explained a rod according to the house of their fathers or father of whom their house or tribe was called as Reuben Simeon ampc this rod was either a

20

common walking staff as some think or rather the ensign of their princely office and dignity peculiar to each tribe though some think it was now freshly cut off from an almond tree and that all the rods were of one and the same tree but supposing they were all of the almond kind as Josephus (d) thinks yet being dry rods and of long use served to make the miracle appear the greater of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods this explains who they were to be taken of the princes of the several tribes whose names are given Num_15 and the number of them twelve according to the number of the twelve tribes write thou every mans name upon his rod the name of each prince or head of a tribe either by cutting it into the rod or fastening a writing to it after the manner of those times as for instance the name of Elizur for the tribe of Reuben by which it was to be made and was made to appear that to none of these tribes belonged the priesthood but to the tribe of Levi and to none of that tribe but the family of Aaron whereby it should seem that some of all the tribes made pretensions to it as being all holy and especially the chief firstborn of every tribe as such their princes were

JAMISON 2-5 Speak unto the children of Israel mdash The controversy with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood was of such a nature and magnitude as required a decisive and authoritative settlement For the removal of all doubts and the silencing of all murmuring in the future regarding the holder of the office a miracle was wrought of a remarkable character and permanent duration and in the manner of performing it all the people were made to have a direct and special interest

take of every one princes twelve rods mdash As the princes being the oldest sons of the chief family and heads of their tribes might have advanced the best claims to the priesthood if that sacred dignity was to be shared among all the tribes they were therefore selected and being twelve in number - that of Joseph being counted only one - Moses was ordered to see that the name of each was inscribed - a practice borrowed from the Egyptians - upon his rod or wand of office The name of Aaron rather than of Levi was used as the latter name would have opened a door of controversy among the Levites and as there was to be one rod only for the head of each tribe the express appointment of a rod for Aaron determined him to be the head of that tribe as well as that branch or family of the tribe to which the priestly dignity should belong These rods were to be laid in the tabernacle close to the ark (compare Num_1710 and Heb_94) where a divine token was promised that would for all time terminate the dispute

CALVIN 2Speak unto the children of Israel They are mistaken who suppose that to the twelve rods there was another added for the tribe of Levi (103) for since there was no question here as to the possession of the land there was no occasion at

21

all for the division of the tribe of Joseph into two parts We know too that it was endowed with a double portion because the Levites had no inheritance and in this case the circumstances were different because all the other tribes were contending for the priesthood with the tribe of Levi alone Hence it was then that rods were given to each of them in accordance with the origin of their race But when Aaronrsquos rod is said to have been ldquoin the midst of themrdquo (104) it is in the usual phrase of the Hebrew language because it was mixed with them as one of their number And this is expressly stated to show us that all ground for caviling might be taken from the ungodly since all the rods were east promiscuously into the same bundle so that none should be distinguished above the others and thus nothing could be ascribed to the collusion of men If any should object that by these means the rivalry was not extinguished which the other Levites had with the house of Aaron since his own name alone was inscribed upon the rod so that there would be no comparison between the families I reply that since the power of God manifested itself distinctly in the name of Aaron the rejection of the others was sufficiently shown forth by his election for if this honor had been common to the others God would have defrauded them by giving distinction to him alone Besides no other plan could have been adopted for putting an end to this quarrel for if there had been several rods for one tribe the whole people would have complained of the inequality It was necessary then that all should be brought to the contest on equal terms so that the difference between them might be seen to depend upon Godrsquos good pleasure But if the name of Levi had been inscribed all its families would have claimed the right of succession as if common to them all There was therefore no other course open but that God should prefer to the whole people one individual chosen from amongst the members of his own kindred and tribe COKE Numbers 172 Take of every one of them a rodmdash The minds of a considerable number of the people having been poisoned by the insinuations of Korah and his accomplices against Aaron and his family upon the account of the priesthood God is pleased to add another signal miracle in confirmation of his priests authority accordingly the head of each tribe is ordered to take a rod and bring it before the Lord Some have supposed that these were the ordinary rods or batoons which the princes of the tribes bore while from the 8th verse of this chapter others infer that these were twigs or branches from one and the same almond tree whichever was the case the miracle was sufficiently great to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of ProvidenceBENSON Numbers 172 Take of every one mdash Not of every person but of every tribe A rod mdash A twig or branch from one and the same almond-tree as some infer from Numbers 178 Or according to others the ordinary rods which the princes of the tribes carried in their hands as tokens of their dignity and authority Numbers 2118 And indeed the miracle would appear the greater if neither Aaronrsquos rod nor any of the rest was of the almond-tree But the miracle was sufficiently great either way to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of Providence Every manrsquos name mdash Every princersquos for they being the firstborn and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of

22

their tribes and besides the prince represented all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the question And this place seems to confirm the opinion that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contended with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holyELLICOTT (2) And take of every one of them mdashBetter And take of them a rod for each fatherrsquos houseTwelve rodsmdashSome suppose that Aaronrsquos rod was not included amongst the twelve Others suppose that one rod only was taken for the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh The latter supposition is more accordant with the terms here employed than the former and is supported by Deuteronomy 2712-13 where Joseph stands for the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh and Levi is included amongst the twelve tribesWrite thou every manrsquos name upon his rodmdashThis was in accordance with an Egyptian custom (See Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians III 388) The prophet Ezekiel received a similar injunction (Ezekiel 3716)POOLE Speak unto the children of Israel that I may fully and finally satisfy all their scruples and take away all pretence and cause of murmuringOf every one of them not of every person but of every tribe as it followsA rod either an ordinary walking staff or rather that staff or rod which the princes carried in their hand as tokens of their dignity and authority as may be gathered from Numbers 2118 compared with Psalms 1102 Jeremiah 481617According to the house of their fathers ie according to each family proceeding from the patriarch or father of that tribeEvery manrsquos name ie every princersquos for they being the first-born and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of their tribes and besides each prince represented and acted for all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the whole question And this plate seems to confirm what was before observed that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contested with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holy as they said Numbers 163

WHEDON 2 A rod mdash Each chief prince of the twelve tribes bore a staff or sceptre as the sign of office Such rods were often hereditary and of great antiquity That such dry staves should blossom and bear fruit again is so improbable that the Greeks were accustomed to swear by their sceptres Thus Achilles

23

ldquoBut hearken I will swear a solemn oathBy this sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as oncerdquoWritehellip every manrsquos name mdash To identify beyond dispute the rod of Aaron after the trial The illiteracy of Moses and his generation as alleged by some modern writers is here abundantly confuted Since there were twelve rods including Levirsquos it is evident that the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim are here counted as one tribe mdash that of JosephPETT Numbers 172lsquoSpeak to the children of Israel and take of them rods one for each fathersrsquo house of all their princes according to their fathersrsquo houses twelve rods You write every manrsquos name on his rodrsquoAll the men of Israel were to be involved in this It is possible that Levi were included among lsquothe twelversquo and that Manasseh and Ephraim were for this event treated as one tribe the rods representing the lsquohouseholdsrsquo of the original patriarchal fathers But a rod was taken for each of their fathersrsquo houses and the names of each of the chieftains of those fathersrsquo houses was written on the rods This would suggest in the light of previous references to twelve chieftains that the lsquotwelversquo rods were in contrast with Aaronrsquos rod (Alternately one rod may have represented Joseph including both Ephraim and Manasseh It was Joseph who was to be lsquoa fruitful boughrsquo (Genesis 4922) but not as pertaining to the priesthood)The word for lsquorodsrsquo also indicates lsquotribes and can in fact be used to indicate either Thus the rods symbolised each tribe

PULPIT Numbers 172Take of every one of them a rod Literally take of them a rod a rod ie a rod apiece in the way immediately particularized hsilgnEegaugnaL מטה is used for the staff of Judah (Genesis 3818) and for the rod of Moses (Exodus 42) It is also used in the sense of tribe (Numbers 14 Numbers 116) Each tribe was but a branch or rod out of the stock of Israel and therefore was most naturally represented by the rod cut from the tree lsquoThe words used for scepter in Genesis 4910 and in Psalms 457 and for rod in Isaiah 111 and elsewhere are different but the same imagery underlies the use of all of them Of all their princes hellip twelve rods These princes must be those named in Isaiah 22-21 and Isaiah 25-71 Since among these are to be found the tribe princes of Ephraim and Manasseh standing upon a perfect equality with the rest it is evident that the twelve rods were exclusive

24

of that of Aaron The joining together of Ephraim and Manasseh in Deuteronomy 2712 was a very different thing because it could not raise any question as between the two

3 On the staff of Levi write Aaronrsquos name for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe

BARNES Thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of Levi - The Levites had taken part in the late outbreak It was therefore necessary to vindicate the supremacy of the house of Aaron over them and accordingly his name was written on the rod of Levi although being the son of Kohath the second son of Levi (Exo_616 ff) he would not be the natural head of the tribe

GILL And thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi Or upon the rod that was for the tribe of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written not the word Levi or a Levite as Josephus (e) for that would not have decided the controversy about the priesthood which chiefly lay between the Levites and the family of Aaron who were of the same tribe for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers one rod for the head or prince of every tribe every prince representing his own tribe he was the head of and the rod the prince and though the tribe of Levi was divided into two families the family of the priests and the family of the Levites yet as Jarchi observes they were but one tribe and so one rod for them as for the other tribes

ELLICOTT (3) And thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of LevimdashAaron was descended from the second son of Levi He was not therefore the natural but the divinely-appointed head of his fatherrsquos house and hence it would not have sufficed for the purpose contemplated to have inscribed the name of Levi upon the rod Aaron was constituted the head alike of the priests and of the Levites into which two classes the tribe of Levi was divided

25

BENSON Numbers 173 Aaronrsquos name mdash Rather than Levirsquos for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos family One rod mdash There shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixed

POOLE Aaronrsquos rather than Levirsquos name for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos familyFor the head of the house of their fathers ie there shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixedPETT Numbers 173lsquoAnd you shall write Aaronrsquos name on the rod of Levi for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathersrsquo housesrsquoOn the rod of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written There was to be one for each head of their fathersrsquo houses In the light of the earlier divisions in chapters 1-4 we are probably therefore to see that there were thirteen rods the twelve which represented Israel in contrast with the Levites and the one that specifically represented AaronHere Aaron is depicted as the head of the house of Levi That may well be why earlier he was called lsquothe Levitersquo as the head of the family (Exodus 414)

PULPIT Numbers 173Thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi There was no tribe prince of Levi and it is not probable that either of the three chiefs of the sub-tribes (Numbers 324 Numbers 330 55) was called upon to bring a rod This rod was therefore provided by Moses himself and inscribed by him with the name of Aaron who stood by Divine appointment (so recently and fearfully attested) above all his brethren For the significance of the act cf Ezekiel 3716-28 For one rod hellip for the head of the house of their fathers For Levi therefore there must be not three rods inscribed with the names of the chiefs but one only bearing the name of Aaron as

26

their common superior

4 Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law where I meet with you

GILL And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation In the most holy place before the testimony that is the ark in which the testimony or the law was here they were laid as in the presence of God who was in a miraculous way to decide the controversy by them and put an end to it for upon the ark was the mercy seat over which were the cherubim the seat of the divine Majesty and where none could come at them and where no fraud could be supposed to be committed where I will meet with you not with the people in person who might not go at any time into the most holy place nor with Aaron who only might go into it on the day of atonement but with Moses the chief ruler and representative of the whole body of the people and who might go in there at any time to consult with God about matters of moment and difficulty and where the Lord had said he would meet him Exo_2522 and now would in a miraculous way clearly show him and the people of Israel by him who was the priest he had chosen of all the tribesCALVIN 4And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle The place itself had not a little to do with the effectual decision of the matter because it was clearly manifested that God was the author of the miracle and consequently that the priesthood proceeded from Him For we have elsewhere said that the whole government of the Church so entirely depends upon His decree that men are not permitted to interfere with it Wherefore He set the ark of the covenant in opposition to the voices of the whole people in order to testify that no further dispute was to be raised respecting the priest whom He had appointed by His own declaration and authority At the same time it had the effect of consoling the people and silencing their complaints that the rods of all the tribes were brought in common into the sanctuary before God for although a peculiar dignity was accorded to that of Aaron alone still the people ceased not to be a priestly kingdom Hence it follows that the honorable privilege conferred on one family contributed to the public welfare of all so far was it from being the case that their inferiority ought to have caused them pain or envy

27

POOLE Before the testimony ie before the ark of the testimony either mediately close by the veil behind which the ark stood or rather immediately within the veil in the most holy place close by the ark as may be gathered by comparing this place with Numbers 1710 and with Hebrews 94I will meet with you and manifest my mind to you for the ending of this dispute PETT The Rods Are To Be Laid Up in the Tent of Meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)Numbers 174lsquoAnd you shall lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony where I meet with yoursquoThese were then to be lsquolaid up in the Tent of meeting before the testimonyrsquo in the place where Yahweh meets with His people This probably meant in front of the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh lsquothe testimonyrsquo indicating the presence of the covenant tablets in the Ark and their testimony to the covenant

5 The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelitesrdquo

CLARKE The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossom - It was necessary that something farther should be done to quiet the minds of the people and for ever to settle the dispute in what tribe the priesthood should be fixed God therefore took the method described in the text and it had the desired effect the Aaronical priesthood was never after disputed

GILL And it shall come to pass that the mans rod whom I shall choose Or make it manifest that he had chosen him and so confirm the choice he had made of him and his family for the priesthood to be and continue in

28

shall blossom bud and blossom and yield fruit as it afterwards did which is here declared beforehand that the miracle might appear the greater exactly answering to a prediction delivered out before of it and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel whereby they murmur against you against Moses for setting up his brother as an high priest and establishing the priesthood in his family and against Aaron for accepting of it and officiating in it but by this method now taken God would for ever silence their murmurings so that they should never be able with any face to object any more to the authority of the Aaronic priesthood which should appear by the predicted miracle beyond all dispute and contradictionCALVIN 5And it shall come to pass that the manrsquos rod Aaron indeed had been previously chosen but the expression here refers to his manifestation (105) because God is said again to choose those whom He has chosen by His secret counsel when He brings them forth into the sight of men with their peculiar marks of distinction and this not once only but as often as he confirms their election by new indications And this seems to be spoken of by way of concession as if God would pass over all His former decrees and invite the people afresh to take cognizance of the matter With this view tie states that He will put an end to all the malevolent and noisy detractions of the people so that Aaron may henceforth exercise his office without controversy for although not even thus was their perverseness altogether cured still their insolence was restrained

ELLICOTT (5) The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossommdashOr shall sprout forth or put forthmdashie leaves or blossoms Achilles when enraged against Agamemnon is made to swear a solemn oath by his sceptre which having once left its stock on the mountains shall never again grow King Latinus is represented by Virgil as confirming his covenant with AEligneas by a similar oath

WHEDON 5 Whom I shall choose mdash That is select for the priesthoodCeasehellip murmurings mdash Suppress them beyond all possibility of a revival Jehovahrsquos claims are set forth in his word with such cogency that there is no just ground for gainsaying On all questions of duty there is a redundancy of evidencePETT The Rod of the Chosen One Will Bud and Put an End to Murmuring (Numbers 175)Numbers 175lsquoAnd it will come about that the rod of the man whom I shall choose will bud and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel which they

29

murmur against yoursquoThen Yahweh would make the rod of the man that Yahweh had chosen spring to life and bud This final display on Yahwehrsquos initiative should cause all further murmurings against Moses and Aaron on the question of who had the right of priesthood to cease

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 Aaronrsquos staff was among them

BARNES The whole number of rods was twelve exclusive of Aaronrsquos as the Vulgate expressly states

GILL And Moses spake unto the children of Israel What the Lord had bid him say unto them concerning the rods which they hearkened unto and observed and everyone of their princes gave him a rod apiece for each prince one every prince of the several tribes and so a rod for every tribe as well as for each prince according to their fathers houses even twelve rods there being twelve tribes named after their fathers or the patriarchs the twelve sons of Jacob and Joseph having two tribes which sprung from him called after his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh there were twelve rods besides that of Aaron and so the Vulgate Latin version renders the words with the next clauseand there were twelve rods besides the rod of Aaronin all thirteen though the Jews say there were but twelve with it allowing but one rod for Joseph under whom were comprehended Ephraim and Manasseh and reckoning the tribe of Levi one of the twelve so Aben Ezra observes that the rod of Levi was among the twelve and Joseph had but one rod and the rod of Aaron was among their rods in the middle of them and was

30

so placed as Jarchi thinks that it might not be said because it was put on the side of the Shechinah or divine Majesty therefore it budded but being in the middle of them there could be no difference in that respectJAMISON the rod of Aaron was among their rods mdash either one of the

twelve or as many suppose a thirteenth in the midst (Heb_94) The rods were of dry sticks or wands probably old as transmitted from one head of the family to a succeeding

KampD Num_176-11Moses carried out this command And when he went into the tabernacle the following morning behold Aarons rod of the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth shoots and had borne blossoms and matured almonds And Moses brought all the rods out of the sanctuary and gave every man his own the rest as we may gather from the context being all unchanged so that the whole nation could satisfy itself that God had chosen Aaron Thus was the word fulfilled which Moses had spoken at the commencement of the rebellion of the company of Korah (Num_165) and that in a way which could not fail to accredit him before the whole congregation as sent of GodSo far as the occurrence itself is concerned there can hardly be any need to remark that the natural interpretation which has lately been attempted by Ewald viz that Moses had laid several almond rods in the holy place which had just been freshly cut off that he might see the next day which of them would flower the best during the night is directly at variance with the words of the text and also with the fact that a rod even freshly cut off when laid in a dry place would not bear ripe fruit in a single night The miracle which God wrought here as the Creator of nature was at the same time a significant symbol of the nature and meaning of the priesthood The choice of the rods had also a bearing upon the object in question A mans rod was the sign of his position as ruler in the house and congregation with a prince the rod becomes a sceptre the insignia of rule (Gen_4910) As a severed branch the rod could not put forth shoots and blossom in a natural way But God could impart new vital powers even to the dry rod And so Aaron had naturally no pre-eminence above the heads of the other tribes But the priesthood was founded not upon natural qualifications and gifts but upon the power of the Spirit which God communicates according to the choice of His wisdom and which He had imparted to Aaron through his consecration with holy anointing oil It was this which the Lord intended to show to the people by causing Aarons rod to put forth branches blossom and fruit through a miracle of His omnipotence whereas the rods of the other heads of the tribes remained as barren as before In this way therefore it was not without deep significance that Aarons rod not only put forth shoots by which the divine election might be recognised but bore even blossom and ripe fruit This showed that Aaron was not only qualified for his calling but administered his office in the full power of the Spirit and bore the fruit expected of him The almond rod was especially adapted to exhibit this as

31

an almond-tree flowers and bears fruit the earliest of all the trees and has received its name of שקד ldquoawakerdquo from this very fact (cf Jer_111)

God then commanded (Num_1710 Num_1711) that Aarons rod should be taken back into the sanctuary and preserved before the testimony ldquofor a sign for the rebellious that thou puttest an end to their murmuring and they die notrdquo The preservation of the rod before the ark of the covenant in the immediate presence of the Lord was a pledge to Aaron of the continuance of his election and the permanent duration of his priesthood though we have no need to assume that through a perpetual miracle the staff continued green and blossoming In this way the staff became a sign to the rebellious which could not fail to stop their murmuringPETT All the Chieftains Give Rods Including Aaron (Numbers 176)Numbers 176lsquoAnd Moses spoke to the children of Israel and all their princes gave him rods for each prince one according to their fathersrsquo houses even twelve rods and the rod of Aaron was among their rodsrsquoSo Moses did as Yahweh commanded and requested rods from each of the chieftains of the twelve tribes These rods may well have been their symbols of authority Thus twelve rods were gathered and Aaronrsquos rod was placed among them PULPIT And the rod of Aaron was among the rods As there was no prince from whom this rod could have come and as there were twelve rods without it this must mean that Moses did not keep Aarons rod separate (which might have caused suspicion) but let it be seen amongst the others

7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law

GILL And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness In that part of the tabernacle where the testimony or witness was that is the law which was in the ark over which was the mercy seat with the cherubim between which Jehovah dwelt and this was the most holy place and the rods being laid here might be said to be laid before the Lord who by making a difference in one of those rods from the rest would decide the controversy about the priesthood which was the end of their being laid

32

before himHENRY The preparing of the rods accordingly The princes brought

them in some of them perhaps fondly expecting that the choice would fall upon them and all of them thinking it honour enough to be competitors with Aaron and to stand candidates even for the priesthood (Num_177) and Moses laid them up before the Lord He did not object that the matter was sufficiently settled already and enough done to convince those that were not invincibly hardened in their prejudices He did not undertake to determine the controversy himself though it might easily have been done nor did he suggest that it would be to no purpose to offer satisfaction to a people that were willingly blind But since God will have it so he did his part and lodged the case before the Lord to whom the appeal was made by consent and left it with him

WHEDON 7 Witness mdash The Hebrew is the same as that for testimony in Numbers 174 The reason for choosing this place may have been that no one would suspect the performance of any legerdemain or jugglery in the holy of holies a sanctuary too awful for any man to enter but the high priest one day in the year Moses entered on this occasion by express commandPETT The Rods Are Placed In the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)Numbers 177lsquoAnd Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimonyrsquoThe rods were then laid up lsquobefore Yahwehrsquo in lsquothe Tent of the testimonyrsquo Note the change in name for the Tent Emphasis is placed here on the fact that the Tent testifies to Yahweh and His covenant As we have already suggested this probably meant that they were placed before the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh although it may be that Moses uniquely had access into the Holy of Holies itself

8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaronrsquos staff which represented the tribe of Levi had not only sprouted but had budded blossomed and produced almonds 33

BARNES Yielded almonds - ldquoRipened almondsrdquo i e ldquobrought forth ripe almondsrdquo The name almond in Hebrew denotes the ldquowaking-treerdquo the ldquowaking-fruitrdquo and is applied to this tree because it blossoms early in the season It serves here as in Jer_111-12 to set forth the speed and certainty with which at Godrsquos will His purposes are accomplished So again the blossoming and bearing of Aaronrsquos rod naturally impotent when severed from the parent tree may signify the profitableness because of Godrsquos appointment and blessing of the various means of grace (e g the priesthood the sacraments) which of themselves and apart from Him could have no such efficacy Compare Isa_42 Isa_111 Isa_532 Jer_335 Zec_612

CLARKE The rod of Aaron - was budded etc - That is on the same rod or staff were found buds blossoms and ripe fruit This fact was so unquestionably miraculous as to decide the business for ever and probably this was intended to show that in the priesthood represented by that of Aaron the beginning middle and end of every good work must be found The buds of good desires the blossoms of holy resolutions and promising professions and the ripe fruit of faith love and obedience all spring from the priesthood of the Lord Jesus It has been thought by some that Aaronrsquos staff (and perhaps the staves of all the tribes) was made out of the amygdala communis or common almond tree In a favorable soil and climate it grows to twenty feet in height is one of the most noble flourishing trees in nature its flowers are of a delicate red and it puts them forth early in March having begun to bud in January It has its name שקד shaked from shakad to awake because it buds and flowers sooner than most other trees And it is very likely that the staves of office borne by the chiefs of all the tribes were made of this tree merely to signify that watchfulness and assiduous care which the chiefs should take of the persons committed in the course of the Divine providence to their keeping

Every thing in this miracle is so far beyond the power of nature that no doubt could remain on the minds of the people or the envious chiefs of the Divine appointment of Aaron and of the especial interference of God in this case To see a piece of wood long cut off from the parent stock without bark or moisture remaining laid up in a dry place for a single night with others in the same circumstances - to see such a piece of wood resume and evince the perfection of vegetative life budding blossoming and bringing forth ripe fruit at the same time must be such a demonstration of the peculiar interference of God as to silence every doubt and satisfy every scruple It is worthy of remark that a scepter or staff of office resuming its vegetative life was considered an absolute impossibility among the ancients and as 34

they were accustomed to swear by their sceptres this circumstance was added to establish and confirm the oath A remarkable instance of this we have in Homer Iliad lib i ver 233 etc where Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon thus speaks -Αλλrsquo εκ τοι ερεω και επι μεγαν ὁρκον ομουμαιΝαι μα τοδε σκηπτρον το μεν ουποτε φυλλα και οζουςΦυσει επειδη πρωτα τομην εν ορεσσι λελοιπενΟυδrsquo αναθηλησει περι γαρ ῥα ἑ χαλκος ελεψεΦυλλα τε και φλοιονὁ δε τοι μεγας εσσεται ὁρκοςBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same scepter which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopprsquod off its foliage greenAnd stripprsquod its bark shall never grow againCowper

Virgil represents King Latinus swearing in the same way to confirm his covenant with Aeneas -Ut Sceptrum hoc (dextra sceptrum nam forte gerebat)Nunquam fronde levi fundet virgulta neque umbrasCum semel in silvis imo de stirpe recisumMatre caret posuitque comas et brachia ferroOlim arbos nunc artificis manus aere decoroInclusit patribusque dedit gestare LatinisTalibus inter se firmabant foedera dictisAen lib xii ver 206-12Even as this royal Sceptre (for he boreA scepter in his hand) shall never moreShoot out in branches or renew the birthAn orphan now cut from the mother earthBy the keen axe dishonorrsquod of its hairAnd cased in brass for Latian kings to bearAnd thus in public view the peace was tiedWith solemn vows and sworn on either sideDryden

When the circumstance of the rod or scepter being used anciently in this way and the absolute impossibility of its reviviscence so strongly appealed to is considered it appears to have been a very proper instrument for the present occasion for the change that passed on it must be acknowledged as an immediate and incontestable miracle

35

GILL And it came to pass that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness Where none but he could go at any time this was the day after the rods had been placed there and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi the rod that had Aarons name upon it which was to represent the tribe of Levi of which he was was budded and brought forth buds knobs of blossom such that are seen on trees before they open for the almond tree puts forth its blossoms before its leaves though the Targum of Jonathan renders it branches as do some versions and some think this is to be understood of its putting out its leaves first contrary to the nature of the almond tree and so makes the miracle the greater thus Ben Melech and blossomed blossoms open flowers or blossoms such as appear on the almond tree in the spring and look very beautiful and yielded almonds ripe almonds in their full perfection as the Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan the latter of which isin the same night it perfected and brought forth almondsthe word used has the signification of weaning and alludes to children grown up to some ripeness and maturity Gen_218 the case seems to be this that in one part of the rod were buds swelling and just putting out in another part open flowers quite blown and in others full ripe fruit now this clearly showed it to be supernatural since the almond tree though quick and early in its production of buds and flowers yet never has those and ripe fruit on it at the same time to which may be added that this was not the time of year the almond tree blossoms not the spring but rather autumn as it should seem since it was after the affair of the spies and the murmurs of the people on their report now it was the time of the first ripe grapes when they went into the land and they were forty days searching it and it was after their return the insurrections before recorded were the design of this was to confirm the priesthood in Aarons family and show that it would continue there in a flourishing condition and that there would be a succession of priests from him to the time of the Messiah as there were and the almond tree having its name in Hebrew from watchfulness and haste see Jer_111 may denote the vigilance of the priests in their office and the haste punishment makes to come upon such that should oppose them or usurp the priesthood as in the case of Uzziah so Jarchi remarks this rod of Aarons may be an emblem of the Gospel ministry of that rod that should come out of Zion Psa_1102 which in the eyes of men is mean and despicable like a dry stick but becomes a fruitful one through the power of divine grace and an almond tree rod may denote the vigilance and watchfulness of Gospel ministers over themselves and others and their doctrine and oftentimes whom God puts into the ministry he early calls them by his grace and frequently makes the first part of their ministry most useful and fruit is brought forth which remains moreover this rod may be considered as a type of Christ it being a dry rod or stick may denote the

36

meanness of his descent and appearance in the world and the unpromising aspect of his being the King Messiah and Saviour of men and being an almond tree rod may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time which the Lord hastened his being the firstborn and his right to the priesthood and his vigilance in it its lying among other rods and budding and blossoming and bringing forth fruit may point at Christs assuming the common nature or man his being cut off by death his resurrection from the dead and the fruits arising from thence justification peace pardon and eternal life and as Aarons priesthood was confirmed by the budding ampc of this rod so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are by his resurrection from the dead See Gill on Heb_94HENRY 8-9 Here is I The final determination of the controversy

concerning the priesthood by a miracle Num_178 Num_179 The rods or staves were brought out from the most holy place where they were laid up and publicly produced before the people and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were Aarons rod only of a dry stick became a living branch budded and blossomed and yielded almonds In some places there were buds in others blossoms in others fruit at the same time This was miraculous and took away all suspicion of a fraud as if in the night Moses had taken away Aarons rod and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it for no ordinary branch would have buds blossoms and fruits upon it all at once Now1 This was a plain indication to the people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood and not any other of the princes of the tribes Thus he was distinguished from them and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven which sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor watering by the hand of man Bishop Hall here observes that fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call and that the plants of Gods setting and the boughs cut off from them will flourish See Psa_9212-14 The trees of the Lord though they seem dry trees are full of sap2 It was a very proper sign to represent the priesthood itself which was hereby confirmed to Aaron (1) That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God It produced not only blossoms but almonds for the priesthood was designed not only for an honour to Aaron but for a blessing to Israel Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they should go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit should remain Joh_1516 (2) That there should be a succession of priests Here were not only almonds for the present but buds and blossoms promising more hereafter Thus has Christ provided in his church that a seed should serve him from generation to generation (3) That yet this priesthood should not be perpetual but in process of time like the branches and blossoms of a tree should fail and wither The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age Ecc_125 This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood which soon became old and ready to vanish away Heb_8133 It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood for he is the man the branch that is to be a priest upon his throne as it follows (Zec_612) and he was to grow up before God as this before the ark like a tender

37

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

deprived of direct access to the sanctuary and the oracle Earthly disobedient and far from trustful in God they could not be allowed even the hereditary chiefs among them to offer sacrifices The ideas of the Divine holiness embodied in the Mosaic law were so far in advance of the common thought of Israel that the old order had to be superseded by one fitted to promote the spiritual education of the people and prepare them for a time when there shall be on the bells of the horses HOLY UNTO THE LORD and every pot in Judah shall be holy unto the Lord of hosts and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them and seethe therein The institution of the Aaronic priesthood was a step of progress indispensable to the security of religion and the brotherhood of the tribes in that high sense for which they were made a nation But it was at the same time a confession that Israel was not spiritual was not the holy congregation Korah declared it to be The greater was the pity that afterwards in the day of Israelrsquos opportunity when Christ came to lead the wholepeople into the spiritual liberty and grace for which prophets had longed the priestly system was held tenaciously as the pride of the nation When the law of ritual and sacrifice and priestly mediation should have been left behind as no longer necessary because the Messiah had come the way of higher life was opened in vain Sacerdotalism held its place with full consent of those who guided affairs Israel as a nation was blinded and its day shone in vainOf all priesthoods as corporate bodies however estimable zealous and spiritually-minded individual members of them may be must it not be said that their existence is a sad necessity They may be educative A sacerdotal system now may like that of the Mosaic law be a tutor to bring men to Christ Realising that those who hold office under it may bring help to men not yet fit for liberty But priestly dominance is no perpetual rule in any church certainly not in the Kingdom of God The freedom with which Christ makes men free is the goal The highest duty a priest can fulfil is to prepare men for that liberty and as soon as he can he should discharge them for the enjoyment of it To find in episodes like those of Korahrsquos revolt and its suppression a rule applicable to modern religious affairs is too great an anachronism For whatever right sacerdotalism now has is purely of the Churchrsquos tolerance in the measure not of Divine right but of the need of uninstructed men To the spiritual to those who know the priestly system with its symbols and authoritative claim is but an interference with privilege and dutyCan any Aaron now make an atonement for a mass of people or even in virtue of his office apply to them the atonement made by Christ How does his absolution help a soul that knows Christ the Redeemer as every Christian soul ought to know Him The great fault of priesthoods always is that having once gained power they endeavour to retain it and extend it making greater claims the longer they exist Affirming that they speak for the Church they endeavour to control the voice of the Church Affirming that they speak for Christ they deny or minimise His great gift of liberty Freedom of thought and reason was to Cardinal Newman for example the cause of all deplorable heresies and infidelities of a divided Church and a ruined world The candid priest of our day is found making his claim as largely as ever and then virtually explaining it away Should not the vain attempt to hold by

8

Judaic institutions cease And although the Church of Christ early made the mistake of harking back to Mosaism should not confession now be made that priesthood of the exclusive kind is out of date that every believer may perform the highest functions of the consecrated lifeThe Divine choice of Aaron his confirmation in high religious office by the budding of the almond twig as well as by the acceptance of his intercession have their parallels now The realities of one age become symbols for anotherLike the whole ritual of Israel these particular incidents may be turned to Christian use by way of illustration But not with regard to the prerogative of any arch-hierarch The availing intercession is that of Christ the sole headship over the tribes of men is that which He has gained by Divine courage love and sacrifice Among those who believe there is equal dependence on the work of Christ When we come to intercession which they make for each other it is of value in consideration not of office but of faith The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much It is as righteous men humble men not as priests they prevail The sacraments are efficacious not from any virtue in them or in him that administers them but through faith by the energy of the omnipresent SpiritYet there are men chosen to special duty whose almond twigs bud and blossom and become their sceptres Appointment and ordination are our expedients grace is given by God in a higher line of calling and endowment While there are blessings pronounced that fall upon the ear or gratify the sensibility theirs reach the soul For them the world has need to thank God They keep religion alive and make it bourgeon and yield the new fruits for which the generations hunger They are new branches of the Living Vine Of them it has often to be said as of the Lord Himself The stone which the builders rejected the same has become head of the corner this is the Lordrsquos doing and it is marvellous in our eyes

PETT ntroductionChapter 17 The Rod That Budded In Numbers 16 the question has been dealt with as to who could act as a mediator between Israel and God in the offering of incense Now the further question is dealt with as to who may enter the Holy Placeb) Who Has The Right To Enter The Sanctuary - Issues of Life and Death Evidenced By The Rod That Budded (chapter 17)Here those with the right to enter the Sanctuary are determined once and for all as the sons of Aaron We are given no background to the incident although it may well have followed not long after the preceding event and is clearly connected with it

9

This is the third in the trio of incidents which confirm the Aaronic priesthood the first two of which overlap Each of them covers two days (Numbers 161-50 Numbers 171-13) and each of them ends with the thought of the people being consumed (Numbers 1621 Numbers 1645-48 Numbers 1713)a Yahweh commands each tribe to lay a rod before Him in the Tent of Testimony one for each head of their fatherrsquos house (Numbers 171-3)b The rods to be laid up in the Tent of meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)c The rod of the chosen one will bud and put an end to murmuring (Numbers 175)d All the chieftains give rods including Aaron (Numbers 176)d The rods are placed in the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)c Aaronrsquos Rod buds and flowers in the Tent of Testimony and the budded and unbudded rods are revealed to all the people who look on them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)b Aaronrsquos rod is laid up lsquobefore the Testimonyrsquo to put an end to their murmuring (Numbers 1710)a The people recognise that none but Aaronrsquos house may enter the Tabernacle for they alone can enter the Sanctuary and live and the rod which is evidence for the fact is laid up before the Testimony (Numbers 1712-13)Verses 1-3Yahweh Commands Each Tribe to Lay a Rod Before Him in the Tent of Testimony One For Each Head of Their Fatherrsquos House (Numbers 171-3)Numbers 171lsquoAnd Yahweh spoke to Moses sayingrsquoAgain it is emphasised here that we have the words of Yahweh as spoken to Moses

BI 1-13 Write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of LeviAaronrsquos rodI Instructive to the Israelites

1 An end hereby put to murmuring By an incontrovertible sign they 10

knew who was the true priest2 A preventative furnished against future rebellion Miracles apt to be forgotten of this the evidence was to be preserved Kept for a token

II Suggestive to Christians Every man has some rod on which he leans The Christianrsquos is faith Like Aaronrsquos rod faith flourishesmdash1 Most in the sanctuary There are strengthening influences and a Divine power It will become a barren stock elsewhere2 Under circumstances in which other rods cannot live The almond flourishes even before the winter is fully past Faith budding in adversity3 Produces fruit and flowers on the bare stock of adversity4 Bears fruit speedily when God causes His blessing to rest upon it ldquoBelieve and be savedrdquo5 Stirs the Christian up to vigilance Almond-tree a symbol of watchfulness

III Typical of Christ1 For it is perpetual Aaronrsquos rod laid up as a lasting remembrance2 It bore fruit on a barren stock Jesus a root out of a dry ground3 It was distinguished among the sceptres of the princes Christrsquos kingdom and sceptre rule over all He is a plant of renown4 It was the object of special favour So in Jesus He ldquowas well pleasedrdquo He was ldquoelect and preciousrdquo

IV Symbolical of a true teacher1 His home the house of God2 Presents himself constantly before the testimony3 In himself dry and barren4 Relies upon God for fruitfulness5 Produces by Divine help not flowers only but fruit also6 As a dry and lifeless stock he receives quickening power from God so with his flowers and fruit he presents himself before God and offers all his works to Him

Learnmdash1 The wisdom of God in choice of methods2 To seek a strong and living and practical faith3 To rejoice in and rely upon the perpetual high priesthood of Christ4 To endeavour like the almond-tree to bring forth fruit early (J C Gray)

11

Aaronrsquos rod that buddedThis is our subject the miraculous conversion of Aaronrsquos rod into a living blossoming and fruit-bearing plant It must have been a most convincing prodigy for the purpose it was designed to answer for the people no sooner saw it than they cried out in remorse for their wavering allegiance ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perishrdquo But beyond the age wherein the marvel occurred this putting vegetable life into that dry staff has frequently been borrowed and used for other objects Thus Achilles in classic poetry when enraged against Agamemnon is made by Homer to refer to this miraclemdash

ldquoBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts stock on the high mountains at what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopt off its foliage greenAnd stript its bark shall never grow again -By this I swearrdquo

And amongst Latin literature you will some of you remember that a certain king confirms a covenant with AEneas by a similar oathI We begin by reminding you that among the greatest of our blessings in this world is our strict obligation to do the Divine will and to keep the Divine law It is far more worth our while to sing of Godrsquos statutes than it is to sing of Godrsquos promises Where should we be in a country without human authority and a human authority founded on a reverence for the Divine Very truly does Bushnell say that ldquowithout law man does not live he only grazesrdquo If he had no government he would never discern any reason for existence and would soon not care to exist How different is the world of Voltaire from the world of Milton I The one finds nothing but this clay world and its material beauties flashes into a shallow brilliancy of speech and weaving a song of surfaces empties himself into a book of all that he has felt or seen But the other at the back of all and through all visible things beholds a spirit and a Divinity Now is there not a very beautiful picture of the comeliness and the beneficence of law in the old miracle that was wrought upon the rod of Aaron That staff as we have put it to you was selected as the sign of authority This was a declaration first that no law was perfect that did not display life and beauty and fertility and a declaration secondly that by Godrsquos choice that perfect law dwelt in the high priest But apart from the imagery as a message to the children of Israel I cling to that blooming staff as the very best type I can find anywhere of what Godrsquos rule is amongst us and in His Church I find myself taught by this early prodigy on Aaronrsquos staff that Godrsquos dominion is the dominion of the almond-branch It is a rod alas for us if there were no rod But it is a rod displaying all the three several pledges and gradations of life and thusmdashoh beautiful coincidence if it be nothing moremdashGod turns His law towards the

12

children of men into what the forbidden tree so falsely appeared to the first transgressormdashldquopleasant to the eye and good for foodrdquo Of course I know that the staff or the sceptre is the symbol of authority because a staff is that with which one person smites another The ultimate significance of a rod is a blow But is it nothing to be taught by Godrsquos picture-alphabet of the Old Testament that He smites only with buds and with flowers and with fruit This seems to change even to any childrsquos apprehension the whole character of the sovereignty under which we bow in the modern camp of the Church You tremble as you read the chapter of hard duties Turn the leaf and you will come upon the chapter of precious promises There is not a verse in the Bible that is not in flower with some comfort aye though it be a verse that smites you with a difficult commandment You are never to tell a man to do a single thing in religion without telling him that God will help him to do it You are never to command a sacrifice from me for Christrsquos sake without comforting me with the assurance that ldquoGod is able to give me much more than thisrdquo If you have a strong rough hard stick of responsibility you must show it to me bursting out all over with the rich petals and the hanging clusters of the sovereignty of Divine grace Aye for I want you to mark well that here was a miracle within a miracle The natural almond-branch never has upon it at one time buds blossoms and fruit But I seem to be taught by this accumulation of successive life all at once on one stem that there is no element of mercy wanting in the code by which I am to be managed But remember that if we deserve nothing but the rod and yet if God never uses the rod save with the buds the blossoms and the fruit ldquoHe may well record it against us if either we despise the chastening of the Lord or faint when we are rebuked of HimrdquoII But now the real and only proper commentary on the facts of the Pentateuch will be found in the doctrines of the Epistle to the Hebrews Do you believe that all those lives would have been lost and all that commotion would have been made about the prerogative of Aaronrsquos priesthood but for that other Priest on whom the whole world was to relymdashthe Priest for evermdashldquomade not after the law of a carnal commandment but after the power of an endless liferdquo It is not by one Scripture it is by scores that I find myself pointed through that staff to the real government of this world in the rod out of the stem of Jesse ldquoHe shall grow up before Him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground without form or comelinessrdquo And yet all the while He was the ldquorod out of the stem of Jesserdquo And when I read in the Book of Numbers how the Hebrews rose up against Aaron and put him to shame I can only take it for a foreshadowing of another rebellion when they insulted another Sceptre who was ldquodespised and rejected of menrdquo We preach to you Christ a stumbling-block to the Jews And scarcely can you wonder that so long as the rod was only the root out of a dry ground the Son of the carpenter and the Friend of sinners there was ldquo no beauty in Him that they should desire Himrdquo But that is not the staff with which this day God governs His Church No no He hath declared that lowly peasant preacher to be ldquothe Son of God with power in that He hath raised Him from the deadrdquo Ah that night in which they concealed Aaronrsquos rod in the tabernacle of witness it was never less living never less blossoming than then But it was not left in darkness neither did it see corruption And on

13

the appointed morning men found it marked by the choice of the Omnipotent with the buds the blossoms and the fruit In like manner the coldest darkest least living period in Immanuelrsquos career was when they hid Him among all the other millions of the dead in the tomb cut out of the rock in the garden of Joseph ldquoBut now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first-fruits of them that sleptrdquo He was raised up ldquoa plant of renownrdquo And from that glorious Easter morning the ldquorod out of the stem of Jesserdquo has been ldquothe tree whose leaves are for the healing of the nationsrdquo and ldquofilling the face of the world with fruitrdquo Men can be governed by a Mediator and yet not perish ldquoThe soul that sinneth it shall dierdquo That is a rod but ldquoif any man sin we have an Advocate with the Fatherrdquo that is ldquoAaronrsquos rod that buddedrdquomdashthe rod of the Priest Reuben Gad and all the rest have rods Christianity is not alone in the sternness of its government or the severity of its sanctions But it is alone in telling me how I can receive remission of sins that are past and how I can obtain the strongest of motives for a life of obedience in the time to come (H Christopherson)

Aaronrsquos rod blossoming and bearing fruitI As the priesthood of Aaron was a type of the priesthood of Christ there is here a suggestion of facts which must have their counterpart in Christrsquos life and history

1 The atonement and death of our Lord Jesus were matters of Divine appointment The whole work of our salvation originated with God2 But more than thismdashwhich is the essential truth here enshrinedmdashwe see here that God often manifests Himself in unexpected forms of beauty and of grace The dry rod blossomed and bare fruit The powers of Divine salvation were enshrined in the person of the Carpenter of Nazareth There was life for a dead world in the Cross and in the grave of the dead Christ

II There are suggestions here concerning Christian life1 Christian life begins with God2 The Christian life manifests itself in unfavourable conditions It is in human souls a power of active benevolence or it is nothing at all It takes hold of human misery with a healing hand and it changes it into blessing Where sin abounded there grace does much more abound3 There is beauty associated with the developments of Christian life and character There is nothing half so winning as Christian grace

III Suggestions in relation to the gospel ministry1 There is a Divine designation of men to the highest service of the Church2 But what is the qualification of men thus sent Evidently the possession of Divine life the gift which is to be imparted to those needing it To be a Christian teacher a man must be a Christian and must

14

know the things of Christ3 How then are we to judge a manrsquos Divine call and authority Only and solely by the blossoms and fruitmdashby the spiritual results of his ministry

IV Last of all there are here suggestions concerning Christian humiliation1 The world has not known its best benefactors It has always had a scornful word for the saintly and the true-hearted It has always risen up in rebellion against the anointed of the Lord2 Here is a word of encouragement to all weak and mistrustful and diffident and self-emptied souls ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says the old labourer in the Masterrsquos vineyard and the holy matron whose life has been careful and troubled about many things but who has ever been anxious to honour and serve her dear Lord in lowliest ways and household duties ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says the saint waiting dismission to rest who has not done what he would or been as useful as he desired and hoped and prayed to be ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says one whose strength has been weakened by the way and whose unfinished purposes lie sadly enough at his feet fallen out of hands which could not longer hold them or fashion them into completeness ldquoWe are but dry rodsrdquo say many earnest anxious longing souls who hardly dare to trust for the future because so often when they would do good evil is present with them We are not saved by trust in our own righteousness or by satisfaction with our own goodness and deeds But Godrsquos grace is all-sufficient and He can work miracles of beauty and fruitfulness where human might is feeblest and self mistrust is greatest and humility of spirit is deepest (W H Davison D D)

The Divine plan for vindicating the high priesthood of Aaron and its moral teachingI That true ministers of religion are elected by GodII It is of great importance that men should know that their ministers of religion are called by God

1 In order that they may regard them with becoming respect2 In order that they may take heed to their message

III The vitality of sin is of dreadful tenacity ldquoMany menrsquos lipsrdquo says Trapp ldquolike rusty hinges for want of the oil of grace and gladness move not without murmuring and complainingrdquo It is a thing of extreme difficulty to eradicate any evil disposition from the human heart ldquoFor such is the habitual hardness of menrsquos hearts as neither ministry nor misery nor miracle nor mercy can possibly mollify Nothing can do it but an extraordinary touch from the hand of HeavenrdquoIV God is engaged in eradicating sin from human hearts (W Jones)

15

Aaronrsquos rod an illustration of the true Christian ministryI The characteristics of the true Christian ministry

1 Life2 Beauty3 Fruitfulness

II The origin of the true Christian ministry Godrsquos creation and gift to the ChurchIII The influence of the true Christian ministry Abiding (W Jones)

The budded rod a type of ChristThe rod in many graphic tints shows Jesus The very name is caught by raptured prophets (Isa_111 Zec_612-13) Thus faith gleans lessons from the very titlemdashRod But the grand purport of the type is to reject all rivals It sets Aaron alone upon the priestly seat The parallel proclaims that similarly Jesus is our only Priest God calls anoints appoints accepts and ever hears Him but Him alone In His hands only do these functions live Next the constant luxuriance has a clear voice In naturersquos field buds blossoms fruit soon wither Not so this rod Its verdure was for ever green its fruit was ever ripe Beside the ark it was reserved in never-fading beauty Here is the ever-blooming Priesthood of our Lord (Psa_1104 Heb_724) Mark moreover that types of Jesus often comprehend the Church It is so with these rods The twelve at first seem all alike They are all sapless twigs But suddenly one puts forth loveliness while the others still remain worthless and withered Here is a picture of Godrsquos dealings with a sin-slain race Since Adamrsquos fall all are born lifeless branches of a withered stock When any child of man arises from the death of sin and blooms in grace God has arisen with Divine almightiness Believer the budded rod gives another warning It is a picture of luxuriance Turn from it and look inward Is your soul thus richly fertile Instead of fruit you often yield the thorn (Joh_158) Whence is the fault (Joh_154) Perhaps your neglectful soul departs from Christ Meditate in Godrsquos law day and night (Psa_13) But if the budded rod rebukes the scanty fruit in the new-born soul what is its voice to unregenerate worldlings (Heb_68) (Dean Law)

The rod of AaronBuds are evidence of life A nominal Christian is like a dead trunk and he cannot bud unless the sap of Divine grace courses through him Spiritual life is an attribute of the converted Christian The spiritual life of a being is his presiding sentiment or dispositionmdashthe chief inspiration of his soulmdashthat which gives motion and character to his mental and moral beingI Life is a resistless force The smallest blade of grass that raises its tiny head into light or the feeblest insect that sports in the sunbeam displays a

16

force superior to that which governs the ocean or controls the stars Man stands erect the tree rises and the bird soars because of lifeII Life is an appropriating force Vegetable and animal existences have a power of appropriating to themselves all surrounding elements conducive to their well-being just as the life of the plant converts the various gases around it into nutriment to promote its strength and development Wherever there is true religion there is a power to render all external circumstances subservient to its own strength and growth all things work together for its goodIII Life is a propagating force It has ldquothe seed in itselfrdquo Forests start from acorns and boundless harvests from the solitary grain It is said that the grateful Israelites anxious to carry away a bud a blossom or almond as a memento of the occasion the flowers and fruit on the rod were repeatedly and miraculously renewed for that purpose Be that as it may wherever there is religious life it will spread it scatters broadcast the incorruptible seed which liveth and abideth for everIV Life is a beautifying force There are two kinds of beautymdashthe sensational and the moral Nature in her ten thousand forms of loveliness and art in her exquisite expressions of taste are ministries to the former whilst spiritual truth moral goodness and the holiness of God address the latter The one is the poetry of the eye and ear the other of the soul The beauty that appeals to the religious nature of man is the beauty of holinessmdashthe beauty of the Lordmdashthe glory of God in His goodnessV Life is a fructifying force The true Christian not only lives and unfolds a noble disposition but is really useful St Paul speaks of ldquothe fruit of the Spiritrdquomdashrighteousness goodness truth The first as opposed to all injustice and dishonesty the second as opposed to the ten thousand forms of selfishness the third as opposed to all that is erroneous and false in the doctrines and theories of men (G L Saywell)

Aaronrsquos rodHere are three miracles in onemdash

1 That a dry rodmdashmade of the almond treemdashshould bring forth buds in a moment2 That those buds should presently become blossoms anal flowers3 That these should immediately become ripe fruit and that all at once or at least in a little space

Nature makes no such leaps All this was supernatural to these ends1 For a testimony of Godrsquos calling Aaron to the priesthood2 For a type of Christ the Branch (Isa_111)3 For a figure of the fruitfulness of a gospel ministry4 For a lively representation of a glorious resurrection (C Ness)

17

Lessons from the budding rodA wonderful work of God which sundry ways may profit us

1 As first to consider that if the power of God can do this in a dry stick cannot He make the barren woman to bare and be a joyful mother of children Can He not do whatsoever He will do By this power the sea is dried the rock gives water the earth cleaveth under the feet of men fire descends whose nature is to ascend raiseth the dead and calleth things that are not as if they were In a word He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think ampc2 This rod is a notable type of Christ His person and office Of His person in that He was born of the Virgin Mary who though He descended of the royal blood yet was now poor and mean as that royal race was brought exceeding low nothing remaining but as it were a root only Now the said Virgin flourisheth again as Aaronrsquos rod did and beareth such fruit as never woman bear Of this speaks Isaiah the prophet when he saith ldquoThere shall come a rod forth of the stock of Jesse and a graft shall grow out of his rootsrdquo Of His office both priestly and kingly His priestly office is figured in that being offered upon the cross He was as Aaronrsquos dried rod or as the Psalm saith ldquodried up like a potsherdrdquo But when He rose again He became like Aaronrsquos budding and fruit-bearing rod bringing forth to man believing on Him remission of sins righteousness and eternal life His kingly office in that He governeth His Church with a rod or sceptre of righteousness as it is in the Psalm ldquoThe sceptre of Thy kingdom is a right sceptrerdquo Which rod and sceptre is the preaching of the gospel ampc3 Again it was a resemblance of true ministers and of all faithful men and women for none of all these ought to be dry and withered sticks but bear and bring forth buds and fruit according to their places4 It is a shadow also of our resurrection by which we should grow green again and flourish with a new and an eternal glory having like dead seed lain in the ground and we shall bring forth ripe almonds that is the praise of Godrsquos incomprehensible goodness to us for ever and ever5 It resembleth our reformation and amendment of life for when our heart feeleth what is amiss this is as the bud when it resolveth of a change and a future amendment this is the blossom and when it performeth the same by a new reformed life indeed this is as the ripe almonds of Aaronrsquos rod(Bp Babington)

The priesthood divinely selectedWhat matchless wisdom shines in this arrangement How completely is the matter taken out of manrsquos hands and placed where alone it ought to be namely in the hands of the living God It was not to be a man appointing

18

himself or a man appointing his fellow but God appointing the man of His own selection In a word the question was to be definitively settled by God Himself so that all murmurings might be silenced for ever and no one be able again to charge Godrsquos high priest with taking too much upon him The human will had nothing whatever to do with this solemn matter The twelve rods all in a like condition were laid up before the Lord man retired and left God to act There was no room no opportunity because there was no occasion for human management In the profound retirement of the sanctuary far away from all manrsquos thinkings was the grand question of priesthood settled by Divine decision and being thus settled it could never again be raised (C H Mackintosh)

Aaronrsquos fruitful rodStriking and beautiful figure of Him who was ldquodeclared to be the Son of God with power by resurrection from the deadrdquo The twelve rods were all alike lifeless but God the living God entered the scene and by that power peculiar to Himself infused life into Aaronrsquos rod and brought it forth to view bearing upon it the fragrant fruits of resurrection Who could gainsay this The rationalist may sneer at it and raise a thousand questions Faith gazes on that fruit-bearing rod and sees in it a lovely figure of the new creation in the which all things are of God Infidelity may argue on the ground of the apparent impossibility of a dry stick budding blossoming and bearing fruit in the course of one night But to whelm does it appear impossible To the infidel the rationalist the sceptic And why Because he always shuts out God Let us remember this Infidelity invariably shuts out God God can do as He pleases The One who called worlds into existence could make a rod to bud blossom and bear fruit in a moment Bring God in and all is simple and plain as possible Leave God out and all is plunged in hopeless confusion (C H Mackintosh)

The rods contrastedPonder the difference between the rod of Moses and the rod of Aaron We have seen the former doing its characteristic work in other days and amid other scenes We have seen the land of Egypt trembling beneath the heavy strokes of that rod Plague after plague fell upon that devoted scene in answer to that outstretched rod We have seen the waters of the sea divided in answer to that rod In short the rod of Moses was a rod of power a rod of authority But it could not avail to hush the murmurings of the children of Israel nor yet to bring the people through the desert Grace alone could do that and we have the expression of pure gracemdashfree sovereign gracemdashin the budding of Aaronrsquos rod Nothing can be more forcible nothing more lovely That dry dead stick was the apt figure of Israelrsquos condition and indeed of the condition of every one of us by nature There was no sap no life no power One might well say ldquoWhat good can ever come of itrdquo None whatever had not grace come in and displayed its quickening power So was it with Israel in the wilderness and so is it with us now How were they to

19

be led along from day to day How were they to be sustained in all their weakness and need How were they to be borne with in all their sin and folly The answer is found in Aaronrsquos budding rod If the dry dead stick was the expression of naturersquos barren and worthless condition the buds blossoms and fruit set forth that living and life-giving grace and power of God on which was based the priestly ministry that alone could bear the congregation through the wilderness Grace alone could answer the ten thousand necessities of the militant host Power could not suffice Authority could not avail Priesthood alone could supply what was needed and this priesthood was instituted on the foundation of that efficacious grace which could bring fruit out of a dry rod Thus it was as to priesthood of old and thus it is as to ministry now All ministry in the Church of God is the fruit of Divine gracemdashthe gift of Christ the Churchrsquos Head (C H Mackintosh)

2 ldquoSpeak 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

BARNES Compare Eze_3716 ff

CLARKE And take of every one of them a rod - matteh the staff or מטהscepter which the prince or chief of each tribe bore and which was the sign of office or royalty among almost all the people of the earth

GILL Speak unto the children of Israel The principal men among them of the several tribes and take of everyone of them not of every individual of the people of Israel but of their princes as afterwards explained a rod according to the house of their fathers or father of whom their house or tribe was called as Reuben Simeon ampc this rod was either a

20

common walking staff as some think or rather the ensign of their princely office and dignity peculiar to each tribe though some think it was now freshly cut off from an almond tree and that all the rods were of one and the same tree but supposing they were all of the almond kind as Josephus (d) thinks yet being dry rods and of long use served to make the miracle appear the greater of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods this explains who they were to be taken of the princes of the several tribes whose names are given Num_15 and the number of them twelve according to the number of the twelve tribes write thou every mans name upon his rod the name of each prince or head of a tribe either by cutting it into the rod or fastening a writing to it after the manner of those times as for instance the name of Elizur for the tribe of Reuben by which it was to be made and was made to appear that to none of these tribes belonged the priesthood but to the tribe of Levi and to none of that tribe but the family of Aaron whereby it should seem that some of all the tribes made pretensions to it as being all holy and especially the chief firstborn of every tribe as such their princes were

JAMISON 2-5 Speak unto the children of Israel mdash The controversy with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood was of such a nature and magnitude as required a decisive and authoritative settlement For the removal of all doubts and the silencing of all murmuring in the future regarding the holder of the office a miracle was wrought of a remarkable character and permanent duration and in the manner of performing it all the people were made to have a direct and special interest

take of every one princes twelve rods mdash As the princes being the oldest sons of the chief family and heads of their tribes might have advanced the best claims to the priesthood if that sacred dignity was to be shared among all the tribes they were therefore selected and being twelve in number - that of Joseph being counted only one - Moses was ordered to see that the name of each was inscribed - a practice borrowed from the Egyptians - upon his rod or wand of office The name of Aaron rather than of Levi was used as the latter name would have opened a door of controversy among the Levites and as there was to be one rod only for the head of each tribe the express appointment of a rod for Aaron determined him to be the head of that tribe as well as that branch or family of the tribe to which the priestly dignity should belong These rods were to be laid in the tabernacle close to the ark (compare Num_1710 and Heb_94) where a divine token was promised that would for all time terminate the dispute

CALVIN 2Speak unto the children of Israel They are mistaken who suppose that to the twelve rods there was another added for the tribe of Levi (103) for since there was no question here as to the possession of the land there was no occasion at

21

all for the division of the tribe of Joseph into two parts We know too that it was endowed with a double portion because the Levites had no inheritance and in this case the circumstances were different because all the other tribes were contending for the priesthood with the tribe of Levi alone Hence it was then that rods were given to each of them in accordance with the origin of their race But when Aaronrsquos rod is said to have been ldquoin the midst of themrdquo (104) it is in the usual phrase of the Hebrew language because it was mixed with them as one of their number And this is expressly stated to show us that all ground for caviling might be taken from the ungodly since all the rods were east promiscuously into the same bundle so that none should be distinguished above the others and thus nothing could be ascribed to the collusion of men If any should object that by these means the rivalry was not extinguished which the other Levites had with the house of Aaron since his own name alone was inscribed upon the rod so that there would be no comparison between the families I reply that since the power of God manifested itself distinctly in the name of Aaron the rejection of the others was sufficiently shown forth by his election for if this honor had been common to the others God would have defrauded them by giving distinction to him alone Besides no other plan could have been adopted for putting an end to this quarrel for if there had been several rods for one tribe the whole people would have complained of the inequality It was necessary then that all should be brought to the contest on equal terms so that the difference between them might be seen to depend upon Godrsquos good pleasure But if the name of Levi had been inscribed all its families would have claimed the right of succession as if common to them all There was therefore no other course open but that God should prefer to the whole people one individual chosen from amongst the members of his own kindred and tribe COKE Numbers 172 Take of every one of them a rodmdash The minds of a considerable number of the people having been poisoned by the insinuations of Korah and his accomplices against Aaron and his family upon the account of the priesthood God is pleased to add another signal miracle in confirmation of his priests authority accordingly the head of each tribe is ordered to take a rod and bring it before the Lord Some have supposed that these were the ordinary rods or batoons which the princes of the tribes bore while from the 8th verse of this chapter others infer that these were twigs or branches from one and the same almond tree whichever was the case the miracle was sufficiently great to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of ProvidenceBENSON Numbers 172 Take of every one mdash Not of every person but of every tribe A rod mdash A twig or branch from one and the same almond-tree as some infer from Numbers 178 Or according to others the ordinary rods which the princes of the tribes carried in their hands as tokens of their dignity and authority Numbers 2118 And indeed the miracle would appear the greater if neither Aaronrsquos rod nor any of the rest was of the almond-tree But the miracle was sufficiently great either way to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of Providence Every manrsquos name mdash Every princersquos for they being the firstborn and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of

22

their tribes and besides the prince represented all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the question And this place seems to confirm the opinion that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contended with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holyELLICOTT (2) And take of every one of them mdashBetter And take of them a rod for each fatherrsquos houseTwelve rodsmdashSome suppose that Aaronrsquos rod was not included amongst the twelve Others suppose that one rod only was taken for the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh The latter supposition is more accordant with the terms here employed than the former and is supported by Deuteronomy 2712-13 where Joseph stands for the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh and Levi is included amongst the twelve tribesWrite thou every manrsquos name upon his rodmdashThis was in accordance with an Egyptian custom (See Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians III 388) The prophet Ezekiel received a similar injunction (Ezekiel 3716)POOLE Speak unto the children of Israel that I may fully and finally satisfy all their scruples and take away all pretence and cause of murmuringOf every one of them not of every person but of every tribe as it followsA rod either an ordinary walking staff or rather that staff or rod which the princes carried in their hand as tokens of their dignity and authority as may be gathered from Numbers 2118 compared with Psalms 1102 Jeremiah 481617According to the house of their fathers ie according to each family proceeding from the patriarch or father of that tribeEvery manrsquos name ie every princersquos for they being the first-born and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of their tribes and besides each prince represented and acted for all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the whole question And this plate seems to confirm what was before observed that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contested with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holy as they said Numbers 163

WHEDON 2 A rod mdash Each chief prince of the twelve tribes bore a staff or sceptre as the sign of office Such rods were often hereditary and of great antiquity That such dry staves should blossom and bear fruit again is so improbable that the Greeks were accustomed to swear by their sceptres Thus Achilles

23

ldquoBut hearken I will swear a solemn oathBy this sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as oncerdquoWritehellip every manrsquos name mdash To identify beyond dispute the rod of Aaron after the trial The illiteracy of Moses and his generation as alleged by some modern writers is here abundantly confuted Since there were twelve rods including Levirsquos it is evident that the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim are here counted as one tribe mdash that of JosephPETT Numbers 172lsquoSpeak to the children of Israel and take of them rods one for each fathersrsquo house of all their princes according to their fathersrsquo houses twelve rods You write every manrsquos name on his rodrsquoAll the men of Israel were to be involved in this It is possible that Levi were included among lsquothe twelversquo and that Manasseh and Ephraim were for this event treated as one tribe the rods representing the lsquohouseholdsrsquo of the original patriarchal fathers But a rod was taken for each of their fathersrsquo houses and the names of each of the chieftains of those fathersrsquo houses was written on the rods This would suggest in the light of previous references to twelve chieftains that the lsquotwelversquo rods were in contrast with Aaronrsquos rod (Alternately one rod may have represented Joseph including both Ephraim and Manasseh It was Joseph who was to be lsquoa fruitful boughrsquo (Genesis 4922) but not as pertaining to the priesthood)The word for lsquorodsrsquo also indicates lsquotribes and can in fact be used to indicate either Thus the rods symbolised each tribe

PULPIT Numbers 172Take of every one of them a rod Literally take of them a rod a rod ie a rod apiece in the way immediately particularized hsilgnEegaugnaL מטה is used for the staff of Judah (Genesis 3818) and for the rod of Moses (Exodus 42) It is also used in the sense of tribe (Numbers 14 Numbers 116) Each tribe was but a branch or rod out of the stock of Israel and therefore was most naturally represented by the rod cut from the tree lsquoThe words used for scepter in Genesis 4910 and in Psalms 457 and for rod in Isaiah 111 and elsewhere are different but the same imagery underlies the use of all of them Of all their princes hellip twelve rods These princes must be those named in Isaiah 22-21 and Isaiah 25-71 Since among these are to be found the tribe princes of Ephraim and Manasseh standing upon a perfect equality with the rest it is evident that the twelve rods were exclusive

24

of that of Aaron The joining together of Ephraim and Manasseh in Deuteronomy 2712 was a very different thing because it could not raise any question as between the two

3 On the staff of Levi write Aaronrsquos name for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe

BARNES Thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of Levi - The Levites had taken part in the late outbreak It was therefore necessary to vindicate the supremacy of the house of Aaron over them and accordingly his name was written on the rod of Levi although being the son of Kohath the second son of Levi (Exo_616 ff) he would not be the natural head of the tribe

GILL And thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi Or upon the rod that was for the tribe of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written not the word Levi or a Levite as Josephus (e) for that would not have decided the controversy about the priesthood which chiefly lay between the Levites and the family of Aaron who were of the same tribe for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers one rod for the head or prince of every tribe every prince representing his own tribe he was the head of and the rod the prince and though the tribe of Levi was divided into two families the family of the priests and the family of the Levites yet as Jarchi observes they were but one tribe and so one rod for them as for the other tribes

ELLICOTT (3) And thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of LevimdashAaron was descended from the second son of Levi He was not therefore the natural but the divinely-appointed head of his fatherrsquos house and hence it would not have sufficed for the purpose contemplated to have inscribed the name of Levi upon the rod Aaron was constituted the head alike of the priests and of the Levites into which two classes the tribe of Levi was divided

25

BENSON Numbers 173 Aaronrsquos name mdash Rather than Levirsquos for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos family One rod mdash There shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixed

POOLE Aaronrsquos rather than Levirsquos name for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos familyFor the head of the house of their fathers ie there shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixedPETT Numbers 173lsquoAnd you shall write Aaronrsquos name on the rod of Levi for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathersrsquo housesrsquoOn the rod of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written There was to be one for each head of their fathersrsquo houses In the light of the earlier divisions in chapters 1-4 we are probably therefore to see that there were thirteen rods the twelve which represented Israel in contrast with the Levites and the one that specifically represented AaronHere Aaron is depicted as the head of the house of Levi That may well be why earlier he was called lsquothe Levitersquo as the head of the family (Exodus 414)

PULPIT Numbers 173Thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi There was no tribe prince of Levi and it is not probable that either of the three chiefs of the sub-tribes (Numbers 324 Numbers 330 55) was called upon to bring a rod This rod was therefore provided by Moses himself and inscribed by him with the name of Aaron who stood by Divine appointment (so recently and fearfully attested) above all his brethren For the significance of the act cf Ezekiel 3716-28 For one rod hellip for the head of the house of their fathers For Levi therefore there must be not three rods inscribed with the names of the chiefs but one only bearing the name of Aaron as

26

their common superior

4 Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law where I meet with you

GILL And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation In the most holy place before the testimony that is the ark in which the testimony or the law was here they were laid as in the presence of God who was in a miraculous way to decide the controversy by them and put an end to it for upon the ark was the mercy seat over which were the cherubim the seat of the divine Majesty and where none could come at them and where no fraud could be supposed to be committed where I will meet with you not with the people in person who might not go at any time into the most holy place nor with Aaron who only might go into it on the day of atonement but with Moses the chief ruler and representative of the whole body of the people and who might go in there at any time to consult with God about matters of moment and difficulty and where the Lord had said he would meet him Exo_2522 and now would in a miraculous way clearly show him and the people of Israel by him who was the priest he had chosen of all the tribesCALVIN 4And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle The place itself had not a little to do with the effectual decision of the matter because it was clearly manifested that God was the author of the miracle and consequently that the priesthood proceeded from Him For we have elsewhere said that the whole government of the Church so entirely depends upon His decree that men are not permitted to interfere with it Wherefore He set the ark of the covenant in opposition to the voices of the whole people in order to testify that no further dispute was to be raised respecting the priest whom He had appointed by His own declaration and authority At the same time it had the effect of consoling the people and silencing their complaints that the rods of all the tribes were brought in common into the sanctuary before God for although a peculiar dignity was accorded to that of Aaron alone still the people ceased not to be a priestly kingdom Hence it follows that the honorable privilege conferred on one family contributed to the public welfare of all so far was it from being the case that their inferiority ought to have caused them pain or envy

27

POOLE Before the testimony ie before the ark of the testimony either mediately close by the veil behind which the ark stood or rather immediately within the veil in the most holy place close by the ark as may be gathered by comparing this place with Numbers 1710 and with Hebrews 94I will meet with you and manifest my mind to you for the ending of this dispute PETT The Rods Are To Be Laid Up in the Tent of Meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)Numbers 174lsquoAnd you shall lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony where I meet with yoursquoThese were then to be lsquolaid up in the Tent of meeting before the testimonyrsquo in the place where Yahweh meets with His people This probably meant in front of the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh lsquothe testimonyrsquo indicating the presence of the covenant tablets in the Ark and their testimony to the covenant

5 The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelitesrdquo

CLARKE The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossom - It was necessary that something farther should be done to quiet the minds of the people and for ever to settle the dispute in what tribe the priesthood should be fixed God therefore took the method described in the text and it had the desired effect the Aaronical priesthood was never after disputed

GILL And it shall come to pass that the mans rod whom I shall choose Or make it manifest that he had chosen him and so confirm the choice he had made of him and his family for the priesthood to be and continue in

28

shall blossom bud and blossom and yield fruit as it afterwards did which is here declared beforehand that the miracle might appear the greater exactly answering to a prediction delivered out before of it and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel whereby they murmur against you against Moses for setting up his brother as an high priest and establishing the priesthood in his family and against Aaron for accepting of it and officiating in it but by this method now taken God would for ever silence their murmurings so that they should never be able with any face to object any more to the authority of the Aaronic priesthood which should appear by the predicted miracle beyond all dispute and contradictionCALVIN 5And it shall come to pass that the manrsquos rod Aaron indeed had been previously chosen but the expression here refers to his manifestation (105) because God is said again to choose those whom He has chosen by His secret counsel when He brings them forth into the sight of men with their peculiar marks of distinction and this not once only but as often as he confirms their election by new indications And this seems to be spoken of by way of concession as if God would pass over all His former decrees and invite the people afresh to take cognizance of the matter With this view tie states that He will put an end to all the malevolent and noisy detractions of the people so that Aaron may henceforth exercise his office without controversy for although not even thus was their perverseness altogether cured still their insolence was restrained

ELLICOTT (5) The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossommdashOr shall sprout forth or put forthmdashie leaves or blossoms Achilles when enraged against Agamemnon is made to swear a solemn oath by his sceptre which having once left its stock on the mountains shall never again grow King Latinus is represented by Virgil as confirming his covenant with AEligneas by a similar oath

WHEDON 5 Whom I shall choose mdash That is select for the priesthoodCeasehellip murmurings mdash Suppress them beyond all possibility of a revival Jehovahrsquos claims are set forth in his word with such cogency that there is no just ground for gainsaying On all questions of duty there is a redundancy of evidencePETT The Rod of the Chosen One Will Bud and Put an End to Murmuring (Numbers 175)Numbers 175lsquoAnd it will come about that the rod of the man whom I shall choose will bud and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel which they

29

murmur against yoursquoThen Yahweh would make the rod of the man that Yahweh had chosen spring to life and bud This final display on Yahwehrsquos initiative should cause all further murmurings against Moses and Aaron on the question of who had the right of priesthood to cease

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 Aaronrsquos staff was among them

BARNES The whole number of rods was twelve exclusive of Aaronrsquos as the Vulgate expressly states

GILL And Moses spake unto the children of Israel What the Lord had bid him say unto them concerning the rods which they hearkened unto and observed and everyone of their princes gave him a rod apiece for each prince one every prince of the several tribes and so a rod for every tribe as well as for each prince according to their fathers houses even twelve rods there being twelve tribes named after their fathers or the patriarchs the twelve sons of Jacob and Joseph having two tribes which sprung from him called after his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh there were twelve rods besides that of Aaron and so the Vulgate Latin version renders the words with the next clauseand there were twelve rods besides the rod of Aaronin all thirteen though the Jews say there were but twelve with it allowing but one rod for Joseph under whom were comprehended Ephraim and Manasseh and reckoning the tribe of Levi one of the twelve so Aben Ezra observes that the rod of Levi was among the twelve and Joseph had but one rod and the rod of Aaron was among their rods in the middle of them and was

30

so placed as Jarchi thinks that it might not be said because it was put on the side of the Shechinah or divine Majesty therefore it budded but being in the middle of them there could be no difference in that respectJAMISON the rod of Aaron was among their rods mdash either one of the

twelve or as many suppose a thirteenth in the midst (Heb_94) The rods were of dry sticks or wands probably old as transmitted from one head of the family to a succeeding

KampD Num_176-11Moses carried out this command And when he went into the tabernacle the following morning behold Aarons rod of the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth shoots and had borne blossoms and matured almonds And Moses brought all the rods out of the sanctuary and gave every man his own the rest as we may gather from the context being all unchanged so that the whole nation could satisfy itself that God had chosen Aaron Thus was the word fulfilled which Moses had spoken at the commencement of the rebellion of the company of Korah (Num_165) and that in a way which could not fail to accredit him before the whole congregation as sent of GodSo far as the occurrence itself is concerned there can hardly be any need to remark that the natural interpretation which has lately been attempted by Ewald viz that Moses had laid several almond rods in the holy place which had just been freshly cut off that he might see the next day which of them would flower the best during the night is directly at variance with the words of the text and also with the fact that a rod even freshly cut off when laid in a dry place would not bear ripe fruit in a single night The miracle which God wrought here as the Creator of nature was at the same time a significant symbol of the nature and meaning of the priesthood The choice of the rods had also a bearing upon the object in question A mans rod was the sign of his position as ruler in the house and congregation with a prince the rod becomes a sceptre the insignia of rule (Gen_4910) As a severed branch the rod could not put forth shoots and blossom in a natural way But God could impart new vital powers even to the dry rod And so Aaron had naturally no pre-eminence above the heads of the other tribes But the priesthood was founded not upon natural qualifications and gifts but upon the power of the Spirit which God communicates according to the choice of His wisdom and which He had imparted to Aaron through his consecration with holy anointing oil It was this which the Lord intended to show to the people by causing Aarons rod to put forth branches blossom and fruit through a miracle of His omnipotence whereas the rods of the other heads of the tribes remained as barren as before In this way therefore it was not without deep significance that Aarons rod not only put forth shoots by which the divine election might be recognised but bore even blossom and ripe fruit This showed that Aaron was not only qualified for his calling but administered his office in the full power of the Spirit and bore the fruit expected of him The almond rod was especially adapted to exhibit this as

31

an almond-tree flowers and bears fruit the earliest of all the trees and has received its name of שקד ldquoawakerdquo from this very fact (cf Jer_111)

God then commanded (Num_1710 Num_1711) that Aarons rod should be taken back into the sanctuary and preserved before the testimony ldquofor a sign for the rebellious that thou puttest an end to their murmuring and they die notrdquo The preservation of the rod before the ark of the covenant in the immediate presence of the Lord was a pledge to Aaron of the continuance of his election and the permanent duration of his priesthood though we have no need to assume that through a perpetual miracle the staff continued green and blossoming In this way the staff became a sign to the rebellious which could not fail to stop their murmuringPETT All the Chieftains Give Rods Including Aaron (Numbers 176)Numbers 176lsquoAnd Moses spoke to the children of Israel and all their princes gave him rods for each prince one according to their fathersrsquo houses even twelve rods and the rod of Aaron was among their rodsrsquoSo Moses did as Yahweh commanded and requested rods from each of the chieftains of the twelve tribes These rods may well have been their symbols of authority Thus twelve rods were gathered and Aaronrsquos rod was placed among them PULPIT And the rod of Aaron was among the rods As there was no prince from whom this rod could have come and as there were twelve rods without it this must mean that Moses did not keep Aarons rod separate (which might have caused suspicion) but let it be seen amongst the others

7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law

GILL And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness In that part of the tabernacle where the testimony or witness was that is the law which was in the ark over which was the mercy seat with the cherubim between which Jehovah dwelt and this was the most holy place and the rods being laid here might be said to be laid before the Lord who by making a difference in one of those rods from the rest would decide the controversy about the priesthood which was the end of their being laid

32

before himHENRY The preparing of the rods accordingly The princes brought

them in some of them perhaps fondly expecting that the choice would fall upon them and all of them thinking it honour enough to be competitors with Aaron and to stand candidates even for the priesthood (Num_177) and Moses laid them up before the Lord He did not object that the matter was sufficiently settled already and enough done to convince those that were not invincibly hardened in their prejudices He did not undertake to determine the controversy himself though it might easily have been done nor did he suggest that it would be to no purpose to offer satisfaction to a people that were willingly blind But since God will have it so he did his part and lodged the case before the Lord to whom the appeal was made by consent and left it with him

WHEDON 7 Witness mdash The Hebrew is the same as that for testimony in Numbers 174 The reason for choosing this place may have been that no one would suspect the performance of any legerdemain or jugglery in the holy of holies a sanctuary too awful for any man to enter but the high priest one day in the year Moses entered on this occasion by express commandPETT The Rods Are Placed In the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)Numbers 177lsquoAnd Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimonyrsquoThe rods were then laid up lsquobefore Yahwehrsquo in lsquothe Tent of the testimonyrsquo Note the change in name for the Tent Emphasis is placed here on the fact that the Tent testifies to Yahweh and His covenant As we have already suggested this probably meant that they were placed before the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh although it may be that Moses uniquely had access into the Holy of Holies itself

8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaronrsquos staff which represented the tribe of Levi had not only sprouted but had budded blossomed and produced almonds 33

BARNES Yielded almonds - ldquoRipened almondsrdquo i e ldquobrought forth ripe almondsrdquo The name almond in Hebrew denotes the ldquowaking-treerdquo the ldquowaking-fruitrdquo and is applied to this tree because it blossoms early in the season It serves here as in Jer_111-12 to set forth the speed and certainty with which at Godrsquos will His purposes are accomplished So again the blossoming and bearing of Aaronrsquos rod naturally impotent when severed from the parent tree may signify the profitableness because of Godrsquos appointment and blessing of the various means of grace (e g the priesthood the sacraments) which of themselves and apart from Him could have no such efficacy Compare Isa_42 Isa_111 Isa_532 Jer_335 Zec_612

CLARKE The rod of Aaron - was budded etc - That is on the same rod or staff were found buds blossoms and ripe fruit This fact was so unquestionably miraculous as to decide the business for ever and probably this was intended to show that in the priesthood represented by that of Aaron the beginning middle and end of every good work must be found The buds of good desires the blossoms of holy resolutions and promising professions and the ripe fruit of faith love and obedience all spring from the priesthood of the Lord Jesus It has been thought by some that Aaronrsquos staff (and perhaps the staves of all the tribes) was made out of the amygdala communis or common almond tree In a favorable soil and climate it grows to twenty feet in height is one of the most noble flourishing trees in nature its flowers are of a delicate red and it puts them forth early in March having begun to bud in January It has its name שקד shaked from shakad to awake because it buds and flowers sooner than most other trees And it is very likely that the staves of office borne by the chiefs of all the tribes were made of this tree merely to signify that watchfulness and assiduous care which the chiefs should take of the persons committed in the course of the Divine providence to their keeping

Every thing in this miracle is so far beyond the power of nature that no doubt could remain on the minds of the people or the envious chiefs of the Divine appointment of Aaron and of the especial interference of God in this case To see a piece of wood long cut off from the parent stock without bark or moisture remaining laid up in a dry place for a single night with others in the same circumstances - to see such a piece of wood resume and evince the perfection of vegetative life budding blossoming and bringing forth ripe fruit at the same time must be such a demonstration of the peculiar interference of God as to silence every doubt and satisfy every scruple It is worthy of remark that a scepter or staff of office resuming its vegetative life was considered an absolute impossibility among the ancients and as 34

they were accustomed to swear by their sceptres this circumstance was added to establish and confirm the oath A remarkable instance of this we have in Homer Iliad lib i ver 233 etc where Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon thus speaks -Αλλrsquo εκ τοι ερεω και επι μεγαν ὁρκον ομουμαιΝαι μα τοδε σκηπτρον το μεν ουποτε φυλλα και οζουςΦυσει επειδη πρωτα τομην εν ορεσσι λελοιπενΟυδrsquo αναθηλησει περι γαρ ῥα ἑ χαλκος ελεψεΦυλλα τε και φλοιονὁ δε τοι μεγας εσσεται ὁρκοςBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same scepter which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopprsquod off its foliage greenAnd stripprsquod its bark shall never grow againCowper

Virgil represents King Latinus swearing in the same way to confirm his covenant with Aeneas -Ut Sceptrum hoc (dextra sceptrum nam forte gerebat)Nunquam fronde levi fundet virgulta neque umbrasCum semel in silvis imo de stirpe recisumMatre caret posuitque comas et brachia ferroOlim arbos nunc artificis manus aere decoroInclusit patribusque dedit gestare LatinisTalibus inter se firmabant foedera dictisAen lib xii ver 206-12Even as this royal Sceptre (for he boreA scepter in his hand) shall never moreShoot out in branches or renew the birthAn orphan now cut from the mother earthBy the keen axe dishonorrsquod of its hairAnd cased in brass for Latian kings to bearAnd thus in public view the peace was tiedWith solemn vows and sworn on either sideDryden

When the circumstance of the rod or scepter being used anciently in this way and the absolute impossibility of its reviviscence so strongly appealed to is considered it appears to have been a very proper instrument for the present occasion for the change that passed on it must be acknowledged as an immediate and incontestable miracle

35

GILL And it came to pass that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness Where none but he could go at any time this was the day after the rods had been placed there and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi the rod that had Aarons name upon it which was to represent the tribe of Levi of which he was was budded and brought forth buds knobs of blossom such that are seen on trees before they open for the almond tree puts forth its blossoms before its leaves though the Targum of Jonathan renders it branches as do some versions and some think this is to be understood of its putting out its leaves first contrary to the nature of the almond tree and so makes the miracle the greater thus Ben Melech and blossomed blossoms open flowers or blossoms such as appear on the almond tree in the spring and look very beautiful and yielded almonds ripe almonds in their full perfection as the Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan the latter of which isin the same night it perfected and brought forth almondsthe word used has the signification of weaning and alludes to children grown up to some ripeness and maturity Gen_218 the case seems to be this that in one part of the rod were buds swelling and just putting out in another part open flowers quite blown and in others full ripe fruit now this clearly showed it to be supernatural since the almond tree though quick and early in its production of buds and flowers yet never has those and ripe fruit on it at the same time to which may be added that this was not the time of year the almond tree blossoms not the spring but rather autumn as it should seem since it was after the affair of the spies and the murmurs of the people on their report now it was the time of the first ripe grapes when they went into the land and they were forty days searching it and it was after their return the insurrections before recorded were the design of this was to confirm the priesthood in Aarons family and show that it would continue there in a flourishing condition and that there would be a succession of priests from him to the time of the Messiah as there were and the almond tree having its name in Hebrew from watchfulness and haste see Jer_111 may denote the vigilance of the priests in their office and the haste punishment makes to come upon such that should oppose them or usurp the priesthood as in the case of Uzziah so Jarchi remarks this rod of Aarons may be an emblem of the Gospel ministry of that rod that should come out of Zion Psa_1102 which in the eyes of men is mean and despicable like a dry stick but becomes a fruitful one through the power of divine grace and an almond tree rod may denote the vigilance and watchfulness of Gospel ministers over themselves and others and their doctrine and oftentimes whom God puts into the ministry he early calls them by his grace and frequently makes the first part of their ministry most useful and fruit is brought forth which remains moreover this rod may be considered as a type of Christ it being a dry rod or stick may denote the

36

meanness of his descent and appearance in the world and the unpromising aspect of his being the King Messiah and Saviour of men and being an almond tree rod may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time which the Lord hastened his being the firstborn and his right to the priesthood and his vigilance in it its lying among other rods and budding and blossoming and bringing forth fruit may point at Christs assuming the common nature or man his being cut off by death his resurrection from the dead and the fruits arising from thence justification peace pardon and eternal life and as Aarons priesthood was confirmed by the budding ampc of this rod so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are by his resurrection from the dead See Gill on Heb_94HENRY 8-9 Here is I The final determination of the controversy

concerning the priesthood by a miracle Num_178 Num_179 The rods or staves were brought out from the most holy place where they were laid up and publicly produced before the people and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were Aarons rod only of a dry stick became a living branch budded and blossomed and yielded almonds In some places there were buds in others blossoms in others fruit at the same time This was miraculous and took away all suspicion of a fraud as if in the night Moses had taken away Aarons rod and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it for no ordinary branch would have buds blossoms and fruits upon it all at once Now1 This was a plain indication to the people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood and not any other of the princes of the tribes Thus he was distinguished from them and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven which sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor watering by the hand of man Bishop Hall here observes that fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call and that the plants of Gods setting and the boughs cut off from them will flourish See Psa_9212-14 The trees of the Lord though they seem dry trees are full of sap2 It was a very proper sign to represent the priesthood itself which was hereby confirmed to Aaron (1) That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God It produced not only blossoms but almonds for the priesthood was designed not only for an honour to Aaron but for a blessing to Israel Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they should go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit should remain Joh_1516 (2) That there should be a succession of priests Here were not only almonds for the present but buds and blossoms promising more hereafter Thus has Christ provided in his church that a seed should serve him from generation to generation (3) That yet this priesthood should not be perpetual but in process of time like the branches and blossoms of a tree should fail and wither The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age Ecc_125 This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood which soon became old and ready to vanish away Heb_8133 It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood for he is the man the branch that is to be a priest upon his throne as it follows (Zec_612) and he was to grow up before God as this before the ark like a tender

37

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

Judaic institutions cease And although the Church of Christ early made the mistake of harking back to Mosaism should not confession now be made that priesthood of the exclusive kind is out of date that every believer may perform the highest functions of the consecrated lifeThe Divine choice of Aaron his confirmation in high religious office by the budding of the almond twig as well as by the acceptance of his intercession have their parallels now The realities of one age become symbols for anotherLike the whole ritual of Israel these particular incidents may be turned to Christian use by way of illustration But not with regard to the prerogative of any arch-hierarch The availing intercession is that of Christ the sole headship over the tribes of men is that which He has gained by Divine courage love and sacrifice Among those who believe there is equal dependence on the work of Christ When we come to intercession which they make for each other it is of value in consideration not of office but of faith The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much It is as righteous men humble men not as priests they prevail The sacraments are efficacious not from any virtue in them or in him that administers them but through faith by the energy of the omnipresent SpiritYet there are men chosen to special duty whose almond twigs bud and blossom and become their sceptres Appointment and ordination are our expedients grace is given by God in a higher line of calling and endowment While there are blessings pronounced that fall upon the ear or gratify the sensibility theirs reach the soul For them the world has need to thank God They keep religion alive and make it bourgeon and yield the new fruits for which the generations hunger They are new branches of the Living Vine Of them it has often to be said as of the Lord Himself The stone which the builders rejected the same has become head of the corner this is the Lordrsquos doing and it is marvellous in our eyes

PETT ntroductionChapter 17 The Rod That Budded In Numbers 16 the question has been dealt with as to who could act as a mediator between Israel and God in the offering of incense Now the further question is dealt with as to who may enter the Holy Placeb) Who Has The Right To Enter The Sanctuary - Issues of Life and Death Evidenced By The Rod That Budded (chapter 17)Here those with the right to enter the Sanctuary are determined once and for all as the sons of Aaron We are given no background to the incident although it may well have followed not long after the preceding event and is clearly connected with it

9

This is the third in the trio of incidents which confirm the Aaronic priesthood the first two of which overlap Each of them covers two days (Numbers 161-50 Numbers 171-13) and each of them ends with the thought of the people being consumed (Numbers 1621 Numbers 1645-48 Numbers 1713)a Yahweh commands each tribe to lay a rod before Him in the Tent of Testimony one for each head of their fatherrsquos house (Numbers 171-3)b The rods to be laid up in the Tent of meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)c The rod of the chosen one will bud and put an end to murmuring (Numbers 175)d All the chieftains give rods including Aaron (Numbers 176)d The rods are placed in the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)c Aaronrsquos Rod buds and flowers in the Tent of Testimony and the budded and unbudded rods are revealed to all the people who look on them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)b Aaronrsquos rod is laid up lsquobefore the Testimonyrsquo to put an end to their murmuring (Numbers 1710)a The people recognise that none but Aaronrsquos house may enter the Tabernacle for they alone can enter the Sanctuary and live and the rod which is evidence for the fact is laid up before the Testimony (Numbers 1712-13)Verses 1-3Yahweh Commands Each Tribe to Lay a Rod Before Him in the Tent of Testimony One For Each Head of Their Fatherrsquos House (Numbers 171-3)Numbers 171lsquoAnd Yahweh spoke to Moses sayingrsquoAgain it is emphasised here that we have the words of Yahweh as spoken to Moses

BI 1-13 Write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of LeviAaronrsquos rodI Instructive to the Israelites

1 An end hereby put to murmuring By an incontrovertible sign they 10

knew who was the true priest2 A preventative furnished against future rebellion Miracles apt to be forgotten of this the evidence was to be preserved Kept for a token

II Suggestive to Christians Every man has some rod on which he leans The Christianrsquos is faith Like Aaronrsquos rod faith flourishesmdash1 Most in the sanctuary There are strengthening influences and a Divine power It will become a barren stock elsewhere2 Under circumstances in which other rods cannot live The almond flourishes even before the winter is fully past Faith budding in adversity3 Produces fruit and flowers on the bare stock of adversity4 Bears fruit speedily when God causes His blessing to rest upon it ldquoBelieve and be savedrdquo5 Stirs the Christian up to vigilance Almond-tree a symbol of watchfulness

III Typical of Christ1 For it is perpetual Aaronrsquos rod laid up as a lasting remembrance2 It bore fruit on a barren stock Jesus a root out of a dry ground3 It was distinguished among the sceptres of the princes Christrsquos kingdom and sceptre rule over all He is a plant of renown4 It was the object of special favour So in Jesus He ldquowas well pleasedrdquo He was ldquoelect and preciousrdquo

IV Symbolical of a true teacher1 His home the house of God2 Presents himself constantly before the testimony3 In himself dry and barren4 Relies upon God for fruitfulness5 Produces by Divine help not flowers only but fruit also6 As a dry and lifeless stock he receives quickening power from God so with his flowers and fruit he presents himself before God and offers all his works to Him

Learnmdash1 The wisdom of God in choice of methods2 To seek a strong and living and practical faith3 To rejoice in and rely upon the perpetual high priesthood of Christ4 To endeavour like the almond-tree to bring forth fruit early (J C Gray)

11

Aaronrsquos rod that buddedThis is our subject the miraculous conversion of Aaronrsquos rod into a living blossoming and fruit-bearing plant It must have been a most convincing prodigy for the purpose it was designed to answer for the people no sooner saw it than they cried out in remorse for their wavering allegiance ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perishrdquo But beyond the age wherein the marvel occurred this putting vegetable life into that dry staff has frequently been borrowed and used for other objects Thus Achilles in classic poetry when enraged against Agamemnon is made by Homer to refer to this miraclemdash

ldquoBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts stock on the high mountains at what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopt off its foliage greenAnd stript its bark shall never grow again -By this I swearrdquo

And amongst Latin literature you will some of you remember that a certain king confirms a covenant with AEneas by a similar oathI We begin by reminding you that among the greatest of our blessings in this world is our strict obligation to do the Divine will and to keep the Divine law It is far more worth our while to sing of Godrsquos statutes than it is to sing of Godrsquos promises Where should we be in a country without human authority and a human authority founded on a reverence for the Divine Very truly does Bushnell say that ldquowithout law man does not live he only grazesrdquo If he had no government he would never discern any reason for existence and would soon not care to exist How different is the world of Voltaire from the world of Milton I The one finds nothing but this clay world and its material beauties flashes into a shallow brilliancy of speech and weaving a song of surfaces empties himself into a book of all that he has felt or seen But the other at the back of all and through all visible things beholds a spirit and a Divinity Now is there not a very beautiful picture of the comeliness and the beneficence of law in the old miracle that was wrought upon the rod of Aaron That staff as we have put it to you was selected as the sign of authority This was a declaration first that no law was perfect that did not display life and beauty and fertility and a declaration secondly that by Godrsquos choice that perfect law dwelt in the high priest But apart from the imagery as a message to the children of Israel I cling to that blooming staff as the very best type I can find anywhere of what Godrsquos rule is amongst us and in His Church I find myself taught by this early prodigy on Aaronrsquos staff that Godrsquos dominion is the dominion of the almond-branch It is a rod alas for us if there were no rod But it is a rod displaying all the three several pledges and gradations of life and thusmdashoh beautiful coincidence if it be nothing moremdashGod turns His law towards the

12

children of men into what the forbidden tree so falsely appeared to the first transgressormdashldquopleasant to the eye and good for foodrdquo Of course I know that the staff or the sceptre is the symbol of authority because a staff is that with which one person smites another The ultimate significance of a rod is a blow But is it nothing to be taught by Godrsquos picture-alphabet of the Old Testament that He smites only with buds and with flowers and with fruit This seems to change even to any childrsquos apprehension the whole character of the sovereignty under which we bow in the modern camp of the Church You tremble as you read the chapter of hard duties Turn the leaf and you will come upon the chapter of precious promises There is not a verse in the Bible that is not in flower with some comfort aye though it be a verse that smites you with a difficult commandment You are never to tell a man to do a single thing in religion without telling him that God will help him to do it You are never to command a sacrifice from me for Christrsquos sake without comforting me with the assurance that ldquoGod is able to give me much more than thisrdquo If you have a strong rough hard stick of responsibility you must show it to me bursting out all over with the rich petals and the hanging clusters of the sovereignty of Divine grace Aye for I want you to mark well that here was a miracle within a miracle The natural almond-branch never has upon it at one time buds blossoms and fruit But I seem to be taught by this accumulation of successive life all at once on one stem that there is no element of mercy wanting in the code by which I am to be managed But remember that if we deserve nothing but the rod and yet if God never uses the rod save with the buds the blossoms and the fruit ldquoHe may well record it against us if either we despise the chastening of the Lord or faint when we are rebuked of HimrdquoII But now the real and only proper commentary on the facts of the Pentateuch will be found in the doctrines of the Epistle to the Hebrews Do you believe that all those lives would have been lost and all that commotion would have been made about the prerogative of Aaronrsquos priesthood but for that other Priest on whom the whole world was to relymdashthe Priest for evermdashldquomade not after the law of a carnal commandment but after the power of an endless liferdquo It is not by one Scripture it is by scores that I find myself pointed through that staff to the real government of this world in the rod out of the stem of Jesse ldquoHe shall grow up before Him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground without form or comelinessrdquo And yet all the while He was the ldquorod out of the stem of Jesserdquo And when I read in the Book of Numbers how the Hebrews rose up against Aaron and put him to shame I can only take it for a foreshadowing of another rebellion when they insulted another Sceptre who was ldquodespised and rejected of menrdquo We preach to you Christ a stumbling-block to the Jews And scarcely can you wonder that so long as the rod was only the root out of a dry ground the Son of the carpenter and the Friend of sinners there was ldquo no beauty in Him that they should desire Himrdquo But that is not the staff with which this day God governs His Church No no He hath declared that lowly peasant preacher to be ldquothe Son of God with power in that He hath raised Him from the deadrdquo Ah that night in which they concealed Aaronrsquos rod in the tabernacle of witness it was never less living never less blossoming than then But it was not left in darkness neither did it see corruption And on

13

the appointed morning men found it marked by the choice of the Omnipotent with the buds the blossoms and the fruit In like manner the coldest darkest least living period in Immanuelrsquos career was when they hid Him among all the other millions of the dead in the tomb cut out of the rock in the garden of Joseph ldquoBut now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first-fruits of them that sleptrdquo He was raised up ldquoa plant of renownrdquo And from that glorious Easter morning the ldquorod out of the stem of Jesserdquo has been ldquothe tree whose leaves are for the healing of the nationsrdquo and ldquofilling the face of the world with fruitrdquo Men can be governed by a Mediator and yet not perish ldquoThe soul that sinneth it shall dierdquo That is a rod but ldquoif any man sin we have an Advocate with the Fatherrdquo that is ldquoAaronrsquos rod that buddedrdquomdashthe rod of the Priest Reuben Gad and all the rest have rods Christianity is not alone in the sternness of its government or the severity of its sanctions But it is alone in telling me how I can receive remission of sins that are past and how I can obtain the strongest of motives for a life of obedience in the time to come (H Christopherson)

Aaronrsquos rod blossoming and bearing fruitI As the priesthood of Aaron was a type of the priesthood of Christ there is here a suggestion of facts which must have their counterpart in Christrsquos life and history

1 The atonement and death of our Lord Jesus were matters of Divine appointment The whole work of our salvation originated with God2 But more than thismdashwhich is the essential truth here enshrinedmdashwe see here that God often manifests Himself in unexpected forms of beauty and of grace The dry rod blossomed and bare fruit The powers of Divine salvation were enshrined in the person of the Carpenter of Nazareth There was life for a dead world in the Cross and in the grave of the dead Christ

II There are suggestions here concerning Christian life1 Christian life begins with God2 The Christian life manifests itself in unfavourable conditions It is in human souls a power of active benevolence or it is nothing at all It takes hold of human misery with a healing hand and it changes it into blessing Where sin abounded there grace does much more abound3 There is beauty associated with the developments of Christian life and character There is nothing half so winning as Christian grace

III Suggestions in relation to the gospel ministry1 There is a Divine designation of men to the highest service of the Church2 But what is the qualification of men thus sent Evidently the possession of Divine life the gift which is to be imparted to those needing it To be a Christian teacher a man must be a Christian and must

14

know the things of Christ3 How then are we to judge a manrsquos Divine call and authority Only and solely by the blossoms and fruitmdashby the spiritual results of his ministry

IV Last of all there are here suggestions concerning Christian humiliation1 The world has not known its best benefactors It has always had a scornful word for the saintly and the true-hearted It has always risen up in rebellion against the anointed of the Lord2 Here is a word of encouragement to all weak and mistrustful and diffident and self-emptied souls ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says the old labourer in the Masterrsquos vineyard and the holy matron whose life has been careful and troubled about many things but who has ever been anxious to honour and serve her dear Lord in lowliest ways and household duties ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says the saint waiting dismission to rest who has not done what he would or been as useful as he desired and hoped and prayed to be ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says one whose strength has been weakened by the way and whose unfinished purposes lie sadly enough at his feet fallen out of hands which could not longer hold them or fashion them into completeness ldquoWe are but dry rodsrdquo say many earnest anxious longing souls who hardly dare to trust for the future because so often when they would do good evil is present with them We are not saved by trust in our own righteousness or by satisfaction with our own goodness and deeds But Godrsquos grace is all-sufficient and He can work miracles of beauty and fruitfulness where human might is feeblest and self mistrust is greatest and humility of spirit is deepest (W H Davison D D)

The Divine plan for vindicating the high priesthood of Aaron and its moral teachingI That true ministers of religion are elected by GodII It is of great importance that men should know that their ministers of religion are called by God

1 In order that they may regard them with becoming respect2 In order that they may take heed to their message

III The vitality of sin is of dreadful tenacity ldquoMany menrsquos lipsrdquo says Trapp ldquolike rusty hinges for want of the oil of grace and gladness move not without murmuring and complainingrdquo It is a thing of extreme difficulty to eradicate any evil disposition from the human heart ldquoFor such is the habitual hardness of menrsquos hearts as neither ministry nor misery nor miracle nor mercy can possibly mollify Nothing can do it but an extraordinary touch from the hand of HeavenrdquoIV God is engaged in eradicating sin from human hearts (W Jones)

15

Aaronrsquos rod an illustration of the true Christian ministryI The characteristics of the true Christian ministry

1 Life2 Beauty3 Fruitfulness

II The origin of the true Christian ministry Godrsquos creation and gift to the ChurchIII The influence of the true Christian ministry Abiding (W Jones)

The budded rod a type of ChristThe rod in many graphic tints shows Jesus The very name is caught by raptured prophets (Isa_111 Zec_612-13) Thus faith gleans lessons from the very titlemdashRod But the grand purport of the type is to reject all rivals It sets Aaron alone upon the priestly seat The parallel proclaims that similarly Jesus is our only Priest God calls anoints appoints accepts and ever hears Him but Him alone In His hands only do these functions live Next the constant luxuriance has a clear voice In naturersquos field buds blossoms fruit soon wither Not so this rod Its verdure was for ever green its fruit was ever ripe Beside the ark it was reserved in never-fading beauty Here is the ever-blooming Priesthood of our Lord (Psa_1104 Heb_724) Mark moreover that types of Jesus often comprehend the Church It is so with these rods The twelve at first seem all alike They are all sapless twigs But suddenly one puts forth loveliness while the others still remain worthless and withered Here is a picture of Godrsquos dealings with a sin-slain race Since Adamrsquos fall all are born lifeless branches of a withered stock When any child of man arises from the death of sin and blooms in grace God has arisen with Divine almightiness Believer the budded rod gives another warning It is a picture of luxuriance Turn from it and look inward Is your soul thus richly fertile Instead of fruit you often yield the thorn (Joh_158) Whence is the fault (Joh_154) Perhaps your neglectful soul departs from Christ Meditate in Godrsquos law day and night (Psa_13) But if the budded rod rebukes the scanty fruit in the new-born soul what is its voice to unregenerate worldlings (Heb_68) (Dean Law)

The rod of AaronBuds are evidence of life A nominal Christian is like a dead trunk and he cannot bud unless the sap of Divine grace courses through him Spiritual life is an attribute of the converted Christian The spiritual life of a being is his presiding sentiment or dispositionmdashthe chief inspiration of his soulmdashthat which gives motion and character to his mental and moral beingI Life is a resistless force The smallest blade of grass that raises its tiny head into light or the feeblest insect that sports in the sunbeam displays a

16

force superior to that which governs the ocean or controls the stars Man stands erect the tree rises and the bird soars because of lifeII Life is an appropriating force Vegetable and animal existences have a power of appropriating to themselves all surrounding elements conducive to their well-being just as the life of the plant converts the various gases around it into nutriment to promote its strength and development Wherever there is true religion there is a power to render all external circumstances subservient to its own strength and growth all things work together for its goodIII Life is a propagating force It has ldquothe seed in itselfrdquo Forests start from acorns and boundless harvests from the solitary grain It is said that the grateful Israelites anxious to carry away a bud a blossom or almond as a memento of the occasion the flowers and fruit on the rod were repeatedly and miraculously renewed for that purpose Be that as it may wherever there is religious life it will spread it scatters broadcast the incorruptible seed which liveth and abideth for everIV Life is a beautifying force There are two kinds of beautymdashthe sensational and the moral Nature in her ten thousand forms of loveliness and art in her exquisite expressions of taste are ministries to the former whilst spiritual truth moral goodness and the holiness of God address the latter The one is the poetry of the eye and ear the other of the soul The beauty that appeals to the religious nature of man is the beauty of holinessmdashthe beauty of the Lordmdashthe glory of God in His goodnessV Life is a fructifying force The true Christian not only lives and unfolds a noble disposition but is really useful St Paul speaks of ldquothe fruit of the Spiritrdquomdashrighteousness goodness truth The first as opposed to all injustice and dishonesty the second as opposed to the ten thousand forms of selfishness the third as opposed to all that is erroneous and false in the doctrines and theories of men (G L Saywell)

Aaronrsquos rodHere are three miracles in onemdash

1 That a dry rodmdashmade of the almond treemdashshould bring forth buds in a moment2 That those buds should presently become blossoms anal flowers3 That these should immediately become ripe fruit and that all at once or at least in a little space

Nature makes no such leaps All this was supernatural to these ends1 For a testimony of Godrsquos calling Aaron to the priesthood2 For a type of Christ the Branch (Isa_111)3 For a figure of the fruitfulness of a gospel ministry4 For a lively representation of a glorious resurrection (C Ness)

17

Lessons from the budding rodA wonderful work of God which sundry ways may profit us

1 As first to consider that if the power of God can do this in a dry stick cannot He make the barren woman to bare and be a joyful mother of children Can He not do whatsoever He will do By this power the sea is dried the rock gives water the earth cleaveth under the feet of men fire descends whose nature is to ascend raiseth the dead and calleth things that are not as if they were In a word He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think ampc2 This rod is a notable type of Christ His person and office Of His person in that He was born of the Virgin Mary who though He descended of the royal blood yet was now poor and mean as that royal race was brought exceeding low nothing remaining but as it were a root only Now the said Virgin flourisheth again as Aaronrsquos rod did and beareth such fruit as never woman bear Of this speaks Isaiah the prophet when he saith ldquoThere shall come a rod forth of the stock of Jesse and a graft shall grow out of his rootsrdquo Of His office both priestly and kingly His priestly office is figured in that being offered upon the cross He was as Aaronrsquos dried rod or as the Psalm saith ldquodried up like a potsherdrdquo But when He rose again He became like Aaronrsquos budding and fruit-bearing rod bringing forth to man believing on Him remission of sins righteousness and eternal life His kingly office in that He governeth His Church with a rod or sceptre of righteousness as it is in the Psalm ldquoThe sceptre of Thy kingdom is a right sceptrerdquo Which rod and sceptre is the preaching of the gospel ampc3 Again it was a resemblance of true ministers and of all faithful men and women for none of all these ought to be dry and withered sticks but bear and bring forth buds and fruit according to their places4 It is a shadow also of our resurrection by which we should grow green again and flourish with a new and an eternal glory having like dead seed lain in the ground and we shall bring forth ripe almonds that is the praise of Godrsquos incomprehensible goodness to us for ever and ever5 It resembleth our reformation and amendment of life for when our heart feeleth what is amiss this is as the bud when it resolveth of a change and a future amendment this is the blossom and when it performeth the same by a new reformed life indeed this is as the ripe almonds of Aaronrsquos rod(Bp Babington)

The priesthood divinely selectedWhat matchless wisdom shines in this arrangement How completely is the matter taken out of manrsquos hands and placed where alone it ought to be namely in the hands of the living God It was not to be a man appointing

18

himself or a man appointing his fellow but God appointing the man of His own selection In a word the question was to be definitively settled by God Himself so that all murmurings might be silenced for ever and no one be able again to charge Godrsquos high priest with taking too much upon him The human will had nothing whatever to do with this solemn matter The twelve rods all in a like condition were laid up before the Lord man retired and left God to act There was no room no opportunity because there was no occasion for human management In the profound retirement of the sanctuary far away from all manrsquos thinkings was the grand question of priesthood settled by Divine decision and being thus settled it could never again be raised (C H Mackintosh)

Aaronrsquos fruitful rodStriking and beautiful figure of Him who was ldquodeclared to be the Son of God with power by resurrection from the deadrdquo The twelve rods were all alike lifeless but God the living God entered the scene and by that power peculiar to Himself infused life into Aaronrsquos rod and brought it forth to view bearing upon it the fragrant fruits of resurrection Who could gainsay this The rationalist may sneer at it and raise a thousand questions Faith gazes on that fruit-bearing rod and sees in it a lovely figure of the new creation in the which all things are of God Infidelity may argue on the ground of the apparent impossibility of a dry stick budding blossoming and bearing fruit in the course of one night But to whelm does it appear impossible To the infidel the rationalist the sceptic And why Because he always shuts out God Let us remember this Infidelity invariably shuts out God God can do as He pleases The One who called worlds into existence could make a rod to bud blossom and bear fruit in a moment Bring God in and all is simple and plain as possible Leave God out and all is plunged in hopeless confusion (C H Mackintosh)

The rods contrastedPonder the difference between the rod of Moses and the rod of Aaron We have seen the former doing its characteristic work in other days and amid other scenes We have seen the land of Egypt trembling beneath the heavy strokes of that rod Plague after plague fell upon that devoted scene in answer to that outstretched rod We have seen the waters of the sea divided in answer to that rod In short the rod of Moses was a rod of power a rod of authority But it could not avail to hush the murmurings of the children of Israel nor yet to bring the people through the desert Grace alone could do that and we have the expression of pure gracemdashfree sovereign gracemdashin the budding of Aaronrsquos rod Nothing can be more forcible nothing more lovely That dry dead stick was the apt figure of Israelrsquos condition and indeed of the condition of every one of us by nature There was no sap no life no power One might well say ldquoWhat good can ever come of itrdquo None whatever had not grace come in and displayed its quickening power So was it with Israel in the wilderness and so is it with us now How were they to

19

be led along from day to day How were they to be sustained in all their weakness and need How were they to be borne with in all their sin and folly The answer is found in Aaronrsquos budding rod If the dry dead stick was the expression of naturersquos barren and worthless condition the buds blossoms and fruit set forth that living and life-giving grace and power of God on which was based the priestly ministry that alone could bear the congregation through the wilderness Grace alone could answer the ten thousand necessities of the militant host Power could not suffice Authority could not avail Priesthood alone could supply what was needed and this priesthood was instituted on the foundation of that efficacious grace which could bring fruit out of a dry rod Thus it was as to priesthood of old and thus it is as to ministry now All ministry in the Church of God is the fruit of Divine gracemdashthe gift of Christ the Churchrsquos Head (C H Mackintosh)

2 ldquoSpeak 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

BARNES Compare Eze_3716 ff

CLARKE And take of every one of them a rod - matteh the staff or מטהscepter which the prince or chief of each tribe bore and which was the sign of office or royalty among almost all the people of the earth

GILL Speak unto the children of Israel The principal men among them of the several tribes and take of everyone of them not of every individual of the people of Israel but of their princes as afterwards explained a rod according to the house of their fathers or father of whom their house or tribe was called as Reuben Simeon ampc this rod was either a

20

common walking staff as some think or rather the ensign of their princely office and dignity peculiar to each tribe though some think it was now freshly cut off from an almond tree and that all the rods were of one and the same tree but supposing they were all of the almond kind as Josephus (d) thinks yet being dry rods and of long use served to make the miracle appear the greater of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods this explains who they were to be taken of the princes of the several tribes whose names are given Num_15 and the number of them twelve according to the number of the twelve tribes write thou every mans name upon his rod the name of each prince or head of a tribe either by cutting it into the rod or fastening a writing to it after the manner of those times as for instance the name of Elizur for the tribe of Reuben by which it was to be made and was made to appear that to none of these tribes belonged the priesthood but to the tribe of Levi and to none of that tribe but the family of Aaron whereby it should seem that some of all the tribes made pretensions to it as being all holy and especially the chief firstborn of every tribe as such their princes were

JAMISON 2-5 Speak unto the children of Israel mdash The controversy with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood was of such a nature and magnitude as required a decisive and authoritative settlement For the removal of all doubts and the silencing of all murmuring in the future regarding the holder of the office a miracle was wrought of a remarkable character and permanent duration and in the manner of performing it all the people were made to have a direct and special interest

take of every one princes twelve rods mdash As the princes being the oldest sons of the chief family and heads of their tribes might have advanced the best claims to the priesthood if that sacred dignity was to be shared among all the tribes they were therefore selected and being twelve in number - that of Joseph being counted only one - Moses was ordered to see that the name of each was inscribed - a practice borrowed from the Egyptians - upon his rod or wand of office The name of Aaron rather than of Levi was used as the latter name would have opened a door of controversy among the Levites and as there was to be one rod only for the head of each tribe the express appointment of a rod for Aaron determined him to be the head of that tribe as well as that branch or family of the tribe to which the priestly dignity should belong These rods were to be laid in the tabernacle close to the ark (compare Num_1710 and Heb_94) where a divine token was promised that would for all time terminate the dispute

CALVIN 2Speak unto the children of Israel They are mistaken who suppose that to the twelve rods there was another added for the tribe of Levi (103) for since there was no question here as to the possession of the land there was no occasion at

21

all for the division of the tribe of Joseph into two parts We know too that it was endowed with a double portion because the Levites had no inheritance and in this case the circumstances were different because all the other tribes were contending for the priesthood with the tribe of Levi alone Hence it was then that rods were given to each of them in accordance with the origin of their race But when Aaronrsquos rod is said to have been ldquoin the midst of themrdquo (104) it is in the usual phrase of the Hebrew language because it was mixed with them as one of their number And this is expressly stated to show us that all ground for caviling might be taken from the ungodly since all the rods were east promiscuously into the same bundle so that none should be distinguished above the others and thus nothing could be ascribed to the collusion of men If any should object that by these means the rivalry was not extinguished which the other Levites had with the house of Aaron since his own name alone was inscribed upon the rod so that there would be no comparison between the families I reply that since the power of God manifested itself distinctly in the name of Aaron the rejection of the others was sufficiently shown forth by his election for if this honor had been common to the others God would have defrauded them by giving distinction to him alone Besides no other plan could have been adopted for putting an end to this quarrel for if there had been several rods for one tribe the whole people would have complained of the inequality It was necessary then that all should be brought to the contest on equal terms so that the difference between them might be seen to depend upon Godrsquos good pleasure But if the name of Levi had been inscribed all its families would have claimed the right of succession as if common to them all There was therefore no other course open but that God should prefer to the whole people one individual chosen from amongst the members of his own kindred and tribe COKE Numbers 172 Take of every one of them a rodmdash The minds of a considerable number of the people having been poisoned by the insinuations of Korah and his accomplices against Aaron and his family upon the account of the priesthood God is pleased to add another signal miracle in confirmation of his priests authority accordingly the head of each tribe is ordered to take a rod and bring it before the Lord Some have supposed that these were the ordinary rods or batoons which the princes of the tribes bore while from the 8th verse of this chapter others infer that these were twigs or branches from one and the same almond tree whichever was the case the miracle was sufficiently great to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of ProvidenceBENSON Numbers 172 Take of every one mdash Not of every person but of every tribe A rod mdash A twig or branch from one and the same almond-tree as some infer from Numbers 178 Or according to others the ordinary rods which the princes of the tribes carried in their hands as tokens of their dignity and authority Numbers 2118 And indeed the miracle would appear the greater if neither Aaronrsquos rod nor any of the rest was of the almond-tree But the miracle was sufficiently great either way to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of Providence Every manrsquos name mdash Every princersquos for they being the firstborn and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of

22

their tribes and besides the prince represented all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the question And this place seems to confirm the opinion that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contended with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holyELLICOTT (2) And take of every one of them mdashBetter And take of them a rod for each fatherrsquos houseTwelve rodsmdashSome suppose that Aaronrsquos rod was not included amongst the twelve Others suppose that one rod only was taken for the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh The latter supposition is more accordant with the terms here employed than the former and is supported by Deuteronomy 2712-13 where Joseph stands for the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh and Levi is included amongst the twelve tribesWrite thou every manrsquos name upon his rodmdashThis was in accordance with an Egyptian custom (See Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians III 388) The prophet Ezekiel received a similar injunction (Ezekiel 3716)POOLE Speak unto the children of Israel that I may fully and finally satisfy all their scruples and take away all pretence and cause of murmuringOf every one of them not of every person but of every tribe as it followsA rod either an ordinary walking staff or rather that staff or rod which the princes carried in their hand as tokens of their dignity and authority as may be gathered from Numbers 2118 compared with Psalms 1102 Jeremiah 481617According to the house of their fathers ie according to each family proceeding from the patriarch or father of that tribeEvery manrsquos name ie every princersquos for they being the first-born and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of their tribes and besides each prince represented and acted for all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the whole question And this plate seems to confirm what was before observed that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contested with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holy as they said Numbers 163

WHEDON 2 A rod mdash Each chief prince of the twelve tribes bore a staff or sceptre as the sign of office Such rods were often hereditary and of great antiquity That such dry staves should blossom and bear fruit again is so improbable that the Greeks were accustomed to swear by their sceptres Thus Achilles

23

ldquoBut hearken I will swear a solemn oathBy this sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as oncerdquoWritehellip every manrsquos name mdash To identify beyond dispute the rod of Aaron after the trial The illiteracy of Moses and his generation as alleged by some modern writers is here abundantly confuted Since there were twelve rods including Levirsquos it is evident that the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim are here counted as one tribe mdash that of JosephPETT Numbers 172lsquoSpeak to the children of Israel and take of them rods one for each fathersrsquo house of all their princes according to their fathersrsquo houses twelve rods You write every manrsquos name on his rodrsquoAll the men of Israel were to be involved in this It is possible that Levi were included among lsquothe twelversquo and that Manasseh and Ephraim were for this event treated as one tribe the rods representing the lsquohouseholdsrsquo of the original patriarchal fathers But a rod was taken for each of their fathersrsquo houses and the names of each of the chieftains of those fathersrsquo houses was written on the rods This would suggest in the light of previous references to twelve chieftains that the lsquotwelversquo rods were in contrast with Aaronrsquos rod (Alternately one rod may have represented Joseph including both Ephraim and Manasseh It was Joseph who was to be lsquoa fruitful boughrsquo (Genesis 4922) but not as pertaining to the priesthood)The word for lsquorodsrsquo also indicates lsquotribes and can in fact be used to indicate either Thus the rods symbolised each tribe

PULPIT Numbers 172Take of every one of them a rod Literally take of them a rod a rod ie a rod apiece in the way immediately particularized hsilgnEegaugnaL מטה is used for the staff of Judah (Genesis 3818) and for the rod of Moses (Exodus 42) It is also used in the sense of tribe (Numbers 14 Numbers 116) Each tribe was but a branch or rod out of the stock of Israel and therefore was most naturally represented by the rod cut from the tree lsquoThe words used for scepter in Genesis 4910 and in Psalms 457 and for rod in Isaiah 111 and elsewhere are different but the same imagery underlies the use of all of them Of all their princes hellip twelve rods These princes must be those named in Isaiah 22-21 and Isaiah 25-71 Since among these are to be found the tribe princes of Ephraim and Manasseh standing upon a perfect equality with the rest it is evident that the twelve rods were exclusive

24

of that of Aaron The joining together of Ephraim and Manasseh in Deuteronomy 2712 was a very different thing because it could not raise any question as between the two

3 On the staff of Levi write Aaronrsquos name for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe

BARNES Thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of Levi - The Levites had taken part in the late outbreak It was therefore necessary to vindicate the supremacy of the house of Aaron over them and accordingly his name was written on the rod of Levi although being the son of Kohath the second son of Levi (Exo_616 ff) he would not be the natural head of the tribe

GILL And thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi Or upon the rod that was for the tribe of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written not the word Levi or a Levite as Josephus (e) for that would not have decided the controversy about the priesthood which chiefly lay between the Levites and the family of Aaron who were of the same tribe for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers one rod for the head or prince of every tribe every prince representing his own tribe he was the head of and the rod the prince and though the tribe of Levi was divided into two families the family of the priests and the family of the Levites yet as Jarchi observes they were but one tribe and so one rod for them as for the other tribes

ELLICOTT (3) And thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of LevimdashAaron was descended from the second son of Levi He was not therefore the natural but the divinely-appointed head of his fatherrsquos house and hence it would not have sufficed for the purpose contemplated to have inscribed the name of Levi upon the rod Aaron was constituted the head alike of the priests and of the Levites into which two classes the tribe of Levi was divided

25

BENSON Numbers 173 Aaronrsquos name mdash Rather than Levirsquos for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos family One rod mdash There shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixed

POOLE Aaronrsquos rather than Levirsquos name for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos familyFor the head of the house of their fathers ie there shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixedPETT Numbers 173lsquoAnd you shall write Aaronrsquos name on the rod of Levi for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathersrsquo housesrsquoOn the rod of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written There was to be one for each head of their fathersrsquo houses In the light of the earlier divisions in chapters 1-4 we are probably therefore to see that there were thirteen rods the twelve which represented Israel in contrast with the Levites and the one that specifically represented AaronHere Aaron is depicted as the head of the house of Levi That may well be why earlier he was called lsquothe Levitersquo as the head of the family (Exodus 414)

PULPIT Numbers 173Thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi There was no tribe prince of Levi and it is not probable that either of the three chiefs of the sub-tribes (Numbers 324 Numbers 330 55) was called upon to bring a rod This rod was therefore provided by Moses himself and inscribed by him with the name of Aaron who stood by Divine appointment (so recently and fearfully attested) above all his brethren For the significance of the act cf Ezekiel 3716-28 For one rod hellip for the head of the house of their fathers For Levi therefore there must be not three rods inscribed with the names of the chiefs but one only bearing the name of Aaron as

26

their common superior

4 Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law where I meet with you

GILL And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation In the most holy place before the testimony that is the ark in which the testimony or the law was here they were laid as in the presence of God who was in a miraculous way to decide the controversy by them and put an end to it for upon the ark was the mercy seat over which were the cherubim the seat of the divine Majesty and where none could come at them and where no fraud could be supposed to be committed where I will meet with you not with the people in person who might not go at any time into the most holy place nor with Aaron who only might go into it on the day of atonement but with Moses the chief ruler and representative of the whole body of the people and who might go in there at any time to consult with God about matters of moment and difficulty and where the Lord had said he would meet him Exo_2522 and now would in a miraculous way clearly show him and the people of Israel by him who was the priest he had chosen of all the tribesCALVIN 4And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle The place itself had not a little to do with the effectual decision of the matter because it was clearly manifested that God was the author of the miracle and consequently that the priesthood proceeded from Him For we have elsewhere said that the whole government of the Church so entirely depends upon His decree that men are not permitted to interfere with it Wherefore He set the ark of the covenant in opposition to the voices of the whole people in order to testify that no further dispute was to be raised respecting the priest whom He had appointed by His own declaration and authority At the same time it had the effect of consoling the people and silencing their complaints that the rods of all the tribes were brought in common into the sanctuary before God for although a peculiar dignity was accorded to that of Aaron alone still the people ceased not to be a priestly kingdom Hence it follows that the honorable privilege conferred on one family contributed to the public welfare of all so far was it from being the case that their inferiority ought to have caused them pain or envy

27

POOLE Before the testimony ie before the ark of the testimony either mediately close by the veil behind which the ark stood or rather immediately within the veil in the most holy place close by the ark as may be gathered by comparing this place with Numbers 1710 and with Hebrews 94I will meet with you and manifest my mind to you for the ending of this dispute PETT The Rods Are To Be Laid Up in the Tent of Meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)Numbers 174lsquoAnd you shall lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony where I meet with yoursquoThese were then to be lsquolaid up in the Tent of meeting before the testimonyrsquo in the place where Yahweh meets with His people This probably meant in front of the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh lsquothe testimonyrsquo indicating the presence of the covenant tablets in the Ark and their testimony to the covenant

5 The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelitesrdquo

CLARKE The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossom - It was necessary that something farther should be done to quiet the minds of the people and for ever to settle the dispute in what tribe the priesthood should be fixed God therefore took the method described in the text and it had the desired effect the Aaronical priesthood was never after disputed

GILL And it shall come to pass that the mans rod whom I shall choose Or make it manifest that he had chosen him and so confirm the choice he had made of him and his family for the priesthood to be and continue in

28

shall blossom bud and blossom and yield fruit as it afterwards did which is here declared beforehand that the miracle might appear the greater exactly answering to a prediction delivered out before of it and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel whereby they murmur against you against Moses for setting up his brother as an high priest and establishing the priesthood in his family and against Aaron for accepting of it and officiating in it but by this method now taken God would for ever silence their murmurings so that they should never be able with any face to object any more to the authority of the Aaronic priesthood which should appear by the predicted miracle beyond all dispute and contradictionCALVIN 5And it shall come to pass that the manrsquos rod Aaron indeed had been previously chosen but the expression here refers to his manifestation (105) because God is said again to choose those whom He has chosen by His secret counsel when He brings them forth into the sight of men with their peculiar marks of distinction and this not once only but as often as he confirms their election by new indications And this seems to be spoken of by way of concession as if God would pass over all His former decrees and invite the people afresh to take cognizance of the matter With this view tie states that He will put an end to all the malevolent and noisy detractions of the people so that Aaron may henceforth exercise his office without controversy for although not even thus was their perverseness altogether cured still their insolence was restrained

ELLICOTT (5) The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossommdashOr shall sprout forth or put forthmdashie leaves or blossoms Achilles when enraged against Agamemnon is made to swear a solemn oath by his sceptre which having once left its stock on the mountains shall never again grow King Latinus is represented by Virgil as confirming his covenant with AEligneas by a similar oath

WHEDON 5 Whom I shall choose mdash That is select for the priesthoodCeasehellip murmurings mdash Suppress them beyond all possibility of a revival Jehovahrsquos claims are set forth in his word with such cogency that there is no just ground for gainsaying On all questions of duty there is a redundancy of evidencePETT The Rod of the Chosen One Will Bud and Put an End to Murmuring (Numbers 175)Numbers 175lsquoAnd it will come about that the rod of the man whom I shall choose will bud and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel which they

29

murmur against yoursquoThen Yahweh would make the rod of the man that Yahweh had chosen spring to life and bud This final display on Yahwehrsquos initiative should cause all further murmurings against Moses and Aaron on the question of who had the right of priesthood to cease

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 Aaronrsquos staff was among them

BARNES The whole number of rods was twelve exclusive of Aaronrsquos as the Vulgate expressly states

GILL And Moses spake unto the children of Israel What the Lord had bid him say unto them concerning the rods which they hearkened unto and observed and everyone of their princes gave him a rod apiece for each prince one every prince of the several tribes and so a rod for every tribe as well as for each prince according to their fathers houses even twelve rods there being twelve tribes named after their fathers or the patriarchs the twelve sons of Jacob and Joseph having two tribes which sprung from him called after his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh there were twelve rods besides that of Aaron and so the Vulgate Latin version renders the words with the next clauseand there were twelve rods besides the rod of Aaronin all thirteen though the Jews say there were but twelve with it allowing but one rod for Joseph under whom were comprehended Ephraim and Manasseh and reckoning the tribe of Levi one of the twelve so Aben Ezra observes that the rod of Levi was among the twelve and Joseph had but one rod and the rod of Aaron was among their rods in the middle of them and was

30

so placed as Jarchi thinks that it might not be said because it was put on the side of the Shechinah or divine Majesty therefore it budded but being in the middle of them there could be no difference in that respectJAMISON the rod of Aaron was among their rods mdash either one of the

twelve or as many suppose a thirteenth in the midst (Heb_94) The rods were of dry sticks or wands probably old as transmitted from one head of the family to a succeeding

KampD Num_176-11Moses carried out this command And when he went into the tabernacle the following morning behold Aarons rod of the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth shoots and had borne blossoms and matured almonds And Moses brought all the rods out of the sanctuary and gave every man his own the rest as we may gather from the context being all unchanged so that the whole nation could satisfy itself that God had chosen Aaron Thus was the word fulfilled which Moses had spoken at the commencement of the rebellion of the company of Korah (Num_165) and that in a way which could not fail to accredit him before the whole congregation as sent of GodSo far as the occurrence itself is concerned there can hardly be any need to remark that the natural interpretation which has lately been attempted by Ewald viz that Moses had laid several almond rods in the holy place which had just been freshly cut off that he might see the next day which of them would flower the best during the night is directly at variance with the words of the text and also with the fact that a rod even freshly cut off when laid in a dry place would not bear ripe fruit in a single night The miracle which God wrought here as the Creator of nature was at the same time a significant symbol of the nature and meaning of the priesthood The choice of the rods had also a bearing upon the object in question A mans rod was the sign of his position as ruler in the house and congregation with a prince the rod becomes a sceptre the insignia of rule (Gen_4910) As a severed branch the rod could not put forth shoots and blossom in a natural way But God could impart new vital powers even to the dry rod And so Aaron had naturally no pre-eminence above the heads of the other tribes But the priesthood was founded not upon natural qualifications and gifts but upon the power of the Spirit which God communicates according to the choice of His wisdom and which He had imparted to Aaron through his consecration with holy anointing oil It was this which the Lord intended to show to the people by causing Aarons rod to put forth branches blossom and fruit through a miracle of His omnipotence whereas the rods of the other heads of the tribes remained as barren as before In this way therefore it was not without deep significance that Aarons rod not only put forth shoots by which the divine election might be recognised but bore even blossom and ripe fruit This showed that Aaron was not only qualified for his calling but administered his office in the full power of the Spirit and bore the fruit expected of him The almond rod was especially adapted to exhibit this as

31

an almond-tree flowers and bears fruit the earliest of all the trees and has received its name of שקד ldquoawakerdquo from this very fact (cf Jer_111)

God then commanded (Num_1710 Num_1711) that Aarons rod should be taken back into the sanctuary and preserved before the testimony ldquofor a sign for the rebellious that thou puttest an end to their murmuring and they die notrdquo The preservation of the rod before the ark of the covenant in the immediate presence of the Lord was a pledge to Aaron of the continuance of his election and the permanent duration of his priesthood though we have no need to assume that through a perpetual miracle the staff continued green and blossoming In this way the staff became a sign to the rebellious which could not fail to stop their murmuringPETT All the Chieftains Give Rods Including Aaron (Numbers 176)Numbers 176lsquoAnd Moses spoke to the children of Israel and all their princes gave him rods for each prince one according to their fathersrsquo houses even twelve rods and the rod of Aaron was among their rodsrsquoSo Moses did as Yahweh commanded and requested rods from each of the chieftains of the twelve tribes These rods may well have been their symbols of authority Thus twelve rods were gathered and Aaronrsquos rod was placed among them PULPIT And the rod of Aaron was among the rods As there was no prince from whom this rod could have come and as there were twelve rods without it this must mean that Moses did not keep Aarons rod separate (which might have caused suspicion) but let it be seen amongst the others

7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law

GILL And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness In that part of the tabernacle where the testimony or witness was that is the law which was in the ark over which was the mercy seat with the cherubim between which Jehovah dwelt and this was the most holy place and the rods being laid here might be said to be laid before the Lord who by making a difference in one of those rods from the rest would decide the controversy about the priesthood which was the end of their being laid

32

before himHENRY The preparing of the rods accordingly The princes brought

them in some of them perhaps fondly expecting that the choice would fall upon them and all of them thinking it honour enough to be competitors with Aaron and to stand candidates even for the priesthood (Num_177) and Moses laid them up before the Lord He did not object that the matter was sufficiently settled already and enough done to convince those that were not invincibly hardened in their prejudices He did not undertake to determine the controversy himself though it might easily have been done nor did he suggest that it would be to no purpose to offer satisfaction to a people that were willingly blind But since God will have it so he did his part and lodged the case before the Lord to whom the appeal was made by consent and left it with him

WHEDON 7 Witness mdash The Hebrew is the same as that for testimony in Numbers 174 The reason for choosing this place may have been that no one would suspect the performance of any legerdemain or jugglery in the holy of holies a sanctuary too awful for any man to enter but the high priest one day in the year Moses entered on this occasion by express commandPETT The Rods Are Placed In the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)Numbers 177lsquoAnd Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimonyrsquoThe rods were then laid up lsquobefore Yahwehrsquo in lsquothe Tent of the testimonyrsquo Note the change in name for the Tent Emphasis is placed here on the fact that the Tent testifies to Yahweh and His covenant As we have already suggested this probably meant that they were placed before the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh although it may be that Moses uniquely had access into the Holy of Holies itself

8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaronrsquos staff which represented the tribe of Levi had not only sprouted but had budded blossomed and produced almonds 33

BARNES Yielded almonds - ldquoRipened almondsrdquo i e ldquobrought forth ripe almondsrdquo The name almond in Hebrew denotes the ldquowaking-treerdquo the ldquowaking-fruitrdquo and is applied to this tree because it blossoms early in the season It serves here as in Jer_111-12 to set forth the speed and certainty with which at Godrsquos will His purposes are accomplished So again the blossoming and bearing of Aaronrsquos rod naturally impotent when severed from the parent tree may signify the profitableness because of Godrsquos appointment and blessing of the various means of grace (e g the priesthood the sacraments) which of themselves and apart from Him could have no such efficacy Compare Isa_42 Isa_111 Isa_532 Jer_335 Zec_612

CLARKE The rod of Aaron - was budded etc - That is on the same rod or staff were found buds blossoms and ripe fruit This fact was so unquestionably miraculous as to decide the business for ever and probably this was intended to show that in the priesthood represented by that of Aaron the beginning middle and end of every good work must be found The buds of good desires the blossoms of holy resolutions and promising professions and the ripe fruit of faith love and obedience all spring from the priesthood of the Lord Jesus It has been thought by some that Aaronrsquos staff (and perhaps the staves of all the tribes) was made out of the amygdala communis or common almond tree In a favorable soil and climate it grows to twenty feet in height is one of the most noble flourishing trees in nature its flowers are of a delicate red and it puts them forth early in March having begun to bud in January It has its name שקד shaked from shakad to awake because it buds and flowers sooner than most other trees And it is very likely that the staves of office borne by the chiefs of all the tribes were made of this tree merely to signify that watchfulness and assiduous care which the chiefs should take of the persons committed in the course of the Divine providence to their keeping

Every thing in this miracle is so far beyond the power of nature that no doubt could remain on the minds of the people or the envious chiefs of the Divine appointment of Aaron and of the especial interference of God in this case To see a piece of wood long cut off from the parent stock without bark or moisture remaining laid up in a dry place for a single night with others in the same circumstances - to see such a piece of wood resume and evince the perfection of vegetative life budding blossoming and bringing forth ripe fruit at the same time must be such a demonstration of the peculiar interference of God as to silence every doubt and satisfy every scruple It is worthy of remark that a scepter or staff of office resuming its vegetative life was considered an absolute impossibility among the ancients and as 34

they were accustomed to swear by their sceptres this circumstance was added to establish and confirm the oath A remarkable instance of this we have in Homer Iliad lib i ver 233 etc where Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon thus speaks -Αλλrsquo εκ τοι ερεω και επι μεγαν ὁρκον ομουμαιΝαι μα τοδε σκηπτρον το μεν ουποτε φυλλα και οζουςΦυσει επειδη πρωτα τομην εν ορεσσι λελοιπενΟυδrsquo αναθηλησει περι γαρ ῥα ἑ χαλκος ελεψεΦυλλα τε και φλοιονὁ δε τοι μεγας εσσεται ὁρκοςBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same scepter which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopprsquod off its foliage greenAnd stripprsquod its bark shall never grow againCowper

Virgil represents King Latinus swearing in the same way to confirm his covenant with Aeneas -Ut Sceptrum hoc (dextra sceptrum nam forte gerebat)Nunquam fronde levi fundet virgulta neque umbrasCum semel in silvis imo de stirpe recisumMatre caret posuitque comas et brachia ferroOlim arbos nunc artificis manus aere decoroInclusit patribusque dedit gestare LatinisTalibus inter se firmabant foedera dictisAen lib xii ver 206-12Even as this royal Sceptre (for he boreA scepter in his hand) shall never moreShoot out in branches or renew the birthAn orphan now cut from the mother earthBy the keen axe dishonorrsquod of its hairAnd cased in brass for Latian kings to bearAnd thus in public view the peace was tiedWith solemn vows and sworn on either sideDryden

When the circumstance of the rod or scepter being used anciently in this way and the absolute impossibility of its reviviscence so strongly appealed to is considered it appears to have been a very proper instrument for the present occasion for the change that passed on it must be acknowledged as an immediate and incontestable miracle

35

GILL And it came to pass that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness Where none but he could go at any time this was the day after the rods had been placed there and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi the rod that had Aarons name upon it which was to represent the tribe of Levi of which he was was budded and brought forth buds knobs of blossom such that are seen on trees before they open for the almond tree puts forth its blossoms before its leaves though the Targum of Jonathan renders it branches as do some versions and some think this is to be understood of its putting out its leaves first contrary to the nature of the almond tree and so makes the miracle the greater thus Ben Melech and blossomed blossoms open flowers or blossoms such as appear on the almond tree in the spring and look very beautiful and yielded almonds ripe almonds in their full perfection as the Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan the latter of which isin the same night it perfected and brought forth almondsthe word used has the signification of weaning and alludes to children grown up to some ripeness and maturity Gen_218 the case seems to be this that in one part of the rod were buds swelling and just putting out in another part open flowers quite blown and in others full ripe fruit now this clearly showed it to be supernatural since the almond tree though quick and early in its production of buds and flowers yet never has those and ripe fruit on it at the same time to which may be added that this was not the time of year the almond tree blossoms not the spring but rather autumn as it should seem since it was after the affair of the spies and the murmurs of the people on their report now it was the time of the first ripe grapes when they went into the land and they were forty days searching it and it was after their return the insurrections before recorded were the design of this was to confirm the priesthood in Aarons family and show that it would continue there in a flourishing condition and that there would be a succession of priests from him to the time of the Messiah as there were and the almond tree having its name in Hebrew from watchfulness and haste see Jer_111 may denote the vigilance of the priests in their office and the haste punishment makes to come upon such that should oppose them or usurp the priesthood as in the case of Uzziah so Jarchi remarks this rod of Aarons may be an emblem of the Gospel ministry of that rod that should come out of Zion Psa_1102 which in the eyes of men is mean and despicable like a dry stick but becomes a fruitful one through the power of divine grace and an almond tree rod may denote the vigilance and watchfulness of Gospel ministers over themselves and others and their doctrine and oftentimes whom God puts into the ministry he early calls them by his grace and frequently makes the first part of their ministry most useful and fruit is brought forth which remains moreover this rod may be considered as a type of Christ it being a dry rod or stick may denote the

36

meanness of his descent and appearance in the world and the unpromising aspect of his being the King Messiah and Saviour of men and being an almond tree rod may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time which the Lord hastened his being the firstborn and his right to the priesthood and his vigilance in it its lying among other rods and budding and blossoming and bringing forth fruit may point at Christs assuming the common nature or man his being cut off by death his resurrection from the dead and the fruits arising from thence justification peace pardon and eternal life and as Aarons priesthood was confirmed by the budding ampc of this rod so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are by his resurrection from the dead See Gill on Heb_94HENRY 8-9 Here is I The final determination of the controversy

concerning the priesthood by a miracle Num_178 Num_179 The rods or staves were brought out from the most holy place where they were laid up and publicly produced before the people and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were Aarons rod only of a dry stick became a living branch budded and blossomed and yielded almonds In some places there were buds in others blossoms in others fruit at the same time This was miraculous and took away all suspicion of a fraud as if in the night Moses had taken away Aarons rod and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it for no ordinary branch would have buds blossoms and fruits upon it all at once Now1 This was a plain indication to the people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood and not any other of the princes of the tribes Thus he was distinguished from them and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven which sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor watering by the hand of man Bishop Hall here observes that fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call and that the plants of Gods setting and the boughs cut off from them will flourish See Psa_9212-14 The trees of the Lord though they seem dry trees are full of sap2 It was a very proper sign to represent the priesthood itself which was hereby confirmed to Aaron (1) That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God It produced not only blossoms but almonds for the priesthood was designed not only for an honour to Aaron but for a blessing to Israel Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they should go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit should remain Joh_1516 (2) That there should be a succession of priests Here were not only almonds for the present but buds and blossoms promising more hereafter Thus has Christ provided in his church that a seed should serve him from generation to generation (3) That yet this priesthood should not be perpetual but in process of time like the branches and blossoms of a tree should fail and wither The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age Ecc_125 This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood which soon became old and ready to vanish away Heb_8133 It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood for he is the man the branch that is to be a priest upon his throne as it follows (Zec_612) and he was to grow up before God as this before the ark like a tender

37

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

This is the third in the trio of incidents which confirm the Aaronic priesthood the first two of which overlap Each of them covers two days (Numbers 161-50 Numbers 171-13) and each of them ends with the thought of the people being consumed (Numbers 1621 Numbers 1645-48 Numbers 1713)a Yahweh commands each tribe to lay a rod before Him in the Tent of Testimony one for each head of their fatherrsquos house (Numbers 171-3)b The rods to be laid up in the Tent of meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)c The rod of the chosen one will bud and put an end to murmuring (Numbers 175)d All the chieftains give rods including Aaron (Numbers 176)d The rods are placed in the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)c Aaronrsquos Rod buds and flowers in the Tent of Testimony and the budded and unbudded rods are revealed to all the people who look on them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)b Aaronrsquos rod is laid up lsquobefore the Testimonyrsquo to put an end to their murmuring (Numbers 1710)a The people recognise that none but Aaronrsquos house may enter the Tabernacle for they alone can enter the Sanctuary and live and the rod which is evidence for the fact is laid up before the Testimony (Numbers 1712-13)Verses 1-3Yahweh Commands Each Tribe to Lay a Rod Before Him in the Tent of Testimony One For Each Head of Their Fatherrsquos House (Numbers 171-3)Numbers 171lsquoAnd Yahweh spoke to Moses sayingrsquoAgain it is emphasised here that we have the words of Yahweh as spoken to Moses

BI 1-13 Write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of LeviAaronrsquos rodI Instructive to the Israelites

1 An end hereby put to murmuring By an incontrovertible sign they 10

knew who was the true priest2 A preventative furnished against future rebellion Miracles apt to be forgotten of this the evidence was to be preserved Kept for a token

II Suggestive to Christians Every man has some rod on which he leans The Christianrsquos is faith Like Aaronrsquos rod faith flourishesmdash1 Most in the sanctuary There are strengthening influences and a Divine power It will become a barren stock elsewhere2 Under circumstances in which other rods cannot live The almond flourishes even before the winter is fully past Faith budding in adversity3 Produces fruit and flowers on the bare stock of adversity4 Bears fruit speedily when God causes His blessing to rest upon it ldquoBelieve and be savedrdquo5 Stirs the Christian up to vigilance Almond-tree a symbol of watchfulness

III Typical of Christ1 For it is perpetual Aaronrsquos rod laid up as a lasting remembrance2 It bore fruit on a barren stock Jesus a root out of a dry ground3 It was distinguished among the sceptres of the princes Christrsquos kingdom and sceptre rule over all He is a plant of renown4 It was the object of special favour So in Jesus He ldquowas well pleasedrdquo He was ldquoelect and preciousrdquo

IV Symbolical of a true teacher1 His home the house of God2 Presents himself constantly before the testimony3 In himself dry and barren4 Relies upon God for fruitfulness5 Produces by Divine help not flowers only but fruit also6 As a dry and lifeless stock he receives quickening power from God so with his flowers and fruit he presents himself before God and offers all his works to Him

Learnmdash1 The wisdom of God in choice of methods2 To seek a strong and living and practical faith3 To rejoice in and rely upon the perpetual high priesthood of Christ4 To endeavour like the almond-tree to bring forth fruit early (J C Gray)

11

Aaronrsquos rod that buddedThis is our subject the miraculous conversion of Aaronrsquos rod into a living blossoming and fruit-bearing plant It must have been a most convincing prodigy for the purpose it was designed to answer for the people no sooner saw it than they cried out in remorse for their wavering allegiance ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perishrdquo But beyond the age wherein the marvel occurred this putting vegetable life into that dry staff has frequently been borrowed and used for other objects Thus Achilles in classic poetry when enraged against Agamemnon is made by Homer to refer to this miraclemdash

ldquoBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts stock on the high mountains at what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopt off its foliage greenAnd stript its bark shall never grow again -By this I swearrdquo

And amongst Latin literature you will some of you remember that a certain king confirms a covenant with AEneas by a similar oathI We begin by reminding you that among the greatest of our blessings in this world is our strict obligation to do the Divine will and to keep the Divine law It is far more worth our while to sing of Godrsquos statutes than it is to sing of Godrsquos promises Where should we be in a country without human authority and a human authority founded on a reverence for the Divine Very truly does Bushnell say that ldquowithout law man does not live he only grazesrdquo If he had no government he would never discern any reason for existence and would soon not care to exist How different is the world of Voltaire from the world of Milton I The one finds nothing but this clay world and its material beauties flashes into a shallow brilliancy of speech and weaving a song of surfaces empties himself into a book of all that he has felt or seen But the other at the back of all and through all visible things beholds a spirit and a Divinity Now is there not a very beautiful picture of the comeliness and the beneficence of law in the old miracle that was wrought upon the rod of Aaron That staff as we have put it to you was selected as the sign of authority This was a declaration first that no law was perfect that did not display life and beauty and fertility and a declaration secondly that by Godrsquos choice that perfect law dwelt in the high priest But apart from the imagery as a message to the children of Israel I cling to that blooming staff as the very best type I can find anywhere of what Godrsquos rule is amongst us and in His Church I find myself taught by this early prodigy on Aaronrsquos staff that Godrsquos dominion is the dominion of the almond-branch It is a rod alas for us if there were no rod But it is a rod displaying all the three several pledges and gradations of life and thusmdashoh beautiful coincidence if it be nothing moremdashGod turns His law towards the

12

children of men into what the forbidden tree so falsely appeared to the first transgressormdashldquopleasant to the eye and good for foodrdquo Of course I know that the staff or the sceptre is the symbol of authority because a staff is that with which one person smites another The ultimate significance of a rod is a blow But is it nothing to be taught by Godrsquos picture-alphabet of the Old Testament that He smites only with buds and with flowers and with fruit This seems to change even to any childrsquos apprehension the whole character of the sovereignty under which we bow in the modern camp of the Church You tremble as you read the chapter of hard duties Turn the leaf and you will come upon the chapter of precious promises There is not a verse in the Bible that is not in flower with some comfort aye though it be a verse that smites you with a difficult commandment You are never to tell a man to do a single thing in religion without telling him that God will help him to do it You are never to command a sacrifice from me for Christrsquos sake without comforting me with the assurance that ldquoGod is able to give me much more than thisrdquo If you have a strong rough hard stick of responsibility you must show it to me bursting out all over with the rich petals and the hanging clusters of the sovereignty of Divine grace Aye for I want you to mark well that here was a miracle within a miracle The natural almond-branch never has upon it at one time buds blossoms and fruit But I seem to be taught by this accumulation of successive life all at once on one stem that there is no element of mercy wanting in the code by which I am to be managed But remember that if we deserve nothing but the rod and yet if God never uses the rod save with the buds the blossoms and the fruit ldquoHe may well record it against us if either we despise the chastening of the Lord or faint when we are rebuked of HimrdquoII But now the real and only proper commentary on the facts of the Pentateuch will be found in the doctrines of the Epistle to the Hebrews Do you believe that all those lives would have been lost and all that commotion would have been made about the prerogative of Aaronrsquos priesthood but for that other Priest on whom the whole world was to relymdashthe Priest for evermdashldquomade not after the law of a carnal commandment but after the power of an endless liferdquo It is not by one Scripture it is by scores that I find myself pointed through that staff to the real government of this world in the rod out of the stem of Jesse ldquoHe shall grow up before Him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground without form or comelinessrdquo And yet all the while He was the ldquorod out of the stem of Jesserdquo And when I read in the Book of Numbers how the Hebrews rose up against Aaron and put him to shame I can only take it for a foreshadowing of another rebellion when they insulted another Sceptre who was ldquodespised and rejected of menrdquo We preach to you Christ a stumbling-block to the Jews And scarcely can you wonder that so long as the rod was only the root out of a dry ground the Son of the carpenter and the Friend of sinners there was ldquo no beauty in Him that they should desire Himrdquo But that is not the staff with which this day God governs His Church No no He hath declared that lowly peasant preacher to be ldquothe Son of God with power in that He hath raised Him from the deadrdquo Ah that night in which they concealed Aaronrsquos rod in the tabernacle of witness it was never less living never less blossoming than then But it was not left in darkness neither did it see corruption And on

13

the appointed morning men found it marked by the choice of the Omnipotent with the buds the blossoms and the fruit In like manner the coldest darkest least living period in Immanuelrsquos career was when they hid Him among all the other millions of the dead in the tomb cut out of the rock in the garden of Joseph ldquoBut now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first-fruits of them that sleptrdquo He was raised up ldquoa plant of renownrdquo And from that glorious Easter morning the ldquorod out of the stem of Jesserdquo has been ldquothe tree whose leaves are for the healing of the nationsrdquo and ldquofilling the face of the world with fruitrdquo Men can be governed by a Mediator and yet not perish ldquoThe soul that sinneth it shall dierdquo That is a rod but ldquoif any man sin we have an Advocate with the Fatherrdquo that is ldquoAaronrsquos rod that buddedrdquomdashthe rod of the Priest Reuben Gad and all the rest have rods Christianity is not alone in the sternness of its government or the severity of its sanctions But it is alone in telling me how I can receive remission of sins that are past and how I can obtain the strongest of motives for a life of obedience in the time to come (H Christopherson)

Aaronrsquos rod blossoming and bearing fruitI As the priesthood of Aaron was a type of the priesthood of Christ there is here a suggestion of facts which must have their counterpart in Christrsquos life and history

1 The atonement and death of our Lord Jesus were matters of Divine appointment The whole work of our salvation originated with God2 But more than thismdashwhich is the essential truth here enshrinedmdashwe see here that God often manifests Himself in unexpected forms of beauty and of grace The dry rod blossomed and bare fruit The powers of Divine salvation were enshrined in the person of the Carpenter of Nazareth There was life for a dead world in the Cross and in the grave of the dead Christ

II There are suggestions here concerning Christian life1 Christian life begins with God2 The Christian life manifests itself in unfavourable conditions It is in human souls a power of active benevolence or it is nothing at all It takes hold of human misery with a healing hand and it changes it into blessing Where sin abounded there grace does much more abound3 There is beauty associated with the developments of Christian life and character There is nothing half so winning as Christian grace

III Suggestions in relation to the gospel ministry1 There is a Divine designation of men to the highest service of the Church2 But what is the qualification of men thus sent Evidently the possession of Divine life the gift which is to be imparted to those needing it To be a Christian teacher a man must be a Christian and must

14

know the things of Christ3 How then are we to judge a manrsquos Divine call and authority Only and solely by the blossoms and fruitmdashby the spiritual results of his ministry

IV Last of all there are here suggestions concerning Christian humiliation1 The world has not known its best benefactors It has always had a scornful word for the saintly and the true-hearted It has always risen up in rebellion against the anointed of the Lord2 Here is a word of encouragement to all weak and mistrustful and diffident and self-emptied souls ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says the old labourer in the Masterrsquos vineyard and the holy matron whose life has been careful and troubled about many things but who has ever been anxious to honour and serve her dear Lord in lowliest ways and household duties ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says the saint waiting dismission to rest who has not done what he would or been as useful as he desired and hoped and prayed to be ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says one whose strength has been weakened by the way and whose unfinished purposes lie sadly enough at his feet fallen out of hands which could not longer hold them or fashion them into completeness ldquoWe are but dry rodsrdquo say many earnest anxious longing souls who hardly dare to trust for the future because so often when they would do good evil is present with them We are not saved by trust in our own righteousness or by satisfaction with our own goodness and deeds But Godrsquos grace is all-sufficient and He can work miracles of beauty and fruitfulness where human might is feeblest and self mistrust is greatest and humility of spirit is deepest (W H Davison D D)

The Divine plan for vindicating the high priesthood of Aaron and its moral teachingI That true ministers of religion are elected by GodII It is of great importance that men should know that their ministers of religion are called by God

1 In order that they may regard them with becoming respect2 In order that they may take heed to their message

III The vitality of sin is of dreadful tenacity ldquoMany menrsquos lipsrdquo says Trapp ldquolike rusty hinges for want of the oil of grace and gladness move not without murmuring and complainingrdquo It is a thing of extreme difficulty to eradicate any evil disposition from the human heart ldquoFor such is the habitual hardness of menrsquos hearts as neither ministry nor misery nor miracle nor mercy can possibly mollify Nothing can do it but an extraordinary touch from the hand of HeavenrdquoIV God is engaged in eradicating sin from human hearts (W Jones)

15

Aaronrsquos rod an illustration of the true Christian ministryI The characteristics of the true Christian ministry

1 Life2 Beauty3 Fruitfulness

II The origin of the true Christian ministry Godrsquos creation and gift to the ChurchIII The influence of the true Christian ministry Abiding (W Jones)

The budded rod a type of ChristThe rod in many graphic tints shows Jesus The very name is caught by raptured prophets (Isa_111 Zec_612-13) Thus faith gleans lessons from the very titlemdashRod But the grand purport of the type is to reject all rivals It sets Aaron alone upon the priestly seat The parallel proclaims that similarly Jesus is our only Priest God calls anoints appoints accepts and ever hears Him but Him alone In His hands only do these functions live Next the constant luxuriance has a clear voice In naturersquos field buds blossoms fruit soon wither Not so this rod Its verdure was for ever green its fruit was ever ripe Beside the ark it was reserved in never-fading beauty Here is the ever-blooming Priesthood of our Lord (Psa_1104 Heb_724) Mark moreover that types of Jesus often comprehend the Church It is so with these rods The twelve at first seem all alike They are all sapless twigs But suddenly one puts forth loveliness while the others still remain worthless and withered Here is a picture of Godrsquos dealings with a sin-slain race Since Adamrsquos fall all are born lifeless branches of a withered stock When any child of man arises from the death of sin and blooms in grace God has arisen with Divine almightiness Believer the budded rod gives another warning It is a picture of luxuriance Turn from it and look inward Is your soul thus richly fertile Instead of fruit you often yield the thorn (Joh_158) Whence is the fault (Joh_154) Perhaps your neglectful soul departs from Christ Meditate in Godrsquos law day and night (Psa_13) But if the budded rod rebukes the scanty fruit in the new-born soul what is its voice to unregenerate worldlings (Heb_68) (Dean Law)

The rod of AaronBuds are evidence of life A nominal Christian is like a dead trunk and he cannot bud unless the sap of Divine grace courses through him Spiritual life is an attribute of the converted Christian The spiritual life of a being is his presiding sentiment or dispositionmdashthe chief inspiration of his soulmdashthat which gives motion and character to his mental and moral beingI Life is a resistless force The smallest blade of grass that raises its tiny head into light or the feeblest insect that sports in the sunbeam displays a

16

force superior to that which governs the ocean or controls the stars Man stands erect the tree rises and the bird soars because of lifeII Life is an appropriating force Vegetable and animal existences have a power of appropriating to themselves all surrounding elements conducive to their well-being just as the life of the plant converts the various gases around it into nutriment to promote its strength and development Wherever there is true religion there is a power to render all external circumstances subservient to its own strength and growth all things work together for its goodIII Life is a propagating force It has ldquothe seed in itselfrdquo Forests start from acorns and boundless harvests from the solitary grain It is said that the grateful Israelites anxious to carry away a bud a blossom or almond as a memento of the occasion the flowers and fruit on the rod were repeatedly and miraculously renewed for that purpose Be that as it may wherever there is religious life it will spread it scatters broadcast the incorruptible seed which liveth and abideth for everIV Life is a beautifying force There are two kinds of beautymdashthe sensational and the moral Nature in her ten thousand forms of loveliness and art in her exquisite expressions of taste are ministries to the former whilst spiritual truth moral goodness and the holiness of God address the latter The one is the poetry of the eye and ear the other of the soul The beauty that appeals to the religious nature of man is the beauty of holinessmdashthe beauty of the Lordmdashthe glory of God in His goodnessV Life is a fructifying force The true Christian not only lives and unfolds a noble disposition but is really useful St Paul speaks of ldquothe fruit of the Spiritrdquomdashrighteousness goodness truth The first as opposed to all injustice and dishonesty the second as opposed to the ten thousand forms of selfishness the third as opposed to all that is erroneous and false in the doctrines and theories of men (G L Saywell)

Aaronrsquos rodHere are three miracles in onemdash

1 That a dry rodmdashmade of the almond treemdashshould bring forth buds in a moment2 That those buds should presently become blossoms anal flowers3 That these should immediately become ripe fruit and that all at once or at least in a little space

Nature makes no such leaps All this was supernatural to these ends1 For a testimony of Godrsquos calling Aaron to the priesthood2 For a type of Christ the Branch (Isa_111)3 For a figure of the fruitfulness of a gospel ministry4 For a lively representation of a glorious resurrection (C Ness)

17

Lessons from the budding rodA wonderful work of God which sundry ways may profit us

1 As first to consider that if the power of God can do this in a dry stick cannot He make the barren woman to bare and be a joyful mother of children Can He not do whatsoever He will do By this power the sea is dried the rock gives water the earth cleaveth under the feet of men fire descends whose nature is to ascend raiseth the dead and calleth things that are not as if they were In a word He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think ampc2 This rod is a notable type of Christ His person and office Of His person in that He was born of the Virgin Mary who though He descended of the royal blood yet was now poor and mean as that royal race was brought exceeding low nothing remaining but as it were a root only Now the said Virgin flourisheth again as Aaronrsquos rod did and beareth such fruit as never woman bear Of this speaks Isaiah the prophet when he saith ldquoThere shall come a rod forth of the stock of Jesse and a graft shall grow out of his rootsrdquo Of His office both priestly and kingly His priestly office is figured in that being offered upon the cross He was as Aaronrsquos dried rod or as the Psalm saith ldquodried up like a potsherdrdquo But when He rose again He became like Aaronrsquos budding and fruit-bearing rod bringing forth to man believing on Him remission of sins righteousness and eternal life His kingly office in that He governeth His Church with a rod or sceptre of righteousness as it is in the Psalm ldquoThe sceptre of Thy kingdom is a right sceptrerdquo Which rod and sceptre is the preaching of the gospel ampc3 Again it was a resemblance of true ministers and of all faithful men and women for none of all these ought to be dry and withered sticks but bear and bring forth buds and fruit according to their places4 It is a shadow also of our resurrection by which we should grow green again and flourish with a new and an eternal glory having like dead seed lain in the ground and we shall bring forth ripe almonds that is the praise of Godrsquos incomprehensible goodness to us for ever and ever5 It resembleth our reformation and amendment of life for when our heart feeleth what is amiss this is as the bud when it resolveth of a change and a future amendment this is the blossom and when it performeth the same by a new reformed life indeed this is as the ripe almonds of Aaronrsquos rod(Bp Babington)

The priesthood divinely selectedWhat matchless wisdom shines in this arrangement How completely is the matter taken out of manrsquos hands and placed where alone it ought to be namely in the hands of the living God It was not to be a man appointing

18

himself or a man appointing his fellow but God appointing the man of His own selection In a word the question was to be definitively settled by God Himself so that all murmurings might be silenced for ever and no one be able again to charge Godrsquos high priest with taking too much upon him The human will had nothing whatever to do with this solemn matter The twelve rods all in a like condition were laid up before the Lord man retired and left God to act There was no room no opportunity because there was no occasion for human management In the profound retirement of the sanctuary far away from all manrsquos thinkings was the grand question of priesthood settled by Divine decision and being thus settled it could never again be raised (C H Mackintosh)

Aaronrsquos fruitful rodStriking and beautiful figure of Him who was ldquodeclared to be the Son of God with power by resurrection from the deadrdquo The twelve rods were all alike lifeless but God the living God entered the scene and by that power peculiar to Himself infused life into Aaronrsquos rod and brought it forth to view bearing upon it the fragrant fruits of resurrection Who could gainsay this The rationalist may sneer at it and raise a thousand questions Faith gazes on that fruit-bearing rod and sees in it a lovely figure of the new creation in the which all things are of God Infidelity may argue on the ground of the apparent impossibility of a dry stick budding blossoming and bearing fruit in the course of one night But to whelm does it appear impossible To the infidel the rationalist the sceptic And why Because he always shuts out God Let us remember this Infidelity invariably shuts out God God can do as He pleases The One who called worlds into existence could make a rod to bud blossom and bear fruit in a moment Bring God in and all is simple and plain as possible Leave God out and all is plunged in hopeless confusion (C H Mackintosh)

The rods contrastedPonder the difference between the rod of Moses and the rod of Aaron We have seen the former doing its characteristic work in other days and amid other scenes We have seen the land of Egypt trembling beneath the heavy strokes of that rod Plague after plague fell upon that devoted scene in answer to that outstretched rod We have seen the waters of the sea divided in answer to that rod In short the rod of Moses was a rod of power a rod of authority But it could not avail to hush the murmurings of the children of Israel nor yet to bring the people through the desert Grace alone could do that and we have the expression of pure gracemdashfree sovereign gracemdashin the budding of Aaronrsquos rod Nothing can be more forcible nothing more lovely That dry dead stick was the apt figure of Israelrsquos condition and indeed of the condition of every one of us by nature There was no sap no life no power One might well say ldquoWhat good can ever come of itrdquo None whatever had not grace come in and displayed its quickening power So was it with Israel in the wilderness and so is it with us now How were they to

19

be led along from day to day How were they to be sustained in all their weakness and need How were they to be borne with in all their sin and folly The answer is found in Aaronrsquos budding rod If the dry dead stick was the expression of naturersquos barren and worthless condition the buds blossoms and fruit set forth that living and life-giving grace and power of God on which was based the priestly ministry that alone could bear the congregation through the wilderness Grace alone could answer the ten thousand necessities of the militant host Power could not suffice Authority could not avail Priesthood alone could supply what was needed and this priesthood was instituted on the foundation of that efficacious grace which could bring fruit out of a dry rod Thus it was as to priesthood of old and thus it is as to ministry now All ministry in the Church of God is the fruit of Divine gracemdashthe gift of Christ the Churchrsquos Head (C H Mackintosh)

2 ldquoSpeak 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

BARNES Compare Eze_3716 ff

CLARKE And take of every one of them a rod - matteh the staff or מטהscepter which the prince or chief of each tribe bore and which was the sign of office or royalty among almost all the people of the earth

GILL Speak unto the children of Israel The principal men among them of the several tribes and take of everyone of them not of every individual of the people of Israel but of their princes as afterwards explained a rod according to the house of their fathers or father of whom their house or tribe was called as Reuben Simeon ampc this rod was either a

20

common walking staff as some think or rather the ensign of their princely office and dignity peculiar to each tribe though some think it was now freshly cut off from an almond tree and that all the rods were of one and the same tree but supposing they were all of the almond kind as Josephus (d) thinks yet being dry rods and of long use served to make the miracle appear the greater of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods this explains who they were to be taken of the princes of the several tribes whose names are given Num_15 and the number of them twelve according to the number of the twelve tribes write thou every mans name upon his rod the name of each prince or head of a tribe either by cutting it into the rod or fastening a writing to it after the manner of those times as for instance the name of Elizur for the tribe of Reuben by which it was to be made and was made to appear that to none of these tribes belonged the priesthood but to the tribe of Levi and to none of that tribe but the family of Aaron whereby it should seem that some of all the tribes made pretensions to it as being all holy and especially the chief firstborn of every tribe as such their princes were

JAMISON 2-5 Speak unto the children of Israel mdash The controversy with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood was of such a nature and magnitude as required a decisive and authoritative settlement For the removal of all doubts and the silencing of all murmuring in the future regarding the holder of the office a miracle was wrought of a remarkable character and permanent duration and in the manner of performing it all the people were made to have a direct and special interest

take of every one princes twelve rods mdash As the princes being the oldest sons of the chief family and heads of their tribes might have advanced the best claims to the priesthood if that sacred dignity was to be shared among all the tribes they were therefore selected and being twelve in number - that of Joseph being counted only one - Moses was ordered to see that the name of each was inscribed - a practice borrowed from the Egyptians - upon his rod or wand of office The name of Aaron rather than of Levi was used as the latter name would have opened a door of controversy among the Levites and as there was to be one rod only for the head of each tribe the express appointment of a rod for Aaron determined him to be the head of that tribe as well as that branch or family of the tribe to which the priestly dignity should belong These rods were to be laid in the tabernacle close to the ark (compare Num_1710 and Heb_94) where a divine token was promised that would for all time terminate the dispute

CALVIN 2Speak unto the children of Israel They are mistaken who suppose that to the twelve rods there was another added for the tribe of Levi (103) for since there was no question here as to the possession of the land there was no occasion at

21

all for the division of the tribe of Joseph into two parts We know too that it was endowed with a double portion because the Levites had no inheritance and in this case the circumstances were different because all the other tribes were contending for the priesthood with the tribe of Levi alone Hence it was then that rods were given to each of them in accordance with the origin of their race But when Aaronrsquos rod is said to have been ldquoin the midst of themrdquo (104) it is in the usual phrase of the Hebrew language because it was mixed with them as one of their number And this is expressly stated to show us that all ground for caviling might be taken from the ungodly since all the rods were east promiscuously into the same bundle so that none should be distinguished above the others and thus nothing could be ascribed to the collusion of men If any should object that by these means the rivalry was not extinguished which the other Levites had with the house of Aaron since his own name alone was inscribed upon the rod so that there would be no comparison between the families I reply that since the power of God manifested itself distinctly in the name of Aaron the rejection of the others was sufficiently shown forth by his election for if this honor had been common to the others God would have defrauded them by giving distinction to him alone Besides no other plan could have been adopted for putting an end to this quarrel for if there had been several rods for one tribe the whole people would have complained of the inequality It was necessary then that all should be brought to the contest on equal terms so that the difference between them might be seen to depend upon Godrsquos good pleasure But if the name of Levi had been inscribed all its families would have claimed the right of succession as if common to them all There was therefore no other course open but that God should prefer to the whole people one individual chosen from amongst the members of his own kindred and tribe COKE Numbers 172 Take of every one of them a rodmdash The minds of a considerable number of the people having been poisoned by the insinuations of Korah and his accomplices against Aaron and his family upon the account of the priesthood God is pleased to add another signal miracle in confirmation of his priests authority accordingly the head of each tribe is ordered to take a rod and bring it before the Lord Some have supposed that these were the ordinary rods or batoons which the princes of the tribes bore while from the 8th verse of this chapter others infer that these were twigs or branches from one and the same almond tree whichever was the case the miracle was sufficiently great to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of ProvidenceBENSON Numbers 172 Take of every one mdash Not of every person but of every tribe A rod mdash A twig or branch from one and the same almond-tree as some infer from Numbers 178 Or according to others the ordinary rods which the princes of the tribes carried in their hands as tokens of their dignity and authority Numbers 2118 And indeed the miracle would appear the greater if neither Aaronrsquos rod nor any of the rest was of the almond-tree But the miracle was sufficiently great either way to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of Providence Every manrsquos name mdash Every princersquos for they being the firstborn and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of

22

their tribes and besides the prince represented all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the question And this place seems to confirm the opinion that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contended with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holyELLICOTT (2) And take of every one of them mdashBetter And take of them a rod for each fatherrsquos houseTwelve rodsmdashSome suppose that Aaronrsquos rod was not included amongst the twelve Others suppose that one rod only was taken for the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh The latter supposition is more accordant with the terms here employed than the former and is supported by Deuteronomy 2712-13 where Joseph stands for the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh and Levi is included amongst the twelve tribesWrite thou every manrsquos name upon his rodmdashThis was in accordance with an Egyptian custom (See Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians III 388) The prophet Ezekiel received a similar injunction (Ezekiel 3716)POOLE Speak unto the children of Israel that I may fully and finally satisfy all their scruples and take away all pretence and cause of murmuringOf every one of them not of every person but of every tribe as it followsA rod either an ordinary walking staff or rather that staff or rod which the princes carried in their hand as tokens of their dignity and authority as may be gathered from Numbers 2118 compared with Psalms 1102 Jeremiah 481617According to the house of their fathers ie according to each family proceeding from the patriarch or father of that tribeEvery manrsquos name ie every princersquos for they being the first-born and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of their tribes and besides each prince represented and acted for all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the whole question And this plate seems to confirm what was before observed that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contested with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holy as they said Numbers 163

WHEDON 2 A rod mdash Each chief prince of the twelve tribes bore a staff or sceptre as the sign of office Such rods were often hereditary and of great antiquity That such dry staves should blossom and bear fruit again is so improbable that the Greeks were accustomed to swear by their sceptres Thus Achilles

23

ldquoBut hearken I will swear a solemn oathBy this sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as oncerdquoWritehellip every manrsquos name mdash To identify beyond dispute the rod of Aaron after the trial The illiteracy of Moses and his generation as alleged by some modern writers is here abundantly confuted Since there were twelve rods including Levirsquos it is evident that the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim are here counted as one tribe mdash that of JosephPETT Numbers 172lsquoSpeak to the children of Israel and take of them rods one for each fathersrsquo house of all their princes according to their fathersrsquo houses twelve rods You write every manrsquos name on his rodrsquoAll the men of Israel were to be involved in this It is possible that Levi were included among lsquothe twelversquo and that Manasseh and Ephraim were for this event treated as one tribe the rods representing the lsquohouseholdsrsquo of the original patriarchal fathers But a rod was taken for each of their fathersrsquo houses and the names of each of the chieftains of those fathersrsquo houses was written on the rods This would suggest in the light of previous references to twelve chieftains that the lsquotwelversquo rods were in contrast with Aaronrsquos rod (Alternately one rod may have represented Joseph including both Ephraim and Manasseh It was Joseph who was to be lsquoa fruitful boughrsquo (Genesis 4922) but not as pertaining to the priesthood)The word for lsquorodsrsquo also indicates lsquotribes and can in fact be used to indicate either Thus the rods symbolised each tribe

PULPIT Numbers 172Take of every one of them a rod Literally take of them a rod a rod ie a rod apiece in the way immediately particularized hsilgnEegaugnaL מטה is used for the staff of Judah (Genesis 3818) and for the rod of Moses (Exodus 42) It is also used in the sense of tribe (Numbers 14 Numbers 116) Each tribe was but a branch or rod out of the stock of Israel and therefore was most naturally represented by the rod cut from the tree lsquoThe words used for scepter in Genesis 4910 and in Psalms 457 and for rod in Isaiah 111 and elsewhere are different but the same imagery underlies the use of all of them Of all their princes hellip twelve rods These princes must be those named in Isaiah 22-21 and Isaiah 25-71 Since among these are to be found the tribe princes of Ephraim and Manasseh standing upon a perfect equality with the rest it is evident that the twelve rods were exclusive

24

of that of Aaron The joining together of Ephraim and Manasseh in Deuteronomy 2712 was a very different thing because it could not raise any question as between the two

3 On the staff of Levi write Aaronrsquos name for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe

BARNES Thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of Levi - The Levites had taken part in the late outbreak It was therefore necessary to vindicate the supremacy of the house of Aaron over them and accordingly his name was written on the rod of Levi although being the son of Kohath the second son of Levi (Exo_616 ff) he would not be the natural head of the tribe

GILL And thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi Or upon the rod that was for the tribe of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written not the word Levi or a Levite as Josephus (e) for that would not have decided the controversy about the priesthood which chiefly lay between the Levites and the family of Aaron who were of the same tribe for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers one rod for the head or prince of every tribe every prince representing his own tribe he was the head of and the rod the prince and though the tribe of Levi was divided into two families the family of the priests and the family of the Levites yet as Jarchi observes they were but one tribe and so one rod for them as for the other tribes

ELLICOTT (3) And thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of LevimdashAaron was descended from the second son of Levi He was not therefore the natural but the divinely-appointed head of his fatherrsquos house and hence it would not have sufficed for the purpose contemplated to have inscribed the name of Levi upon the rod Aaron was constituted the head alike of the priests and of the Levites into which two classes the tribe of Levi was divided

25

BENSON Numbers 173 Aaronrsquos name mdash Rather than Levirsquos for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos family One rod mdash There shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixed

POOLE Aaronrsquos rather than Levirsquos name for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos familyFor the head of the house of their fathers ie there shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixedPETT Numbers 173lsquoAnd you shall write Aaronrsquos name on the rod of Levi for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathersrsquo housesrsquoOn the rod of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written There was to be one for each head of their fathersrsquo houses In the light of the earlier divisions in chapters 1-4 we are probably therefore to see that there were thirteen rods the twelve which represented Israel in contrast with the Levites and the one that specifically represented AaronHere Aaron is depicted as the head of the house of Levi That may well be why earlier he was called lsquothe Levitersquo as the head of the family (Exodus 414)

PULPIT Numbers 173Thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi There was no tribe prince of Levi and it is not probable that either of the three chiefs of the sub-tribes (Numbers 324 Numbers 330 55) was called upon to bring a rod This rod was therefore provided by Moses himself and inscribed by him with the name of Aaron who stood by Divine appointment (so recently and fearfully attested) above all his brethren For the significance of the act cf Ezekiel 3716-28 For one rod hellip for the head of the house of their fathers For Levi therefore there must be not three rods inscribed with the names of the chiefs but one only bearing the name of Aaron as

26

their common superior

4 Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law where I meet with you

GILL And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation In the most holy place before the testimony that is the ark in which the testimony or the law was here they were laid as in the presence of God who was in a miraculous way to decide the controversy by them and put an end to it for upon the ark was the mercy seat over which were the cherubim the seat of the divine Majesty and where none could come at them and where no fraud could be supposed to be committed where I will meet with you not with the people in person who might not go at any time into the most holy place nor with Aaron who only might go into it on the day of atonement but with Moses the chief ruler and representative of the whole body of the people and who might go in there at any time to consult with God about matters of moment and difficulty and where the Lord had said he would meet him Exo_2522 and now would in a miraculous way clearly show him and the people of Israel by him who was the priest he had chosen of all the tribesCALVIN 4And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle The place itself had not a little to do with the effectual decision of the matter because it was clearly manifested that God was the author of the miracle and consequently that the priesthood proceeded from Him For we have elsewhere said that the whole government of the Church so entirely depends upon His decree that men are not permitted to interfere with it Wherefore He set the ark of the covenant in opposition to the voices of the whole people in order to testify that no further dispute was to be raised respecting the priest whom He had appointed by His own declaration and authority At the same time it had the effect of consoling the people and silencing their complaints that the rods of all the tribes were brought in common into the sanctuary before God for although a peculiar dignity was accorded to that of Aaron alone still the people ceased not to be a priestly kingdom Hence it follows that the honorable privilege conferred on one family contributed to the public welfare of all so far was it from being the case that their inferiority ought to have caused them pain or envy

27

POOLE Before the testimony ie before the ark of the testimony either mediately close by the veil behind which the ark stood or rather immediately within the veil in the most holy place close by the ark as may be gathered by comparing this place with Numbers 1710 and with Hebrews 94I will meet with you and manifest my mind to you for the ending of this dispute PETT The Rods Are To Be Laid Up in the Tent of Meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)Numbers 174lsquoAnd you shall lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony where I meet with yoursquoThese were then to be lsquolaid up in the Tent of meeting before the testimonyrsquo in the place where Yahweh meets with His people This probably meant in front of the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh lsquothe testimonyrsquo indicating the presence of the covenant tablets in the Ark and their testimony to the covenant

5 The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelitesrdquo

CLARKE The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossom - It was necessary that something farther should be done to quiet the minds of the people and for ever to settle the dispute in what tribe the priesthood should be fixed God therefore took the method described in the text and it had the desired effect the Aaronical priesthood was never after disputed

GILL And it shall come to pass that the mans rod whom I shall choose Or make it manifest that he had chosen him and so confirm the choice he had made of him and his family for the priesthood to be and continue in

28

shall blossom bud and blossom and yield fruit as it afterwards did which is here declared beforehand that the miracle might appear the greater exactly answering to a prediction delivered out before of it and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel whereby they murmur against you against Moses for setting up his brother as an high priest and establishing the priesthood in his family and against Aaron for accepting of it and officiating in it but by this method now taken God would for ever silence their murmurings so that they should never be able with any face to object any more to the authority of the Aaronic priesthood which should appear by the predicted miracle beyond all dispute and contradictionCALVIN 5And it shall come to pass that the manrsquos rod Aaron indeed had been previously chosen but the expression here refers to his manifestation (105) because God is said again to choose those whom He has chosen by His secret counsel when He brings them forth into the sight of men with their peculiar marks of distinction and this not once only but as often as he confirms their election by new indications And this seems to be spoken of by way of concession as if God would pass over all His former decrees and invite the people afresh to take cognizance of the matter With this view tie states that He will put an end to all the malevolent and noisy detractions of the people so that Aaron may henceforth exercise his office without controversy for although not even thus was their perverseness altogether cured still their insolence was restrained

ELLICOTT (5) The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossommdashOr shall sprout forth or put forthmdashie leaves or blossoms Achilles when enraged against Agamemnon is made to swear a solemn oath by his sceptre which having once left its stock on the mountains shall never again grow King Latinus is represented by Virgil as confirming his covenant with AEligneas by a similar oath

WHEDON 5 Whom I shall choose mdash That is select for the priesthoodCeasehellip murmurings mdash Suppress them beyond all possibility of a revival Jehovahrsquos claims are set forth in his word with such cogency that there is no just ground for gainsaying On all questions of duty there is a redundancy of evidencePETT The Rod of the Chosen One Will Bud and Put an End to Murmuring (Numbers 175)Numbers 175lsquoAnd it will come about that the rod of the man whom I shall choose will bud and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel which they

29

murmur against yoursquoThen Yahweh would make the rod of the man that Yahweh had chosen spring to life and bud This final display on Yahwehrsquos initiative should cause all further murmurings against Moses and Aaron on the question of who had the right of priesthood to cease

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 Aaronrsquos staff was among them

BARNES The whole number of rods was twelve exclusive of Aaronrsquos as the Vulgate expressly states

GILL And Moses spake unto the children of Israel What the Lord had bid him say unto them concerning the rods which they hearkened unto and observed and everyone of their princes gave him a rod apiece for each prince one every prince of the several tribes and so a rod for every tribe as well as for each prince according to their fathers houses even twelve rods there being twelve tribes named after their fathers or the patriarchs the twelve sons of Jacob and Joseph having two tribes which sprung from him called after his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh there were twelve rods besides that of Aaron and so the Vulgate Latin version renders the words with the next clauseand there were twelve rods besides the rod of Aaronin all thirteen though the Jews say there were but twelve with it allowing but one rod for Joseph under whom were comprehended Ephraim and Manasseh and reckoning the tribe of Levi one of the twelve so Aben Ezra observes that the rod of Levi was among the twelve and Joseph had but one rod and the rod of Aaron was among their rods in the middle of them and was

30

so placed as Jarchi thinks that it might not be said because it was put on the side of the Shechinah or divine Majesty therefore it budded but being in the middle of them there could be no difference in that respectJAMISON the rod of Aaron was among their rods mdash either one of the

twelve or as many suppose a thirteenth in the midst (Heb_94) The rods were of dry sticks or wands probably old as transmitted from one head of the family to a succeeding

KampD Num_176-11Moses carried out this command And when he went into the tabernacle the following morning behold Aarons rod of the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth shoots and had borne blossoms and matured almonds And Moses brought all the rods out of the sanctuary and gave every man his own the rest as we may gather from the context being all unchanged so that the whole nation could satisfy itself that God had chosen Aaron Thus was the word fulfilled which Moses had spoken at the commencement of the rebellion of the company of Korah (Num_165) and that in a way which could not fail to accredit him before the whole congregation as sent of GodSo far as the occurrence itself is concerned there can hardly be any need to remark that the natural interpretation which has lately been attempted by Ewald viz that Moses had laid several almond rods in the holy place which had just been freshly cut off that he might see the next day which of them would flower the best during the night is directly at variance with the words of the text and also with the fact that a rod even freshly cut off when laid in a dry place would not bear ripe fruit in a single night The miracle which God wrought here as the Creator of nature was at the same time a significant symbol of the nature and meaning of the priesthood The choice of the rods had also a bearing upon the object in question A mans rod was the sign of his position as ruler in the house and congregation with a prince the rod becomes a sceptre the insignia of rule (Gen_4910) As a severed branch the rod could not put forth shoots and blossom in a natural way But God could impart new vital powers even to the dry rod And so Aaron had naturally no pre-eminence above the heads of the other tribes But the priesthood was founded not upon natural qualifications and gifts but upon the power of the Spirit which God communicates according to the choice of His wisdom and which He had imparted to Aaron through his consecration with holy anointing oil It was this which the Lord intended to show to the people by causing Aarons rod to put forth branches blossom and fruit through a miracle of His omnipotence whereas the rods of the other heads of the tribes remained as barren as before In this way therefore it was not without deep significance that Aarons rod not only put forth shoots by which the divine election might be recognised but bore even blossom and ripe fruit This showed that Aaron was not only qualified for his calling but administered his office in the full power of the Spirit and bore the fruit expected of him The almond rod was especially adapted to exhibit this as

31

an almond-tree flowers and bears fruit the earliest of all the trees and has received its name of שקד ldquoawakerdquo from this very fact (cf Jer_111)

God then commanded (Num_1710 Num_1711) that Aarons rod should be taken back into the sanctuary and preserved before the testimony ldquofor a sign for the rebellious that thou puttest an end to their murmuring and they die notrdquo The preservation of the rod before the ark of the covenant in the immediate presence of the Lord was a pledge to Aaron of the continuance of his election and the permanent duration of his priesthood though we have no need to assume that through a perpetual miracle the staff continued green and blossoming In this way the staff became a sign to the rebellious which could not fail to stop their murmuringPETT All the Chieftains Give Rods Including Aaron (Numbers 176)Numbers 176lsquoAnd Moses spoke to the children of Israel and all their princes gave him rods for each prince one according to their fathersrsquo houses even twelve rods and the rod of Aaron was among their rodsrsquoSo Moses did as Yahweh commanded and requested rods from each of the chieftains of the twelve tribes These rods may well have been their symbols of authority Thus twelve rods were gathered and Aaronrsquos rod was placed among them PULPIT And the rod of Aaron was among the rods As there was no prince from whom this rod could have come and as there were twelve rods without it this must mean that Moses did not keep Aarons rod separate (which might have caused suspicion) but let it be seen amongst the others

7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law

GILL And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness In that part of the tabernacle where the testimony or witness was that is the law which was in the ark over which was the mercy seat with the cherubim between which Jehovah dwelt and this was the most holy place and the rods being laid here might be said to be laid before the Lord who by making a difference in one of those rods from the rest would decide the controversy about the priesthood which was the end of their being laid

32

before himHENRY The preparing of the rods accordingly The princes brought

them in some of them perhaps fondly expecting that the choice would fall upon them and all of them thinking it honour enough to be competitors with Aaron and to stand candidates even for the priesthood (Num_177) and Moses laid them up before the Lord He did not object that the matter was sufficiently settled already and enough done to convince those that were not invincibly hardened in their prejudices He did not undertake to determine the controversy himself though it might easily have been done nor did he suggest that it would be to no purpose to offer satisfaction to a people that were willingly blind But since God will have it so he did his part and lodged the case before the Lord to whom the appeal was made by consent and left it with him

WHEDON 7 Witness mdash The Hebrew is the same as that for testimony in Numbers 174 The reason for choosing this place may have been that no one would suspect the performance of any legerdemain or jugglery in the holy of holies a sanctuary too awful for any man to enter but the high priest one day in the year Moses entered on this occasion by express commandPETT The Rods Are Placed In the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)Numbers 177lsquoAnd Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimonyrsquoThe rods were then laid up lsquobefore Yahwehrsquo in lsquothe Tent of the testimonyrsquo Note the change in name for the Tent Emphasis is placed here on the fact that the Tent testifies to Yahweh and His covenant As we have already suggested this probably meant that they were placed before the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh although it may be that Moses uniquely had access into the Holy of Holies itself

8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaronrsquos staff which represented the tribe of Levi had not only sprouted but had budded blossomed and produced almonds 33

BARNES Yielded almonds - ldquoRipened almondsrdquo i e ldquobrought forth ripe almondsrdquo The name almond in Hebrew denotes the ldquowaking-treerdquo the ldquowaking-fruitrdquo and is applied to this tree because it blossoms early in the season It serves here as in Jer_111-12 to set forth the speed and certainty with which at Godrsquos will His purposes are accomplished So again the blossoming and bearing of Aaronrsquos rod naturally impotent when severed from the parent tree may signify the profitableness because of Godrsquos appointment and blessing of the various means of grace (e g the priesthood the sacraments) which of themselves and apart from Him could have no such efficacy Compare Isa_42 Isa_111 Isa_532 Jer_335 Zec_612

CLARKE The rod of Aaron - was budded etc - That is on the same rod or staff were found buds blossoms and ripe fruit This fact was so unquestionably miraculous as to decide the business for ever and probably this was intended to show that in the priesthood represented by that of Aaron the beginning middle and end of every good work must be found The buds of good desires the blossoms of holy resolutions and promising professions and the ripe fruit of faith love and obedience all spring from the priesthood of the Lord Jesus It has been thought by some that Aaronrsquos staff (and perhaps the staves of all the tribes) was made out of the amygdala communis or common almond tree In a favorable soil and climate it grows to twenty feet in height is one of the most noble flourishing trees in nature its flowers are of a delicate red and it puts them forth early in March having begun to bud in January It has its name שקד shaked from shakad to awake because it buds and flowers sooner than most other trees And it is very likely that the staves of office borne by the chiefs of all the tribes were made of this tree merely to signify that watchfulness and assiduous care which the chiefs should take of the persons committed in the course of the Divine providence to their keeping

Every thing in this miracle is so far beyond the power of nature that no doubt could remain on the minds of the people or the envious chiefs of the Divine appointment of Aaron and of the especial interference of God in this case To see a piece of wood long cut off from the parent stock without bark or moisture remaining laid up in a dry place for a single night with others in the same circumstances - to see such a piece of wood resume and evince the perfection of vegetative life budding blossoming and bringing forth ripe fruit at the same time must be such a demonstration of the peculiar interference of God as to silence every doubt and satisfy every scruple It is worthy of remark that a scepter or staff of office resuming its vegetative life was considered an absolute impossibility among the ancients and as 34

they were accustomed to swear by their sceptres this circumstance was added to establish and confirm the oath A remarkable instance of this we have in Homer Iliad lib i ver 233 etc where Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon thus speaks -Αλλrsquo εκ τοι ερεω και επι μεγαν ὁρκον ομουμαιΝαι μα τοδε σκηπτρον το μεν ουποτε φυλλα και οζουςΦυσει επειδη πρωτα τομην εν ορεσσι λελοιπενΟυδrsquo αναθηλησει περι γαρ ῥα ἑ χαλκος ελεψεΦυλλα τε και φλοιονὁ δε τοι μεγας εσσεται ὁρκοςBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same scepter which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopprsquod off its foliage greenAnd stripprsquod its bark shall never grow againCowper

Virgil represents King Latinus swearing in the same way to confirm his covenant with Aeneas -Ut Sceptrum hoc (dextra sceptrum nam forte gerebat)Nunquam fronde levi fundet virgulta neque umbrasCum semel in silvis imo de stirpe recisumMatre caret posuitque comas et brachia ferroOlim arbos nunc artificis manus aere decoroInclusit patribusque dedit gestare LatinisTalibus inter se firmabant foedera dictisAen lib xii ver 206-12Even as this royal Sceptre (for he boreA scepter in his hand) shall never moreShoot out in branches or renew the birthAn orphan now cut from the mother earthBy the keen axe dishonorrsquod of its hairAnd cased in brass for Latian kings to bearAnd thus in public view the peace was tiedWith solemn vows and sworn on either sideDryden

When the circumstance of the rod or scepter being used anciently in this way and the absolute impossibility of its reviviscence so strongly appealed to is considered it appears to have been a very proper instrument for the present occasion for the change that passed on it must be acknowledged as an immediate and incontestable miracle

35

GILL And it came to pass that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness Where none but he could go at any time this was the day after the rods had been placed there and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi the rod that had Aarons name upon it which was to represent the tribe of Levi of which he was was budded and brought forth buds knobs of blossom such that are seen on trees before they open for the almond tree puts forth its blossoms before its leaves though the Targum of Jonathan renders it branches as do some versions and some think this is to be understood of its putting out its leaves first contrary to the nature of the almond tree and so makes the miracle the greater thus Ben Melech and blossomed blossoms open flowers or blossoms such as appear on the almond tree in the spring and look very beautiful and yielded almonds ripe almonds in their full perfection as the Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan the latter of which isin the same night it perfected and brought forth almondsthe word used has the signification of weaning and alludes to children grown up to some ripeness and maturity Gen_218 the case seems to be this that in one part of the rod were buds swelling and just putting out in another part open flowers quite blown and in others full ripe fruit now this clearly showed it to be supernatural since the almond tree though quick and early in its production of buds and flowers yet never has those and ripe fruit on it at the same time to which may be added that this was not the time of year the almond tree blossoms not the spring but rather autumn as it should seem since it was after the affair of the spies and the murmurs of the people on their report now it was the time of the first ripe grapes when they went into the land and they were forty days searching it and it was after their return the insurrections before recorded were the design of this was to confirm the priesthood in Aarons family and show that it would continue there in a flourishing condition and that there would be a succession of priests from him to the time of the Messiah as there were and the almond tree having its name in Hebrew from watchfulness and haste see Jer_111 may denote the vigilance of the priests in their office and the haste punishment makes to come upon such that should oppose them or usurp the priesthood as in the case of Uzziah so Jarchi remarks this rod of Aarons may be an emblem of the Gospel ministry of that rod that should come out of Zion Psa_1102 which in the eyes of men is mean and despicable like a dry stick but becomes a fruitful one through the power of divine grace and an almond tree rod may denote the vigilance and watchfulness of Gospel ministers over themselves and others and their doctrine and oftentimes whom God puts into the ministry he early calls them by his grace and frequently makes the first part of their ministry most useful and fruit is brought forth which remains moreover this rod may be considered as a type of Christ it being a dry rod or stick may denote the

36

meanness of his descent and appearance in the world and the unpromising aspect of his being the King Messiah and Saviour of men and being an almond tree rod may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time which the Lord hastened his being the firstborn and his right to the priesthood and his vigilance in it its lying among other rods and budding and blossoming and bringing forth fruit may point at Christs assuming the common nature or man his being cut off by death his resurrection from the dead and the fruits arising from thence justification peace pardon and eternal life and as Aarons priesthood was confirmed by the budding ampc of this rod so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are by his resurrection from the dead See Gill on Heb_94HENRY 8-9 Here is I The final determination of the controversy

concerning the priesthood by a miracle Num_178 Num_179 The rods or staves were brought out from the most holy place where they were laid up and publicly produced before the people and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were Aarons rod only of a dry stick became a living branch budded and blossomed and yielded almonds In some places there were buds in others blossoms in others fruit at the same time This was miraculous and took away all suspicion of a fraud as if in the night Moses had taken away Aarons rod and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it for no ordinary branch would have buds blossoms and fruits upon it all at once Now1 This was a plain indication to the people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood and not any other of the princes of the tribes Thus he was distinguished from them and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven which sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor watering by the hand of man Bishop Hall here observes that fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call and that the plants of Gods setting and the boughs cut off from them will flourish See Psa_9212-14 The trees of the Lord though they seem dry trees are full of sap2 It was a very proper sign to represent the priesthood itself which was hereby confirmed to Aaron (1) That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God It produced not only blossoms but almonds for the priesthood was designed not only for an honour to Aaron but for a blessing to Israel Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they should go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit should remain Joh_1516 (2) That there should be a succession of priests Here were not only almonds for the present but buds and blossoms promising more hereafter Thus has Christ provided in his church that a seed should serve him from generation to generation (3) That yet this priesthood should not be perpetual but in process of time like the branches and blossoms of a tree should fail and wither The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age Ecc_125 This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood which soon became old and ready to vanish away Heb_8133 It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood for he is the man the branch that is to be a priest upon his throne as it follows (Zec_612) and he was to grow up before God as this before the ark like a tender

37

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

knew who was the true priest2 A preventative furnished against future rebellion Miracles apt to be forgotten of this the evidence was to be preserved Kept for a token

II Suggestive to Christians Every man has some rod on which he leans The Christianrsquos is faith Like Aaronrsquos rod faith flourishesmdash1 Most in the sanctuary There are strengthening influences and a Divine power It will become a barren stock elsewhere2 Under circumstances in which other rods cannot live The almond flourishes even before the winter is fully past Faith budding in adversity3 Produces fruit and flowers on the bare stock of adversity4 Bears fruit speedily when God causes His blessing to rest upon it ldquoBelieve and be savedrdquo5 Stirs the Christian up to vigilance Almond-tree a symbol of watchfulness

III Typical of Christ1 For it is perpetual Aaronrsquos rod laid up as a lasting remembrance2 It bore fruit on a barren stock Jesus a root out of a dry ground3 It was distinguished among the sceptres of the princes Christrsquos kingdom and sceptre rule over all He is a plant of renown4 It was the object of special favour So in Jesus He ldquowas well pleasedrdquo He was ldquoelect and preciousrdquo

IV Symbolical of a true teacher1 His home the house of God2 Presents himself constantly before the testimony3 In himself dry and barren4 Relies upon God for fruitfulness5 Produces by Divine help not flowers only but fruit also6 As a dry and lifeless stock he receives quickening power from God so with his flowers and fruit he presents himself before God and offers all his works to Him

Learnmdash1 The wisdom of God in choice of methods2 To seek a strong and living and practical faith3 To rejoice in and rely upon the perpetual high priesthood of Christ4 To endeavour like the almond-tree to bring forth fruit early (J C Gray)

11

Aaronrsquos rod that buddedThis is our subject the miraculous conversion of Aaronrsquos rod into a living blossoming and fruit-bearing plant It must have been a most convincing prodigy for the purpose it was designed to answer for the people no sooner saw it than they cried out in remorse for their wavering allegiance ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perishrdquo But beyond the age wherein the marvel occurred this putting vegetable life into that dry staff has frequently been borrowed and used for other objects Thus Achilles in classic poetry when enraged against Agamemnon is made by Homer to refer to this miraclemdash

ldquoBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts stock on the high mountains at what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopt off its foliage greenAnd stript its bark shall never grow again -By this I swearrdquo

And amongst Latin literature you will some of you remember that a certain king confirms a covenant with AEneas by a similar oathI We begin by reminding you that among the greatest of our blessings in this world is our strict obligation to do the Divine will and to keep the Divine law It is far more worth our while to sing of Godrsquos statutes than it is to sing of Godrsquos promises Where should we be in a country without human authority and a human authority founded on a reverence for the Divine Very truly does Bushnell say that ldquowithout law man does not live he only grazesrdquo If he had no government he would never discern any reason for existence and would soon not care to exist How different is the world of Voltaire from the world of Milton I The one finds nothing but this clay world and its material beauties flashes into a shallow brilliancy of speech and weaving a song of surfaces empties himself into a book of all that he has felt or seen But the other at the back of all and through all visible things beholds a spirit and a Divinity Now is there not a very beautiful picture of the comeliness and the beneficence of law in the old miracle that was wrought upon the rod of Aaron That staff as we have put it to you was selected as the sign of authority This was a declaration first that no law was perfect that did not display life and beauty and fertility and a declaration secondly that by Godrsquos choice that perfect law dwelt in the high priest But apart from the imagery as a message to the children of Israel I cling to that blooming staff as the very best type I can find anywhere of what Godrsquos rule is amongst us and in His Church I find myself taught by this early prodigy on Aaronrsquos staff that Godrsquos dominion is the dominion of the almond-branch It is a rod alas for us if there were no rod But it is a rod displaying all the three several pledges and gradations of life and thusmdashoh beautiful coincidence if it be nothing moremdashGod turns His law towards the

12

children of men into what the forbidden tree so falsely appeared to the first transgressormdashldquopleasant to the eye and good for foodrdquo Of course I know that the staff or the sceptre is the symbol of authority because a staff is that with which one person smites another The ultimate significance of a rod is a blow But is it nothing to be taught by Godrsquos picture-alphabet of the Old Testament that He smites only with buds and with flowers and with fruit This seems to change even to any childrsquos apprehension the whole character of the sovereignty under which we bow in the modern camp of the Church You tremble as you read the chapter of hard duties Turn the leaf and you will come upon the chapter of precious promises There is not a verse in the Bible that is not in flower with some comfort aye though it be a verse that smites you with a difficult commandment You are never to tell a man to do a single thing in religion without telling him that God will help him to do it You are never to command a sacrifice from me for Christrsquos sake without comforting me with the assurance that ldquoGod is able to give me much more than thisrdquo If you have a strong rough hard stick of responsibility you must show it to me bursting out all over with the rich petals and the hanging clusters of the sovereignty of Divine grace Aye for I want you to mark well that here was a miracle within a miracle The natural almond-branch never has upon it at one time buds blossoms and fruit But I seem to be taught by this accumulation of successive life all at once on one stem that there is no element of mercy wanting in the code by which I am to be managed But remember that if we deserve nothing but the rod and yet if God never uses the rod save with the buds the blossoms and the fruit ldquoHe may well record it against us if either we despise the chastening of the Lord or faint when we are rebuked of HimrdquoII But now the real and only proper commentary on the facts of the Pentateuch will be found in the doctrines of the Epistle to the Hebrews Do you believe that all those lives would have been lost and all that commotion would have been made about the prerogative of Aaronrsquos priesthood but for that other Priest on whom the whole world was to relymdashthe Priest for evermdashldquomade not after the law of a carnal commandment but after the power of an endless liferdquo It is not by one Scripture it is by scores that I find myself pointed through that staff to the real government of this world in the rod out of the stem of Jesse ldquoHe shall grow up before Him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground without form or comelinessrdquo And yet all the while He was the ldquorod out of the stem of Jesserdquo And when I read in the Book of Numbers how the Hebrews rose up against Aaron and put him to shame I can only take it for a foreshadowing of another rebellion when they insulted another Sceptre who was ldquodespised and rejected of menrdquo We preach to you Christ a stumbling-block to the Jews And scarcely can you wonder that so long as the rod was only the root out of a dry ground the Son of the carpenter and the Friend of sinners there was ldquo no beauty in Him that they should desire Himrdquo But that is not the staff with which this day God governs His Church No no He hath declared that lowly peasant preacher to be ldquothe Son of God with power in that He hath raised Him from the deadrdquo Ah that night in which they concealed Aaronrsquos rod in the tabernacle of witness it was never less living never less blossoming than then But it was not left in darkness neither did it see corruption And on

13

the appointed morning men found it marked by the choice of the Omnipotent with the buds the blossoms and the fruit In like manner the coldest darkest least living period in Immanuelrsquos career was when they hid Him among all the other millions of the dead in the tomb cut out of the rock in the garden of Joseph ldquoBut now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first-fruits of them that sleptrdquo He was raised up ldquoa plant of renownrdquo And from that glorious Easter morning the ldquorod out of the stem of Jesserdquo has been ldquothe tree whose leaves are for the healing of the nationsrdquo and ldquofilling the face of the world with fruitrdquo Men can be governed by a Mediator and yet not perish ldquoThe soul that sinneth it shall dierdquo That is a rod but ldquoif any man sin we have an Advocate with the Fatherrdquo that is ldquoAaronrsquos rod that buddedrdquomdashthe rod of the Priest Reuben Gad and all the rest have rods Christianity is not alone in the sternness of its government or the severity of its sanctions But it is alone in telling me how I can receive remission of sins that are past and how I can obtain the strongest of motives for a life of obedience in the time to come (H Christopherson)

Aaronrsquos rod blossoming and bearing fruitI As the priesthood of Aaron was a type of the priesthood of Christ there is here a suggestion of facts which must have their counterpart in Christrsquos life and history

1 The atonement and death of our Lord Jesus were matters of Divine appointment The whole work of our salvation originated with God2 But more than thismdashwhich is the essential truth here enshrinedmdashwe see here that God often manifests Himself in unexpected forms of beauty and of grace The dry rod blossomed and bare fruit The powers of Divine salvation were enshrined in the person of the Carpenter of Nazareth There was life for a dead world in the Cross and in the grave of the dead Christ

II There are suggestions here concerning Christian life1 Christian life begins with God2 The Christian life manifests itself in unfavourable conditions It is in human souls a power of active benevolence or it is nothing at all It takes hold of human misery with a healing hand and it changes it into blessing Where sin abounded there grace does much more abound3 There is beauty associated with the developments of Christian life and character There is nothing half so winning as Christian grace

III Suggestions in relation to the gospel ministry1 There is a Divine designation of men to the highest service of the Church2 But what is the qualification of men thus sent Evidently the possession of Divine life the gift which is to be imparted to those needing it To be a Christian teacher a man must be a Christian and must

14

know the things of Christ3 How then are we to judge a manrsquos Divine call and authority Only and solely by the blossoms and fruitmdashby the spiritual results of his ministry

IV Last of all there are here suggestions concerning Christian humiliation1 The world has not known its best benefactors It has always had a scornful word for the saintly and the true-hearted It has always risen up in rebellion against the anointed of the Lord2 Here is a word of encouragement to all weak and mistrustful and diffident and self-emptied souls ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says the old labourer in the Masterrsquos vineyard and the holy matron whose life has been careful and troubled about many things but who has ever been anxious to honour and serve her dear Lord in lowliest ways and household duties ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says the saint waiting dismission to rest who has not done what he would or been as useful as he desired and hoped and prayed to be ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says one whose strength has been weakened by the way and whose unfinished purposes lie sadly enough at his feet fallen out of hands which could not longer hold them or fashion them into completeness ldquoWe are but dry rodsrdquo say many earnest anxious longing souls who hardly dare to trust for the future because so often when they would do good evil is present with them We are not saved by trust in our own righteousness or by satisfaction with our own goodness and deeds But Godrsquos grace is all-sufficient and He can work miracles of beauty and fruitfulness where human might is feeblest and self mistrust is greatest and humility of spirit is deepest (W H Davison D D)

The Divine plan for vindicating the high priesthood of Aaron and its moral teachingI That true ministers of religion are elected by GodII It is of great importance that men should know that their ministers of religion are called by God

1 In order that they may regard them with becoming respect2 In order that they may take heed to their message

III The vitality of sin is of dreadful tenacity ldquoMany menrsquos lipsrdquo says Trapp ldquolike rusty hinges for want of the oil of grace and gladness move not without murmuring and complainingrdquo It is a thing of extreme difficulty to eradicate any evil disposition from the human heart ldquoFor such is the habitual hardness of menrsquos hearts as neither ministry nor misery nor miracle nor mercy can possibly mollify Nothing can do it but an extraordinary touch from the hand of HeavenrdquoIV God is engaged in eradicating sin from human hearts (W Jones)

15

Aaronrsquos rod an illustration of the true Christian ministryI The characteristics of the true Christian ministry

1 Life2 Beauty3 Fruitfulness

II The origin of the true Christian ministry Godrsquos creation and gift to the ChurchIII The influence of the true Christian ministry Abiding (W Jones)

The budded rod a type of ChristThe rod in many graphic tints shows Jesus The very name is caught by raptured prophets (Isa_111 Zec_612-13) Thus faith gleans lessons from the very titlemdashRod But the grand purport of the type is to reject all rivals It sets Aaron alone upon the priestly seat The parallel proclaims that similarly Jesus is our only Priest God calls anoints appoints accepts and ever hears Him but Him alone In His hands only do these functions live Next the constant luxuriance has a clear voice In naturersquos field buds blossoms fruit soon wither Not so this rod Its verdure was for ever green its fruit was ever ripe Beside the ark it was reserved in never-fading beauty Here is the ever-blooming Priesthood of our Lord (Psa_1104 Heb_724) Mark moreover that types of Jesus often comprehend the Church It is so with these rods The twelve at first seem all alike They are all sapless twigs But suddenly one puts forth loveliness while the others still remain worthless and withered Here is a picture of Godrsquos dealings with a sin-slain race Since Adamrsquos fall all are born lifeless branches of a withered stock When any child of man arises from the death of sin and blooms in grace God has arisen with Divine almightiness Believer the budded rod gives another warning It is a picture of luxuriance Turn from it and look inward Is your soul thus richly fertile Instead of fruit you often yield the thorn (Joh_158) Whence is the fault (Joh_154) Perhaps your neglectful soul departs from Christ Meditate in Godrsquos law day and night (Psa_13) But if the budded rod rebukes the scanty fruit in the new-born soul what is its voice to unregenerate worldlings (Heb_68) (Dean Law)

The rod of AaronBuds are evidence of life A nominal Christian is like a dead trunk and he cannot bud unless the sap of Divine grace courses through him Spiritual life is an attribute of the converted Christian The spiritual life of a being is his presiding sentiment or dispositionmdashthe chief inspiration of his soulmdashthat which gives motion and character to his mental and moral beingI Life is a resistless force The smallest blade of grass that raises its tiny head into light or the feeblest insect that sports in the sunbeam displays a

16

force superior to that which governs the ocean or controls the stars Man stands erect the tree rises and the bird soars because of lifeII Life is an appropriating force Vegetable and animal existences have a power of appropriating to themselves all surrounding elements conducive to their well-being just as the life of the plant converts the various gases around it into nutriment to promote its strength and development Wherever there is true religion there is a power to render all external circumstances subservient to its own strength and growth all things work together for its goodIII Life is a propagating force It has ldquothe seed in itselfrdquo Forests start from acorns and boundless harvests from the solitary grain It is said that the grateful Israelites anxious to carry away a bud a blossom or almond as a memento of the occasion the flowers and fruit on the rod were repeatedly and miraculously renewed for that purpose Be that as it may wherever there is religious life it will spread it scatters broadcast the incorruptible seed which liveth and abideth for everIV Life is a beautifying force There are two kinds of beautymdashthe sensational and the moral Nature in her ten thousand forms of loveliness and art in her exquisite expressions of taste are ministries to the former whilst spiritual truth moral goodness and the holiness of God address the latter The one is the poetry of the eye and ear the other of the soul The beauty that appeals to the religious nature of man is the beauty of holinessmdashthe beauty of the Lordmdashthe glory of God in His goodnessV Life is a fructifying force The true Christian not only lives and unfolds a noble disposition but is really useful St Paul speaks of ldquothe fruit of the Spiritrdquomdashrighteousness goodness truth The first as opposed to all injustice and dishonesty the second as opposed to the ten thousand forms of selfishness the third as opposed to all that is erroneous and false in the doctrines and theories of men (G L Saywell)

Aaronrsquos rodHere are three miracles in onemdash

1 That a dry rodmdashmade of the almond treemdashshould bring forth buds in a moment2 That those buds should presently become blossoms anal flowers3 That these should immediately become ripe fruit and that all at once or at least in a little space

Nature makes no such leaps All this was supernatural to these ends1 For a testimony of Godrsquos calling Aaron to the priesthood2 For a type of Christ the Branch (Isa_111)3 For a figure of the fruitfulness of a gospel ministry4 For a lively representation of a glorious resurrection (C Ness)

17

Lessons from the budding rodA wonderful work of God which sundry ways may profit us

1 As first to consider that if the power of God can do this in a dry stick cannot He make the barren woman to bare and be a joyful mother of children Can He not do whatsoever He will do By this power the sea is dried the rock gives water the earth cleaveth under the feet of men fire descends whose nature is to ascend raiseth the dead and calleth things that are not as if they were In a word He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think ampc2 This rod is a notable type of Christ His person and office Of His person in that He was born of the Virgin Mary who though He descended of the royal blood yet was now poor and mean as that royal race was brought exceeding low nothing remaining but as it were a root only Now the said Virgin flourisheth again as Aaronrsquos rod did and beareth such fruit as never woman bear Of this speaks Isaiah the prophet when he saith ldquoThere shall come a rod forth of the stock of Jesse and a graft shall grow out of his rootsrdquo Of His office both priestly and kingly His priestly office is figured in that being offered upon the cross He was as Aaronrsquos dried rod or as the Psalm saith ldquodried up like a potsherdrdquo But when He rose again He became like Aaronrsquos budding and fruit-bearing rod bringing forth to man believing on Him remission of sins righteousness and eternal life His kingly office in that He governeth His Church with a rod or sceptre of righteousness as it is in the Psalm ldquoThe sceptre of Thy kingdom is a right sceptrerdquo Which rod and sceptre is the preaching of the gospel ampc3 Again it was a resemblance of true ministers and of all faithful men and women for none of all these ought to be dry and withered sticks but bear and bring forth buds and fruit according to their places4 It is a shadow also of our resurrection by which we should grow green again and flourish with a new and an eternal glory having like dead seed lain in the ground and we shall bring forth ripe almonds that is the praise of Godrsquos incomprehensible goodness to us for ever and ever5 It resembleth our reformation and amendment of life for when our heart feeleth what is amiss this is as the bud when it resolveth of a change and a future amendment this is the blossom and when it performeth the same by a new reformed life indeed this is as the ripe almonds of Aaronrsquos rod(Bp Babington)

The priesthood divinely selectedWhat matchless wisdom shines in this arrangement How completely is the matter taken out of manrsquos hands and placed where alone it ought to be namely in the hands of the living God It was not to be a man appointing

18

himself or a man appointing his fellow but God appointing the man of His own selection In a word the question was to be definitively settled by God Himself so that all murmurings might be silenced for ever and no one be able again to charge Godrsquos high priest with taking too much upon him The human will had nothing whatever to do with this solemn matter The twelve rods all in a like condition were laid up before the Lord man retired and left God to act There was no room no opportunity because there was no occasion for human management In the profound retirement of the sanctuary far away from all manrsquos thinkings was the grand question of priesthood settled by Divine decision and being thus settled it could never again be raised (C H Mackintosh)

Aaronrsquos fruitful rodStriking and beautiful figure of Him who was ldquodeclared to be the Son of God with power by resurrection from the deadrdquo The twelve rods were all alike lifeless but God the living God entered the scene and by that power peculiar to Himself infused life into Aaronrsquos rod and brought it forth to view bearing upon it the fragrant fruits of resurrection Who could gainsay this The rationalist may sneer at it and raise a thousand questions Faith gazes on that fruit-bearing rod and sees in it a lovely figure of the new creation in the which all things are of God Infidelity may argue on the ground of the apparent impossibility of a dry stick budding blossoming and bearing fruit in the course of one night But to whelm does it appear impossible To the infidel the rationalist the sceptic And why Because he always shuts out God Let us remember this Infidelity invariably shuts out God God can do as He pleases The One who called worlds into existence could make a rod to bud blossom and bear fruit in a moment Bring God in and all is simple and plain as possible Leave God out and all is plunged in hopeless confusion (C H Mackintosh)

The rods contrastedPonder the difference between the rod of Moses and the rod of Aaron We have seen the former doing its characteristic work in other days and amid other scenes We have seen the land of Egypt trembling beneath the heavy strokes of that rod Plague after plague fell upon that devoted scene in answer to that outstretched rod We have seen the waters of the sea divided in answer to that rod In short the rod of Moses was a rod of power a rod of authority But it could not avail to hush the murmurings of the children of Israel nor yet to bring the people through the desert Grace alone could do that and we have the expression of pure gracemdashfree sovereign gracemdashin the budding of Aaronrsquos rod Nothing can be more forcible nothing more lovely That dry dead stick was the apt figure of Israelrsquos condition and indeed of the condition of every one of us by nature There was no sap no life no power One might well say ldquoWhat good can ever come of itrdquo None whatever had not grace come in and displayed its quickening power So was it with Israel in the wilderness and so is it with us now How were they to

19

be led along from day to day How were they to be sustained in all their weakness and need How were they to be borne with in all their sin and folly The answer is found in Aaronrsquos budding rod If the dry dead stick was the expression of naturersquos barren and worthless condition the buds blossoms and fruit set forth that living and life-giving grace and power of God on which was based the priestly ministry that alone could bear the congregation through the wilderness Grace alone could answer the ten thousand necessities of the militant host Power could not suffice Authority could not avail Priesthood alone could supply what was needed and this priesthood was instituted on the foundation of that efficacious grace which could bring fruit out of a dry rod Thus it was as to priesthood of old and thus it is as to ministry now All ministry in the Church of God is the fruit of Divine gracemdashthe gift of Christ the Churchrsquos Head (C H Mackintosh)

2 ldquoSpeak 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

BARNES Compare Eze_3716 ff

CLARKE And take of every one of them a rod - matteh the staff or מטהscepter which the prince or chief of each tribe bore and which was the sign of office or royalty among almost all the people of the earth

GILL Speak unto the children of Israel The principal men among them of the several tribes and take of everyone of them not of every individual of the people of Israel but of their princes as afterwards explained a rod according to the house of their fathers or father of whom their house or tribe was called as Reuben Simeon ampc this rod was either a

20

common walking staff as some think or rather the ensign of their princely office and dignity peculiar to each tribe though some think it was now freshly cut off from an almond tree and that all the rods were of one and the same tree but supposing they were all of the almond kind as Josephus (d) thinks yet being dry rods and of long use served to make the miracle appear the greater of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods this explains who they were to be taken of the princes of the several tribes whose names are given Num_15 and the number of them twelve according to the number of the twelve tribes write thou every mans name upon his rod the name of each prince or head of a tribe either by cutting it into the rod or fastening a writing to it after the manner of those times as for instance the name of Elizur for the tribe of Reuben by which it was to be made and was made to appear that to none of these tribes belonged the priesthood but to the tribe of Levi and to none of that tribe but the family of Aaron whereby it should seem that some of all the tribes made pretensions to it as being all holy and especially the chief firstborn of every tribe as such their princes were

JAMISON 2-5 Speak unto the children of Israel mdash The controversy with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood was of such a nature and magnitude as required a decisive and authoritative settlement For the removal of all doubts and the silencing of all murmuring in the future regarding the holder of the office a miracle was wrought of a remarkable character and permanent duration and in the manner of performing it all the people were made to have a direct and special interest

take of every one princes twelve rods mdash As the princes being the oldest sons of the chief family and heads of their tribes might have advanced the best claims to the priesthood if that sacred dignity was to be shared among all the tribes they were therefore selected and being twelve in number - that of Joseph being counted only one - Moses was ordered to see that the name of each was inscribed - a practice borrowed from the Egyptians - upon his rod or wand of office The name of Aaron rather than of Levi was used as the latter name would have opened a door of controversy among the Levites and as there was to be one rod only for the head of each tribe the express appointment of a rod for Aaron determined him to be the head of that tribe as well as that branch or family of the tribe to which the priestly dignity should belong These rods were to be laid in the tabernacle close to the ark (compare Num_1710 and Heb_94) where a divine token was promised that would for all time terminate the dispute

CALVIN 2Speak unto the children of Israel They are mistaken who suppose that to the twelve rods there was another added for the tribe of Levi (103) for since there was no question here as to the possession of the land there was no occasion at

21

all for the division of the tribe of Joseph into two parts We know too that it was endowed with a double portion because the Levites had no inheritance and in this case the circumstances were different because all the other tribes were contending for the priesthood with the tribe of Levi alone Hence it was then that rods were given to each of them in accordance with the origin of their race But when Aaronrsquos rod is said to have been ldquoin the midst of themrdquo (104) it is in the usual phrase of the Hebrew language because it was mixed with them as one of their number And this is expressly stated to show us that all ground for caviling might be taken from the ungodly since all the rods were east promiscuously into the same bundle so that none should be distinguished above the others and thus nothing could be ascribed to the collusion of men If any should object that by these means the rivalry was not extinguished which the other Levites had with the house of Aaron since his own name alone was inscribed upon the rod so that there would be no comparison between the families I reply that since the power of God manifested itself distinctly in the name of Aaron the rejection of the others was sufficiently shown forth by his election for if this honor had been common to the others God would have defrauded them by giving distinction to him alone Besides no other plan could have been adopted for putting an end to this quarrel for if there had been several rods for one tribe the whole people would have complained of the inequality It was necessary then that all should be brought to the contest on equal terms so that the difference between them might be seen to depend upon Godrsquos good pleasure But if the name of Levi had been inscribed all its families would have claimed the right of succession as if common to them all There was therefore no other course open but that God should prefer to the whole people one individual chosen from amongst the members of his own kindred and tribe COKE Numbers 172 Take of every one of them a rodmdash The minds of a considerable number of the people having been poisoned by the insinuations of Korah and his accomplices against Aaron and his family upon the account of the priesthood God is pleased to add another signal miracle in confirmation of his priests authority accordingly the head of each tribe is ordered to take a rod and bring it before the Lord Some have supposed that these were the ordinary rods or batoons which the princes of the tribes bore while from the 8th verse of this chapter others infer that these were twigs or branches from one and the same almond tree whichever was the case the miracle was sufficiently great to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of ProvidenceBENSON Numbers 172 Take of every one mdash Not of every person but of every tribe A rod mdash A twig or branch from one and the same almond-tree as some infer from Numbers 178 Or according to others the ordinary rods which the princes of the tribes carried in their hands as tokens of their dignity and authority Numbers 2118 And indeed the miracle would appear the greater if neither Aaronrsquos rod nor any of the rest was of the almond-tree But the miracle was sufficiently great either way to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of Providence Every manrsquos name mdash Every princersquos for they being the firstborn and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of

22

their tribes and besides the prince represented all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the question And this place seems to confirm the opinion that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contended with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holyELLICOTT (2) And take of every one of them mdashBetter And take of them a rod for each fatherrsquos houseTwelve rodsmdashSome suppose that Aaronrsquos rod was not included amongst the twelve Others suppose that one rod only was taken for the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh The latter supposition is more accordant with the terms here employed than the former and is supported by Deuteronomy 2712-13 where Joseph stands for the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh and Levi is included amongst the twelve tribesWrite thou every manrsquos name upon his rodmdashThis was in accordance with an Egyptian custom (See Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians III 388) The prophet Ezekiel received a similar injunction (Ezekiel 3716)POOLE Speak unto the children of Israel that I may fully and finally satisfy all their scruples and take away all pretence and cause of murmuringOf every one of them not of every person but of every tribe as it followsA rod either an ordinary walking staff or rather that staff or rod which the princes carried in their hand as tokens of their dignity and authority as may be gathered from Numbers 2118 compared with Psalms 1102 Jeremiah 481617According to the house of their fathers ie according to each family proceeding from the patriarch or father of that tribeEvery manrsquos name ie every princersquos for they being the first-born and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of their tribes and besides each prince represented and acted for all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the whole question And this plate seems to confirm what was before observed that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contested with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holy as they said Numbers 163

WHEDON 2 A rod mdash Each chief prince of the twelve tribes bore a staff or sceptre as the sign of office Such rods were often hereditary and of great antiquity That such dry staves should blossom and bear fruit again is so improbable that the Greeks were accustomed to swear by their sceptres Thus Achilles

23

ldquoBut hearken I will swear a solemn oathBy this sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as oncerdquoWritehellip every manrsquos name mdash To identify beyond dispute the rod of Aaron after the trial The illiteracy of Moses and his generation as alleged by some modern writers is here abundantly confuted Since there were twelve rods including Levirsquos it is evident that the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim are here counted as one tribe mdash that of JosephPETT Numbers 172lsquoSpeak to the children of Israel and take of them rods one for each fathersrsquo house of all their princes according to their fathersrsquo houses twelve rods You write every manrsquos name on his rodrsquoAll the men of Israel were to be involved in this It is possible that Levi were included among lsquothe twelversquo and that Manasseh and Ephraim were for this event treated as one tribe the rods representing the lsquohouseholdsrsquo of the original patriarchal fathers But a rod was taken for each of their fathersrsquo houses and the names of each of the chieftains of those fathersrsquo houses was written on the rods This would suggest in the light of previous references to twelve chieftains that the lsquotwelversquo rods were in contrast with Aaronrsquos rod (Alternately one rod may have represented Joseph including both Ephraim and Manasseh It was Joseph who was to be lsquoa fruitful boughrsquo (Genesis 4922) but not as pertaining to the priesthood)The word for lsquorodsrsquo also indicates lsquotribes and can in fact be used to indicate either Thus the rods symbolised each tribe

PULPIT Numbers 172Take of every one of them a rod Literally take of them a rod a rod ie a rod apiece in the way immediately particularized hsilgnEegaugnaL מטה is used for the staff of Judah (Genesis 3818) and for the rod of Moses (Exodus 42) It is also used in the sense of tribe (Numbers 14 Numbers 116) Each tribe was but a branch or rod out of the stock of Israel and therefore was most naturally represented by the rod cut from the tree lsquoThe words used for scepter in Genesis 4910 and in Psalms 457 and for rod in Isaiah 111 and elsewhere are different but the same imagery underlies the use of all of them Of all their princes hellip twelve rods These princes must be those named in Isaiah 22-21 and Isaiah 25-71 Since among these are to be found the tribe princes of Ephraim and Manasseh standing upon a perfect equality with the rest it is evident that the twelve rods were exclusive

24

of that of Aaron The joining together of Ephraim and Manasseh in Deuteronomy 2712 was a very different thing because it could not raise any question as between the two

3 On the staff of Levi write Aaronrsquos name for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe

BARNES Thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of Levi - The Levites had taken part in the late outbreak It was therefore necessary to vindicate the supremacy of the house of Aaron over them and accordingly his name was written on the rod of Levi although being the son of Kohath the second son of Levi (Exo_616 ff) he would not be the natural head of the tribe

GILL And thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi Or upon the rod that was for the tribe of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written not the word Levi or a Levite as Josephus (e) for that would not have decided the controversy about the priesthood which chiefly lay between the Levites and the family of Aaron who were of the same tribe for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers one rod for the head or prince of every tribe every prince representing his own tribe he was the head of and the rod the prince and though the tribe of Levi was divided into two families the family of the priests and the family of the Levites yet as Jarchi observes they were but one tribe and so one rod for them as for the other tribes

ELLICOTT (3) And thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of LevimdashAaron was descended from the second son of Levi He was not therefore the natural but the divinely-appointed head of his fatherrsquos house and hence it would not have sufficed for the purpose contemplated to have inscribed the name of Levi upon the rod Aaron was constituted the head alike of the priests and of the Levites into which two classes the tribe of Levi was divided

25

BENSON Numbers 173 Aaronrsquos name mdash Rather than Levirsquos for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos family One rod mdash There shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixed

POOLE Aaronrsquos rather than Levirsquos name for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos familyFor the head of the house of their fathers ie there shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixedPETT Numbers 173lsquoAnd you shall write Aaronrsquos name on the rod of Levi for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathersrsquo housesrsquoOn the rod of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written There was to be one for each head of their fathersrsquo houses In the light of the earlier divisions in chapters 1-4 we are probably therefore to see that there were thirteen rods the twelve which represented Israel in contrast with the Levites and the one that specifically represented AaronHere Aaron is depicted as the head of the house of Levi That may well be why earlier he was called lsquothe Levitersquo as the head of the family (Exodus 414)

PULPIT Numbers 173Thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi There was no tribe prince of Levi and it is not probable that either of the three chiefs of the sub-tribes (Numbers 324 Numbers 330 55) was called upon to bring a rod This rod was therefore provided by Moses himself and inscribed by him with the name of Aaron who stood by Divine appointment (so recently and fearfully attested) above all his brethren For the significance of the act cf Ezekiel 3716-28 For one rod hellip for the head of the house of their fathers For Levi therefore there must be not three rods inscribed with the names of the chiefs but one only bearing the name of Aaron as

26

their common superior

4 Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law where I meet with you

GILL And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation In the most holy place before the testimony that is the ark in which the testimony or the law was here they were laid as in the presence of God who was in a miraculous way to decide the controversy by them and put an end to it for upon the ark was the mercy seat over which were the cherubim the seat of the divine Majesty and where none could come at them and where no fraud could be supposed to be committed where I will meet with you not with the people in person who might not go at any time into the most holy place nor with Aaron who only might go into it on the day of atonement but with Moses the chief ruler and representative of the whole body of the people and who might go in there at any time to consult with God about matters of moment and difficulty and where the Lord had said he would meet him Exo_2522 and now would in a miraculous way clearly show him and the people of Israel by him who was the priest he had chosen of all the tribesCALVIN 4And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle The place itself had not a little to do with the effectual decision of the matter because it was clearly manifested that God was the author of the miracle and consequently that the priesthood proceeded from Him For we have elsewhere said that the whole government of the Church so entirely depends upon His decree that men are not permitted to interfere with it Wherefore He set the ark of the covenant in opposition to the voices of the whole people in order to testify that no further dispute was to be raised respecting the priest whom He had appointed by His own declaration and authority At the same time it had the effect of consoling the people and silencing their complaints that the rods of all the tribes were brought in common into the sanctuary before God for although a peculiar dignity was accorded to that of Aaron alone still the people ceased not to be a priestly kingdom Hence it follows that the honorable privilege conferred on one family contributed to the public welfare of all so far was it from being the case that their inferiority ought to have caused them pain or envy

27

POOLE Before the testimony ie before the ark of the testimony either mediately close by the veil behind which the ark stood or rather immediately within the veil in the most holy place close by the ark as may be gathered by comparing this place with Numbers 1710 and with Hebrews 94I will meet with you and manifest my mind to you for the ending of this dispute PETT The Rods Are To Be Laid Up in the Tent of Meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)Numbers 174lsquoAnd you shall lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony where I meet with yoursquoThese were then to be lsquolaid up in the Tent of meeting before the testimonyrsquo in the place where Yahweh meets with His people This probably meant in front of the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh lsquothe testimonyrsquo indicating the presence of the covenant tablets in the Ark and their testimony to the covenant

5 The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelitesrdquo

CLARKE The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossom - It was necessary that something farther should be done to quiet the minds of the people and for ever to settle the dispute in what tribe the priesthood should be fixed God therefore took the method described in the text and it had the desired effect the Aaronical priesthood was never after disputed

GILL And it shall come to pass that the mans rod whom I shall choose Or make it manifest that he had chosen him and so confirm the choice he had made of him and his family for the priesthood to be and continue in

28

shall blossom bud and blossom and yield fruit as it afterwards did which is here declared beforehand that the miracle might appear the greater exactly answering to a prediction delivered out before of it and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel whereby they murmur against you against Moses for setting up his brother as an high priest and establishing the priesthood in his family and against Aaron for accepting of it and officiating in it but by this method now taken God would for ever silence their murmurings so that they should never be able with any face to object any more to the authority of the Aaronic priesthood which should appear by the predicted miracle beyond all dispute and contradictionCALVIN 5And it shall come to pass that the manrsquos rod Aaron indeed had been previously chosen but the expression here refers to his manifestation (105) because God is said again to choose those whom He has chosen by His secret counsel when He brings them forth into the sight of men with their peculiar marks of distinction and this not once only but as often as he confirms their election by new indications And this seems to be spoken of by way of concession as if God would pass over all His former decrees and invite the people afresh to take cognizance of the matter With this view tie states that He will put an end to all the malevolent and noisy detractions of the people so that Aaron may henceforth exercise his office without controversy for although not even thus was their perverseness altogether cured still their insolence was restrained

ELLICOTT (5) The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossommdashOr shall sprout forth or put forthmdashie leaves or blossoms Achilles when enraged against Agamemnon is made to swear a solemn oath by his sceptre which having once left its stock on the mountains shall never again grow King Latinus is represented by Virgil as confirming his covenant with AEligneas by a similar oath

WHEDON 5 Whom I shall choose mdash That is select for the priesthoodCeasehellip murmurings mdash Suppress them beyond all possibility of a revival Jehovahrsquos claims are set forth in his word with such cogency that there is no just ground for gainsaying On all questions of duty there is a redundancy of evidencePETT The Rod of the Chosen One Will Bud and Put an End to Murmuring (Numbers 175)Numbers 175lsquoAnd it will come about that the rod of the man whom I shall choose will bud and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel which they

29

murmur against yoursquoThen Yahweh would make the rod of the man that Yahweh had chosen spring to life and bud This final display on Yahwehrsquos initiative should cause all further murmurings against Moses and Aaron on the question of who had the right of priesthood to cease

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 Aaronrsquos staff was among them

BARNES The whole number of rods was twelve exclusive of Aaronrsquos as the Vulgate expressly states

GILL And Moses spake unto the children of Israel What the Lord had bid him say unto them concerning the rods which they hearkened unto and observed and everyone of their princes gave him a rod apiece for each prince one every prince of the several tribes and so a rod for every tribe as well as for each prince according to their fathers houses even twelve rods there being twelve tribes named after their fathers or the patriarchs the twelve sons of Jacob and Joseph having two tribes which sprung from him called after his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh there were twelve rods besides that of Aaron and so the Vulgate Latin version renders the words with the next clauseand there were twelve rods besides the rod of Aaronin all thirteen though the Jews say there were but twelve with it allowing but one rod for Joseph under whom were comprehended Ephraim and Manasseh and reckoning the tribe of Levi one of the twelve so Aben Ezra observes that the rod of Levi was among the twelve and Joseph had but one rod and the rod of Aaron was among their rods in the middle of them and was

30

so placed as Jarchi thinks that it might not be said because it was put on the side of the Shechinah or divine Majesty therefore it budded but being in the middle of them there could be no difference in that respectJAMISON the rod of Aaron was among their rods mdash either one of the

twelve or as many suppose a thirteenth in the midst (Heb_94) The rods were of dry sticks or wands probably old as transmitted from one head of the family to a succeeding

KampD Num_176-11Moses carried out this command And when he went into the tabernacle the following morning behold Aarons rod of the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth shoots and had borne blossoms and matured almonds And Moses brought all the rods out of the sanctuary and gave every man his own the rest as we may gather from the context being all unchanged so that the whole nation could satisfy itself that God had chosen Aaron Thus was the word fulfilled which Moses had spoken at the commencement of the rebellion of the company of Korah (Num_165) and that in a way which could not fail to accredit him before the whole congregation as sent of GodSo far as the occurrence itself is concerned there can hardly be any need to remark that the natural interpretation which has lately been attempted by Ewald viz that Moses had laid several almond rods in the holy place which had just been freshly cut off that he might see the next day which of them would flower the best during the night is directly at variance with the words of the text and also with the fact that a rod even freshly cut off when laid in a dry place would not bear ripe fruit in a single night The miracle which God wrought here as the Creator of nature was at the same time a significant symbol of the nature and meaning of the priesthood The choice of the rods had also a bearing upon the object in question A mans rod was the sign of his position as ruler in the house and congregation with a prince the rod becomes a sceptre the insignia of rule (Gen_4910) As a severed branch the rod could not put forth shoots and blossom in a natural way But God could impart new vital powers even to the dry rod And so Aaron had naturally no pre-eminence above the heads of the other tribes But the priesthood was founded not upon natural qualifications and gifts but upon the power of the Spirit which God communicates according to the choice of His wisdom and which He had imparted to Aaron through his consecration with holy anointing oil It was this which the Lord intended to show to the people by causing Aarons rod to put forth branches blossom and fruit through a miracle of His omnipotence whereas the rods of the other heads of the tribes remained as barren as before In this way therefore it was not without deep significance that Aarons rod not only put forth shoots by which the divine election might be recognised but bore even blossom and ripe fruit This showed that Aaron was not only qualified for his calling but administered his office in the full power of the Spirit and bore the fruit expected of him The almond rod was especially adapted to exhibit this as

31

an almond-tree flowers and bears fruit the earliest of all the trees and has received its name of שקד ldquoawakerdquo from this very fact (cf Jer_111)

God then commanded (Num_1710 Num_1711) that Aarons rod should be taken back into the sanctuary and preserved before the testimony ldquofor a sign for the rebellious that thou puttest an end to their murmuring and they die notrdquo The preservation of the rod before the ark of the covenant in the immediate presence of the Lord was a pledge to Aaron of the continuance of his election and the permanent duration of his priesthood though we have no need to assume that through a perpetual miracle the staff continued green and blossoming In this way the staff became a sign to the rebellious which could not fail to stop their murmuringPETT All the Chieftains Give Rods Including Aaron (Numbers 176)Numbers 176lsquoAnd Moses spoke to the children of Israel and all their princes gave him rods for each prince one according to their fathersrsquo houses even twelve rods and the rod of Aaron was among their rodsrsquoSo Moses did as Yahweh commanded and requested rods from each of the chieftains of the twelve tribes These rods may well have been their symbols of authority Thus twelve rods were gathered and Aaronrsquos rod was placed among them PULPIT And the rod of Aaron was among the rods As there was no prince from whom this rod could have come and as there were twelve rods without it this must mean that Moses did not keep Aarons rod separate (which might have caused suspicion) but let it be seen amongst the others

7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law

GILL And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness In that part of the tabernacle where the testimony or witness was that is the law which was in the ark over which was the mercy seat with the cherubim between which Jehovah dwelt and this was the most holy place and the rods being laid here might be said to be laid before the Lord who by making a difference in one of those rods from the rest would decide the controversy about the priesthood which was the end of their being laid

32

before himHENRY The preparing of the rods accordingly The princes brought

them in some of them perhaps fondly expecting that the choice would fall upon them and all of them thinking it honour enough to be competitors with Aaron and to stand candidates even for the priesthood (Num_177) and Moses laid them up before the Lord He did not object that the matter was sufficiently settled already and enough done to convince those that were not invincibly hardened in their prejudices He did not undertake to determine the controversy himself though it might easily have been done nor did he suggest that it would be to no purpose to offer satisfaction to a people that were willingly blind But since God will have it so he did his part and lodged the case before the Lord to whom the appeal was made by consent and left it with him

WHEDON 7 Witness mdash The Hebrew is the same as that for testimony in Numbers 174 The reason for choosing this place may have been that no one would suspect the performance of any legerdemain or jugglery in the holy of holies a sanctuary too awful for any man to enter but the high priest one day in the year Moses entered on this occasion by express commandPETT The Rods Are Placed In the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)Numbers 177lsquoAnd Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimonyrsquoThe rods were then laid up lsquobefore Yahwehrsquo in lsquothe Tent of the testimonyrsquo Note the change in name for the Tent Emphasis is placed here on the fact that the Tent testifies to Yahweh and His covenant As we have already suggested this probably meant that they were placed before the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh although it may be that Moses uniquely had access into the Holy of Holies itself

8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaronrsquos staff which represented the tribe of Levi had not only sprouted but had budded blossomed and produced almonds 33

BARNES Yielded almonds - ldquoRipened almondsrdquo i e ldquobrought forth ripe almondsrdquo The name almond in Hebrew denotes the ldquowaking-treerdquo the ldquowaking-fruitrdquo and is applied to this tree because it blossoms early in the season It serves here as in Jer_111-12 to set forth the speed and certainty with which at Godrsquos will His purposes are accomplished So again the blossoming and bearing of Aaronrsquos rod naturally impotent when severed from the parent tree may signify the profitableness because of Godrsquos appointment and blessing of the various means of grace (e g the priesthood the sacraments) which of themselves and apart from Him could have no such efficacy Compare Isa_42 Isa_111 Isa_532 Jer_335 Zec_612

CLARKE The rod of Aaron - was budded etc - That is on the same rod or staff were found buds blossoms and ripe fruit This fact was so unquestionably miraculous as to decide the business for ever and probably this was intended to show that in the priesthood represented by that of Aaron the beginning middle and end of every good work must be found The buds of good desires the blossoms of holy resolutions and promising professions and the ripe fruit of faith love and obedience all spring from the priesthood of the Lord Jesus It has been thought by some that Aaronrsquos staff (and perhaps the staves of all the tribes) was made out of the amygdala communis or common almond tree In a favorable soil and climate it grows to twenty feet in height is one of the most noble flourishing trees in nature its flowers are of a delicate red and it puts them forth early in March having begun to bud in January It has its name שקד shaked from shakad to awake because it buds and flowers sooner than most other trees And it is very likely that the staves of office borne by the chiefs of all the tribes were made of this tree merely to signify that watchfulness and assiduous care which the chiefs should take of the persons committed in the course of the Divine providence to their keeping

Every thing in this miracle is so far beyond the power of nature that no doubt could remain on the minds of the people or the envious chiefs of the Divine appointment of Aaron and of the especial interference of God in this case To see a piece of wood long cut off from the parent stock without bark or moisture remaining laid up in a dry place for a single night with others in the same circumstances - to see such a piece of wood resume and evince the perfection of vegetative life budding blossoming and bringing forth ripe fruit at the same time must be such a demonstration of the peculiar interference of God as to silence every doubt and satisfy every scruple It is worthy of remark that a scepter or staff of office resuming its vegetative life was considered an absolute impossibility among the ancients and as 34

they were accustomed to swear by their sceptres this circumstance was added to establish and confirm the oath A remarkable instance of this we have in Homer Iliad lib i ver 233 etc where Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon thus speaks -Αλλrsquo εκ τοι ερεω και επι μεγαν ὁρκον ομουμαιΝαι μα τοδε σκηπτρον το μεν ουποτε φυλλα και οζουςΦυσει επειδη πρωτα τομην εν ορεσσι λελοιπενΟυδrsquo αναθηλησει περι γαρ ῥα ἑ χαλκος ελεψεΦυλλα τε και φλοιονὁ δε τοι μεγας εσσεται ὁρκοςBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same scepter which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopprsquod off its foliage greenAnd stripprsquod its bark shall never grow againCowper

Virgil represents King Latinus swearing in the same way to confirm his covenant with Aeneas -Ut Sceptrum hoc (dextra sceptrum nam forte gerebat)Nunquam fronde levi fundet virgulta neque umbrasCum semel in silvis imo de stirpe recisumMatre caret posuitque comas et brachia ferroOlim arbos nunc artificis manus aere decoroInclusit patribusque dedit gestare LatinisTalibus inter se firmabant foedera dictisAen lib xii ver 206-12Even as this royal Sceptre (for he boreA scepter in his hand) shall never moreShoot out in branches or renew the birthAn orphan now cut from the mother earthBy the keen axe dishonorrsquod of its hairAnd cased in brass for Latian kings to bearAnd thus in public view the peace was tiedWith solemn vows and sworn on either sideDryden

When the circumstance of the rod or scepter being used anciently in this way and the absolute impossibility of its reviviscence so strongly appealed to is considered it appears to have been a very proper instrument for the present occasion for the change that passed on it must be acknowledged as an immediate and incontestable miracle

35

GILL And it came to pass that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness Where none but he could go at any time this was the day after the rods had been placed there and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi the rod that had Aarons name upon it which was to represent the tribe of Levi of which he was was budded and brought forth buds knobs of blossom such that are seen on trees before they open for the almond tree puts forth its blossoms before its leaves though the Targum of Jonathan renders it branches as do some versions and some think this is to be understood of its putting out its leaves first contrary to the nature of the almond tree and so makes the miracle the greater thus Ben Melech and blossomed blossoms open flowers or blossoms such as appear on the almond tree in the spring and look very beautiful and yielded almonds ripe almonds in their full perfection as the Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan the latter of which isin the same night it perfected and brought forth almondsthe word used has the signification of weaning and alludes to children grown up to some ripeness and maturity Gen_218 the case seems to be this that in one part of the rod were buds swelling and just putting out in another part open flowers quite blown and in others full ripe fruit now this clearly showed it to be supernatural since the almond tree though quick and early in its production of buds and flowers yet never has those and ripe fruit on it at the same time to which may be added that this was not the time of year the almond tree blossoms not the spring but rather autumn as it should seem since it was after the affair of the spies and the murmurs of the people on their report now it was the time of the first ripe grapes when they went into the land and they were forty days searching it and it was after their return the insurrections before recorded were the design of this was to confirm the priesthood in Aarons family and show that it would continue there in a flourishing condition and that there would be a succession of priests from him to the time of the Messiah as there were and the almond tree having its name in Hebrew from watchfulness and haste see Jer_111 may denote the vigilance of the priests in their office and the haste punishment makes to come upon such that should oppose them or usurp the priesthood as in the case of Uzziah so Jarchi remarks this rod of Aarons may be an emblem of the Gospel ministry of that rod that should come out of Zion Psa_1102 which in the eyes of men is mean and despicable like a dry stick but becomes a fruitful one through the power of divine grace and an almond tree rod may denote the vigilance and watchfulness of Gospel ministers over themselves and others and their doctrine and oftentimes whom God puts into the ministry he early calls them by his grace and frequently makes the first part of their ministry most useful and fruit is brought forth which remains moreover this rod may be considered as a type of Christ it being a dry rod or stick may denote the

36

meanness of his descent and appearance in the world and the unpromising aspect of his being the King Messiah and Saviour of men and being an almond tree rod may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time which the Lord hastened his being the firstborn and his right to the priesthood and his vigilance in it its lying among other rods and budding and blossoming and bringing forth fruit may point at Christs assuming the common nature or man his being cut off by death his resurrection from the dead and the fruits arising from thence justification peace pardon and eternal life and as Aarons priesthood was confirmed by the budding ampc of this rod so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are by his resurrection from the dead See Gill on Heb_94HENRY 8-9 Here is I The final determination of the controversy

concerning the priesthood by a miracle Num_178 Num_179 The rods or staves were brought out from the most holy place where they were laid up and publicly produced before the people and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were Aarons rod only of a dry stick became a living branch budded and blossomed and yielded almonds In some places there were buds in others blossoms in others fruit at the same time This was miraculous and took away all suspicion of a fraud as if in the night Moses had taken away Aarons rod and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it for no ordinary branch would have buds blossoms and fruits upon it all at once Now1 This was a plain indication to the people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood and not any other of the princes of the tribes Thus he was distinguished from them and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven which sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor watering by the hand of man Bishop Hall here observes that fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call and that the plants of Gods setting and the boughs cut off from them will flourish See Psa_9212-14 The trees of the Lord though they seem dry trees are full of sap2 It was a very proper sign to represent the priesthood itself which was hereby confirmed to Aaron (1) That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God It produced not only blossoms but almonds for the priesthood was designed not only for an honour to Aaron but for a blessing to Israel Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they should go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit should remain Joh_1516 (2) That there should be a succession of priests Here were not only almonds for the present but buds and blossoms promising more hereafter Thus has Christ provided in his church that a seed should serve him from generation to generation (3) That yet this priesthood should not be perpetual but in process of time like the branches and blossoms of a tree should fail and wither The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age Ecc_125 This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood which soon became old and ready to vanish away Heb_8133 It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood for he is the man the branch that is to be a priest upon his throne as it follows (Zec_612) and he was to grow up before God as this before the ark like a tender

37

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

Aaronrsquos rod that buddedThis is our subject the miraculous conversion of Aaronrsquos rod into a living blossoming and fruit-bearing plant It must have been a most convincing prodigy for the purpose it was designed to answer for the people no sooner saw it than they cried out in remorse for their wavering allegiance ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perishrdquo But beyond the age wherein the marvel occurred this putting vegetable life into that dry staff has frequently been borrowed and used for other objects Thus Achilles in classic poetry when enraged against Agamemnon is made by Homer to refer to this miraclemdash

ldquoBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts stock on the high mountains at what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopt off its foliage greenAnd stript its bark shall never grow again -By this I swearrdquo

And amongst Latin literature you will some of you remember that a certain king confirms a covenant with AEneas by a similar oathI We begin by reminding you that among the greatest of our blessings in this world is our strict obligation to do the Divine will and to keep the Divine law It is far more worth our while to sing of Godrsquos statutes than it is to sing of Godrsquos promises Where should we be in a country without human authority and a human authority founded on a reverence for the Divine Very truly does Bushnell say that ldquowithout law man does not live he only grazesrdquo If he had no government he would never discern any reason for existence and would soon not care to exist How different is the world of Voltaire from the world of Milton I The one finds nothing but this clay world and its material beauties flashes into a shallow brilliancy of speech and weaving a song of surfaces empties himself into a book of all that he has felt or seen But the other at the back of all and through all visible things beholds a spirit and a Divinity Now is there not a very beautiful picture of the comeliness and the beneficence of law in the old miracle that was wrought upon the rod of Aaron That staff as we have put it to you was selected as the sign of authority This was a declaration first that no law was perfect that did not display life and beauty and fertility and a declaration secondly that by Godrsquos choice that perfect law dwelt in the high priest But apart from the imagery as a message to the children of Israel I cling to that blooming staff as the very best type I can find anywhere of what Godrsquos rule is amongst us and in His Church I find myself taught by this early prodigy on Aaronrsquos staff that Godrsquos dominion is the dominion of the almond-branch It is a rod alas for us if there were no rod But it is a rod displaying all the three several pledges and gradations of life and thusmdashoh beautiful coincidence if it be nothing moremdashGod turns His law towards the

12

children of men into what the forbidden tree so falsely appeared to the first transgressormdashldquopleasant to the eye and good for foodrdquo Of course I know that the staff or the sceptre is the symbol of authority because a staff is that with which one person smites another The ultimate significance of a rod is a blow But is it nothing to be taught by Godrsquos picture-alphabet of the Old Testament that He smites only with buds and with flowers and with fruit This seems to change even to any childrsquos apprehension the whole character of the sovereignty under which we bow in the modern camp of the Church You tremble as you read the chapter of hard duties Turn the leaf and you will come upon the chapter of precious promises There is not a verse in the Bible that is not in flower with some comfort aye though it be a verse that smites you with a difficult commandment You are never to tell a man to do a single thing in religion without telling him that God will help him to do it You are never to command a sacrifice from me for Christrsquos sake without comforting me with the assurance that ldquoGod is able to give me much more than thisrdquo If you have a strong rough hard stick of responsibility you must show it to me bursting out all over with the rich petals and the hanging clusters of the sovereignty of Divine grace Aye for I want you to mark well that here was a miracle within a miracle The natural almond-branch never has upon it at one time buds blossoms and fruit But I seem to be taught by this accumulation of successive life all at once on one stem that there is no element of mercy wanting in the code by which I am to be managed But remember that if we deserve nothing but the rod and yet if God never uses the rod save with the buds the blossoms and the fruit ldquoHe may well record it against us if either we despise the chastening of the Lord or faint when we are rebuked of HimrdquoII But now the real and only proper commentary on the facts of the Pentateuch will be found in the doctrines of the Epistle to the Hebrews Do you believe that all those lives would have been lost and all that commotion would have been made about the prerogative of Aaronrsquos priesthood but for that other Priest on whom the whole world was to relymdashthe Priest for evermdashldquomade not after the law of a carnal commandment but after the power of an endless liferdquo It is not by one Scripture it is by scores that I find myself pointed through that staff to the real government of this world in the rod out of the stem of Jesse ldquoHe shall grow up before Him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground without form or comelinessrdquo And yet all the while He was the ldquorod out of the stem of Jesserdquo And when I read in the Book of Numbers how the Hebrews rose up against Aaron and put him to shame I can only take it for a foreshadowing of another rebellion when they insulted another Sceptre who was ldquodespised and rejected of menrdquo We preach to you Christ a stumbling-block to the Jews And scarcely can you wonder that so long as the rod was only the root out of a dry ground the Son of the carpenter and the Friend of sinners there was ldquo no beauty in Him that they should desire Himrdquo But that is not the staff with which this day God governs His Church No no He hath declared that lowly peasant preacher to be ldquothe Son of God with power in that He hath raised Him from the deadrdquo Ah that night in which they concealed Aaronrsquos rod in the tabernacle of witness it was never less living never less blossoming than then But it was not left in darkness neither did it see corruption And on

13

the appointed morning men found it marked by the choice of the Omnipotent with the buds the blossoms and the fruit In like manner the coldest darkest least living period in Immanuelrsquos career was when they hid Him among all the other millions of the dead in the tomb cut out of the rock in the garden of Joseph ldquoBut now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first-fruits of them that sleptrdquo He was raised up ldquoa plant of renownrdquo And from that glorious Easter morning the ldquorod out of the stem of Jesserdquo has been ldquothe tree whose leaves are for the healing of the nationsrdquo and ldquofilling the face of the world with fruitrdquo Men can be governed by a Mediator and yet not perish ldquoThe soul that sinneth it shall dierdquo That is a rod but ldquoif any man sin we have an Advocate with the Fatherrdquo that is ldquoAaronrsquos rod that buddedrdquomdashthe rod of the Priest Reuben Gad and all the rest have rods Christianity is not alone in the sternness of its government or the severity of its sanctions But it is alone in telling me how I can receive remission of sins that are past and how I can obtain the strongest of motives for a life of obedience in the time to come (H Christopherson)

Aaronrsquos rod blossoming and bearing fruitI As the priesthood of Aaron was a type of the priesthood of Christ there is here a suggestion of facts which must have their counterpart in Christrsquos life and history

1 The atonement and death of our Lord Jesus were matters of Divine appointment The whole work of our salvation originated with God2 But more than thismdashwhich is the essential truth here enshrinedmdashwe see here that God often manifests Himself in unexpected forms of beauty and of grace The dry rod blossomed and bare fruit The powers of Divine salvation were enshrined in the person of the Carpenter of Nazareth There was life for a dead world in the Cross and in the grave of the dead Christ

II There are suggestions here concerning Christian life1 Christian life begins with God2 The Christian life manifests itself in unfavourable conditions It is in human souls a power of active benevolence or it is nothing at all It takes hold of human misery with a healing hand and it changes it into blessing Where sin abounded there grace does much more abound3 There is beauty associated with the developments of Christian life and character There is nothing half so winning as Christian grace

III Suggestions in relation to the gospel ministry1 There is a Divine designation of men to the highest service of the Church2 But what is the qualification of men thus sent Evidently the possession of Divine life the gift which is to be imparted to those needing it To be a Christian teacher a man must be a Christian and must

14

know the things of Christ3 How then are we to judge a manrsquos Divine call and authority Only and solely by the blossoms and fruitmdashby the spiritual results of his ministry

IV Last of all there are here suggestions concerning Christian humiliation1 The world has not known its best benefactors It has always had a scornful word for the saintly and the true-hearted It has always risen up in rebellion against the anointed of the Lord2 Here is a word of encouragement to all weak and mistrustful and diffident and self-emptied souls ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says the old labourer in the Masterrsquos vineyard and the holy matron whose life has been careful and troubled about many things but who has ever been anxious to honour and serve her dear Lord in lowliest ways and household duties ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says the saint waiting dismission to rest who has not done what he would or been as useful as he desired and hoped and prayed to be ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says one whose strength has been weakened by the way and whose unfinished purposes lie sadly enough at his feet fallen out of hands which could not longer hold them or fashion them into completeness ldquoWe are but dry rodsrdquo say many earnest anxious longing souls who hardly dare to trust for the future because so often when they would do good evil is present with them We are not saved by trust in our own righteousness or by satisfaction with our own goodness and deeds But Godrsquos grace is all-sufficient and He can work miracles of beauty and fruitfulness where human might is feeblest and self mistrust is greatest and humility of spirit is deepest (W H Davison D D)

The Divine plan for vindicating the high priesthood of Aaron and its moral teachingI That true ministers of religion are elected by GodII It is of great importance that men should know that their ministers of religion are called by God

1 In order that they may regard them with becoming respect2 In order that they may take heed to their message

III The vitality of sin is of dreadful tenacity ldquoMany menrsquos lipsrdquo says Trapp ldquolike rusty hinges for want of the oil of grace and gladness move not without murmuring and complainingrdquo It is a thing of extreme difficulty to eradicate any evil disposition from the human heart ldquoFor such is the habitual hardness of menrsquos hearts as neither ministry nor misery nor miracle nor mercy can possibly mollify Nothing can do it but an extraordinary touch from the hand of HeavenrdquoIV God is engaged in eradicating sin from human hearts (W Jones)

15

Aaronrsquos rod an illustration of the true Christian ministryI The characteristics of the true Christian ministry

1 Life2 Beauty3 Fruitfulness

II The origin of the true Christian ministry Godrsquos creation and gift to the ChurchIII The influence of the true Christian ministry Abiding (W Jones)

The budded rod a type of ChristThe rod in many graphic tints shows Jesus The very name is caught by raptured prophets (Isa_111 Zec_612-13) Thus faith gleans lessons from the very titlemdashRod But the grand purport of the type is to reject all rivals It sets Aaron alone upon the priestly seat The parallel proclaims that similarly Jesus is our only Priest God calls anoints appoints accepts and ever hears Him but Him alone In His hands only do these functions live Next the constant luxuriance has a clear voice In naturersquos field buds blossoms fruit soon wither Not so this rod Its verdure was for ever green its fruit was ever ripe Beside the ark it was reserved in never-fading beauty Here is the ever-blooming Priesthood of our Lord (Psa_1104 Heb_724) Mark moreover that types of Jesus often comprehend the Church It is so with these rods The twelve at first seem all alike They are all sapless twigs But suddenly one puts forth loveliness while the others still remain worthless and withered Here is a picture of Godrsquos dealings with a sin-slain race Since Adamrsquos fall all are born lifeless branches of a withered stock When any child of man arises from the death of sin and blooms in grace God has arisen with Divine almightiness Believer the budded rod gives another warning It is a picture of luxuriance Turn from it and look inward Is your soul thus richly fertile Instead of fruit you often yield the thorn (Joh_158) Whence is the fault (Joh_154) Perhaps your neglectful soul departs from Christ Meditate in Godrsquos law day and night (Psa_13) But if the budded rod rebukes the scanty fruit in the new-born soul what is its voice to unregenerate worldlings (Heb_68) (Dean Law)

The rod of AaronBuds are evidence of life A nominal Christian is like a dead trunk and he cannot bud unless the sap of Divine grace courses through him Spiritual life is an attribute of the converted Christian The spiritual life of a being is his presiding sentiment or dispositionmdashthe chief inspiration of his soulmdashthat which gives motion and character to his mental and moral beingI Life is a resistless force The smallest blade of grass that raises its tiny head into light or the feeblest insect that sports in the sunbeam displays a

16

force superior to that which governs the ocean or controls the stars Man stands erect the tree rises and the bird soars because of lifeII Life is an appropriating force Vegetable and animal existences have a power of appropriating to themselves all surrounding elements conducive to their well-being just as the life of the plant converts the various gases around it into nutriment to promote its strength and development Wherever there is true religion there is a power to render all external circumstances subservient to its own strength and growth all things work together for its goodIII Life is a propagating force It has ldquothe seed in itselfrdquo Forests start from acorns and boundless harvests from the solitary grain It is said that the grateful Israelites anxious to carry away a bud a blossom or almond as a memento of the occasion the flowers and fruit on the rod were repeatedly and miraculously renewed for that purpose Be that as it may wherever there is religious life it will spread it scatters broadcast the incorruptible seed which liveth and abideth for everIV Life is a beautifying force There are two kinds of beautymdashthe sensational and the moral Nature in her ten thousand forms of loveliness and art in her exquisite expressions of taste are ministries to the former whilst spiritual truth moral goodness and the holiness of God address the latter The one is the poetry of the eye and ear the other of the soul The beauty that appeals to the religious nature of man is the beauty of holinessmdashthe beauty of the Lordmdashthe glory of God in His goodnessV Life is a fructifying force The true Christian not only lives and unfolds a noble disposition but is really useful St Paul speaks of ldquothe fruit of the Spiritrdquomdashrighteousness goodness truth The first as opposed to all injustice and dishonesty the second as opposed to the ten thousand forms of selfishness the third as opposed to all that is erroneous and false in the doctrines and theories of men (G L Saywell)

Aaronrsquos rodHere are three miracles in onemdash

1 That a dry rodmdashmade of the almond treemdashshould bring forth buds in a moment2 That those buds should presently become blossoms anal flowers3 That these should immediately become ripe fruit and that all at once or at least in a little space

Nature makes no such leaps All this was supernatural to these ends1 For a testimony of Godrsquos calling Aaron to the priesthood2 For a type of Christ the Branch (Isa_111)3 For a figure of the fruitfulness of a gospel ministry4 For a lively representation of a glorious resurrection (C Ness)

17

Lessons from the budding rodA wonderful work of God which sundry ways may profit us

1 As first to consider that if the power of God can do this in a dry stick cannot He make the barren woman to bare and be a joyful mother of children Can He not do whatsoever He will do By this power the sea is dried the rock gives water the earth cleaveth under the feet of men fire descends whose nature is to ascend raiseth the dead and calleth things that are not as if they were In a word He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think ampc2 This rod is a notable type of Christ His person and office Of His person in that He was born of the Virgin Mary who though He descended of the royal blood yet was now poor and mean as that royal race was brought exceeding low nothing remaining but as it were a root only Now the said Virgin flourisheth again as Aaronrsquos rod did and beareth such fruit as never woman bear Of this speaks Isaiah the prophet when he saith ldquoThere shall come a rod forth of the stock of Jesse and a graft shall grow out of his rootsrdquo Of His office both priestly and kingly His priestly office is figured in that being offered upon the cross He was as Aaronrsquos dried rod or as the Psalm saith ldquodried up like a potsherdrdquo But when He rose again He became like Aaronrsquos budding and fruit-bearing rod bringing forth to man believing on Him remission of sins righteousness and eternal life His kingly office in that He governeth His Church with a rod or sceptre of righteousness as it is in the Psalm ldquoThe sceptre of Thy kingdom is a right sceptrerdquo Which rod and sceptre is the preaching of the gospel ampc3 Again it was a resemblance of true ministers and of all faithful men and women for none of all these ought to be dry and withered sticks but bear and bring forth buds and fruit according to their places4 It is a shadow also of our resurrection by which we should grow green again and flourish with a new and an eternal glory having like dead seed lain in the ground and we shall bring forth ripe almonds that is the praise of Godrsquos incomprehensible goodness to us for ever and ever5 It resembleth our reformation and amendment of life for when our heart feeleth what is amiss this is as the bud when it resolveth of a change and a future amendment this is the blossom and when it performeth the same by a new reformed life indeed this is as the ripe almonds of Aaronrsquos rod(Bp Babington)

The priesthood divinely selectedWhat matchless wisdom shines in this arrangement How completely is the matter taken out of manrsquos hands and placed where alone it ought to be namely in the hands of the living God It was not to be a man appointing

18

himself or a man appointing his fellow but God appointing the man of His own selection In a word the question was to be definitively settled by God Himself so that all murmurings might be silenced for ever and no one be able again to charge Godrsquos high priest with taking too much upon him The human will had nothing whatever to do with this solemn matter The twelve rods all in a like condition were laid up before the Lord man retired and left God to act There was no room no opportunity because there was no occasion for human management In the profound retirement of the sanctuary far away from all manrsquos thinkings was the grand question of priesthood settled by Divine decision and being thus settled it could never again be raised (C H Mackintosh)

Aaronrsquos fruitful rodStriking and beautiful figure of Him who was ldquodeclared to be the Son of God with power by resurrection from the deadrdquo The twelve rods were all alike lifeless but God the living God entered the scene and by that power peculiar to Himself infused life into Aaronrsquos rod and brought it forth to view bearing upon it the fragrant fruits of resurrection Who could gainsay this The rationalist may sneer at it and raise a thousand questions Faith gazes on that fruit-bearing rod and sees in it a lovely figure of the new creation in the which all things are of God Infidelity may argue on the ground of the apparent impossibility of a dry stick budding blossoming and bearing fruit in the course of one night But to whelm does it appear impossible To the infidel the rationalist the sceptic And why Because he always shuts out God Let us remember this Infidelity invariably shuts out God God can do as He pleases The One who called worlds into existence could make a rod to bud blossom and bear fruit in a moment Bring God in and all is simple and plain as possible Leave God out and all is plunged in hopeless confusion (C H Mackintosh)

The rods contrastedPonder the difference between the rod of Moses and the rod of Aaron We have seen the former doing its characteristic work in other days and amid other scenes We have seen the land of Egypt trembling beneath the heavy strokes of that rod Plague after plague fell upon that devoted scene in answer to that outstretched rod We have seen the waters of the sea divided in answer to that rod In short the rod of Moses was a rod of power a rod of authority But it could not avail to hush the murmurings of the children of Israel nor yet to bring the people through the desert Grace alone could do that and we have the expression of pure gracemdashfree sovereign gracemdashin the budding of Aaronrsquos rod Nothing can be more forcible nothing more lovely That dry dead stick was the apt figure of Israelrsquos condition and indeed of the condition of every one of us by nature There was no sap no life no power One might well say ldquoWhat good can ever come of itrdquo None whatever had not grace come in and displayed its quickening power So was it with Israel in the wilderness and so is it with us now How were they to

19

be led along from day to day How were they to be sustained in all their weakness and need How were they to be borne with in all their sin and folly The answer is found in Aaronrsquos budding rod If the dry dead stick was the expression of naturersquos barren and worthless condition the buds blossoms and fruit set forth that living and life-giving grace and power of God on which was based the priestly ministry that alone could bear the congregation through the wilderness Grace alone could answer the ten thousand necessities of the militant host Power could not suffice Authority could not avail Priesthood alone could supply what was needed and this priesthood was instituted on the foundation of that efficacious grace which could bring fruit out of a dry rod Thus it was as to priesthood of old and thus it is as to ministry now All ministry in the Church of God is the fruit of Divine gracemdashthe gift of Christ the Churchrsquos Head (C H Mackintosh)

2 ldquoSpeak 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

BARNES Compare Eze_3716 ff

CLARKE And take of every one of them a rod - matteh the staff or מטהscepter which the prince or chief of each tribe bore and which was the sign of office or royalty among almost all the people of the earth

GILL Speak unto the children of Israel The principal men among them of the several tribes and take of everyone of them not of every individual of the people of Israel but of their princes as afterwards explained a rod according to the house of their fathers or father of whom their house or tribe was called as Reuben Simeon ampc this rod was either a

20

common walking staff as some think or rather the ensign of their princely office and dignity peculiar to each tribe though some think it was now freshly cut off from an almond tree and that all the rods were of one and the same tree but supposing they were all of the almond kind as Josephus (d) thinks yet being dry rods and of long use served to make the miracle appear the greater of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods this explains who they were to be taken of the princes of the several tribes whose names are given Num_15 and the number of them twelve according to the number of the twelve tribes write thou every mans name upon his rod the name of each prince or head of a tribe either by cutting it into the rod or fastening a writing to it after the manner of those times as for instance the name of Elizur for the tribe of Reuben by which it was to be made and was made to appear that to none of these tribes belonged the priesthood but to the tribe of Levi and to none of that tribe but the family of Aaron whereby it should seem that some of all the tribes made pretensions to it as being all holy and especially the chief firstborn of every tribe as such their princes were

JAMISON 2-5 Speak unto the children of Israel mdash The controversy with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood was of such a nature and magnitude as required a decisive and authoritative settlement For the removal of all doubts and the silencing of all murmuring in the future regarding the holder of the office a miracle was wrought of a remarkable character and permanent duration and in the manner of performing it all the people were made to have a direct and special interest

take of every one princes twelve rods mdash As the princes being the oldest sons of the chief family and heads of their tribes might have advanced the best claims to the priesthood if that sacred dignity was to be shared among all the tribes they were therefore selected and being twelve in number - that of Joseph being counted only one - Moses was ordered to see that the name of each was inscribed - a practice borrowed from the Egyptians - upon his rod or wand of office The name of Aaron rather than of Levi was used as the latter name would have opened a door of controversy among the Levites and as there was to be one rod only for the head of each tribe the express appointment of a rod for Aaron determined him to be the head of that tribe as well as that branch or family of the tribe to which the priestly dignity should belong These rods were to be laid in the tabernacle close to the ark (compare Num_1710 and Heb_94) where a divine token was promised that would for all time terminate the dispute

CALVIN 2Speak unto the children of Israel They are mistaken who suppose that to the twelve rods there was another added for the tribe of Levi (103) for since there was no question here as to the possession of the land there was no occasion at

21

all for the division of the tribe of Joseph into two parts We know too that it was endowed with a double portion because the Levites had no inheritance and in this case the circumstances were different because all the other tribes were contending for the priesthood with the tribe of Levi alone Hence it was then that rods were given to each of them in accordance with the origin of their race But when Aaronrsquos rod is said to have been ldquoin the midst of themrdquo (104) it is in the usual phrase of the Hebrew language because it was mixed with them as one of their number And this is expressly stated to show us that all ground for caviling might be taken from the ungodly since all the rods were east promiscuously into the same bundle so that none should be distinguished above the others and thus nothing could be ascribed to the collusion of men If any should object that by these means the rivalry was not extinguished which the other Levites had with the house of Aaron since his own name alone was inscribed upon the rod so that there would be no comparison between the families I reply that since the power of God manifested itself distinctly in the name of Aaron the rejection of the others was sufficiently shown forth by his election for if this honor had been common to the others God would have defrauded them by giving distinction to him alone Besides no other plan could have been adopted for putting an end to this quarrel for if there had been several rods for one tribe the whole people would have complained of the inequality It was necessary then that all should be brought to the contest on equal terms so that the difference between them might be seen to depend upon Godrsquos good pleasure But if the name of Levi had been inscribed all its families would have claimed the right of succession as if common to them all There was therefore no other course open but that God should prefer to the whole people one individual chosen from amongst the members of his own kindred and tribe COKE Numbers 172 Take of every one of them a rodmdash The minds of a considerable number of the people having been poisoned by the insinuations of Korah and his accomplices against Aaron and his family upon the account of the priesthood God is pleased to add another signal miracle in confirmation of his priests authority accordingly the head of each tribe is ordered to take a rod and bring it before the Lord Some have supposed that these were the ordinary rods or batoons which the princes of the tribes bore while from the 8th verse of this chapter others infer that these were twigs or branches from one and the same almond tree whichever was the case the miracle was sufficiently great to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of ProvidenceBENSON Numbers 172 Take of every one mdash Not of every person but of every tribe A rod mdash A twig or branch from one and the same almond-tree as some infer from Numbers 178 Or according to others the ordinary rods which the princes of the tribes carried in their hands as tokens of their dignity and authority Numbers 2118 And indeed the miracle would appear the greater if neither Aaronrsquos rod nor any of the rest was of the almond-tree But the miracle was sufficiently great either way to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of Providence Every manrsquos name mdash Every princersquos for they being the firstborn and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of

22

their tribes and besides the prince represented all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the question And this place seems to confirm the opinion that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contended with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holyELLICOTT (2) And take of every one of them mdashBetter And take of them a rod for each fatherrsquos houseTwelve rodsmdashSome suppose that Aaronrsquos rod was not included amongst the twelve Others suppose that one rod only was taken for the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh The latter supposition is more accordant with the terms here employed than the former and is supported by Deuteronomy 2712-13 where Joseph stands for the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh and Levi is included amongst the twelve tribesWrite thou every manrsquos name upon his rodmdashThis was in accordance with an Egyptian custom (See Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians III 388) The prophet Ezekiel received a similar injunction (Ezekiel 3716)POOLE Speak unto the children of Israel that I may fully and finally satisfy all their scruples and take away all pretence and cause of murmuringOf every one of them not of every person but of every tribe as it followsA rod either an ordinary walking staff or rather that staff or rod which the princes carried in their hand as tokens of their dignity and authority as may be gathered from Numbers 2118 compared with Psalms 1102 Jeremiah 481617According to the house of their fathers ie according to each family proceeding from the patriarch or father of that tribeEvery manrsquos name ie every princersquos for they being the first-born and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of their tribes and besides each prince represented and acted for all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the whole question And this plate seems to confirm what was before observed that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contested with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holy as they said Numbers 163

WHEDON 2 A rod mdash Each chief prince of the twelve tribes bore a staff or sceptre as the sign of office Such rods were often hereditary and of great antiquity That such dry staves should blossom and bear fruit again is so improbable that the Greeks were accustomed to swear by their sceptres Thus Achilles

23

ldquoBut hearken I will swear a solemn oathBy this sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as oncerdquoWritehellip every manrsquos name mdash To identify beyond dispute the rod of Aaron after the trial The illiteracy of Moses and his generation as alleged by some modern writers is here abundantly confuted Since there were twelve rods including Levirsquos it is evident that the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim are here counted as one tribe mdash that of JosephPETT Numbers 172lsquoSpeak to the children of Israel and take of them rods one for each fathersrsquo house of all their princes according to their fathersrsquo houses twelve rods You write every manrsquos name on his rodrsquoAll the men of Israel were to be involved in this It is possible that Levi were included among lsquothe twelversquo and that Manasseh and Ephraim were for this event treated as one tribe the rods representing the lsquohouseholdsrsquo of the original patriarchal fathers But a rod was taken for each of their fathersrsquo houses and the names of each of the chieftains of those fathersrsquo houses was written on the rods This would suggest in the light of previous references to twelve chieftains that the lsquotwelversquo rods were in contrast with Aaronrsquos rod (Alternately one rod may have represented Joseph including both Ephraim and Manasseh It was Joseph who was to be lsquoa fruitful boughrsquo (Genesis 4922) but not as pertaining to the priesthood)The word for lsquorodsrsquo also indicates lsquotribes and can in fact be used to indicate either Thus the rods symbolised each tribe

PULPIT Numbers 172Take of every one of them a rod Literally take of them a rod a rod ie a rod apiece in the way immediately particularized hsilgnEegaugnaL מטה is used for the staff of Judah (Genesis 3818) and for the rod of Moses (Exodus 42) It is also used in the sense of tribe (Numbers 14 Numbers 116) Each tribe was but a branch or rod out of the stock of Israel and therefore was most naturally represented by the rod cut from the tree lsquoThe words used for scepter in Genesis 4910 and in Psalms 457 and for rod in Isaiah 111 and elsewhere are different but the same imagery underlies the use of all of them Of all their princes hellip twelve rods These princes must be those named in Isaiah 22-21 and Isaiah 25-71 Since among these are to be found the tribe princes of Ephraim and Manasseh standing upon a perfect equality with the rest it is evident that the twelve rods were exclusive

24

of that of Aaron The joining together of Ephraim and Manasseh in Deuteronomy 2712 was a very different thing because it could not raise any question as between the two

3 On the staff of Levi write Aaronrsquos name for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe

BARNES Thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of Levi - The Levites had taken part in the late outbreak It was therefore necessary to vindicate the supremacy of the house of Aaron over them and accordingly his name was written on the rod of Levi although being the son of Kohath the second son of Levi (Exo_616 ff) he would not be the natural head of the tribe

GILL And thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi Or upon the rod that was for the tribe of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written not the word Levi or a Levite as Josephus (e) for that would not have decided the controversy about the priesthood which chiefly lay between the Levites and the family of Aaron who were of the same tribe for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers one rod for the head or prince of every tribe every prince representing his own tribe he was the head of and the rod the prince and though the tribe of Levi was divided into two families the family of the priests and the family of the Levites yet as Jarchi observes they were but one tribe and so one rod for them as for the other tribes

ELLICOTT (3) And thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of LevimdashAaron was descended from the second son of Levi He was not therefore the natural but the divinely-appointed head of his fatherrsquos house and hence it would not have sufficed for the purpose contemplated to have inscribed the name of Levi upon the rod Aaron was constituted the head alike of the priests and of the Levites into which two classes the tribe of Levi was divided

25

BENSON Numbers 173 Aaronrsquos name mdash Rather than Levirsquos for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos family One rod mdash There shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixed

POOLE Aaronrsquos rather than Levirsquos name for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos familyFor the head of the house of their fathers ie there shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixedPETT Numbers 173lsquoAnd you shall write Aaronrsquos name on the rod of Levi for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathersrsquo housesrsquoOn the rod of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written There was to be one for each head of their fathersrsquo houses In the light of the earlier divisions in chapters 1-4 we are probably therefore to see that there were thirteen rods the twelve which represented Israel in contrast with the Levites and the one that specifically represented AaronHere Aaron is depicted as the head of the house of Levi That may well be why earlier he was called lsquothe Levitersquo as the head of the family (Exodus 414)

PULPIT Numbers 173Thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi There was no tribe prince of Levi and it is not probable that either of the three chiefs of the sub-tribes (Numbers 324 Numbers 330 55) was called upon to bring a rod This rod was therefore provided by Moses himself and inscribed by him with the name of Aaron who stood by Divine appointment (so recently and fearfully attested) above all his brethren For the significance of the act cf Ezekiel 3716-28 For one rod hellip for the head of the house of their fathers For Levi therefore there must be not three rods inscribed with the names of the chiefs but one only bearing the name of Aaron as

26

their common superior

4 Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law where I meet with you

GILL And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation In the most holy place before the testimony that is the ark in which the testimony or the law was here they were laid as in the presence of God who was in a miraculous way to decide the controversy by them and put an end to it for upon the ark was the mercy seat over which were the cherubim the seat of the divine Majesty and where none could come at them and where no fraud could be supposed to be committed where I will meet with you not with the people in person who might not go at any time into the most holy place nor with Aaron who only might go into it on the day of atonement but with Moses the chief ruler and representative of the whole body of the people and who might go in there at any time to consult with God about matters of moment and difficulty and where the Lord had said he would meet him Exo_2522 and now would in a miraculous way clearly show him and the people of Israel by him who was the priest he had chosen of all the tribesCALVIN 4And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle The place itself had not a little to do with the effectual decision of the matter because it was clearly manifested that God was the author of the miracle and consequently that the priesthood proceeded from Him For we have elsewhere said that the whole government of the Church so entirely depends upon His decree that men are not permitted to interfere with it Wherefore He set the ark of the covenant in opposition to the voices of the whole people in order to testify that no further dispute was to be raised respecting the priest whom He had appointed by His own declaration and authority At the same time it had the effect of consoling the people and silencing their complaints that the rods of all the tribes were brought in common into the sanctuary before God for although a peculiar dignity was accorded to that of Aaron alone still the people ceased not to be a priestly kingdom Hence it follows that the honorable privilege conferred on one family contributed to the public welfare of all so far was it from being the case that their inferiority ought to have caused them pain or envy

27

POOLE Before the testimony ie before the ark of the testimony either mediately close by the veil behind which the ark stood or rather immediately within the veil in the most holy place close by the ark as may be gathered by comparing this place with Numbers 1710 and with Hebrews 94I will meet with you and manifest my mind to you for the ending of this dispute PETT The Rods Are To Be Laid Up in the Tent of Meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)Numbers 174lsquoAnd you shall lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony where I meet with yoursquoThese were then to be lsquolaid up in the Tent of meeting before the testimonyrsquo in the place where Yahweh meets with His people This probably meant in front of the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh lsquothe testimonyrsquo indicating the presence of the covenant tablets in the Ark and their testimony to the covenant

5 The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelitesrdquo

CLARKE The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossom - It was necessary that something farther should be done to quiet the minds of the people and for ever to settle the dispute in what tribe the priesthood should be fixed God therefore took the method described in the text and it had the desired effect the Aaronical priesthood was never after disputed

GILL And it shall come to pass that the mans rod whom I shall choose Or make it manifest that he had chosen him and so confirm the choice he had made of him and his family for the priesthood to be and continue in

28

shall blossom bud and blossom and yield fruit as it afterwards did which is here declared beforehand that the miracle might appear the greater exactly answering to a prediction delivered out before of it and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel whereby they murmur against you against Moses for setting up his brother as an high priest and establishing the priesthood in his family and against Aaron for accepting of it and officiating in it but by this method now taken God would for ever silence their murmurings so that they should never be able with any face to object any more to the authority of the Aaronic priesthood which should appear by the predicted miracle beyond all dispute and contradictionCALVIN 5And it shall come to pass that the manrsquos rod Aaron indeed had been previously chosen but the expression here refers to his manifestation (105) because God is said again to choose those whom He has chosen by His secret counsel when He brings them forth into the sight of men with their peculiar marks of distinction and this not once only but as often as he confirms their election by new indications And this seems to be spoken of by way of concession as if God would pass over all His former decrees and invite the people afresh to take cognizance of the matter With this view tie states that He will put an end to all the malevolent and noisy detractions of the people so that Aaron may henceforth exercise his office without controversy for although not even thus was their perverseness altogether cured still their insolence was restrained

ELLICOTT (5) The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossommdashOr shall sprout forth or put forthmdashie leaves or blossoms Achilles when enraged against Agamemnon is made to swear a solemn oath by his sceptre which having once left its stock on the mountains shall never again grow King Latinus is represented by Virgil as confirming his covenant with AEligneas by a similar oath

WHEDON 5 Whom I shall choose mdash That is select for the priesthoodCeasehellip murmurings mdash Suppress them beyond all possibility of a revival Jehovahrsquos claims are set forth in his word with such cogency that there is no just ground for gainsaying On all questions of duty there is a redundancy of evidencePETT The Rod of the Chosen One Will Bud and Put an End to Murmuring (Numbers 175)Numbers 175lsquoAnd it will come about that the rod of the man whom I shall choose will bud and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel which they

29

murmur against yoursquoThen Yahweh would make the rod of the man that Yahweh had chosen spring to life and bud This final display on Yahwehrsquos initiative should cause all further murmurings against Moses and Aaron on the question of who had the right of priesthood to cease

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 Aaronrsquos staff was among them

BARNES The whole number of rods was twelve exclusive of Aaronrsquos as the Vulgate expressly states

GILL And Moses spake unto the children of Israel What the Lord had bid him say unto them concerning the rods which they hearkened unto and observed and everyone of their princes gave him a rod apiece for each prince one every prince of the several tribes and so a rod for every tribe as well as for each prince according to their fathers houses even twelve rods there being twelve tribes named after their fathers or the patriarchs the twelve sons of Jacob and Joseph having two tribes which sprung from him called after his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh there were twelve rods besides that of Aaron and so the Vulgate Latin version renders the words with the next clauseand there were twelve rods besides the rod of Aaronin all thirteen though the Jews say there were but twelve with it allowing but one rod for Joseph under whom were comprehended Ephraim and Manasseh and reckoning the tribe of Levi one of the twelve so Aben Ezra observes that the rod of Levi was among the twelve and Joseph had but one rod and the rod of Aaron was among their rods in the middle of them and was

30

so placed as Jarchi thinks that it might not be said because it was put on the side of the Shechinah or divine Majesty therefore it budded but being in the middle of them there could be no difference in that respectJAMISON the rod of Aaron was among their rods mdash either one of the

twelve or as many suppose a thirteenth in the midst (Heb_94) The rods were of dry sticks or wands probably old as transmitted from one head of the family to a succeeding

KampD Num_176-11Moses carried out this command And when he went into the tabernacle the following morning behold Aarons rod of the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth shoots and had borne blossoms and matured almonds And Moses brought all the rods out of the sanctuary and gave every man his own the rest as we may gather from the context being all unchanged so that the whole nation could satisfy itself that God had chosen Aaron Thus was the word fulfilled which Moses had spoken at the commencement of the rebellion of the company of Korah (Num_165) and that in a way which could not fail to accredit him before the whole congregation as sent of GodSo far as the occurrence itself is concerned there can hardly be any need to remark that the natural interpretation which has lately been attempted by Ewald viz that Moses had laid several almond rods in the holy place which had just been freshly cut off that he might see the next day which of them would flower the best during the night is directly at variance with the words of the text and also with the fact that a rod even freshly cut off when laid in a dry place would not bear ripe fruit in a single night The miracle which God wrought here as the Creator of nature was at the same time a significant symbol of the nature and meaning of the priesthood The choice of the rods had also a bearing upon the object in question A mans rod was the sign of his position as ruler in the house and congregation with a prince the rod becomes a sceptre the insignia of rule (Gen_4910) As a severed branch the rod could not put forth shoots and blossom in a natural way But God could impart new vital powers even to the dry rod And so Aaron had naturally no pre-eminence above the heads of the other tribes But the priesthood was founded not upon natural qualifications and gifts but upon the power of the Spirit which God communicates according to the choice of His wisdom and which He had imparted to Aaron through his consecration with holy anointing oil It was this which the Lord intended to show to the people by causing Aarons rod to put forth branches blossom and fruit through a miracle of His omnipotence whereas the rods of the other heads of the tribes remained as barren as before In this way therefore it was not without deep significance that Aarons rod not only put forth shoots by which the divine election might be recognised but bore even blossom and ripe fruit This showed that Aaron was not only qualified for his calling but administered his office in the full power of the Spirit and bore the fruit expected of him The almond rod was especially adapted to exhibit this as

31

an almond-tree flowers and bears fruit the earliest of all the trees and has received its name of שקד ldquoawakerdquo from this very fact (cf Jer_111)

God then commanded (Num_1710 Num_1711) that Aarons rod should be taken back into the sanctuary and preserved before the testimony ldquofor a sign for the rebellious that thou puttest an end to their murmuring and they die notrdquo The preservation of the rod before the ark of the covenant in the immediate presence of the Lord was a pledge to Aaron of the continuance of his election and the permanent duration of his priesthood though we have no need to assume that through a perpetual miracle the staff continued green and blossoming In this way the staff became a sign to the rebellious which could not fail to stop their murmuringPETT All the Chieftains Give Rods Including Aaron (Numbers 176)Numbers 176lsquoAnd Moses spoke to the children of Israel and all their princes gave him rods for each prince one according to their fathersrsquo houses even twelve rods and the rod of Aaron was among their rodsrsquoSo Moses did as Yahweh commanded and requested rods from each of the chieftains of the twelve tribes These rods may well have been their symbols of authority Thus twelve rods were gathered and Aaronrsquos rod was placed among them PULPIT And the rod of Aaron was among the rods As there was no prince from whom this rod could have come and as there were twelve rods without it this must mean that Moses did not keep Aarons rod separate (which might have caused suspicion) but let it be seen amongst the others

7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law

GILL And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness In that part of the tabernacle where the testimony or witness was that is the law which was in the ark over which was the mercy seat with the cherubim between which Jehovah dwelt and this was the most holy place and the rods being laid here might be said to be laid before the Lord who by making a difference in one of those rods from the rest would decide the controversy about the priesthood which was the end of their being laid

32

before himHENRY The preparing of the rods accordingly The princes brought

them in some of them perhaps fondly expecting that the choice would fall upon them and all of them thinking it honour enough to be competitors with Aaron and to stand candidates even for the priesthood (Num_177) and Moses laid them up before the Lord He did not object that the matter was sufficiently settled already and enough done to convince those that were not invincibly hardened in their prejudices He did not undertake to determine the controversy himself though it might easily have been done nor did he suggest that it would be to no purpose to offer satisfaction to a people that were willingly blind But since God will have it so he did his part and lodged the case before the Lord to whom the appeal was made by consent and left it with him

WHEDON 7 Witness mdash The Hebrew is the same as that for testimony in Numbers 174 The reason for choosing this place may have been that no one would suspect the performance of any legerdemain or jugglery in the holy of holies a sanctuary too awful for any man to enter but the high priest one day in the year Moses entered on this occasion by express commandPETT The Rods Are Placed In the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)Numbers 177lsquoAnd Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimonyrsquoThe rods were then laid up lsquobefore Yahwehrsquo in lsquothe Tent of the testimonyrsquo Note the change in name for the Tent Emphasis is placed here on the fact that the Tent testifies to Yahweh and His covenant As we have already suggested this probably meant that they were placed before the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh although it may be that Moses uniquely had access into the Holy of Holies itself

8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaronrsquos staff which represented the tribe of Levi had not only sprouted but had budded blossomed and produced almonds 33

BARNES Yielded almonds - ldquoRipened almondsrdquo i e ldquobrought forth ripe almondsrdquo The name almond in Hebrew denotes the ldquowaking-treerdquo the ldquowaking-fruitrdquo and is applied to this tree because it blossoms early in the season It serves here as in Jer_111-12 to set forth the speed and certainty with which at Godrsquos will His purposes are accomplished So again the blossoming and bearing of Aaronrsquos rod naturally impotent when severed from the parent tree may signify the profitableness because of Godrsquos appointment and blessing of the various means of grace (e g the priesthood the sacraments) which of themselves and apart from Him could have no such efficacy Compare Isa_42 Isa_111 Isa_532 Jer_335 Zec_612

CLARKE The rod of Aaron - was budded etc - That is on the same rod or staff were found buds blossoms and ripe fruit This fact was so unquestionably miraculous as to decide the business for ever and probably this was intended to show that in the priesthood represented by that of Aaron the beginning middle and end of every good work must be found The buds of good desires the blossoms of holy resolutions and promising professions and the ripe fruit of faith love and obedience all spring from the priesthood of the Lord Jesus It has been thought by some that Aaronrsquos staff (and perhaps the staves of all the tribes) was made out of the amygdala communis or common almond tree In a favorable soil and climate it grows to twenty feet in height is one of the most noble flourishing trees in nature its flowers are of a delicate red and it puts them forth early in March having begun to bud in January It has its name שקד shaked from shakad to awake because it buds and flowers sooner than most other trees And it is very likely that the staves of office borne by the chiefs of all the tribes were made of this tree merely to signify that watchfulness and assiduous care which the chiefs should take of the persons committed in the course of the Divine providence to their keeping

Every thing in this miracle is so far beyond the power of nature that no doubt could remain on the minds of the people or the envious chiefs of the Divine appointment of Aaron and of the especial interference of God in this case To see a piece of wood long cut off from the parent stock without bark or moisture remaining laid up in a dry place for a single night with others in the same circumstances - to see such a piece of wood resume and evince the perfection of vegetative life budding blossoming and bringing forth ripe fruit at the same time must be such a demonstration of the peculiar interference of God as to silence every doubt and satisfy every scruple It is worthy of remark that a scepter or staff of office resuming its vegetative life was considered an absolute impossibility among the ancients and as 34

they were accustomed to swear by their sceptres this circumstance was added to establish and confirm the oath A remarkable instance of this we have in Homer Iliad lib i ver 233 etc where Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon thus speaks -Αλλrsquo εκ τοι ερεω και επι μεγαν ὁρκον ομουμαιΝαι μα τοδε σκηπτρον το μεν ουποτε φυλλα και οζουςΦυσει επειδη πρωτα τομην εν ορεσσι λελοιπενΟυδrsquo αναθηλησει περι γαρ ῥα ἑ χαλκος ελεψεΦυλλα τε και φλοιονὁ δε τοι μεγας εσσεται ὁρκοςBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same scepter which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopprsquod off its foliage greenAnd stripprsquod its bark shall never grow againCowper

Virgil represents King Latinus swearing in the same way to confirm his covenant with Aeneas -Ut Sceptrum hoc (dextra sceptrum nam forte gerebat)Nunquam fronde levi fundet virgulta neque umbrasCum semel in silvis imo de stirpe recisumMatre caret posuitque comas et brachia ferroOlim arbos nunc artificis manus aere decoroInclusit patribusque dedit gestare LatinisTalibus inter se firmabant foedera dictisAen lib xii ver 206-12Even as this royal Sceptre (for he boreA scepter in his hand) shall never moreShoot out in branches or renew the birthAn orphan now cut from the mother earthBy the keen axe dishonorrsquod of its hairAnd cased in brass for Latian kings to bearAnd thus in public view the peace was tiedWith solemn vows and sworn on either sideDryden

When the circumstance of the rod or scepter being used anciently in this way and the absolute impossibility of its reviviscence so strongly appealed to is considered it appears to have been a very proper instrument for the present occasion for the change that passed on it must be acknowledged as an immediate and incontestable miracle

35

GILL And it came to pass that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness Where none but he could go at any time this was the day after the rods had been placed there and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi the rod that had Aarons name upon it which was to represent the tribe of Levi of which he was was budded and brought forth buds knobs of blossom such that are seen on trees before they open for the almond tree puts forth its blossoms before its leaves though the Targum of Jonathan renders it branches as do some versions and some think this is to be understood of its putting out its leaves first contrary to the nature of the almond tree and so makes the miracle the greater thus Ben Melech and blossomed blossoms open flowers or blossoms such as appear on the almond tree in the spring and look very beautiful and yielded almonds ripe almonds in their full perfection as the Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan the latter of which isin the same night it perfected and brought forth almondsthe word used has the signification of weaning and alludes to children grown up to some ripeness and maturity Gen_218 the case seems to be this that in one part of the rod were buds swelling and just putting out in another part open flowers quite blown and in others full ripe fruit now this clearly showed it to be supernatural since the almond tree though quick and early in its production of buds and flowers yet never has those and ripe fruit on it at the same time to which may be added that this was not the time of year the almond tree blossoms not the spring but rather autumn as it should seem since it was after the affair of the spies and the murmurs of the people on their report now it was the time of the first ripe grapes when they went into the land and they were forty days searching it and it was after their return the insurrections before recorded were the design of this was to confirm the priesthood in Aarons family and show that it would continue there in a flourishing condition and that there would be a succession of priests from him to the time of the Messiah as there were and the almond tree having its name in Hebrew from watchfulness and haste see Jer_111 may denote the vigilance of the priests in their office and the haste punishment makes to come upon such that should oppose them or usurp the priesthood as in the case of Uzziah so Jarchi remarks this rod of Aarons may be an emblem of the Gospel ministry of that rod that should come out of Zion Psa_1102 which in the eyes of men is mean and despicable like a dry stick but becomes a fruitful one through the power of divine grace and an almond tree rod may denote the vigilance and watchfulness of Gospel ministers over themselves and others and their doctrine and oftentimes whom God puts into the ministry he early calls them by his grace and frequently makes the first part of their ministry most useful and fruit is brought forth which remains moreover this rod may be considered as a type of Christ it being a dry rod or stick may denote the

36

meanness of his descent and appearance in the world and the unpromising aspect of his being the King Messiah and Saviour of men and being an almond tree rod may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time which the Lord hastened his being the firstborn and his right to the priesthood and his vigilance in it its lying among other rods and budding and blossoming and bringing forth fruit may point at Christs assuming the common nature or man his being cut off by death his resurrection from the dead and the fruits arising from thence justification peace pardon and eternal life and as Aarons priesthood was confirmed by the budding ampc of this rod so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are by his resurrection from the dead See Gill on Heb_94HENRY 8-9 Here is I The final determination of the controversy

concerning the priesthood by a miracle Num_178 Num_179 The rods or staves were brought out from the most holy place where they were laid up and publicly produced before the people and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were Aarons rod only of a dry stick became a living branch budded and blossomed and yielded almonds In some places there were buds in others blossoms in others fruit at the same time This was miraculous and took away all suspicion of a fraud as if in the night Moses had taken away Aarons rod and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it for no ordinary branch would have buds blossoms and fruits upon it all at once Now1 This was a plain indication to the people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood and not any other of the princes of the tribes Thus he was distinguished from them and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven which sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor watering by the hand of man Bishop Hall here observes that fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call and that the plants of Gods setting and the boughs cut off from them will flourish See Psa_9212-14 The trees of the Lord though they seem dry trees are full of sap2 It was a very proper sign to represent the priesthood itself which was hereby confirmed to Aaron (1) That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God It produced not only blossoms but almonds for the priesthood was designed not only for an honour to Aaron but for a blessing to Israel Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they should go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit should remain Joh_1516 (2) That there should be a succession of priests Here were not only almonds for the present but buds and blossoms promising more hereafter Thus has Christ provided in his church that a seed should serve him from generation to generation (3) That yet this priesthood should not be perpetual but in process of time like the branches and blossoms of a tree should fail and wither The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age Ecc_125 This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood which soon became old and ready to vanish away Heb_8133 It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood for he is the man the branch that is to be a priest upon his throne as it follows (Zec_612) and he was to grow up before God as this before the ark like a tender

37

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

children of men into what the forbidden tree so falsely appeared to the first transgressormdashldquopleasant to the eye and good for foodrdquo Of course I know that the staff or the sceptre is the symbol of authority because a staff is that with which one person smites another The ultimate significance of a rod is a blow But is it nothing to be taught by Godrsquos picture-alphabet of the Old Testament that He smites only with buds and with flowers and with fruit This seems to change even to any childrsquos apprehension the whole character of the sovereignty under which we bow in the modern camp of the Church You tremble as you read the chapter of hard duties Turn the leaf and you will come upon the chapter of precious promises There is not a verse in the Bible that is not in flower with some comfort aye though it be a verse that smites you with a difficult commandment You are never to tell a man to do a single thing in religion without telling him that God will help him to do it You are never to command a sacrifice from me for Christrsquos sake without comforting me with the assurance that ldquoGod is able to give me much more than thisrdquo If you have a strong rough hard stick of responsibility you must show it to me bursting out all over with the rich petals and the hanging clusters of the sovereignty of Divine grace Aye for I want you to mark well that here was a miracle within a miracle The natural almond-branch never has upon it at one time buds blossoms and fruit But I seem to be taught by this accumulation of successive life all at once on one stem that there is no element of mercy wanting in the code by which I am to be managed But remember that if we deserve nothing but the rod and yet if God never uses the rod save with the buds the blossoms and the fruit ldquoHe may well record it against us if either we despise the chastening of the Lord or faint when we are rebuked of HimrdquoII But now the real and only proper commentary on the facts of the Pentateuch will be found in the doctrines of the Epistle to the Hebrews Do you believe that all those lives would have been lost and all that commotion would have been made about the prerogative of Aaronrsquos priesthood but for that other Priest on whom the whole world was to relymdashthe Priest for evermdashldquomade not after the law of a carnal commandment but after the power of an endless liferdquo It is not by one Scripture it is by scores that I find myself pointed through that staff to the real government of this world in the rod out of the stem of Jesse ldquoHe shall grow up before Him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground without form or comelinessrdquo And yet all the while He was the ldquorod out of the stem of Jesserdquo And when I read in the Book of Numbers how the Hebrews rose up against Aaron and put him to shame I can only take it for a foreshadowing of another rebellion when they insulted another Sceptre who was ldquodespised and rejected of menrdquo We preach to you Christ a stumbling-block to the Jews And scarcely can you wonder that so long as the rod was only the root out of a dry ground the Son of the carpenter and the Friend of sinners there was ldquo no beauty in Him that they should desire Himrdquo But that is not the staff with which this day God governs His Church No no He hath declared that lowly peasant preacher to be ldquothe Son of God with power in that He hath raised Him from the deadrdquo Ah that night in which they concealed Aaronrsquos rod in the tabernacle of witness it was never less living never less blossoming than then But it was not left in darkness neither did it see corruption And on

13

the appointed morning men found it marked by the choice of the Omnipotent with the buds the blossoms and the fruit In like manner the coldest darkest least living period in Immanuelrsquos career was when they hid Him among all the other millions of the dead in the tomb cut out of the rock in the garden of Joseph ldquoBut now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first-fruits of them that sleptrdquo He was raised up ldquoa plant of renownrdquo And from that glorious Easter morning the ldquorod out of the stem of Jesserdquo has been ldquothe tree whose leaves are for the healing of the nationsrdquo and ldquofilling the face of the world with fruitrdquo Men can be governed by a Mediator and yet not perish ldquoThe soul that sinneth it shall dierdquo That is a rod but ldquoif any man sin we have an Advocate with the Fatherrdquo that is ldquoAaronrsquos rod that buddedrdquomdashthe rod of the Priest Reuben Gad and all the rest have rods Christianity is not alone in the sternness of its government or the severity of its sanctions But it is alone in telling me how I can receive remission of sins that are past and how I can obtain the strongest of motives for a life of obedience in the time to come (H Christopherson)

Aaronrsquos rod blossoming and bearing fruitI As the priesthood of Aaron was a type of the priesthood of Christ there is here a suggestion of facts which must have their counterpart in Christrsquos life and history

1 The atonement and death of our Lord Jesus were matters of Divine appointment The whole work of our salvation originated with God2 But more than thismdashwhich is the essential truth here enshrinedmdashwe see here that God often manifests Himself in unexpected forms of beauty and of grace The dry rod blossomed and bare fruit The powers of Divine salvation were enshrined in the person of the Carpenter of Nazareth There was life for a dead world in the Cross and in the grave of the dead Christ

II There are suggestions here concerning Christian life1 Christian life begins with God2 The Christian life manifests itself in unfavourable conditions It is in human souls a power of active benevolence or it is nothing at all It takes hold of human misery with a healing hand and it changes it into blessing Where sin abounded there grace does much more abound3 There is beauty associated with the developments of Christian life and character There is nothing half so winning as Christian grace

III Suggestions in relation to the gospel ministry1 There is a Divine designation of men to the highest service of the Church2 But what is the qualification of men thus sent Evidently the possession of Divine life the gift which is to be imparted to those needing it To be a Christian teacher a man must be a Christian and must

14

know the things of Christ3 How then are we to judge a manrsquos Divine call and authority Only and solely by the blossoms and fruitmdashby the spiritual results of his ministry

IV Last of all there are here suggestions concerning Christian humiliation1 The world has not known its best benefactors It has always had a scornful word for the saintly and the true-hearted It has always risen up in rebellion against the anointed of the Lord2 Here is a word of encouragement to all weak and mistrustful and diffident and self-emptied souls ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says the old labourer in the Masterrsquos vineyard and the holy matron whose life has been careful and troubled about many things but who has ever been anxious to honour and serve her dear Lord in lowliest ways and household duties ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says the saint waiting dismission to rest who has not done what he would or been as useful as he desired and hoped and prayed to be ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says one whose strength has been weakened by the way and whose unfinished purposes lie sadly enough at his feet fallen out of hands which could not longer hold them or fashion them into completeness ldquoWe are but dry rodsrdquo say many earnest anxious longing souls who hardly dare to trust for the future because so often when they would do good evil is present with them We are not saved by trust in our own righteousness or by satisfaction with our own goodness and deeds But Godrsquos grace is all-sufficient and He can work miracles of beauty and fruitfulness where human might is feeblest and self mistrust is greatest and humility of spirit is deepest (W H Davison D D)

The Divine plan for vindicating the high priesthood of Aaron and its moral teachingI That true ministers of religion are elected by GodII It is of great importance that men should know that their ministers of religion are called by God

1 In order that they may regard them with becoming respect2 In order that they may take heed to their message

III The vitality of sin is of dreadful tenacity ldquoMany menrsquos lipsrdquo says Trapp ldquolike rusty hinges for want of the oil of grace and gladness move not without murmuring and complainingrdquo It is a thing of extreme difficulty to eradicate any evil disposition from the human heart ldquoFor such is the habitual hardness of menrsquos hearts as neither ministry nor misery nor miracle nor mercy can possibly mollify Nothing can do it but an extraordinary touch from the hand of HeavenrdquoIV God is engaged in eradicating sin from human hearts (W Jones)

15

Aaronrsquos rod an illustration of the true Christian ministryI The characteristics of the true Christian ministry

1 Life2 Beauty3 Fruitfulness

II The origin of the true Christian ministry Godrsquos creation and gift to the ChurchIII The influence of the true Christian ministry Abiding (W Jones)

The budded rod a type of ChristThe rod in many graphic tints shows Jesus The very name is caught by raptured prophets (Isa_111 Zec_612-13) Thus faith gleans lessons from the very titlemdashRod But the grand purport of the type is to reject all rivals It sets Aaron alone upon the priestly seat The parallel proclaims that similarly Jesus is our only Priest God calls anoints appoints accepts and ever hears Him but Him alone In His hands only do these functions live Next the constant luxuriance has a clear voice In naturersquos field buds blossoms fruit soon wither Not so this rod Its verdure was for ever green its fruit was ever ripe Beside the ark it was reserved in never-fading beauty Here is the ever-blooming Priesthood of our Lord (Psa_1104 Heb_724) Mark moreover that types of Jesus often comprehend the Church It is so with these rods The twelve at first seem all alike They are all sapless twigs But suddenly one puts forth loveliness while the others still remain worthless and withered Here is a picture of Godrsquos dealings with a sin-slain race Since Adamrsquos fall all are born lifeless branches of a withered stock When any child of man arises from the death of sin and blooms in grace God has arisen with Divine almightiness Believer the budded rod gives another warning It is a picture of luxuriance Turn from it and look inward Is your soul thus richly fertile Instead of fruit you often yield the thorn (Joh_158) Whence is the fault (Joh_154) Perhaps your neglectful soul departs from Christ Meditate in Godrsquos law day and night (Psa_13) But if the budded rod rebukes the scanty fruit in the new-born soul what is its voice to unregenerate worldlings (Heb_68) (Dean Law)

The rod of AaronBuds are evidence of life A nominal Christian is like a dead trunk and he cannot bud unless the sap of Divine grace courses through him Spiritual life is an attribute of the converted Christian The spiritual life of a being is his presiding sentiment or dispositionmdashthe chief inspiration of his soulmdashthat which gives motion and character to his mental and moral beingI Life is a resistless force The smallest blade of grass that raises its tiny head into light or the feeblest insect that sports in the sunbeam displays a

16

force superior to that which governs the ocean or controls the stars Man stands erect the tree rises and the bird soars because of lifeII Life is an appropriating force Vegetable and animal existences have a power of appropriating to themselves all surrounding elements conducive to their well-being just as the life of the plant converts the various gases around it into nutriment to promote its strength and development Wherever there is true religion there is a power to render all external circumstances subservient to its own strength and growth all things work together for its goodIII Life is a propagating force It has ldquothe seed in itselfrdquo Forests start from acorns and boundless harvests from the solitary grain It is said that the grateful Israelites anxious to carry away a bud a blossom or almond as a memento of the occasion the flowers and fruit on the rod were repeatedly and miraculously renewed for that purpose Be that as it may wherever there is religious life it will spread it scatters broadcast the incorruptible seed which liveth and abideth for everIV Life is a beautifying force There are two kinds of beautymdashthe sensational and the moral Nature in her ten thousand forms of loveliness and art in her exquisite expressions of taste are ministries to the former whilst spiritual truth moral goodness and the holiness of God address the latter The one is the poetry of the eye and ear the other of the soul The beauty that appeals to the religious nature of man is the beauty of holinessmdashthe beauty of the Lordmdashthe glory of God in His goodnessV Life is a fructifying force The true Christian not only lives and unfolds a noble disposition but is really useful St Paul speaks of ldquothe fruit of the Spiritrdquomdashrighteousness goodness truth The first as opposed to all injustice and dishonesty the second as opposed to the ten thousand forms of selfishness the third as opposed to all that is erroneous and false in the doctrines and theories of men (G L Saywell)

Aaronrsquos rodHere are three miracles in onemdash

1 That a dry rodmdashmade of the almond treemdashshould bring forth buds in a moment2 That those buds should presently become blossoms anal flowers3 That these should immediately become ripe fruit and that all at once or at least in a little space

Nature makes no such leaps All this was supernatural to these ends1 For a testimony of Godrsquos calling Aaron to the priesthood2 For a type of Christ the Branch (Isa_111)3 For a figure of the fruitfulness of a gospel ministry4 For a lively representation of a glorious resurrection (C Ness)

17

Lessons from the budding rodA wonderful work of God which sundry ways may profit us

1 As first to consider that if the power of God can do this in a dry stick cannot He make the barren woman to bare and be a joyful mother of children Can He not do whatsoever He will do By this power the sea is dried the rock gives water the earth cleaveth under the feet of men fire descends whose nature is to ascend raiseth the dead and calleth things that are not as if they were In a word He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think ampc2 This rod is a notable type of Christ His person and office Of His person in that He was born of the Virgin Mary who though He descended of the royal blood yet was now poor and mean as that royal race was brought exceeding low nothing remaining but as it were a root only Now the said Virgin flourisheth again as Aaronrsquos rod did and beareth such fruit as never woman bear Of this speaks Isaiah the prophet when he saith ldquoThere shall come a rod forth of the stock of Jesse and a graft shall grow out of his rootsrdquo Of His office both priestly and kingly His priestly office is figured in that being offered upon the cross He was as Aaronrsquos dried rod or as the Psalm saith ldquodried up like a potsherdrdquo But when He rose again He became like Aaronrsquos budding and fruit-bearing rod bringing forth to man believing on Him remission of sins righteousness and eternal life His kingly office in that He governeth His Church with a rod or sceptre of righteousness as it is in the Psalm ldquoThe sceptre of Thy kingdom is a right sceptrerdquo Which rod and sceptre is the preaching of the gospel ampc3 Again it was a resemblance of true ministers and of all faithful men and women for none of all these ought to be dry and withered sticks but bear and bring forth buds and fruit according to their places4 It is a shadow also of our resurrection by which we should grow green again and flourish with a new and an eternal glory having like dead seed lain in the ground and we shall bring forth ripe almonds that is the praise of Godrsquos incomprehensible goodness to us for ever and ever5 It resembleth our reformation and amendment of life for when our heart feeleth what is amiss this is as the bud when it resolveth of a change and a future amendment this is the blossom and when it performeth the same by a new reformed life indeed this is as the ripe almonds of Aaronrsquos rod(Bp Babington)

The priesthood divinely selectedWhat matchless wisdom shines in this arrangement How completely is the matter taken out of manrsquos hands and placed where alone it ought to be namely in the hands of the living God It was not to be a man appointing

18

himself or a man appointing his fellow but God appointing the man of His own selection In a word the question was to be definitively settled by God Himself so that all murmurings might be silenced for ever and no one be able again to charge Godrsquos high priest with taking too much upon him The human will had nothing whatever to do with this solemn matter The twelve rods all in a like condition were laid up before the Lord man retired and left God to act There was no room no opportunity because there was no occasion for human management In the profound retirement of the sanctuary far away from all manrsquos thinkings was the grand question of priesthood settled by Divine decision and being thus settled it could never again be raised (C H Mackintosh)

Aaronrsquos fruitful rodStriking and beautiful figure of Him who was ldquodeclared to be the Son of God with power by resurrection from the deadrdquo The twelve rods were all alike lifeless but God the living God entered the scene and by that power peculiar to Himself infused life into Aaronrsquos rod and brought it forth to view bearing upon it the fragrant fruits of resurrection Who could gainsay this The rationalist may sneer at it and raise a thousand questions Faith gazes on that fruit-bearing rod and sees in it a lovely figure of the new creation in the which all things are of God Infidelity may argue on the ground of the apparent impossibility of a dry stick budding blossoming and bearing fruit in the course of one night But to whelm does it appear impossible To the infidel the rationalist the sceptic And why Because he always shuts out God Let us remember this Infidelity invariably shuts out God God can do as He pleases The One who called worlds into existence could make a rod to bud blossom and bear fruit in a moment Bring God in and all is simple and plain as possible Leave God out and all is plunged in hopeless confusion (C H Mackintosh)

The rods contrastedPonder the difference between the rod of Moses and the rod of Aaron We have seen the former doing its characteristic work in other days and amid other scenes We have seen the land of Egypt trembling beneath the heavy strokes of that rod Plague after plague fell upon that devoted scene in answer to that outstretched rod We have seen the waters of the sea divided in answer to that rod In short the rod of Moses was a rod of power a rod of authority But it could not avail to hush the murmurings of the children of Israel nor yet to bring the people through the desert Grace alone could do that and we have the expression of pure gracemdashfree sovereign gracemdashin the budding of Aaronrsquos rod Nothing can be more forcible nothing more lovely That dry dead stick was the apt figure of Israelrsquos condition and indeed of the condition of every one of us by nature There was no sap no life no power One might well say ldquoWhat good can ever come of itrdquo None whatever had not grace come in and displayed its quickening power So was it with Israel in the wilderness and so is it with us now How were they to

19

be led along from day to day How were they to be sustained in all their weakness and need How were they to be borne with in all their sin and folly The answer is found in Aaronrsquos budding rod If the dry dead stick was the expression of naturersquos barren and worthless condition the buds blossoms and fruit set forth that living and life-giving grace and power of God on which was based the priestly ministry that alone could bear the congregation through the wilderness Grace alone could answer the ten thousand necessities of the militant host Power could not suffice Authority could not avail Priesthood alone could supply what was needed and this priesthood was instituted on the foundation of that efficacious grace which could bring fruit out of a dry rod Thus it was as to priesthood of old and thus it is as to ministry now All ministry in the Church of God is the fruit of Divine gracemdashthe gift of Christ the Churchrsquos Head (C H Mackintosh)

2 ldquoSpeak 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

BARNES Compare Eze_3716 ff

CLARKE And take of every one of them a rod - matteh the staff or מטהscepter which the prince or chief of each tribe bore and which was the sign of office or royalty among almost all the people of the earth

GILL Speak unto the children of Israel The principal men among them of the several tribes and take of everyone of them not of every individual of the people of Israel but of their princes as afterwards explained a rod according to the house of their fathers or father of whom their house or tribe was called as Reuben Simeon ampc this rod was either a

20

common walking staff as some think or rather the ensign of their princely office and dignity peculiar to each tribe though some think it was now freshly cut off from an almond tree and that all the rods were of one and the same tree but supposing they were all of the almond kind as Josephus (d) thinks yet being dry rods and of long use served to make the miracle appear the greater of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods this explains who they were to be taken of the princes of the several tribes whose names are given Num_15 and the number of them twelve according to the number of the twelve tribes write thou every mans name upon his rod the name of each prince or head of a tribe either by cutting it into the rod or fastening a writing to it after the manner of those times as for instance the name of Elizur for the tribe of Reuben by which it was to be made and was made to appear that to none of these tribes belonged the priesthood but to the tribe of Levi and to none of that tribe but the family of Aaron whereby it should seem that some of all the tribes made pretensions to it as being all holy and especially the chief firstborn of every tribe as such their princes were

JAMISON 2-5 Speak unto the children of Israel mdash The controversy with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood was of such a nature and magnitude as required a decisive and authoritative settlement For the removal of all doubts and the silencing of all murmuring in the future regarding the holder of the office a miracle was wrought of a remarkable character and permanent duration and in the manner of performing it all the people were made to have a direct and special interest

take of every one princes twelve rods mdash As the princes being the oldest sons of the chief family and heads of their tribes might have advanced the best claims to the priesthood if that sacred dignity was to be shared among all the tribes they were therefore selected and being twelve in number - that of Joseph being counted only one - Moses was ordered to see that the name of each was inscribed - a practice borrowed from the Egyptians - upon his rod or wand of office The name of Aaron rather than of Levi was used as the latter name would have opened a door of controversy among the Levites and as there was to be one rod only for the head of each tribe the express appointment of a rod for Aaron determined him to be the head of that tribe as well as that branch or family of the tribe to which the priestly dignity should belong These rods were to be laid in the tabernacle close to the ark (compare Num_1710 and Heb_94) where a divine token was promised that would for all time terminate the dispute

CALVIN 2Speak unto the children of Israel They are mistaken who suppose that to the twelve rods there was another added for the tribe of Levi (103) for since there was no question here as to the possession of the land there was no occasion at

21

all for the division of the tribe of Joseph into two parts We know too that it was endowed with a double portion because the Levites had no inheritance and in this case the circumstances were different because all the other tribes were contending for the priesthood with the tribe of Levi alone Hence it was then that rods were given to each of them in accordance with the origin of their race But when Aaronrsquos rod is said to have been ldquoin the midst of themrdquo (104) it is in the usual phrase of the Hebrew language because it was mixed with them as one of their number And this is expressly stated to show us that all ground for caviling might be taken from the ungodly since all the rods were east promiscuously into the same bundle so that none should be distinguished above the others and thus nothing could be ascribed to the collusion of men If any should object that by these means the rivalry was not extinguished which the other Levites had with the house of Aaron since his own name alone was inscribed upon the rod so that there would be no comparison between the families I reply that since the power of God manifested itself distinctly in the name of Aaron the rejection of the others was sufficiently shown forth by his election for if this honor had been common to the others God would have defrauded them by giving distinction to him alone Besides no other plan could have been adopted for putting an end to this quarrel for if there had been several rods for one tribe the whole people would have complained of the inequality It was necessary then that all should be brought to the contest on equal terms so that the difference between them might be seen to depend upon Godrsquos good pleasure But if the name of Levi had been inscribed all its families would have claimed the right of succession as if common to them all There was therefore no other course open but that God should prefer to the whole people one individual chosen from amongst the members of his own kindred and tribe COKE Numbers 172 Take of every one of them a rodmdash The minds of a considerable number of the people having been poisoned by the insinuations of Korah and his accomplices against Aaron and his family upon the account of the priesthood God is pleased to add another signal miracle in confirmation of his priests authority accordingly the head of each tribe is ordered to take a rod and bring it before the Lord Some have supposed that these were the ordinary rods or batoons which the princes of the tribes bore while from the 8th verse of this chapter others infer that these were twigs or branches from one and the same almond tree whichever was the case the miracle was sufficiently great to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of ProvidenceBENSON Numbers 172 Take of every one mdash Not of every person but of every tribe A rod mdash A twig or branch from one and the same almond-tree as some infer from Numbers 178 Or according to others the ordinary rods which the princes of the tribes carried in their hands as tokens of their dignity and authority Numbers 2118 And indeed the miracle would appear the greater if neither Aaronrsquos rod nor any of the rest was of the almond-tree But the miracle was sufficiently great either way to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of Providence Every manrsquos name mdash Every princersquos for they being the firstborn and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of

22

their tribes and besides the prince represented all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the question And this place seems to confirm the opinion that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contended with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holyELLICOTT (2) And take of every one of them mdashBetter And take of them a rod for each fatherrsquos houseTwelve rodsmdashSome suppose that Aaronrsquos rod was not included amongst the twelve Others suppose that one rod only was taken for the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh The latter supposition is more accordant with the terms here employed than the former and is supported by Deuteronomy 2712-13 where Joseph stands for the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh and Levi is included amongst the twelve tribesWrite thou every manrsquos name upon his rodmdashThis was in accordance with an Egyptian custom (See Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians III 388) The prophet Ezekiel received a similar injunction (Ezekiel 3716)POOLE Speak unto the children of Israel that I may fully and finally satisfy all their scruples and take away all pretence and cause of murmuringOf every one of them not of every person but of every tribe as it followsA rod either an ordinary walking staff or rather that staff or rod which the princes carried in their hand as tokens of their dignity and authority as may be gathered from Numbers 2118 compared with Psalms 1102 Jeremiah 481617According to the house of their fathers ie according to each family proceeding from the patriarch or father of that tribeEvery manrsquos name ie every princersquos for they being the first-born and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of their tribes and besides each prince represented and acted for all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the whole question And this plate seems to confirm what was before observed that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contested with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holy as they said Numbers 163

WHEDON 2 A rod mdash Each chief prince of the twelve tribes bore a staff or sceptre as the sign of office Such rods were often hereditary and of great antiquity That such dry staves should blossom and bear fruit again is so improbable that the Greeks were accustomed to swear by their sceptres Thus Achilles

23

ldquoBut hearken I will swear a solemn oathBy this sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as oncerdquoWritehellip every manrsquos name mdash To identify beyond dispute the rod of Aaron after the trial The illiteracy of Moses and his generation as alleged by some modern writers is here abundantly confuted Since there were twelve rods including Levirsquos it is evident that the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim are here counted as one tribe mdash that of JosephPETT Numbers 172lsquoSpeak to the children of Israel and take of them rods one for each fathersrsquo house of all their princes according to their fathersrsquo houses twelve rods You write every manrsquos name on his rodrsquoAll the men of Israel were to be involved in this It is possible that Levi were included among lsquothe twelversquo and that Manasseh and Ephraim were for this event treated as one tribe the rods representing the lsquohouseholdsrsquo of the original patriarchal fathers But a rod was taken for each of their fathersrsquo houses and the names of each of the chieftains of those fathersrsquo houses was written on the rods This would suggest in the light of previous references to twelve chieftains that the lsquotwelversquo rods were in contrast with Aaronrsquos rod (Alternately one rod may have represented Joseph including both Ephraim and Manasseh It was Joseph who was to be lsquoa fruitful boughrsquo (Genesis 4922) but not as pertaining to the priesthood)The word for lsquorodsrsquo also indicates lsquotribes and can in fact be used to indicate either Thus the rods symbolised each tribe

PULPIT Numbers 172Take of every one of them a rod Literally take of them a rod a rod ie a rod apiece in the way immediately particularized hsilgnEegaugnaL מטה is used for the staff of Judah (Genesis 3818) and for the rod of Moses (Exodus 42) It is also used in the sense of tribe (Numbers 14 Numbers 116) Each tribe was but a branch or rod out of the stock of Israel and therefore was most naturally represented by the rod cut from the tree lsquoThe words used for scepter in Genesis 4910 and in Psalms 457 and for rod in Isaiah 111 and elsewhere are different but the same imagery underlies the use of all of them Of all their princes hellip twelve rods These princes must be those named in Isaiah 22-21 and Isaiah 25-71 Since among these are to be found the tribe princes of Ephraim and Manasseh standing upon a perfect equality with the rest it is evident that the twelve rods were exclusive

24

of that of Aaron The joining together of Ephraim and Manasseh in Deuteronomy 2712 was a very different thing because it could not raise any question as between the two

3 On the staff of Levi write Aaronrsquos name for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe

BARNES Thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of Levi - The Levites had taken part in the late outbreak It was therefore necessary to vindicate the supremacy of the house of Aaron over them and accordingly his name was written on the rod of Levi although being the son of Kohath the second son of Levi (Exo_616 ff) he would not be the natural head of the tribe

GILL And thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi Or upon the rod that was for the tribe of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written not the word Levi or a Levite as Josephus (e) for that would not have decided the controversy about the priesthood which chiefly lay between the Levites and the family of Aaron who were of the same tribe for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers one rod for the head or prince of every tribe every prince representing his own tribe he was the head of and the rod the prince and though the tribe of Levi was divided into two families the family of the priests and the family of the Levites yet as Jarchi observes they were but one tribe and so one rod for them as for the other tribes

ELLICOTT (3) And thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of LevimdashAaron was descended from the second son of Levi He was not therefore the natural but the divinely-appointed head of his fatherrsquos house and hence it would not have sufficed for the purpose contemplated to have inscribed the name of Levi upon the rod Aaron was constituted the head alike of the priests and of the Levites into which two classes the tribe of Levi was divided

25

BENSON Numbers 173 Aaronrsquos name mdash Rather than Levirsquos for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos family One rod mdash There shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixed

POOLE Aaronrsquos rather than Levirsquos name for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos familyFor the head of the house of their fathers ie there shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixedPETT Numbers 173lsquoAnd you shall write Aaronrsquos name on the rod of Levi for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathersrsquo housesrsquoOn the rod of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written There was to be one for each head of their fathersrsquo houses In the light of the earlier divisions in chapters 1-4 we are probably therefore to see that there were thirteen rods the twelve which represented Israel in contrast with the Levites and the one that specifically represented AaronHere Aaron is depicted as the head of the house of Levi That may well be why earlier he was called lsquothe Levitersquo as the head of the family (Exodus 414)

PULPIT Numbers 173Thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi There was no tribe prince of Levi and it is not probable that either of the three chiefs of the sub-tribes (Numbers 324 Numbers 330 55) was called upon to bring a rod This rod was therefore provided by Moses himself and inscribed by him with the name of Aaron who stood by Divine appointment (so recently and fearfully attested) above all his brethren For the significance of the act cf Ezekiel 3716-28 For one rod hellip for the head of the house of their fathers For Levi therefore there must be not three rods inscribed with the names of the chiefs but one only bearing the name of Aaron as

26

their common superior

4 Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law where I meet with you

GILL And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation In the most holy place before the testimony that is the ark in which the testimony or the law was here they were laid as in the presence of God who was in a miraculous way to decide the controversy by them and put an end to it for upon the ark was the mercy seat over which were the cherubim the seat of the divine Majesty and where none could come at them and where no fraud could be supposed to be committed where I will meet with you not with the people in person who might not go at any time into the most holy place nor with Aaron who only might go into it on the day of atonement but with Moses the chief ruler and representative of the whole body of the people and who might go in there at any time to consult with God about matters of moment and difficulty and where the Lord had said he would meet him Exo_2522 and now would in a miraculous way clearly show him and the people of Israel by him who was the priest he had chosen of all the tribesCALVIN 4And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle The place itself had not a little to do with the effectual decision of the matter because it was clearly manifested that God was the author of the miracle and consequently that the priesthood proceeded from Him For we have elsewhere said that the whole government of the Church so entirely depends upon His decree that men are not permitted to interfere with it Wherefore He set the ark of the covenant in opposition to the voices of the whole people in order to testify that no further dispute was to be raised respecting the priest whom He had appointed by His own declaration and authority At the same time it had the effect of consoling the people and silencing their complaints that the rods of all the tribes were brought in common into the sanctuary before God for although a peculiar dignity was accorded to that of Aaron alone still the people ceased not to be a priestly kingdom Hence it follows that the honorable privilege conferred on one family contributed to the public welfare of all so far was it from being the case that their inferiority ought to have caused them pain or envy

27

POOLE Before the testimony ie before the ark of the testimony either mediately close by the veil behind which the ark stood or rather immediately within the veil in the most holy place close by the ark as may be gathered by comparing this place with Numbers 1710 and with Hebrews 94I will meet with you and manifest my mind to you for the ending of this dispute PETT The Rods Are To Be Laid Up in the Tent of Meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)Numbers 174lsquoAnd you shall lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony where I meet with yoursquoThese were then to be lsquolaid up in the Tent of meeting before the testimonyrsquo in the place where Yahweh meets with His people This probably meant in front of the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh lsquothe testimonyrsquo indicating the presence of the covenant tablets in the Ark and their testimony to the covenant

5 The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelitesrdquo

CLARKE The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossom - It was necessary that something farther should be done to quiet the minds of the people and for ever to settle the dispute in what tribe the priesthood should be fixed God therefore took the method described in the text and it had the desired effect the Aaronical priesthood was never after disputed

GILL And it shall come to pass that the mans rod whom I shall choose Or make it manifest that he had chosen him and so confirm the choice he had made of him and his family for the priesthood to be and continue in

28

shall blossom bud and blossom and yield fruit as it afterwards did which is here declared beforehand that the miracle might appear the greater exactly answering to a prediction delivered out before of it and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel whereby they murmur against you against Moses for setting up his brother as an high priest and establishing the priesthood in his family and against Aaron for accepting of it and officiating in it but by this method now taken God would for ever silence their murmurings so that they should never be able with any face to object any more to the authority of the Aaronic priesthood which should appear by the predicted miracle beyond all dispute and contradictionCALVIN 5And it shall come to pass that the manrsquos rod Aaron indeed had been previously chosen but the expression here refers to his manifestation (105) because God is said again to choose those whom He has chosen by His secret counsel when He brings them forth into the sight of men with their peculiar marks of distinction and this not once only but as often as he confirms their election by new indications And this seems to be spoken of by way of concession as if God would pass over all His former decrees and invite the people afresh to take cognizance of the matter With this view tie states that He will put an end to all the malevolent and noisy detractions of the people so that Aaron may henceforth exercise his office without controversy for although not even thus was their perverseness altogether cured still their insolence was restrained

ELLICOTT (5) The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossommdashOr shall sprout forth or put forthmdashie leaves or blossoms Achilles when enraged against Agamemnon is made to swear a solemn oath by his sceptre which having once left its stock on the mountains shall never again grow King Latinus is represented by Virgil as confirming his covenant with AEligneas by a similar oath

WHEDON 5 Whom I shall choose mdash That is select for the priesthoodCeasehellip murmurings mdash Suppress them beyond all possibility of a revival Jehovahrsquos claims are set forth in his word with such cogency that there is no just ground for gainsaying On all questions of duty there is a redundancy of evidencePETT The Rod of the Chosen One Will Bud and Put an End to Murmuring (Numbers 175)Numbers 175lsquoAnd it will come about that the rod of the man whom I shall choose will bud and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel which they

29

murmur against yoursquoThen Yahweh would make the rod of the man that Yahweh had chosen spring to life and bud This final display on Yahwehrsquos initiative should cause all further murmurings against Moses and Aaron on the question of who had the right of priesthood to cease

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 Aaronrsquos staff was among them

BARNES The whole number of rods was twelve exclusive of Aaronrsquos as the Vulgate expressly states

GILL And Moses spake unto the children of Israel What the Lord had bid him say unto them concerning the rods which they hearkened unto and observed and everyone of their princes gave him a rod apiece for each prince one every prince of the several tribes and so a rod for every tribe as well as for each prince according to their fathers houses even twelve rods there being twelve tribes named after their fathers or the patriarchs the twelve sons of Jacob and Joseph having two tribes which sprung from him called after his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh there were twelve rods besides that of Aaron and so the Vulgate Latin version renders the words with the next clauseand there were twelve rods besides the rod of Aaronin all thirteen though the Jews say there were but twelve with it allowing but one rod for Joseph under whom were comprehended Ephraim and Manasseh and reckoning the tribe of Levi one of the twelve so Aben Ezra observes that the rod of Levi was among the twelve and Joseph had but one rod and the rod of Aaron was among their rods in the middle of them and was

30

so placed as Jarchi thinks that it might not be said because it was put on the side of the Shechinah or divine Majesty therefore it budded but being in the middle of them there could be no difference in that respectJAMISON the rod of Aaron was among their rods mdash either one of the

twelve or as many suppose a thirteenth in the midst (Heb_94) The rods were of dry sticks or wands probably old as transmitted from one head of the family to a succeeding

KampD Num_176-11Moses carried out this command And when he went into the tabernacle the following morning behold Aarons rod of the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth shoots and had borne blossoms and matured almonds And Moses brought all the rods out of the sanctuary and gave every man his own the rest as we may gather from the context being all unchanged so that the whole nation could satisfy itself that God had chosen Aaron Thus was the word fulfilled which Moses had spoken at the commencement of the rebellion of the company of Korah (Num_165) and that in a way which could not fail to accredit him before the whole congregation as sent of GodSo far as the occurrence itself is concerned there can hardly be any need to remark that the natural interpretation which has lately been attempted by Ewald viz that Moses had laid several almond rods in the holy place which had just been freshly cut off that he might see the next day which of them would flower the best during the night is directly at variance with the words of the text and also with the fact that a rod even freshly cut off when laid in a dry place would not bear ripe fruit in a single night The miracle which God wrought here as the Creator of nature was at the same time a significant symbol of the nature and meaning of the priesthood The choice of the rods had also a bearing upon the object in question A mans rod was the sign of his position as ruler in the house and congregation with a prince the rod becomes a sceptre the insignia of rule (Gen_4910) As a severed branch the rod could not put forth shoots and blossom in a natural way But God could impart new vital powers even to the dry rod And so Aaron had naturally no pre-eminence above the heads of the other tribes But the priesthood was founded not upon natural qualifications and gifts but upon the power of the Spirit which God communicates according to the choice of His wisdom and which He had imparted to Aaron through his consecration with holy anointing oil It was this which the Lord intended to show to the people by causing Aarons rod to put forth branches blossom and fruit through a miracle of His omnipotence whereas the rods of the other heads of the tribes remained as barren as before In this way therefore it was not without deep significance that Aarons rod not only put forth shoots by which the divine election might be recognised but bore even blossom and ripe fruit This showed that Aaron was not only qualified for his calling but administered his office in the full power of the Spirit and bore the fruit expected of him The almond rod was especially adapted to exhibit this as

31

an almond-tree flowers and bears fruit the earliest of all the trees and has received its name of שקד ldquoawakerdquo from this very fact (cf Jer_111)

God then commanded (Num_1710 Num_1711) that Aarons rod should be taken back into the sanctuary and preserved before the testimony ldquofor a sign for the rebellious that thou puttest an end to their murmuring and they die notrdquo The preservation of the rod before the ark of the covenant in the immediate presence of the Lord was a pledge to Aaron of the continuance of his election and the permanent duration of his priesthood though we have no need to assume that through a perpetual miracle the staff continued green and blossoming In this way the staff became a sign to the rebellious which could not fail to stop their murmuringPETT All the Chieftains Give Rods Including Aaron (Numbers 176)Numbers 176lsquoAnd Moses spoke to the children of Israel and all their princes gave him rods for each prince one according to their fathersrsquo houses even twelve rods and the rod of Aaron was among their rodsrsquoSo Moses did as Yahweh commanded and requested rods from each of the chieftains of the twelve tribes These rods may well have been their symbols of authority Thus twelve rods were gathered and Aaronrsquos rod was placed among them PULPIT And the rod of Aaron was among the rods As there was no prince from whom this rod could have come and as there were twelve rods without it this must mean that Moses did not keep Aarons rod separate (which might have caused suspicion) but let it be seen amongst the others

7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law

GILL And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness In that part of the tabernacle where the testimony or witness was that is the law which was in the ark over which was the mercy seat with the cherubim between which Jehovah dwelt and this was the most holy place and the rods being laid here might be said to be laid before the Lord who by making a difference in one of those rods from the rest would decide the controversy about the priesthood which was the end of their being laid

32

before himHENRY The preparing of the rods accordingly The princes brought

them in some of them perhaps fondly expecting that the choice would fall upon them and all of them thinking it honour enough to be competitors with Aaron and to stand candidates even for the priesthood (Num_177) and Moses laid them up before the Lord He did not object that the matter was sufficiently settled already and enough done to convince those that were not invincibly hardened in their prejudices He did not undertake to determine the controversy himself though it might easily have been done nor did he suggest that it would be to no purpose to offer satisfaction to a people that were willingly blind But since God will have it so he did his part and lodged the case before the Lord to whom the appeal was made by consent and left it with him

WHEDON 7 Witness mdash The Hebrew is the same as that for testimony in Numbers 174 The reason for choosing this place may have been that no one would suspect the performance of any legerdemain or jugglery in the holy of holies a sanctuary too awful for any man to enter but the high priest one day in the year Moses entered on this occasion by express commandPETT The Rods Are Placed In the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)Numbers 177lsquoAnd Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimonyrsquoThe rods were then laid up lsquobefore Yahwehrsquo in lsquothe Tent of the testimonyrsquo Note the change in name for the Tent Emphasis is placed here on the fact that the Tent testifies to Yahweh and His covenant As we have already suggested this probably meant that they were placed before the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh although it may be that Moses uniquely had access into the Holy of Holies itself

8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaronrsquos staff which represented the tribe of Levi had not only sprouted but had budded blossomed and produced almonds 33

BARNES Yielded almonds - ldquoRipened almondsrdquo i e ldquobrought forth ripe almondsrdquo The name almond in Hebrew denotes the ldquowaking-treerdquo the ldquowaking-fruitrdquo and is applied to this tree because it blossoms early in the season It serves here as in Jer_111-12 to set forth the speed and certainty with which at Godrsquos will His purposes are accomplished So again the blossoming and bearing of Aaronrsquos rod naturally impotent when severed from the parent tree may signify the profitableness because of Godrsquos appointment and blessing of the various means of grace (e g the priesthood the sacraments) which of themselves and apart from Him could have no such efficacy Compare Isa_42 Isa_111 Isa_532 Jer_335 Zec_612

CLARKE The rod of Aaron - was budded etc - That is on the same rod or staff were found buds blossoms and ripe fruit This fact was so unquestionably miraculous as to decide the business for ever and probably this was intended to show that in the priesthood represented by that of Aaron the beginning middle and end of every good work must be found The buds of good desires the blossoms of holy resolutions and promising professions and the ripe fruit of faith love and obedience all spring from the priesthood of the Lord Jesus It has been thought by some that Aaronrsquos staff (and perhaps the staves of all the tribes) was made out of the amygdala communis or common almond tree In a favorable soil and climate it grows to twenty feet in height is one of the most noble flourishing trees in nature its flowers are of a delicate red and it puts them forth early in March having begun to bud in January It has its name שקד shaked from shakad to awake because it buds and flowers sooner than most other trees And it is very likely that the staves of office borne by the chiefs of all the tribes were made of this tree merely to signify that watchfulness and assiduous care which the chiefs should take of the persons committed in the course of the Divine providence to their keeping

Every thing in this miracle is so far beyond the power of nature that no doubt could remain on the minds of the people or the envious chiefs of the Divine appointment of Aaron and of the especial interference of God in this case To see a piece of wood long cut off from the parent stock without bark or moisture remaining laid up in a dry place for a single night with others in the same circumstances - to see such a piece of wood resume and evince the perfection of vegetative life budding blossoming and bringing forth ripe fruit at the same time must be such a demonstration of the peculiar interference of God as to silence every doubt and satisfy every scruple It is worthy of remark that a scepter or staff of office resuming its vegetative life was considered an absolute impossibility among the ancients and as 34

they were accustomed to swear by their sceptres this circumstance was added to establish and confirm the oath A remarkable instance of this we have in Homer Iliad lib i ver 233 etc where Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon thus speaks -Αλλrsquo εκ τοι ερεω και επι μεγαν ὁρκον ομουμαιΝαι μα τοδε σκηπτρον το μεν ουποτε φυλλα και οζουςΦυσει επειδη πρωτα τομην εν ορεσσι λελοιπενΟυδrsquo αναθηλησει περι γαρ ῥα ἑ χαλκος ελεψεΦυλλα τε και φλοιονὁ δε τοι μεγας εσσεται ὁρκοςBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same scepter which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopprsquod off its foliage greenAnd stripprsquod its bark shall never grow againCowper

Virgil represents King Latinus swearing in the same way to confirm his covenant with Aeneas -Ut Sceptrum hoc (dextra sceptrum nam forte gerebat)Nunquam fronde levi fundet virgulta neque umbrasCum semel in silvis imo de stirpe recisumMatre caret posuitque comas et brachia ferroOlim arbos nunc artificis manus aere decoroInclusit patribusque dedit gestare LatinisTalibus inter se firmabant foedera dictisAen lib xii ver 206-12Even as this royal Sceptre (for he boreA scepter in his hand) shall never moreShoot out in branches or renew the birthAn orphan now cut from the mother earthBy the keen axe dishonorrsquod of its hairAnd cased in brass for Latian kings to bearAnd thus in public view the peace was tiedWith solemn vows and sworn on either sideDryden

When the circumstance of the rod or scepter being used anciently in this way and the absolute impossibility of its reviviscence so strongly appealed to is considered it appears to have been a very proper instrument for the present occasion for the change that passed on it must be acknowledged as an immediate and incontestable miracle

35

GILL And it came to pass that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness Where none but he could go at any time this was the day after the rods had been placed there and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi the rod that had Aarons name upon it which was to represent the tribe of Levi of which he was was budded and brought forth buds knobs of blossom such that are seen on trees before they open for the almond tree puts forth its blossoms before its leaves though the Targum of Jonathan renders it branches as do some versions and some think this is to be understood of its putting out its leaves first contrary to the nature of the almond tree and so makes the miracle the greater thus Ben Melech and blossomed blossoms open flowers or blossoms such as appear on the almond tree in the spring and look very beautiful and yielded almonds ripe almonds in their full perfection as the Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan the latter of which isin the same night it perfected and brought forth almondsthe word used has the signification of weaning and alludes to children grown up to some ripeness and maturity Gen_218 the case seems to be this that in one part of the rod were buds swelling and just putting out in another part open flowers quite blown and in others full ripe fruit now this clearly showed it to be supernatural since the almond tree though quick and early in its production of buds and flowers yet never has those and ripe fruit on it at the same time to which may be added that this was not the time of year the almond tree blossoms not the spring but rather autumn as it should seem since it was after the affair of the spies and the murmurs of the people on their report now it was the time of the first ripe grapes when they went into the land and they were forty days searching it and it was after their return the insurrections before recorded were the design of this was to confirm the priesthood in Aarons family and show that it would continue there in a flourishing condition and that there would be a succession of priests from him to the time of the Messiah as there were and the almond tree having its name in Hebrew from watchfulness and haste see Jer_111 may denote the vigilance of the priests in their office and the haste punishment makes to come upon such that should oppose them or usurp the priesthood as in the case of Uzziah so Jarchi remarks this rod of Aarons may be an emblem of the Gospel ministry of that rod that should come out of Zion Psa_1102 which in the eyes of men is mean and despicable like a dry stick but becomes a fruitful one through the power of divine grace and an almond tree rod may denote the vigilance and watchfulness of Gospel ministers over themselves and others and their doctrine and oftentimes whom God puts into the ministry he early calls them by his grace and frequently makes the first part of their ministry most useful and fruit is brought forth which remains moreover this rod may be considered as a type of Christ it being a dry rod or stick may denote the

36

meanness of his descent and appearance in the world and the unpromising aspect of his being the King Messiah and Saviour of men and being an almond tree rod may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time which the Lord hastened his being the firstborn and his right to the priesthood and his vigilance in it its lying among other rods and budding and blossoming and bringing forth fruit may point at Christs assuming the common nature or man his being cut off by death his resurrection from the dead and the fruits arising from thence justification peace pardon and eternal life and as Aarons priesthood was confirmed by the budding ampc of this rod so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are by his resurrection from the dead See Gill on Heb_94HENRY 8-9 Here is I The final determination of the controversy

concerning the priesthood by a miracle Num_178 Num_179 The rods or staves were brought out from the most holy place where they were laid up and publicly produced before the people and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were Aarons rod only of a dry stick became a living branch budded and blossomed and yielded almonds In some places there were buds in others blossoms in others fruit at the same time This was miraculous and took away all suspicion of a fraud as if in the night Moses had taken away Aarons rod and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it for no ordinary branch would have buds blossoms and fruits upon it all at once Now1 This was a plain indication to the people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood and not any other of the princes of the tribes Thus he was distinguished from them and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven which sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor watering by the hand of man Bishop Hall here observes that fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call and that the plants of Gods setting and the boughs cut off from them will flourish See Psa_9212-14 The trees of the Lord though they seem dry trees are full of sap2 It was a very proper sign to represent the priesthood itself which was hereby confirmed to Aaron (1) That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God It produced not only blossoms but almonds for the priesthood was designed not only for an honour to Aaron but for a blessing to Israel Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they should go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit should remain Joh_1516 (2) That there should be a succession of priests Here were not only almonds for the present but buds and blossoms promising more hereafter Thus has Christ provided in his church that a seed should serve him from generation to generation (3) That yet this priesthood should not be perpetual but in process of time like the branches and blossoms of a tree should fail and wither The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age Ecc_125 This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood which soon became old and ready to vanish away Heb_8133 It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood for he is the man the branch that is to be a priest upon his throne as it follows (Zec_612) and he was to grow up before God as this before the ark like a tender

37

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

the appointed morning men found it marked by the choice of the Omnipotent with the buds the blossoms and the fruit In like manner the coldest darkest least living period in Immanuelrsquos career was when they hid Him among all the other millions of the dead in the tomb cut out of the rock in the garden of Joseph ldquoBut now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first-fruits of them that sleptrdquo He was raised up ldquoa plant of renownrdquo And from that glorious Easter morning the ldquorod out of the stem of Jesserdquo has been ldquothe tree whose leaves are for the healing of the nationsrdquo and ldquofilling the face of the world with fruitrdquo Men can be governed by a Mediator and yet not perish ldquoThe soul that sinneth it shall dierdquo That is a rod but ldquoif any man sin we have an Advocate with the Fatherrdquo that is ldquoAaronrsquos rod that buddedrdquomdashthe rod of the Priest Reuben Gad and all the rest have rods Christianity is not alone in the sternness of its government or the severity of its sanctions But it is alone in telling me how I can receive remission of sins that are past and how I can obtain the strongest of motives for a life of obedience in the time to come (H Christopherson)

Aaronrsquos rod blossoming and bearing fruitI As the priesthood of Aaron was a type of the priesthood of Christ there is here a suggestion of facts which must have their counterpart in Christrsquos life and history

1 The atonement and death of our Lord Jesus were matters of Divine appointment The whole work of our salvation originated with God2 But more than thismdashwhich is the essential truth here enshrinedmdashwe see here that God often manifests Himself in unexpected forms of beauty and of grace The dry rod blossomed and bare fruit The powers of Divine salvation were enshrined in the person of the Carpenter of Nazareth There was life for a dead world in the Cross and in the grave of the dead Christ

II There are suggestions here concerning Christian life1 Christian life begins with God2 The Christian life manifests itself in unfavourable conditions It is in human souls a power of active benevolence or it is nothing at all It takes hold of human misery with a healing hand and it changes it into blessing Where sin abounded there grace does much more abound3 There is beauty associated with the developments of Christian life and character There is nothing half so winning as Christian grace

III Suggestions in relation to the gospel ministry1 There is a Divine designation of men to the highest service of the Church2 But what is the qualification of men thus sent Evidently the possession of Divine life the gift which is to be imparted to those needing it To be a Christian teacher a man must be a Christian and must

14

know the things of Christ3 How then are we to judge a manrsquos Divine call and authority Only and solely by the blossoms and fruitmdashby the spiritual results of his ministry

IV Last of all there are here suggestions concerning Christian humiliation1 The world has not known its best benefactors It has always had a scornful word for the saintly and the true-hearted It has always risen up in rebellion against the anointed of the Lord2 Here is a word of encouragement to all weak and mistrustful and diffident and self-emptied souls ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says the old labourer in the Masterrsquos vineyard and the holy matron whose life has been careful and troubled about many things but who has ever been anxious to honour and serve her dear Lord in lowliest ways and household duties ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says the saint waiting dismission to rest who has not done what he would or been as useful as he desired and hoped and prayed to be ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says one whose strength has been weakened by the way and whose unfinished purposes lie sadly enough at his feet fallen out of hands which could not longer hold them or fashion them into completeness ldquoWe are but dry rodsrdquo say many earnest anxious longing souls who hardly dare to trust for the future because so often when they would do good evil is present with them We are not saved by trust in our own righteousness or by satisfaction with our own goodness and deeds But Godrsquos grace is all-sufficient and He can work miracles of beauty and fruitfulness where human might is feeblest and self mistrust is greatest and humility of spirit is deepest (W H Davison D D)

The Divine plan for vindicating the high priesthood of Aaron and its moral teachingI That true ministers of religion are elected by GodII It is of great importance that men should know that their ministers of religion are called by God

1 In order that they may regard them with becoming respect2 In order that they may take heed to their message

III The vitality of sin is of dreadful tenacity ldquoMany menrsquos lipsrdquo says Trapp ldquolike rusty hinges for want of the oil of grace and gladness move not without murmuring and complainingrdquo It is a thing of extreme difficulty to eradicate any evil disposition from the human heart ldquoFor such is the habitual hardness of menrsquos hearts as neither ministry nor misery nor miracle nor mercy can possibly mollify Nothing can do it but an extraordinary touch from the hand of HeavenrdquoIV God is engaged in eradicating sin from human hearts (W Jones)

15

Aaronrsquos rod an illustration of the true Christian ministryI The characteristics of the true Christian ministry

1 Life2 Beauty3 Fruitfulness

II The origin of the true Christian ministry Godrsquos creation and gift to the ChurchIII The influence of the true Christian ministry Abiding (W Jones)

The budded rod a type of ChristThe rod in many graphic tints shows Jesus The very name is caught by raptured prophets (Isa_111 Zec_612-13) Thus faith gleans lessons from the very titlemdashRod But the grand purport of the type is to reject all rivals It sets Aaron alone upon the priestly seat The parallel proclaims that similarly Jesus is our only Priest God calls anoints appoints accepts and ever hears Him but Him alone In His hands only do these functions live Next the constant luxuriance has a clear voice In naturersquos field buds blossoms fruit soon wither Not so this rod Its verdure was for ever green its fruit was ever ripe Beside the ark it was reserved in never-fading beauty Here is the ever-blooming Priesthood of our Lord (Psa_1104 Heb_724) Mark moreover that types of Jesus often comprehend the Church It is so with these rods The twelve at first seem all alike They are all sapless twigs But suddenly one puts forth loveliness while the others still remain worthless and withered Here is a picture of Godrsquos dealings with a sin-slain race Since Adamrsquos fall all are born lifeless branches of a withered stock When any child of man arises from the death of sin and blooms in grace God has arisen with Divine almightiness Believer the budded rod gives another warning It is a picture of luxuriance Turn from it and look inward Is your soul thus richly fertile Instead of fruit you often yield the thorn (Joh_158) Whence is the fault (Joh_154) Perhaps your neglectful soul departs from Christ Meditate in Godrsquos law day and night (Psa_13) But if the budded rod rebukes the scanty fruit in the new-born soul what is its voice to unregenerate worldlings (Heb_68) (Dean Law)

The rod of AaronBuds are evidence of life A nominal Christian is like a dead trunk and he cannot bud unless the sap of Divine grace courses through him Spiritual life is an attribute of the converted Christian The spiritual life of a being is his presiding sentiment or dispositionmdashthe chief inspiration of his soulmdashthat which gives motion and character to his mental and moral beingI Life is a resistless force The smallest blade of grass that raises its tiny head into light or the feeblest insect that sports in the sunbeam displays a

16

force superior to that which governs the ocean or controls the stars Man stands erect the tree rises and the bird soars because of lifeII Life is an appropriating force Vegetable and animal existences have a power of appropriating to themselves all surrounding elements conducive to their well-being just as the life of the plant converts the various gases around it into nutriment to promote its strength and development Wherever there is true religion there is a power to render all external circumstances subservient to its own strength and growth all things work together for its goodIII Life is a propagating force It has ldquothe seed in itselfrdquo Forests start from acorns and boundless harvests from the solitary grain It is said that the grateful Israelites anxious to carry away a bud a blossom or almond as a memento of the occasion the flowers and fruit on the rod were repeatedly and miraculously renewed for that purpose Be that as it may wherever there is religious life it will spread it scatters broadcast the incorruptible seed which liveth and abideth for everIV Life is a beautifying force There are two kinds of beautymdashthe sensational and the moral Nature in her ten thousand forms of loveliness and art in her exquisite expressions of taste are ministries to the former whilst spiritual truth moral goodness and the holiness of God address the latter The one is the poetry of the eye and ear the other of the soul The beauty that appeals to the religious nature of man is the beauty of holinessmdashthe beauty of the Lordmdashthe glory of God in His goodnessV Life is a fructifying force The true Christian not only lives and unfolds a noble disposition but is really useful St Paul speaks of ldquothe fruit of the Spiritrdquomdashrighteousness goodness truth The first as opposed to all injustice and dishonesty the second as opposed to the ten thousand forms of selfishness the third as opposed to all that is erroneous and false in the doctrines and theories of men (G L Saywell)

Aaronrsquos rodHere are three miracles in onemdash

1 That a dry rodmdashmade of the almond treemdashshould bring forth buds in a moment2 That those buds should presently become blossoms anal flowers3 That these should immediately become ripe fruit and that all at once or at least in a little space

Nature makes no such leaps All this was supernatural to these ends1 For a testimony of Godrsquos calling Aaron to the priesthood2 For a type of Christ the Branch (Isa_111)3 For a figure of the fruitfulness of a gospel ministry4 For a lively representation of a glorious resurrection (C Ness)

17

Lessons from the budding rodA wonderful work of God which sundry ways may profit us

1 As first to consider that if the power of God can do this in a dry stick cannot He make the barren woman to bare and be a joyful mother of children Can He not do whatsoever He will do By this power the sea is dried the rock gives water the earth cleaveth under the feet of men fire descends whose nature is to ascend raiseth the dead and calleth things that are not as if they were In a word He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think ampc2 This rod is a notable type of Christ His person and office Of His person in that He was born of the Virgin Mary who though He descended of the royal blood yet was now poor and mean as that royal race was brought exceeding low nothing remaining but as it were a root only Now the said Virgin flourisheth again as Aaronrsquos rod did and beareth such fruit as never woman bear Of this speaks Isaiah the prophet when he saith ldquoThere shall come a rod forth of the stock of Jesse and a graft shall grow out of his rootsrdquo Of His office both priestly and kingly His priestly office is figured in that being offered upon the cross He was as Aaronrsquos dried rod or as the Psalm saith ldquodried up like a potsherdrdquo But when He rose again He became like Aaronrsquos budding and fruit-bearing rod bringing forth to man believing on Him remission of sins righteousness and eternal life His kingly office in that He governeth His Church with a rod or sceptre of righteousness as it is in the Psalm ldquoThe sceptre of Thy kingdom is a right sceptrerdquo Which rod and sceptre is the preaching of the gospel ampc3 Again it was a resemblance of true ministers and of all faithful men and women for none of all these ought to be dry and withered sticks but bear and bring forth buds and fruit according to their places4 It is a shadow also of our resurrection by which we should grow green again and flourish with a new and an eternal glory having like dead seed lain in the ground and we shall bring forth ripe almonds that is the praise of Godrsquos incomprehensible goodness to us for ever and ever5 It resembleth our reformation and amendment of life for when our heart feeleth what is amiss this is as the bud when it resolveth of a change and a future amendment this is the blossom and when it performeth the same by a new reformed life indeed this is as the ripe almonds of Aaronrsquos rod(Bp Babington)

The priesthood divinely selectedWhat matchless wisdom shines in this arrangement How completely is the matter taken out of manrsquos hands and placed where alone it ought to be namely in the hands of the living God It was not to be a man appointing

18

himself or a man appointing his fellow but God appointing the man of His own selection In a word the question was to be definitively settled by God Himself so that all murmurings might be silenced for ever and no one be able again to charge Godrsquos high priest with taking too much upon him The human will had nothing whatever to do with this solemn matter The twelve rods all in a like condition were laid up before the Lord man retired and left God to act There was no room no opportunity because there was no occasion for human management In the profound retirement of the sanctuary far away from all manrsquos thinkings was the grand question of priesthood settled by Divine decision and being thus settled it could never again be raised (C H Mackintosh)

Aaronrsquos fruitful rodStriking and beautiful figure of Him who was ldquodeclared to be the Son of God with power by resurrection from the deadrdquo The twelve rods were all alike lifeless but God the living God entered the scene and by that power peculiar to Himself infused life into Aaronrsquos rod and brought it forth to view bearing upon it the fragrant fruits of resurrection Who could gainsay this The rationalist may sneer at it and raise a thousand questions Faith gazes on that fruit-bearing rod and sees in it a lovely figure of the new creation in the which all things are of God Infidelity may argue on the ground of the apparent impossibility of a dry stick budding blossoming and bearing fruit in the course of one night But to whelm does it appear impossible To the infidel the rationalist the sceptic And why Because he always shuts out God Let us remember this Infidelity invariably shuts out God God can do as He pleases The One who called worlds into existence could make a rod to bud blossom and bear fruit in a moment Bring God in and all is simple and plain as possible Leave God out and all is plunged in hopeless confusion (C H Mackintosh)

The rods contrastedPonder the difference between the rod of Moses and the rod of Aaron We have seen the former doing its characteristic work in other days and amid other scenes We have seen the land of Egypt trembling beneath the heavy strokes of that rod Plague after plague fell upon that devoted scene in answer to that outstretched rod We have seen the waters of the sea divided in answer to that rod In short the rod of Moses was a rod of power a rod of authority But it could not avail to hush the murmurings of the children of Israel nor yet to bring the people through the desert Grace alone could do that and we have the expression of pure gracemdashfree sovereign gracemdashin the budding of Aaronrsquos rod Nothing can be more forcible nothing more lovely That dry dead stick was the apt figure of Israelrsquos condition and indeed of the condition of every one of us by nature There was no sap no life no power One might well say ldquoWhat good can ever come of itrdquo None whatever had not grace come in and displayed its quickening power So was it with Israel in the wilderness and so is it with us now How were they to

19

be led along from day to day How were they to be sustained in all their weakness and need How were they to be borne with in all their sin and folly The answer is found in Aaronrsquos budding rod If the dry dead stick was the expression of naturersquos barren and worthless condition the buds blossoms and fruit set forth that living and life-giving grace and power of God on which was based the priestly ministry that alone could bear the congregation through the wilderness Grace alone could answer the ten thousand necessities of the militant host Power could not suffice Authority could not avail Priesthood alone could supply what was needed and this priesthood was instituted on the foundation of that efficacious grace which could bring fruit out of a dry rod Thus it was as to priesthood of old and thus it is as to ministry now All ministry in the Church of God is the fruit of Divine gracemdashthe gift of Christ the Churchrsquos Head (C H Mackintosh)

2 ldquoSpeak 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

BARNES Compare Eze_3716 ff

CLARKE And take of every one of them a rod - matteh the staff or מטהscepter which the prince or chief of each tribe bore and which was the sign of office or royalty among almost all the people of the earth

GILL Speak unto the children of Israel The principal men among them of the several tribes and take of everyone of them not of every individual of the people of Israel but of their princes as afterwards explained a rod according to the house of their fathers or father of whom their house or tribe was called as Reuben Simeon ampc this rod was either a

20

common walking staff as some think or rather the ensign of their princely office and dignity peculiar to each tribe though some think it was now freshly cut off from an almond tree and that all the rods were of one and the same tree but supposing they were all of the almond kind as Josephus (d) thinks yet being dry rods and of long use served to make the miracle appear the greater of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods this explains who they were to be taken of the princes of the several tribes whose names are given Num_15 and the number of them twelve according to the number of the twelve tribes write thou every mans name upon his rod the name of each prince or head of a tribe either by cutting it into the rod or fastening a writing to it after the manner of those times as for instance the name of Elizur for the tribe of Reuben by which it was to be made and was made to appear that to none of these tribes belonged the priesthood but to the tribe of Levi and to none of that tribe but the family of Aaron whereby it should seem that some of all the tribes made pretensions to it as being all holy and especially the chief firstborn of every tribe as such their princes were

JAMISON 2-5 Speak unto the children of Israel mdash The controversy with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood was of such a nature and magnitude as required a decisive and authoritative settlement For the removal of all doubts and the silencing of all murmuring in the future regarding the holder of the office a miracle was wrought of a remarkable character and permanent duration and in the manner of performing it all the people were made to have a direct and special interest

take of every one princes twelve rods mdash As the princes being the oldest sons of the chief family and heads of their tribes might have advanced the best claims to the priesthood if that sacred dignity was to be shared among all the tribes they were therefore selected and being twelve in number - that of Joseph being counted only one - Moses was ordered to see that the name of each was inscribed - a practice borrowed from the Egyptians - upon his rod or wand of office The name of Aaron rather than of Levi was used as the latter name would have opened a door of controversy among the Levites and as there was to be one rod only for the head of each tribe the express appointment of a rod for Aaron determined him to be the head of that tribe as well as that branch or family of the tribe to which the priestly dignity should belong These rods were to be laid in the tabernacle close to the ark (compare Num_1710 and Heb_94) where a divine token was promised that would for all time terminate the dispute

CALVIN 2Speak unto the children of Israel They are mistaken who suppose that to the twelve rods there was another added for the tribe of Levi (103) for since there was no question here as to the possession of the land there was no occasion at

21

all for the division of the tribe of Joseph into two parts We know too that it was endowed with a double portion because the Levites had no inheritance and in this case the circumstances were different because all the other tribes were contending for the priesthood with the tribe of Levi alone Hence it was then that rods were given to each of them in accordance with the origin of their race But when Aaronrsquos rod is said to have been ldquoin the midst of themrdquo (104) it is in the usual phrase of the Hebrew language because it was mixed with them as one of their number And this is expressly stated to show us that all ground for caviling might be taken from the ungodly since all the rods were east promiscuously into the same bundle so that none should be distinguished above the others and thus nothing could be ascribed to the collusion of men If any should object that by these means the rivalry was not extinguished which the other Levites had with the house of Aaron since his own name alone was inscribed upon the rod so that there would be no comparison between the families I reply that since the power of God manifested itself distinctly in the name of Aaron the rejection of the others was sufficiently shown forth by his election for if this honor had been common to the others God would have defrauded them by giving distinction to him alone Besides no other plan could have been adopted for putting an end to this quarrel for if there had been several rods for one tribe the whole people would have complained of the inequality It was necessary then that all should be brought to the contest on equal terms so that the difference between them might be seen to depend upon Godrsquos good pleasure But if the name of Levi had been inscribed all its families would have claimed the right of succession as if common to them all There was therefore no other course open but that God should prefer to the whole people one individual chosen from amongst the members of his own kindred and tribe COKE Numbers 172 Take of every one of them a rodmdash The minds of a considerable number of the people having been poisoned by the insinuations of Korah and his accomplices against Aaron and his family upon the account of the priesthood God is pleased to add another signal miracle in confirmation of his priests authority accordingly the head of each tribe is ordered to take a rod and bring it before the Lord Some have supposed that these were the ordinary rods or batoons which the princes of the tribes bore while from the 8th verse of this chapter others infer that these were twigs or branches from one and the same almond tree whichever was the case the miracle was sufficiently great to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of ProvidenceBENSON Numbers 172 Take of every one mdash Not of every person but of every tribe A rod mdash A twig or branch from one and the same almond-tree as some infer from Numbers 178 Or according to others the ordinary rods which the princes of the tribes carried in their hands as tokens of their dignity and authority Numbers 2118 And indeed the miracle would appear the greater if neither Aaronrsquos rod nor any of the rest was of the almond-tree But the miracle was sufficiently great either way to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of Providence Every manrsquos name mdash Every princersquos for they being the firstborn and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of

22

their tribes and besides the prince represented all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the question And this place seems to confirm the opinion that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contended with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holyELLICOTT (2) And take of every one of them mdashBetter And take of them a rod for each fatherrsquos houseTwelve rodsmdashSome suppose that Aaronrsquos rod was not included amongst the twelve Others suppose that one rod only was taken for the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh The latter supposition is more accordant with the terms here employed than the former and is supported by Deuteronomy 2712-13 where Joseph stands for the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh and Levi is included amongst the twelve tribesWrite thou every manrsquos name upon his rodmdashThis was in accordance with an Egyptian custom (See Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians III 388) The prophet Ezekiel received a similar injunction (Ezekiel 3716)POOLE Speak unto the children of Israel that I may fully and finally satisfy all their scruples and take away all pretence and cause of murmuringOf every one of them not of every person but of every tribe as it followsA rod either an ordinary walking staff or rather that staff or rod which the princes carried in their hand as tokens of their dignity and authority as may be gathered from Numbers 2118 compared with Psalms 1102 Jeremiah 481617According to the house of their fathers ie according to each family proceeding from the patriarch or father of that tribeEvery manrsquos name ie every princersquos for they being the first-born and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of their tribes and besides each prince represented and acted for all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the whole question And this plate seems to confirm what was before observed that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contested with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holy as they said Numbers 163

WHEDON 2 A rod mdash Each chief prince of the twelve tribes bore a staff or sceptre as the sign of office Such rods were often hereditary and of great antiquity That such dry staves should blossom and bear fruit again is so improbable that the Greeks were accustomed to swear by their sceptres Thus Achilles

23

ldquoBut hearken I will swear a solemn oathBy this sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as oncerdquoWritehellip every manrsquos name mdash To identify beyond dispute the rod of Aaron after the trial The illiteracy of Moses and his generation as alleged by some modern writers is here abundantly confuted Since there were twelve rods including Levirsquos it is evident that the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim are here counted as one tribe mdash that of JosephPETT Numbers 172lsquoSpeak to the children of Israel and take of them rods one for each fathersrsquo house of all their princes according to their fathersrsquo houses twelve rods You write every manrsquos name on his rodrsquoAll the men of Israel were to be involved in this It is possible that Levi were included among lsquothe twelversquo and that Manasseh and Ephraim were for this event treated as one tribe the rods representing the lsquohouseholdsrsquo of the original patriarchal fathers But a rod was taken for each of their fathersrsquo houses and the names of each of the chieftains of those fathersrsquo houses was written on the rods This would suggest in the light of previous references to twelve chieftains that the lsquotwelversquo rods were in contrast with Aaronrsquos rod (Alternately one rod may have represented Joseph including both Ephraim and Manasseh It was Joseph who was to be lsquoa fruitful boughrsquo (Genesis 4922) but not as pertaining to the priesthood)The word for lsquorodsrsquo also indicates lsquotribes and can in fact be used to indicate either Thus the rods symbolised each tribe

PULPIT Numbers 172Take of every one of them a rod Literally take of them a rod a rod ie a rod apiece in the way immediately particularized hsilgnEegaugnaL מטה is used for the staff of Judah (Genesis 3818) and for the rod of Moses (Exodus 42) It is also used in the sense of tribe (Numbers 14 Numbers 116) Each tribe was but a branch or rod out of the stock of Israel and therefore was most naturally represented by the rod cut from the tree lsquoThe words used for scepter in Genesis 4910 and in Psalms 457 and for rod in Isaiah 111 and elsewhere are different but the same imagery underlies the use of all of them Of all their princes hellip twelve rods These princes must be those named in Isaiah 22-21 and Isaiah 25-71 Since among these are to be found the tribe princes of Ephraim and Manasseh standing upon a perfect equality with the rest it is evident that the twelve rods were exclusive

24

of that of Aaron The joining together of Ephraim and Manasseh in Deuteronomy 2712 was a very different thing because it could not raise any question as between the two

3 On the staff of Levi write Aaronrsquos name for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe

BARNES Thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of Levi - The Levites had taken part in the late outbreak It was therefore necessary to vindicate the supremacy of the house of Aaron over them and accordingly his name was written on the rod of Levi although being the son of Kohath the second son of Levi (Exo_616 ff) he would not be the natural head of the tribe

GILL And thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi Or upon the rod that was for the tribe of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written not the word Levi or a Levite as Josephus (e) for that would not have decided the controversy about the priesthood which chiefly lay between the Levites and the family of Aaron who were of the same tribe for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers one rod for the head or prince of every tribe every prince representing his own tribe he was the head of and the rod the prince and though the tribe of Levi was divided into two families the family of the priests and the family of the Levites yet as Jarchi observes they were but one tribe and so one rod for them as for the other tribes

ELLICOTT (3) And thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of LevimdashAaron was descended from the second son of Levi He was not therefore the natural but the divinely-appointed head of his fatherrsquos house and hence it would not have sufficed for the purpose contemplated to have inscribed the name of Levi upon the rod Aaron was constituted the head alike of the priests and of the Levites into which two classes the tribe of Levi was divided

25

BENSON Numbers 173 Aaronrsquos name mdash Rather than Levirsquos for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos family One rod mdash There shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixed

POOLE Aaronrsquos rather than Levirsquos name for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos familyFor the head of the house of their fathers ie there shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixedPETT Numbers 173lsquoAnd you shall write Aaronrsquos name on the rod of Levi for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathersrsquo housesrsquoOn the rod of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written There was to be one for each head of their fathersrsquo houses In the light of the earlier divisions in chapters 1-4 we are probably therefore to see that there were thirteen rods the twelve which represented Israel in contrast with the Levites and the one that specifically represented AaronHere Aaron is depicted as the head of the house of Levi That may well be why earlier he was called lsquothe Levitersquo as the head of the family (Exodus 414)

PULPIT Numbers 173Thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi There was no tribe prince of Levi and it is not probable that either of the three chiefs of the sub-tribes (Numbers 324 Numbers 330 55) was called upon to bring a rod This rod was therefore provided by Moses himself and inscribed by him with the name of Aaron who stood by Divine appointment (so recently and fearfully attested) above all his brethren For the significance of the act cf Ezekiel 3716-28 For one rod hellip for the head of the house of their fathers For Levi therefore there must be not three rods inscribed with the names of the chiefs but one only bearing the name of Aaron as

26

their common superior

4 Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law where I meet with you

GILL And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation In the most holy place before the testimony that is the ark in which the testimony or the law was here they were laid as in the presence of God who was in a miraculous way to decide the controversy by them and put an end to it for upon the ark was the mercy seat over which were the cherubim the seat of the divine Majesty and where none could come at them and where no fraud could be supposed to be committed where I will meet with you not with the people in person who might not go at any time into the most holy place nor with Aaron who only might go into it on the day of atonement but with Moses the chief ruler and representative of the whole body of the people and who might go in there at any time to consult with God about matters of moment and difficulty and where the Lord had said he would meet him Exo_2522 and now would in a miraculous way clearly show him and the people of Israel by him who was the priest he had chosen of all the tribesCALVIN 4And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle The place itself had not a little to do with the effectual decision of the matter because it was clearly manifested that God was the author of the miracle and consequently that the priesthood proceeded from Him For we have elsewhere said that the whole government of the Church so entirely depends upon His decree that men are not permitted to interfere with it Wherefore He set the ark of the covenant in opposition to the voices of the whole people in order to testify that no further dispute was to be raised respecting the priest whom He had appointed by His own declaration and authority At the same time it had the effect of consoling the people and silencing their complaints that the rods of all the tribes were brought in common into the sanctuary before God for although a peculiar dignity was accorded to that of Aaron alone still the people ceased not to be a priestly kingdom Hence it follows that the honorable privilege conferred on one family contributed to the public welfare of all so far was it from being the case that their inferiority ought to have caused them pain or envy

27

POOLE Before the testimony ie before the ark of the testimony either mediately close by the veil behind which the ark stood or rather immediately within the veil in the most holy place close by the ark as may be gathered by comparing this place with Numbers 1710 and with Hebrews 94I will meet with you and manifest my mind to you for the ending of this dispute PETT The Rods Are To Be Laid Up in the Tent of Meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)Numbers 174lsquoAnd you shall lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony where I meet with yoursquoThese were then to be lsquolaid up in the Tent of meeting before the testimonyrsquo in the place where Yahweh meets with His people This probably meant in front of the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh lsquothe testimonyrsquo indicating the presence of the covenant tablets in the Ark and their testimony to the covenant

5 The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelitesrdquo

CLARKE The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossom - It was necessary that something farther should be done to quiet the minds of the people and for ever to settle the dispute in what tribe the priesthood should be fixed God therefore took the method described in the text and it had the desired effect the Aaronical priesthood was never after disputed

GILL And it shall come to pass that the mans rod whom I shall choose Or make it manifest that he had chosen him and so confirm the choice he had made of him and his family for the priesthood to be and continue in

28

shall blossom bud and blossom and yield fruit as it afterwards did which is here declared beforehand that the miracle might appear the greater exactly answering to a prediction delivered out before of it and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel whereby they murmur against you against Moses for setting up his brother as an high priest and establishing the priesthood in his family and against Aaron for accepting of it and officiating in it but by this method now taken God would for ever silence their murmurings so that they should never be able with any face to object any more to the authority of the Aaronic priesthood which should appear by the predicted miracle beyond all dispute and contradictionCALVIN 5And it shall come to pass that the manrsquos rod Aaron indeed had been previously chosen but the expression here refers to his manifestation (105) because God is said again to choose those whom He has chosen by His secret counsel when He brings them forth into the sight of men with their peculiar marks of distinction and this not once only but as often as he confirms their election by new indications And this seems to be spoken of by way of concession as if God would pass over all His former decrees and invite the people afresh to take cognizance of the matter With this view tie states that He will put an end to all the malevolent and noisy detractions of the people so that Aaron may henceforth exercise his office without controversy for although not even thus was their perverseness altogether cured still their insolence was restrained

ELLICOTT (5) The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossommdashOr shall sprout forth or put forthmdashie leaves or blossoms Achilles when enraged against Agamemnon is made to swear a solemn oath by his sceptre which having once left its stock on the mountains shall never again grow King Latinus is represented by Virgil as confirming his covenant with AEligneas by a similar oath

WHEDON 5 Whom I shall choose mdash That is select for the priesthoodCeasehellip murmurings mdash Suppress them beyond all possibility of a revival Jehovahrsquos claims are set forth in his word with such cogency that there is no just ground for gainsaying On all questions of duty there is a redundancy of evidencePETT The Rod of the Chosen One Will Bud and Put an End to Murmuring (Numbers 175)Numbers 175lsquoAnd it will come about that the rod of the man whom I shall choose will bud and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel which they

29

murmur against yoursquoThen Yahweh would make the rod of the man that Yahweh had chosen spring to life and bud This final display on Yahwehrsquos initiative should cause all further murmurings against Moses and Aaron on the question of who had the right of priesthood to cease

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 Aaronrsquos staff was among them

BARNES The whole number of rods was twelve exclusive of Aaronrsquos as the Vulgate expressly states

GILL And Moses spake unto the children of Israel What the Lord had bid him say unto them concerning the rods which they hearkened unto and observed and everyone of their princes gave him a rod apiece for each prince one every prince of the several tribes and so a rod for every tribe as well as for each prince according to their fathers houses even twelve rods there being twelve tribes named after their fathers or the patriarchs the twelve sons of Jacob and Joseph having two tribes which sprung from him called after his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh there were twelve rods besides that of Aaron and so the Vulgate Latin version renders the words with the next clauseand there were twelve rods besides the rod of Aaronin all thirteen though the Jews say there were but twelve with it allowing but one rod for Joseph under whom were comprehended Ephraim and Manasseh and reckoning the tribe of Levi one of the twelve so Aben Ezra observes that the rod of Levi was among the twelve and Joseph had but one rod and the rod of Aaron was among their rods in the middle of them and was

30

so placed as Jarchi thinks that it might not be said because it was put on the side of the Shechinah or divine Majesty therefore it budded but being in the middle of them there could be no difference in that respectJAMISON the rod of Aaron was among their rods mdash either one of the

twelve or as many suppose a thirteenth in the midst (Heb_94) The rods were of dry sticks or wands probably old as transmitted from one head of the family to a succeeding

KampD Num_176-11Moses carried out this command And when he went into the tabernacle the following morning behold Aarons rod of the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth shoots and had borne blossoms and matured almonds And Moses brought all the rods out of the sanctuary and gave every man his own the rest as we may gather from the context being all unchanged so that the whole nation could satisfy itself that God had chosen Aaron Thus was the word fulfilled which Moses had spoken at the commencement of the rebellion of the company of Korah (Num_165) and that in a way which could not fail to accredit him before the whole congregation as sent of GodSo far as the occurrence itself is concerned there can hardly be any need to remark that the natural interpretation which has lately been attempted by Ewald viz that Moses had laid several almond rods in the holy place which had just been freshly cut off that he might see the next day which of them would flower the best during the night is directly at variance with the words of the text and also with the fact that a rod even freshly cut off when laid in a dry place would not bear ripe fruit in a single night The miracle which God wrought here as the Creator of nature was at the same time a significant symbol of the nature and meaning of the priesthood The choice of the rods had also a bearing upon the object in question A mans rod was the sign of his position as ruler in the house and congregation with a prince the rod becomes a sceptre the insignia of rule (Gen_4910) As a severed branch the rod could not put forth shoots and blossom in a natural way But God could impart new vital powers even to the dry rod And so Aaron had naturally no pre-eminence above the heads of the other tribes But the priesthood was founded not upon natural qualifications and gifts but upon the power of the Spirit which God communicates according to the choice of His wisdom and which He had imparted to Aaron through his consecration with holy anointing oil It was this which the Lord intended to show to the people by causing Aarons rod to put forth branches blossom and fruit through a miracle of His omnipotence whereas the rods of the other heads of the tribes remained as barren as before In this way therefore it was not without deep significance that Aarons rod not only put forth shoots by which the divine election might be recognised but bore even blossom and ripe fruit This showed that Aaron was not only qualified for his calling but administered his office in the full power of the Spirit and bore the fruit expected of him The almond rod was especially adapted to exhibit this as

31

an almond-tree flowers and bears fruit the earliest of all the trees and has received its name of שקד ldquoawakerdquo from this very fact (cf Jer_111)

God then commanded (Num_1710 Num_1711) that Aarons rod should be taken back into the sanctuary and preserved before the testimony ldquofor a sign for the rebellious that thou puttest an end to their murmuring and they die notrdquo The preservation of the rod before the ark of the covenant in the immediate presence of the Lord was a pledge to Aaron of the continuance of his election and the permanent duration of his priesthood though we have no need to assume that through a perpetual miracle the staff continued green and blossoming In this way the staff became a sign to the rebellious which could not fail to stop their murmuringPETT All the Chieftains Give Rods Including Aaron (Numbers 176)Numbers 176lsquoAnd Moses spoke to the children of Israel and all their princes gave him rods for each prince one according to their fathersrsquo houses even twelve rods and the rod of Aaron was among their rodsrsquoSo Moses did as Yahweh commanded and requested rods from each of the chieftains of the twelve tribes These rods may well have been their symbols of authority Thus twelve rods were gathered and Aaronrsquos rod was placed among them PULPIT And the rod of Aaron was among the rods As there was no prince from whom this rod could have come and as there were twelve rods without it this must mean that Moses did not keep Aarons rod separate (which might have caused suspicion) but let it be seen amongst the others

7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law

GILL And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness In that part of the tabernacle where the testimony or witness was that is the law which was in the ark over which was the mercy seat with the cherubim between which Jehovah dwelt and this was the most holy place and the rods being laid here might be said to be laid before the Lord who by making a difference in one of those rods from the rest would decide the controversy about the priesthood which was the end of their being laid

32

before himHENRY The preparing of the rods accordingly The princes brought

them in some of them perhaps fondly expecting that the choice would fall upon them and all of them thinking it honour enough to be competitors with Aaron and to stand candidates even for the priesthood (Num_177) and Moses laid them up before the Lord He did not object that the matter was sufficiently settled already and enough done to convince those that were not invincibly hardened in their prejudices He did not undertake to determine the controversy himself though it might easily have been done nor did he suggest that it would be to no purpose to offer satisfaction to a people that were willingly blind But since God will have it so he did his part and lodged the case before the Lord to whom the appeal was made by consent and left it with him

WHEDON 7 Witness mdash The Hebrew is the same as that for testimony in Numbers 174 The reason for choosing this place may have been that no one would suspect the performance of any legerdemain or jugglery in the holy of holies a sanctuary too awful for any man to enter but the high priest one day in the year Moses entered on this occasion by express commandPETT The Rods Are Placed In the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)Numbers 177lsquoAnd Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimonyrsquoThe rods were then laid up lsquobefore Yahwehrsquo in lsquothe Tent of the testimonyrsquo Note the change in name for the Tent Emphasis is placed here on the fact that the Tent testifies to Yahweh and His covenant As we have already suggested this probably meant that they were placed before the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh although it may be that Moses uniquely had access into the Holy of Holies itself

8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaronrsquos staff which represented the tribe of Levi had not only sprouted but had budded blossomed and produced almonds 33

BARNES Yielded almonds - ldquoRipened almondsrdquo i e ldquobrought forth ripe almondsrdquo The name almond in Hebrew denotes the ldquowaking-treerdquo the ldquowaking-fruitrdquo and is applied to this tree because it blossoms early in the season It serves here as in Jer_111-12 to set forth the speed and certainty with which at Godrsquos will His purposes are accomplished So again the blossoming and bearing of Aaronrsquos rod naturally impotent when severed from the parent tree may signify the profitableness because of Godrsquos appointment and blessing of the various means of grace (e g the priesthood the sacraments) which of themselves and apart from Him could have no such efficacy Compare Isa_42 Isa_111 Isa_532 Jer_335 Zec_612

CLARKE The rod of Aaron - was budded etc - That is on the same rod or staff were found buds blossoms and ripe fruit This fact was so unquestionably miraculous as to decide the business for ever and probably this was intended to show that in the priesthood represented by that of Aaron the beginning middle and end of every good work must be found The buds of good desires the blossoms of holy resolutions and promising professions and the ripe fruit of faith love and obedience all spring from the priesthood of the Lord Jesus It has been thought by some that Aaronrsquos staff (and perhaps the staves of all the tribes) was made out of the amygdala communis or common almond tree In a favorable soil and climate it grows to twenty feet in height is one of the most noble flourishing trees in nature its flowers are of a delicate red and it puts them forth early in March having begun to bud in January It has its name שקד shaked from shakad to awake because it buds and flowers sooner than most other trees And it is very likely that the staves of office borne by the chiefs of all the tribes were made of this tree merely to signify that watchfulness and assiduous care which the chiefs should take of the persons committed in the course of the Divine providence to their keeping

Every thing in this miracle is so far beyond the power of nature that no doubt could remain on the minds of the people or the envious chiefs of the Divine appointment of Aaron and of the especial interference of God in this case To see a piece of wood long cut off from the parent stock without bark or moisture remaining laid up in a dry place for a single night with others in the same circumstances - to see such a piece of wood resume and evince the perfection of vegetative life budding blossoming and bringing forth ripe fruit at the same time must be such a demonstration of the peculiar interference of God as to silence every doubt and satisfy every scruple It is worthy of remark that a scepter or staff of office resuming its vegetative life was considered an absolute impossibility among the ancients and as 34

they were accustomed to swear by their sceptres this circumstance was added to establish and confirm the oath A remarkable instance of this we have in Homer Iliad lib i ver 233 etc where Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon thus speaks -Αλλrsquo εκ τοι ερεω και επι μεγαν ὁρκον ομουμαιΝαι μα τοδε σκηπτρον το μεν ουποτε φυλλα και οζουςΦυσει επειδη πρωτα τομην εν ορεσσι λελοιπενΟυδrsquo αναθηλησει περι γαρ ῥα ἑ χαλκος ελεψεΦυλλα τε και φλοιονὁ δε τοι μεγας εσσεται ὁρκοςBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same scepter which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopprsquod off its foliage greenAnd stripprsquod its bark shall never grow againCowper

Virgil represents King Latinus swearing in the same way to confirm his covenant with Aeneas -Ut Sceptrum hoc (dextra sceptrum nam forte gerebat)Nunquam fronde levi fundet virgulta neque umbrasCum semel in silvis imo de stirpe recisumMatre caret posuitque comas et brachia ferroOlim arbos nunc artificis manus aere decoroInclusit patribusque dedit gestare LatinisTalibus inter se firmabant foedera dictisAen lib xii ver 206-12Even as this royal Sceptre (for he boreA scepter in his hand) shall never moreShoot out in branches or renew the birthAn orphan now cut from the mother earthBy the keen axe dishonorrsquod of its hairAnd cased in brass for Latian kings to bearAnd thus in public view the peace was tiedWith solemn vows and sworn on either sideDryden

When the circumstance of the rod or scepter being used anciently in this way and the absolute impossibility of its reviviscence so strongly appealed to is considered it appears to have been a very proper instrument for the present occasion for the change that passed on it must be acknowledged as an immediate and incontestable miracle

35

GILL And it came to pass that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness Where none but he could go at any time this was the day after the rods had been placed there and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi the rod that had Aarons name upon it which was to represent the tribe of Levi of which he was was budded and brought forth buds knobs of blossom such that are seen on trees before they open for the almond tree puts forth its blossoms before its leaves though the Targum of Jonathan renders it branches as do some versions and some think this is to be understood of its putting out its leaves first contrary to the nature of the almond tree and so makes the miracle the greater thus Ben Melech and blossomed blossoms open flowers or blossoms such as appear on the almond tree in the spring and look very beautiful and yielded almonds ripe almonds in their full perfection as the Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan the latter of which isin the same night it perfected and brought forth almondsthe word used has the signification of weaning and alludes to children grown up to some ripeness and maturity Gen_218 the case seems to be this that in one part of the rod were buds swelling and just putting out in another part open flowers quite blown and in others full ripe fruit now this clearly showed it to be supernatural since the almond tree though quick and early in its production of buds and flowers yet never has those and ripe fruit on it at the same time to which may be added that this was not the time of year the almond tree blossoms not the spring but rather autumn as it should seem since it was after the affair of the spies and the murmurs of the people on their report now it was the time of the first ripe grapes when they went into the land and they were forty days searching it and it was after their return the insurrections before recorded were the design of this was to confirm the priesthood in Aarons family and show that it would continue there in a flourishing condition and that there would be a succession of priests from him to the time of the Messiah as there were and the almond tree having its name in Hebrew from watchfulness and haste see Jer_111 may denote the vigilance of the priests in their office and the haste punishment makes to come upon such that should oppose them or usurp the priesthood as in the case of Uzziah so Jarchi remarks this rod of Aarons may be an emblem of the Gospel ministry of that rod that should come out of Zion Psa_1102 which in the eyes of men is mean and despicable like a dry stick but becomes a fruitful one through the power of divine grace and an almond tree rod may denote the vigilance and watchfulness of Gospel ministers over themselves and others and their doctrine and oftentimes whom God puts into the ministry he early calls them by his grace and frequently makes the first part of their ministry most useful and fruit is brought forth which remains moreover this rod may be considered as a type of Christ it being a dry rod or stick may denote the

36

meanness of his descent and appearance in the world and the unpromising aspect of his being the King Messiah and Saviour of men and being an almond tree rod may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time which the Lord hastened his being the firstborn and his right to the priesthood and his vigilance in it its lying among other rods and budding and blossoming and bringing forth fruit may point at Christs assuming the common nature or man his being cut off by death his resurrection from the dead and the fruits arising from thence justification peace pardon and eternal life and as Aarons priesthood was confirmed by the budding ampc of this rod so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are by his resurrection from the dead See Gill on Heb_94HENRY 8-9 Here is I The final determination of the controversy

concerning the priesthood by a miracle Num_178 Num_179 The rods or staves were brought out from the most holy place where they were laid up and publicly produced before the people and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were Aarons rod only of a dry stick became a living branch budded and blossomed and yielded almonds In some places there were buds in others blossoms in others fruit at the same time This was miraculous and took away all suspicion of a fraud as if in the night Moses had taken away Aarons rod and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it for no ordinary branch would have buds blossoms and fruits upon it all at once Now1 This was a plain indication to the people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood and not any other of the princes of the tribes Thus he was distinguished from them and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven which sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor watering by the hand of man Bishop Hall here observes that fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call and that the plants of Gods setting and the boughs cut off from them will flourish See Psa_9212-14 The trees of the Lord though they seem dry trees are full of sap2 It was a very proper sign to represent the priesthood itself which was hereby confirmed to Aaron (1) That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God It produced not only blossoms but almonds for the priesthood was designed not only for an honour to Aaron but for a blessing to Israel Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they should go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit should remain Joh_1516 (2) That there should be a succession of priests Here were not only almonds for the present but buds and blossoms promising more hereafter Thus has Christ provided in his church that a seed should serve him from generation to generation (3) That yet this priesthood should not be perpetual but in process of time like the branches and blossoms of a tree should fail and wither The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age Ecc_125 This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood which soon became old and ready to vanish away Heb_8133 It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood for he is the man the branch that is to be a priest upon his throne as it follows (Zec_612) and he was to grow up before God as this before the ark like a tender

37

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

know the things of Christ3 How then are we to judge a manrsquos Divine call and authority Only and solely by the blossoms and fruitmdashby the spiritual results of his ministry

IV Last of all there are here suggestions concerning Christian humiliation1 The world has not known its best benefactors It has always had a scornful word for the saintly and the true-hearted It has always risen up in rebellion against the anointed of the Lord2 Here is a word of encouragement to all weak and mistrustful and diffident and self-emptied souls ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says the old labourer in the Masterrsquos vineyard and the holy matron whose life has been careful and troubled about many things but who has ever been anxious to honour and serve her dear Lord in lowliest ways and household duties ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says the saint waiting dismission to rest who has not done what he would or been as useful as he desired and hoped and prayed to be ldquoI am but a dry rodrdquo says one whose strength has been weakened by the way and whose unfinished purposes lie sadly enough at his feet fallen out of hands which could not longer hold them or fashion them into completeness ldquoWe are but dry rodsrdquo say many earnest anxious longing souls who hardly dare to trust for the future because so often when they would do good evil is present with them We are not saved by trust in our own righteousness or by satisfaction with our own goodness and deeds But Godrsquos grace is all-sufficient and He can work miracles of beauty and fruitfulness where human might is feeblest and self mistrust is greatest and humility of spirit is deepest (W H Davison D D)

The Divine plan for vindicating the high priesthood of Aaron and its moral teachingI That true ministers of religion are elected by GodII It is of great importance that men should know that their ministers of religion are called by God

1 In order that they may regard them with becoming respect2 In order that they may take heed to their message

III The vitality of sin is of dreadful tenacity ldquoMany menrsquos lipsrdquo says Trapp ldquolike rusty hinges for want of the oil of grace and gladness move not without murmuring and complainingrdquo It is a thing of extreme difficulty to eradicate any evil disposition from the human heart ldquoFor such is the habitual hardness of menrsquos hearts as neither ministry nor misery nor miracle nor mercy can possibly mollify Nothing can do it but an extraordinary touch from the hand of HeavenrdquoIV God is engaged in eradicating sin from human hearts (W Jones)

15

Aaronrsquos rod an illustration of the true Christian ministryI The characteristics of the true Christian ministry

1 Life2 Beauty3 Fruitfulness

II The origin of the true Christian ministry Godrsquos creation and gift to the ChurchIII The influence of the true Christian ministry Abiding (W Jones)

The budded rod a type of ChristThe rod in many graphic tints shows Jesus The very name is caught by raptured prophets (Isa_111 Zec_612-13) Thus faith gleans lessons from the very titlemdashRod But the grand purport of the type is to reject all rivals It sets Aaron alone upon the priestly seat The parallel proclaims that similarly Jesus is our only Priest God calls anoints appoints accepts and ever hears Him but Him alone In His hands only do these functions live Next the constant luxuriance has a clear voice In naturersquos field buds blossoms fruit soon wither Not so this rod Its verdure was for ever green its fruit was ever ripe Beside the ark it was reserved in never-fading beauty Here is the ever-blooming Priesthood of our Lord (Psa_1104 Heb_724) Mark moreover that types of Jesus often comprehend the Church It is so with these rods The twelve at first seem all alike They are all sapless twigs But suddenly one puts forth loveliness while the others still remain worthless and withered Here is a picture of Godrsquos dealings with a sin-slain race Since Adamrsquos fall all are born lifeless branches of a withered stock When any child of man arises from the death of sin and blooms in grace God has arisen with Divine almightiness Believer the budded rod gives another warning It is a picture of luxuriance Turn from it and look inward Is your soul thus richly fertile Instead of fruit you often yield the thorn (Joh_158) Whence is the fault (Joh_154) Perhaps your neglectful soul departs from Christ Meditate in Godrsquos law day and night (Psa_13) But if the budded rod rebukes the scanty fruit in the new-born soul what is its voice to unregenerate worldlings (Heb_68) (Dean Law)

The rod of AaronBuds are evidence of life A nominal Christian is like a dead trunk and he cannot bud unless the sap of Divine grace courses through him Spiritual life is an attribute of the converted Christian The spiritual life of a being is his presiding sentiment or dispositionmdashthe chief inspiration of his soulmdashthat which gives motion and character to his mental and moral beingI Life is a resistless force The smallest blade of grass that raises its tiny head into light or the feeblest insect that sports in the sunbeam displays a

16

force superior to that which governs the ocean or controls the stars Man stands erect the tree rises and the bird soars because of lifeII Life is an appropriating force Vegetable and animal existences have a power of appropriating to themselves all surrounding elements conducive to their well-being just as the life of the plant converts the various gases around it into nutriment to promote its strength and development Wherever there is true religion there is a power to render all external circumstances subservient to its own strength and growth all things work together for its goodIII Life is a propagating force It has ldquothe seed in itselfrdquo Forests start from acorns and boundless harvests from the solitary grain It is said that the grateful Israelites anxious to carry away a bud a blossom or almond as a memento of the occasion the flowers and fruit on the rod were repeatedly and miraculously renewed for that purpose Be that as it may wherever there is religious life it will spread it scatters broadcast the incorruptible seed which liveth and abideth for everIV Life is a beautifying force There are two kinds of beautymdashthe sensational and the moral Nature in her ten thousand forms of loveliness and art in her exquisite expressions of taste are ministries to the former whilst spiritual truth moral goodness and the holiness of God address the latter The one is the poetry of the eye and ear the other of the soul The beauty that appeals to the religious nature of man is the beauty of holinessmdashthe beauty of the Lordmdashthe glory of God in His goodnessV Life is a fructifying force The true Christian not only lives and unfolds a noble disposition but is really useful St Paul speaks of ldquothe fruit of the Spiritrdquomdashrighteousness goodness truth The first as opposed to all injustice and dishonesty the second as opposed to the ten thousand forms of selfishness the third as opposed to all that is erroneous and false in the doctrines and theories of men (G L Saywell)

Aaronrsquos rodHere are three miracles in onemdash

1 That a dry rodmdashmade of the almond treemdashshould bring forth buds in a moment2 That those buds should presently become blossoms anal flowers3 That these should immediately become ripe fruit and that all at once or at least in a little space

Nature makes no such leaps All this was supernatural to these ends1 For a testimony of Godrsquos calling Aaron to the priesthood2 For a type of Christ the Branch (Isa_111)3 For a figure of the fruitfulness of a gospel ministry4 For a lively representation of a glorious resurrection (C Ness)

17

Lessons from the budding rodA wonderful work of God which sundry ways may profit us

1 As first to consider that if the power of God can do this in a dry stick cannot He make the barren woman to bare and be a joyful mother of children Can He not do whatsoever He will do By this power the sea is dried the rock gives water the earth cleaveth under the feet of men fire descends whose nature is to ascend raiseth the dead and calleth things that are not as if they were In a word He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think ampc2 This rod is a notable type of Christ His person and office Of His person in that He was born of the Virgin Mary who though He descended of the royal blood yet was now poor and mean as that royal race was brought exceeding low nothing remaining but as it were a root only Now the said Virgin flourisheth again as Aaronrsquos rod did and beareth such fruit as never woman bear Of this speaks Isaiah the prophet when he saith ldquoThere shall come a rod forth of the stock of Jesse and a graft shall grow out of his rootsrdquo Of His office both priestly and kingly His priestly office is figured in that being offered upon the cross He was as Aaronrsquos dried rod or as the Psalm saith ldquodried up like a potsherdrdquo But when He rose again He became like Aaronrsquos budding and fruit-bearing rod bringing forth to man believing on Him remission of sins righteousness and eternal life His kingly office in that He governeth His Church with a rod or sceptre of righteousness as it is in the Psalm ldquoThe sceptre of Thy kingdom is a right sceptrerdquo Which rod and sceptre is the preaching of the gospel ampc3 Again it was a resemblance of true ministers and of all faithful men and women for none of all these ought to be dry and withered sticks but bear and bring forth buds and fruit according to their places4 It is a shadow also of our resurrection by which we should grow green again and flourish with a new and an eternal glory having like dead seed lain in the ground and we shall bring forth ripe almonds that is the praise of Godrsquos incomprehensible goodness to us for ever and ever5 It resembleth our reformation and amendment of life for when our heart feeleth what is amiss this is as the bud when it resolveth of a change and a future amendment this is the blossom and when it performeth the same by a new reformed life indeed this is as the ripe almonds of Aaronrsquos rod(Bp Babington)

The priesthood divinely selectedWhat matchless wisdom shines in this arrangement How completely is the matter taken out of manrsquos hands and placed where alone it ought to be namely in the hands of the living God It was not to be a man appointing

18

himself or a man appointing his fellow but God appointing the man of His own selection In a word the question was to be definitively settled by God Himself so that all murmurings might be silenced for ever and no one be able again to charge Godrsquos high priest with taking too much upon him The human will had nothing whatever to do with this solemn matter The twelve rods all in a like condition were laid up before the Lord man retired and left God to act There was no room no opportunity because there was no occasion for human management In the profound retirement of the sanctuary far away from all manrsquos thinkings was the grand question of priesthood settled by Divine decision and being thus settled it could never again be raised (C H Mackintosh)

Aaronrsquos fruitful rodStriking and beautiful figure of Him who was ldquodeclared to be the Son of God with power by resurrection from the deadrdquo The twelve rods were all alike lifeless but God the living God entered the scene and by that power peculiar to Himself infused life into Aaronrsquos rod and brought it forth to view bearing upon it the fragrant fruits of resurrection Who could gainsay this The rationalist may sneer at it and raise a thousand questions Faith gazes on that fruit-bearing rod and sees in it a lovely figure of the new creation in the which all things are of God Infidelity may argue on the ground of the apparent impossibility of a dry stick budding blossoming and bearing fruit in the course of one night But to whelm does it appear impossible To the infidel the rationalist the sceptic And why Because he always shuts out God Let us remember this Infidelity invariably shuts out God God can do as He pleases The One who called worlds into existence could make a rod to bud blossom and bear fruit in a moment Bring God in and all is simple and plain as possible Leave God out and all is plunged in hopeless confusion (C H Mackintosh)

The rods contrastedPonder the difference between the rod of Moses and the rod of Aaron We have seen the former doing its characteristic work in other days and amid other scenes We have seen the land of Egypt trembling beneath the heavy strokes of that rod Plague after plague fell upon that devoted scene in answer to that outstretched rod We have seen the waters of the sea divided in answer to that rod In short the rod of Moses was a rod of power a rod of authority But it could not avail to hush the murmurings of the children of Israel nor yet to bring the people through the desert Grace alone could do that and we have the expression of pure gracemdashfree sovereign gracemdashin the budding of Aaronrsquos rod Nothing can be more forcible nothing more lovely That dry dead stick was the apt figure of Israelrsquos condition and indeed of the condition of every one of us by nature There was no sap no life no power One might well say ldquoWhat good can ever come of itrdquo None whatever had not grace come in and displayed its quickening power So was it with Israel in the wilderness and so is it with us now How were they to

19

be led along from day to day How were they to be sustained in all their weakness and need How were they to be borne with in all their sin and folly The answer is found in Aaronrsquos budding rod If the dry dead stick was the expression of naturersquos barren and worthless condition the buds blossoms and fruit set forth that living and life-giving grace and power of God on which was based the priestly ministry that alone could bear the congregation through the wilderness Grace alone could answer the ten thousand necessities of the militant host Power could not suffice Authority could not avail Priesthood alone could supply what was needed and this priesthood was instituted on the foundation of that efficacious grace which could bring fruit out of a dry rod Thus it was as to priesthood of old and thus it is as to ministry now All ministry in the Church of God is the fruit of Divine gracemdashthe gift of Christ the Churchrsquos Head (C H Mackintosh)

2 ldquoSpeak 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

BARNES Compare Eze_3716 ff

CLARKE And take of every one of them a rod - matteh the staff or מטהscepter which the prince or chief of each tribe bore and which was the sign of office or royalty among almost all the people of the earth

GILL Speak unto the children of Israel The principal men among them of the several tribes and take of everyone of them not of every individual of the people of Israel but of their princes as afterwards explained a rod according to the house of their fathers or father of whom their house or tribe was called as Reuben Simeon ampc this rod was either a

20

common walking staff as some think or rather the ensign of their princely office and dignity peculiar to each tribe though some think it was now freshly cut off from an almond tree and that all the rods were of one and the same tree but supposing they were all of the almond kind as Josephus (d) thinks yet being dry rods and of long use served to make the miracle appear the greater of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods this explains who they were to be taken of the princes of the several tribes whose names are given Num_15 and the number of them twelve according to the number of the twelve tribes write thou every mans name upon his rod the name of each prince or head of a tribe either by cutting it into the rod or fastening a writing to it after the manner of those times as for instance the name of Elizur for the tribe of Reuben by which it was to be made and was made to appear that to none of these tribes belonged the priesthood but to the tribe of Levi and to none of that tribe but the family of Aaron whereby it should seem that some of all the tribes made pretensions to it as being all holy and especially the chief firstborn of every tribe as such their princes were

JAMISON 2-5 Speak unto the children of Israel mdash The controversy with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood was of such a nature and magnitude as required a decisive and authoritative settlement For the removal of all doubts and the silencing of all murmuring in the future regarding the holder of the office a miracle was wrought of a remarkable character and permanent duration and in the manner of performing it all the people were made to have a direct and special interest

take of every one princes twelve rods mdash As the princes being the oldest sons of the chief family and heads of their tribes might have advanced the best claims to the priesthood if that sacred dignity was to be shared among all the tribes they were therefore selected and being twelve in number - that of Joseph being counted only one - Moses was ordered to see that the name of each was inscribed - a practice borrowed from the Egyptians - upon his rod or wand of office The name of Aaron rather than of Levi was used as the latter name would have opened a door of controversy among the Levites and as there was to be one rod only for the head of each tribe the express appointment of a rod for Aaron determined him to be the head of that tribe as well as that branch or family of the tribe to which the priestly dignity should belong These rods were to be laid in the tabernacle close to the ark (compare Num_1710 and Heb_94) where a divine token was promised that would for all time terminate the dispute

CALVIN 2Speak unto the children of Israel They are mistaken who suppose that to the twelve rods there was another added for the tribe of Levi (103) for since there was no question here as to the possession of the land there was no occasion at

21

all for the division of the tribe of Joseph into two parts We know too that it was endowed with a double portion because the Levites had no inheritance and in this case the circumstances were different because all the other tribes were contending for the priesthood with the tribe of Levi alone Hence it was then that rods were given to each of them in accordance with the origin of their race But when Aaronrsquos rod is said to have been ldquoin the midst of themrdquo (104) it is in the usual phrase of the Hebrew language because it was mixed with them as one of their number And this is expressly stated to show us that all ground for caviling might be taken from the ungodly since all the rods were east promiscuously into the same bundle so that none should be distinguished above the others and thus nothing could be ascribed to the collusion of men If any should object that by these means the rivalry was not extinguished which the other Levites had with the house of Aaron since his own name alone was inscribed upon the rod so that there would be no comparison between the families I reply that since the power of God manifested itself distinctly in the name of Aaron the rejection of the others was sufficiently shown forth by his election for if this honor had been common to the others God would have defrauded them by giving distinction to him alone Besides no other plan could have been adopted for putting an end to this quarrel for if there had been several rods for one tribe the whole people would have complained of the inequality It was necessary then that all should be brought to the contest on equal terms so that the difference between them might be seen to depend upon Godrsquos good pleasure But if the name of Levi had been inscribed all its families would have claimed the right of succession as if common to them all There was therefore no other course open but that God should prefer to the whole people one individual chosen from amongst the members of his own kindred and tribe COKE Numbers 172 Take of every one of them a rodmdash The minds of a considerable number of the people having been poisoned by the insinuations of Korah and his accomplices against Aaron and his family upon the account of the priesthood God is pleased to add another signal miracle in confirmation of his priests authority accordingly the head of each tribe is ordered to take a rod and bring it before the Lord Some have supposed that these were the ordinary rods or batoons which the princes of the tribes bore while from the 8th verse of this chapter others infer that these were twigs or branches from one and the same almond tree whichever was the case the miracle was sufficiently great to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of ProvidenceBENSON Numbers 172 Take of every one mdash Not of every person but of every tribe A rod mdash A twig or branch from one and the same almond-tree as some infer from Numbers 178 Or according to others the ordinary rods which the princes of the tribes carried in their hands as tokens of their dignity and authority Numbers 2118 And indeed the miracle would appear the greater if neither Aaronrsquos rod nor any of the rest was of the almond-tree But the miracle was sufficiently great either way to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of Providence Every manrsquos name mdash Every princersquos for they being the firstborn and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of

22

their tribes and besides the prince represented all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the question And this place seems to confirm the opinion that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contended with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holyELLICOTT (2) And take of every one of them mdashBetter And take of them a rod for each fatherrsquos houseTwelve rodsmdashSome suppose that Aaronrsquos rod was not included amongst the twelve Others suppose that one rod only was taken for the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh The latter supposition is more accordant with the terms here employed than the former and is supported by Deuteronomy 2712-13 where Joseph stands for the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh and Levi is included amongst the twelve tribesWrite thou every manrsquos name upon his rodmdashThis was in accordance with an Egyptian custom (See Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians III 388) The prophet Ezekiel received a similar injunction (Ezekiel 3716)POOLE Speak unto the children of Israel that I may fully and finally satisfy all their scruples and take away all pretence and cause of murmuringOf every one of them not of every person but of every tribe as it followsA rod either an ordinary walking staff or rather that staff or rod which the princes carried in their hand as tokens of their dignity and authority as may be gathered from Numbers 2118 compared with Psalms 1102 Jeremiah 481617According to the house of their fathers ie according to each family proceeding from the patriarch or father of that tribeEvery manrsquos name ie every princersquos for they being the first-born and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of their tribes and besides each prince represented and acted for all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the whole question And this plate seems to confirm what was before observed that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contested with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holy as they said Numbers 163

WHEDON 2 A rod mdash Each chief prince of the twelve tribes bore a staff or sceptre as the sign of office Such rods were often hereditary and of great antiquity That such dry staves should blossom and bear fruit again is so improbable that the Greeks were accustomed to swear by their sceptres Thus Achilles

23

ldquoBut hearken I will swear a solemn oathBy this sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as oncerdquoWritehellip every manrsquos name mdash To identify beyond dispute the rod of Aaron after the trial The illiteracy of Moses and his generation as alleged by some modern writers is here abundantly confuted Since there were twelve rods including Levirsquos it is evident that the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim are here counted as one tribe mdash that of JosephPETT Numbers 172lsquoSpeak to the children of Israel and take of them rods one for each fathersrsquo house of all their princes according to their fathersrsquo houses twelve rods You write every manrsquos name on his rodrsquoAll the men of Israel were to be involved in this It is possible that Levi were included among lsquothe twelversquo and that Manasseh and Ephraim were for this event treated as one tribe the rods representing the lsquohouseholdsrsquo of the original patriarchal fathers But a rod was taken for each of their fathersrsquo houses and the names of each of the chieftains of those fathersrsquo houses was written on the rods This would suggest in the light of previous references to twelve chieftains that the lsquotwelversquo rods were in contrast with Aaronrsquos rod (Alternately one rod may have represented Joseph including both Ephraim and Manasseh It was Joseph who was to be lsquoa fruitful boughrsquo (Genesis 4922) but not as pertaining to the priesthood)The word for lsquorodsrsquo also indicates lsquotribes and can in fact be used to indicate either Thus the rods symbolised each tribe

PULPIT Numbers 172Take of every one of them a rod Literally take of them a rod a rod ie a rod apiece in the way immediately particularized hsilgnEegaugnaL מטה is used for the staff of Judah (Genesis 3818) and for the rod of Moses (Exodus 42) It is also used in the sense of tribe (Numbers 14 Numbers 116) Each tribe was but a branch or rod out of the stock of Israel and therefore was most naturally represented by the rod cut from the tree lsquoThe words used for scepter in Genesis 4910 and in Psalms 457 and for rod in Isaiah 111 and elsewhere are different but the same imagery underlies the use of all of them Of all their princes hellip twelve rods These princes must be those named in Isaiah 22-21 and Isaiah 25-71 Since among these are to be found the tribe princes of Ephraim and Manasseh standing upon a perfect equality with the rest it is evident that the twelve rods were exclusive

24

of that of Aaron The joining together of Ephraim and Manasseh in Deuteronomy 2712 was a very different thing because it could not raise any question as between the two

3 On the staff of Levi write Aaronrsquos name for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe

BARNES Thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of Levi - The Levites had taken part in the late outbreak It was therefore necessary to vindicate the supremacy of the house of Aaron over them and accordingly his name was written on the rod of Levi although being the son of Kohath the second son of Levi (Exo_616 ff) he would not be the natural head of the tribe

GILL And thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi Or upon the rod that was for the tribe of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written not the word Levi or a Levite as Josephus (e) for that would not have decided the controversy about the priesthood which chiefly lay between the Levites and the family of Aaron who were of the same tribe for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers one rod for the head or prince of every tribe every prince representing his own tribe he was the head of and the rod the prince and though the tribe of Levi was divided into two families the family of the priests and the family of the Levites yet as Jarchi observes they were but one tribe and so one rod for them as for the other tribes

ELLICOTT (3) And thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of LevimdashAaron was descended from the second son of Levi He was not therefore the natural but the divinely-appointed head of his fatherrsquos house and hence it would not have sufficed for the purpose contemplated to have inscribed the name of Levi upon the rod Aaron was constituted the head alike of the priests and of the Levites into which two classes the tribe of Levi was divided

25

BENSON Numbers 173 Aaronrsquos name mdash Rather than Levirsquos for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos family One rod mdash There shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixed

POOLE Aaronrsquos rather than Levirsquos name for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos familyFor the head of the house of their fathers ie there shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixedPETT Numbers 173lsquoAnd you shall write Aaronrsquos name on the rod of Levi for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathersrsquo housesrsquoOn the rod of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written There was to be one for each head of their fathersrsquo houses In the light of the earlier divisions in chapters 1-4 we are probably therefore to see that there were thirteen rods the twelve which represented Israel in contrast with the Levites and the one that specifically represented AaronHere Aaron is depicted as the head of the house of Levi That may well be why earlier he was called lsquothe Levitersquo as the head of the family (Exodus 414)

PULPIT Numbers 173Thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi There was no tribe prince of Levi and it is not probable that either of the three chiefs of the sub-tribes (Numbers 324 Numbers 330 55) was called upon to bring a rod This rod was therefore provided by Moses himself and inscribed by him with the name of Aaron who stood by Divine appointment (so recently and fearfully attested) above all his brethren For the significance of the act cf Ezekiel 3716-28 For one rod hellip for the head of the house of their fathers For Levi therefore there must be not three rods inscribed with the names of the chiefs but one only bearing the name of Aaron as

26

their common superior

4 Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law where I meet with you

GILL And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation In the most holy place before the testimony that is the ark in which the testimony or the law was here they were laid as in the presence of God who was in a miraculous way to decide the controversy by them and put an end to it for upon the ark was the mercy seat over which were the cherubim the seat of the divine Majesty and where none could come at them and where no fraud could be supposed to be committed where I will meet with you not with the people in person who might not go at any time into the most holy place nor with Aaron who only might go into it on the day of atonement but with Moses the chief ruler and representative of the whole body of the people and who might go in there at any time to consult with God about matters of moment and difficulty and where the Lord had said he would meet him Exo_2522 and now would in a miraculous way clearly show him and the people of Israel by him who was the priest he had chosen of all the tribesCALVIN 4And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle The place itself had not a little to do with the effectual decision of the matter because it was clearly manifested that God was the author of the miracle and consequently that the priesthood proceeded from Him For we have elsewhere said that the whole government of the Church so entirely depends upon His decree that men are not permitted to interfere with it Wherefore He set the ark of the covenant in opposition to the voices of the whole people in order to testify that no further dispute was to be raised respecting the priest whom He had appointed by His own declaration and authority At the same time it had the effect of consoling the people and silencing their complaints that the rods of all the tribes were brought in common into the sanctuary before God for although a peculiar dignity was accorded to that of Aaron alone still the people ceased not to be a priestly kingdom Hence it follows that the honorable privilege conferred on one family contributed to the public welfare of all so far was it from being the case that their inferiority ought to have caused them pain or envy

27

POOLE Before the testimony ie before the ark of the testimony either mediately close by the veil behind which the ark stood or rather immediately within the veil in the most holy place close by the ark as may be gathered by comparing this place with Numbers 1710 and with Hebrews 94I will meet with you and manifest my mind to you for the ending of this dispute PETT The Rods Are To Be Laid Up in the Tent of Meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)Numbers 174lsquoAnd you shall lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony where I meet with yoursquoThese were then to be lsquolaid up in the Tent of meeting before the testimonyrsquo in the place where Yahweh meets with His people This probably meant in front of the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh lsquothe testimonyrsquo indicating the presence of the covenant tablets in the Ark and their testimony to the covenant

5 The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelitesrdquo

CLARKE The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossom - It was necessary that something farther should be done to quiet the minds of the people and for ever to settle the dispute in what tribe the priesthood should be fixed God therefore took the method described in the text and it had the desired effect the Aaronical priesthood was never after disputed

GILL And it shall come to pass that the mans rod whom I shall choose Or make it manifest that he had chosen him and so confirm the choice he had made of him and his family for the priesthood to be and continue in

28

shall blossom bud and blossom and yield fruit as it afterwards did which is here declared beforehand that the miracle might appear the greater exactly answering to a prediction delivered out before of it and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel whereby they murmur against you against Moses for setting up his brother as an high priest and establishing the priesthood in his family and against Aaron for accepting of it and officiating in it but by this method now taken God would for ever silence their murmurings so that they should never be able with any face to object any more to the authority of the Aaronic priesthood which should appear by the predicted miracle beyond all dispute and contradictionCALVIN 5And it shall come to pass that the manrsquos rod Aaron indeed had been previously chosen but the expression here refers to his manifestation (105) because God is said again to choose those whom He has chosen by His secret counsel when He brings them forth into the sight of men with their peculiar marks of distinction and this not once only but as often as he confirms their election by new indications And this seems to be spoken of by way of concession as if God would pass over all His former decrees and invite the people afresh to take cognizance of the matter With this view tie states that He will put an end to all the malevolent and noisy detractions of the people so that Aaron may henceforth exercise his office without controversy for although not even thus was their perverseness altogether cured still their insolence was restrained

ELLICOTT (5) The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossommdashOr shall sprout forth or put forthmdashie leaves or blossoms Achilles when enraged against Agamemnon is made to swear a solemn oath by his sceptre which having once left its stock on the mountains shall never again grow King Latinus is represented by Virgil as confirming his covenant with AEligneas by a similar oath

WHEDON 5 Whom I shall choose mdash That is select for the priesthoodCeasehellip murmurings mdash Suppress them beyond all possibility of a revival Jehovahrsquos claims are set forth in his word with such cogency that there is no just ground for gainsaying On all questions of duty there is a redundancy of evidencePETT The Rod of the Chosen One Will Bud and Put an End to Murmuring (Numbers 175)Numbers 175lsquoAnd it will come about that the rod of the man whom I shall choose will bud and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel which they

29

murmur against yoursquoThen Yahweh would make the rod of the man that Yahweh had chosen spring to life and bud This final display on Yahwehrsquos initiative should cause all further murmurings against Moses and Aaron on the question of who had the right of priesthood to cease

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 Aaronrsquos staff was among them

BARNES The whole number of rods was twelve exclusive of Aaronrsquos as the Vulgate expressly states

GILL And Moses spake unto the children of Israel What the Lord had bid him say unto them concerning the rods which they hearkened unto and observed and everyone of their princes gave him a rod apiece for each prince one every prince of the several tribes and so a rod for every tribe as well as for each prince according to their fathers houses even twelve rods there being twelve tribes named after their fathers or the patriarchs the twelve sons of Jacob and Joseph having two tribes which sprung from him called after his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh there were twelve rods besides that of Aaron and so the Vulgate Latin version renders the words with the next clauseand there were twelve rods besides the rod of Aaronin all thirteen though the Jews say there were but twelve with it allowing but one rod for Joseph under whom were comprehended Ephraim and Manasseh and reckoning the tribe of Levi one of the twelve so Aben Ezra observes that the rod of Levi was among the twelve and Joseph had but one rod and the rod of Aaron was among their rods in the middle of them and was

30

so placed as Jarchi thinks that it might not be said because it was put on the side of the Shechinah or divine Majesty therefore it budded but being in the middle of them there could be no difference in that respectJAMISON the rod of Aaron was among their rods mdash either one of the

twelve or as many suppose a thirteenth in the midst (Heb_94) The rods were of dry sticks or wands probably old as transmitted from one head of the family to a succeeding

KampD Num_176-11Moses carried out this command And when he went into the tabernacle the following morning behold Aarons rod of the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth shoots and had borne blossoms and matured almonds And Moses brought all the rods out of the sanctuary and gave every man his own the rest as we may gather from the context being all unchanged so that the whole nation could satisfy itself that God had chosen Aaron Thus was the word fulfilled which Moses had spoken at the commencement of the rebellion of the company of Korah (Num_165) and that in a way which could not fail to accredit him before the whole congregation as sent of GodSo far as the occurrence itself is concerned there can hardly be any need to remark that the natural interpretation which has lately been attempted by Ewald viz that Moses had laid several almond rods in the holy place which had just been freshly cut off that he might see the next day which of them would flower the best during the night is directly at variance with the words of the text and also with the fact that a rod even freshly cut off when laid in a dry place would not bear ripe fruit in a single night The miracle which God wrought here as the Creator of nature was at the same time a significant symbol of the nature and meaning of the priesthood The choice of the rods had also a bearing upon the object in question A mans rod was the sign of his position as ruler in the house and congregation with a prince the rod becomes a sceptre the insignia of rule (Gen_4910) As a severed branch the rod could not put forth shoots and blossom in a natural way But God could impart new vital powers even to the dry rod And so Aaron had naturally no pre-eminence above the heads of the other tribes But the priesthood was founded not upon natural qualifications and gifts but upon the power of the Spirit which God communicates according to the choice of His wisdom and which He had imparted to Aaron through his consecration with holy anointing oil It was this which the Lord intended to show to the people by causing Aarons rod to put forth branches blossom and fruit through a miracle of His omnipotence whereas the rods of the other heads of the tribes remained as barren as before In this way therefore it was not without deep significance that Aarons rod not only put forth shoots by which the divine election might be recognised but bore even blossom and ripe fruit This showed that Aaron was not only qualified for his calling but administered his office in the full power of the Spirit and bore the fruit expected of him The almond rod was especially adapted to exhibit this as

31

an almond-tree flowers and bears fruit the earliest of all the trees and has received its name of שקד ldquoawakerdquo from this very fact (cf Jer_111)

God then commanded (Num_1710 Num_1711) that Aarons rod should be taken back into the sanctuary and preserved before the testimony ldquofor a sign for the rebellious that thou puttest an end to their murmuring and they die notrdquo The preservation of the rod before the ark of the covenant in the immediate presence of the Lord was a pledge to Aaron of the continuance of his election and the permanent duration of his priesthood though we have no need to assume that through a perpetual miracle the staff continued green and blossoming In this way the staff became a sign to the rebellious which could not fail to stop their murmuringPETT All the Chieftains Give Rods Including Aaron (Numbers 176)Numbers 176lsquoAnd Moses spoke to the children of Israel and all their princes gave him rods for each prince one according to their fathersrsquo houses even twelve rods and the rod of Aaron was among their rodsrsquoSo Moses did as Yahweh commanded and requested rods from each of the chieftains of the twelve tribes These rods may well have been their symbols of authority Thus twelve rods were gathered and Aaronrsquos rod was placed among them PULPIT And the rod of Aaron was among the rods As there was no prince from whom this rod could have come and as there were twelve rods without it this must mean that Moses did not keep Aarons rod separate (which might have caused suspicion) but let it be seen amongst the others

7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law

GILL And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness In that part of the tabernacle where the testimony or witness was that is the law which was in the ark over which was the mercy seat with the cherubim between which Jehovah dwelt and this was the most holy place and the rods being laid here might be said to be laid before the Lord who by making a difference in one of those rods from the rest would decide the controversy about the priesthood which was the end of their being laid

32

before himHENRY The preparing of the rods accordingly The princes brought

them in some of them perhaps fondly expecting that the choice would fall upon them and all of them thinking it honour enough to be competitors with Aaron and to stand candidates even for the priesthood (Num_177) and Moses laid them up before the Lord He did not object that the matter was sufficiently settled already and enough done to convince those that were not invincibly hardened in their prejudices He did not undertake to determine the controversy himself though it might easily have been done nor did he suggest that it would be to no purpose to offer satisfaction to a people that were willingly blind But since God will have it so he did his part and lodged the case before the Lord to whom the appeal was made by consent and left it with him

WHEDON 7 Witness mdash The Hebrew is the same as that for testimony in Numbers 174 The reason for choosing this place may have been that no one would suspect the performance of any legerdemain or jugglery in the holy of holies a sanctuary too awful for any man to enter but the high priest one day in the year Moses entered on this occasion by express commandPETT The Rods Are Placed In the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)Numbers 177lsquoAnd Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimonyrsquoThe rods were then laid up lsquobefore Yahwehrsquo in lsquothe Tent of the testimonyrsquo Note the change in name for the Tent Emphasis is placed here on the fact that the Tent testifies to Yahweh and His covenant As we have already suggested this probably meant that they were placed before the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh although it may be that Moses uniquely had access into the Holy of Holies itself

8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaronrsquos staff which represented the tribe of Levi had not only sprouted but had budded blossomed and produced almonds 33

BARNES Yielded almonds - ldquoRipened almondsrdquo i e ldquobrought forth ripe almondsrdquo The name almond in Hebrew denotes the ldquowaking-treerdquo the ldquowaking-fruitrdquo and is applied to this tree because it blossoms early in the season It serves here as in Jer_111-12 to set forth the speed and certainty with which at Godrsquos will His purposes are accomplished So again the blossoming and bearing of Aaronrsquos rod naturally impotent when severed from the parent tree may signify the profitableness because of Godrsquos appointment and blessing of the various means of grace (e g the priesthood the sacraments) which of themselves and apart from Him could have no such efficacy Compare Isa_42 Isa_111 Isa_532 Jer_335 Zec_612

CLARKE The rod of Aaron - was budded etc - That is on the same rod or staff were found buds blossoms and ripe fruit This fact was so unquestionably miraculous as to decide the business for ever and probably this was intended to show that in the priesthood represented by that of Aaron the beginning middle and end of every good work must be found The buds of good desires the blossoms of holy resolutions and promising professions and the ripe fruit of faith love and obedience all spring from the priesthood of the Lord Jesus It has been thought by some that Aaronrsquos staff (and perhaps the staves of all the tribes) was made out of the amygdala communis or common almond tree In a favorable soil and climate it grows to twenty feet in height is one of the most noble flourishing trees in nature its flowers are of a delicate red and it puts them forth early in March having begun to bud in January It has its name שקד shaked from shakad to awake because it buds and flowers sooner than most other trees And it is very likely that the staves of office borne by the chiefs of all the tribes were made of this tree merely to signify that watchfulness and assiduous care which the chiefs should take of the persons committed in the course of the Divine providence to their keeping

Every thing in this miracle is so far beyond the power of nature that no doubt could remain on the minds of the people or the envious chiefs of the Divine appointment of Aaron and of the especial interference of God in this case To see a piece of wood long cut off from the parent stock without bark or moisture remaining laid up in a dry place for a single night with others in the same circumstances - to see such a piece of wood resume and evince the perfection of vegetative life budding blossoming and bringing forth ripe fruit at the same time must be such a demonstration of the peculiar interference of God as to silence every doubt and satisfy every scruple It is worthy of remark that a scepter or staff of office resuming its vegetative life was considered an absolute impossibility among the ancients and as 34

they were accustomed to swear by their sceptres this circumstance was added to establish and confirm the oath A remarkable instance of this we have in Homer Iliad lib i ver 233 etc where Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon thus speaks -Αλλrsquo εκ τοι ερεω και επι μεγαν ὁρκον ομουμαιΝαι μα τοδε σκηπτρον το μεν ουποτε φυλλα και οζουςΦυσει επειδη πρωτα τομην εν ορεσσι λελοιπενΟυδrsquo αναθηλησει περι γαρ ῥα ἑ χαλκος ελεψεΦυλλα τε και φλοιονὁ δε τοι μεγας εσσεται ὁρκοςBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same scepter which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopprsquod off its foliage greenAnd stripprsquod its bark shall never grow againCowper

Virgil represents King Latinus swearing in the same way to confirm his covenant with Aeneas -Ut Sceptrum hoc (dextra sceptrum nam forte gerebat)Nunquam fronde levi fundet virgulta neque umbrasCum semel in silvis imo de stirpe recisumMatre caret posuitque comas et brachia ferroOlim arbos nunc artificis manus aere decoroInclusit patribusque dedit gestare LatinisTalibus inter se firmabant foedera dictisAen lib xii ver 206-12Even as this royal Sceptre (for he boreA scepter in his hand) shall never moreShoot out in branches or renew the birthAn orphan now cut from the mother earthBy the keen axe dishonorrsquod of its hairAnd cased in brass for Latian kings to bearAnd thus in public view the peace was tiedWith solemn vows and sworn on either sideDryden

When the circumstance of the rod or scepter being used anciently in this way and the absolute impossibility of its reviviscence so strongly appealed to is considered it appears to have been a very proper instrument for the present occasion for the change that passed on it must be acknowledged as an immediate and incontestable miracle

35

GILL And it came to pass that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness Where none but he could go at any time this was the day after the rods had been placed there and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi the rod that had Aarons name upon it which was to represent the tribe of Levi of which he was was budded and brought forth buds knobs of blossom such that are seen on trees before they open for the almond tree puts forth its blossoms before its leaves though the Targum of Jonathan renders it branches as do some versions and some think this is to be understood of its putting out its leaves first contrary to the nature of the almond tree and so makes the miracle the greater thus Ben Melech and blossomed blossoms open flowers or blossoms such as appear on the almond tree in the spring and look very beautiful and yielded almonds ripe almonds in their full perfection as the Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan the latter of which isin the same night it perfected and brought forth almondsthe word used has the signification of weaning and alludes to children grown up to some ripeness and maturity Gen_218 the case seems to be this that in one part of the rod were buds swelling and just putting out in another part open flowers quite blown and in others full ripe fruit now this clearly showed it to be supernatural since the almond tree though quick and early in its production of buds and flowers yet never has those and ripe fruit on it at the same time to which may be added that this was not the time of year the almond tree blossoms not the spring but rather autumn as it should seem since it was after the affair of the spies and the murmurs of the people on their report now it was the time of the first ripe grapes when they went into the land and they were forty days searching it and it was after their return the insurrections before recorded were the design of this was to confirm the priesthood in Aarons family and show that it would continue there in a flourishing condition and that there would be a succession of priests from him to the time of the Messiah as there were and the almond tree having its name in Hebrew from watchfulness and haste see Jer_111 may denote the vigilance of the priests in their office and the haste punishment makes to come upon such that should oppose them or usurp the priesthood as in the case of Uzziah so Jarchi remarks this rod of Aarons may be an emblem of the Gospel ministry of that rod that should come out of Zion Psa_1102 which in the eyes of men is mean and despicable like a dry stick but becomes a fruitful one through the power of divine grace and an almond tree rod may denote the vigilance and watchfulness of Gospel ministers over themselves and others and their doctrine and oftentimes whom God puts into the ministry he early calls them by his grace and frequently makes the first part of their ministry most useful and fruit is brought forth which remains moreover this rod may be considered as a type of Christ it being a dry rod or stick may denote the

36

meanness of his descent and appearance in the world and the unpromising aspect of his being the King Messiah and Saviour of men and being an almond tree rod may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time which the Lord hastened his being the firstborn and his right to the priesthood and his vigilance in it its lying among other rods and budding and blossoming and bringing forth fruit may point at Christs assuming the common nature or man his being cut off by death his resurrection from the dead and the fruits arising from thence justification peace pardon and eternal life and as Aarons priesthood was confirmed by the budding ampc of this rod so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are by his resurrection from the dead See Gill on Heb_94HENRY 8-9 Here is I The final determination of the controversy

concerning the priesthood by a miracle Num_178 Num_179 The rods or staves were brought out from the most holy place where they were laid up and publicly produced before the people and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were Aarons rod only of a dry stick became a living branch budded and blossomed and yielded almonds In some places there were buds in others blossoms in others fruit at the same time This was miraculous and took away all suspicion of a fraud as if in the night Moses had taken away Aarons rod and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it for no ordinary branch would have buds blossoms and fruits upon it all at once Now1 This was a plain indication to the people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood and not any other of the princes of the tribes Thus he was distinguished from them and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven which sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor watering by the hand of man Bishop Hall here observes that fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call and that the plants of Gods setting and the boughs cut off from them will flourish See Psa_9212-14 The trees of the Lord though they seem dry trees are full of sap2 It was a very proper sign to represent the priesthood itself which was hereby confirmed to Aaron (1) That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God It produced not only blossoms but almonds for the priesthood was designed not only for an honour to Aaron but for a blessing to Israel Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they should go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit should remain Joh_1516 (2) That there should be a succession of priests Here were not only almonds for the present but buds and blossoms promising more hereafter Thus has Christ provided in his church that a seed should serve him from generation to generation (3) That yet this priesthood should not be perpetual but in process of time like the branches and blossoms of a tree should fail and wither The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age Ecc_125 This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood which soon became old and ready to vanish away Heb_8133 It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood for he is the man the branch that is to be a priest upon his throne as it follows (Zec_612) and he was to grow up before God as this before the ark like a tender

37

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

Aaronrsquos rod an illustration of the true Christian ministryI The characteristics of the true Christian ministry

1 Life2 Beauty3 Fruitfulness

II The origin of the true Christian ministry Godrsquos creation and gift to the ChurchIII The influence of the true Christian ministry Abiding (W Jones)

The budded rod a type of ChristThe rod in many graphic tints shows Jesus The very name is caught by raptured prophets (Isa_111 Zec_612-13) Thus faith gleans lessons from the very titlemdashRod But the grand purport of the type is to reject all rivals It sets Aaron alone upon the priestly seat The parallel proclaims that similarly Jesus is our only Priest God calls anoints appoints accepts and ever hears Him but Him alone In His hands only do these functions live Next the constant luxuriance has a clear voice In naturersquos field buds blossoms fruit soon wither Not so this rod Its verdure was for ever green its fruit was ever ripe Beside the ark it was reserved in never-fading beauty Here is the ever-blooming Priesthood of our Lord (Psa_1104 Heb_724) Mark moreover that types of Jesus often comprehend the Church It is so with these rods The twelve at first seem all alike They are all sapless twigs But suddenly one puts forth loveliness while the others still remain worthless and withered Here is a picture of Godrsquos dealings with a sin-slain race Since Adamrsquos fall all are born lifeless branches of a withered stock When any child of man arises from the death of sin and blooms in grace God has arisen with Divine almightiness Believer the budded rod gives another warning It is a picture of luxuriance Turn from it and look inward Is your soul thus richly fertile Instead of fruit you often yield the thorn (Joh_158) Whence is the fault (Joh_154) Perhaps your neglectful soul departs from Christ Meditate in Godrsquos law day and night (Psa_13) But if the budded rod rebukes the scanty fruit in the new-born soul what is its voice to unregenerate worldlings (Heb_68) (Dean Law)

The rod of AaronBuds are evidence of life A nominal Christian is like a dead trunk and he cannot bud unless the sap of Divine grace courses through him Spiritual life is an attribute of the converted Christian The spiritual life of a being is his presiding sentiment or dispositionmdashthe chief inspiration of his soulmdashthat which gives motion and character to his mental and moral beingI Life is a resistless force The smallest blade of grass that raises its tiny head into light or the feeblest insect that sports in the sunbeam displays a

16

force superior to that which governs the ocean or controls the stars Man stands erect the tree rises and the bird soars because of lifeII Life is an appropriating force Vegetable and animal existences have a power of appropriating to themselves all surrounding elements conducive to their well-being just as the life of the plant converts the various gases around it into nutriment to promote its strength and development Wherever there is true religion there is a power to render all external circumstances subservient to its own strength and growth all things work together for its goodIII Life is a propagating force It has ldquothe seed in itselfrdquo Forests start from acorns and boundless harvests from the solitary grain It is said that the grateful Israelites anxious to carry away a bud a blossom or almond as a memento of the occasion the flowers and fruit on the rod were repeatedly and miraculously renewed for that purpose Be that as it may wherever there is religious life it will spread it scatters broadcast the incorruptible seed which liveth and abideth for everIV Life is a beautifying force There are two kinds of beautymdashthe sensational and the moral Nature in her ten thousand forms of loveliness and art in her exquisite expressions of taste are ministries to the former whilst spiritual truth moral goodness and the holiness of God address the latter The one is the poetry of the eye and ear the other of the soul The beauty that appeals to the religious nature of man is the beauty of holinessmdashthe beauty of the Lordmdashthe glory of God in His goodnessV Life is a fructifying force The true Christian not only lives and unfolds a noble disposition but is really useful St Paul speaks of ldquothe fruit of the Spiritrdquomdashrighteousness goodness truth The first as opposed to all injustice and dishonesty the second as opposed to the ten thousand forms of selfishness the third as opposed to all that is erroneous and false in the doctrines and theories of men (G L Saywell)

Aaronrsquos rodHere are three miracles in onemdash

1 That a dry rodmdashmade of the almond treemdashshould bring forth buds in a moment2 That those buds should presently become blossoms anal flowers3 That these should immediately become ripe fruit and that all at once or at least in a little space

Nature makes no such leaps All this was supernatural to these ends1 For a testimony of Godrsquos calling Aaron to the priesthood2 For a type of Christ the Branch (Isa_111)3 For a figure of the fruitfulness of a gospel ministry4 For a lively representation of a glorious resurrection (C Ness)

17

Lessons from the budding rodA wonderful work of God which sundry ways may profit us

1 As first to consider that if the power of God can do this in a dry stick cannot He make the barren woman to bare and be a joyful mother of children Can He not do whatsoever He will do By this power the sea is dried the rock gives water the earth cleaveth under the feet of men fire descends whose nature is to ascend raiseth the dead and calleth things that are not as if they were In a word He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think ampc2 This rod is a notable type of Christ His person and office Of His person in that He was born of the Virgin Mary who though He descended of the royal blood yet was now poor and mean as that royal race was brought exceeding low nothing remaining but as it were a root only Now the said Virgin flourisheth again as Aaronrsquos rod did and beareth such fruit as never woman bear Of this speaks Isaiah the prophet when he saith ldquoThere shall come a rod forth of the stock of Jesse and a graft shall grow out of his rootsrdquo Of His office both priestly and kingly His priestly office is figured in that being offered upon the cross He was as Aaronrsquos dried rod or as the Psalm saith ldquodried up like a potsherdrdquo But when He rose again He became like Aaronrsquos budding and fruit-bearing rod bringing forth to man believing on Him remission of sins righteousness and eternal life His kingly office in that He governeth His Church with a rod or sceptre of righteousness as it is in the Psalm ldquoThe sceptre of Thy kingdom is a right sceptrerdquo Which rod and sceptre is the preaching of the gospel ampc3 Again it was a resemblance of true ministers and of all faithful men and women for none of all these ought to be dry and withered sticks but bear and bring forth buds and fruit according to their places4 It is a shadow also of our resurrection by which we should grow green again and flourish with a new and an eternal glory having like dead seed lain in the ground and we shall bring forth ripe almonds that is the praise of Godrsquos incomprehensible goodness to us for ever and ever5 It resembleth our reformation and amendment of life for when our heart feeleth what is amiss this is as the bud when it resolveth of a change and a future amendment this is the blossom and when it performeth the same by a new reformed life indeed this is as the ripe almonds of Aaronrsquos rod(Bp Babington)

The priesthood divinely selectedWhat matchless wisdom shines in this arrangement How completely is the matter taken out of manrsquos hands and placed where alone it ought to be namely in the hands of the living God It was not to be a man appointing

18

himself or a man appointing his fellow but God appointing the man of His own selection In a word the question was to be definitively settled by God Himself so that all murmurings might be silenced for ever and no one be able again to charge Godrsquos high priest with taking too much upon him The human will had nothing whatever to do with this solemn matter The twelve rods all in a like condition were laid up before the Lord man retired and left God to act There was no room no opportunity because there was no occasion for human management In the profound retirement of the sanctuary far away from all manrsquos thinkings was the grand question of priesthood settled by Divine decision and being thus settled it could never again be raised (C H Mackintosh)

Aaronrsquos fruitful rodStriking and beautiful figure of Him who was ldquodeclared to be the Son of God with power by resurrection from the deadrdquo The twelve rods were all alike lifeless but God the living God entered the scene and by that power peculiar to Himself infused life into Aaronrsquos rod and brought it forth to view bearing upon it the fragrant fruits of resurrection Who could gainsay this The rationalist may sneer at it and raise a thousand questions Faith gazes on that fruit-bearing rod and sees in it a lovely figure of the new creation in the which all things are of God Infidelity may argue on the ground of the apparent impossibility of a dry stick budding blossoming and bearing fruit in the course of one night But to whelm does it appear impossible To the infidel the rationalist the sceptic And why Because he always shuts out God Let us remember this Infidelity invariably shuts out God God can do as He pleases The One who called worlds into existence could make a rod to bud blossom and bear fruit in a moment Bring God in and all is simple and plain as possible Leave God out and all is plunged in hopeless confusion (C H Mackintosh)

The rods contrastedPonder the difference between the rod of Moses and the rod of Aaron We have seen the former doing its characteristic work in other days and amid other scenes We have seen the land of Egypt trembling beneath the heavy strokes of that rod Plague after plague fell upon that devoted scene in answer to that outstretched rod We have seen the waters of the sea divided in answer to that rod In short the rod of Moses was a rod of power a rod of authority But it could not avail to hush the murmurings of the children of Israel nor yet to bring the people through the desert Grace alone could do that and we have the expression of pure gracemdashfree sovereign gracemdashin the budding of Aaronrsquos rod Nothing can be more forcible nothing more lovely That dry dead stick was the apt figure of Israelrsquos condition and indeed of the condition of every one of us by nature There was no sap no life no power One might well say ldquoWhat good can ever come of itrdquo None whatever had not grace come in and displayed its quickening power So was it with Israel in the wilderness and so is it with us now How were they to

19

be led along from day to day How were they to be sustained in all their weakness and need How were they to be borne with in all their sin and folly The answer is found in Aaronrsquos budding rod If the dry dead stick was the expression of naturersquos barren and worthless condition the buds blossoms and fruit set forth that living and life-giving grace and power of God on which was based the priestly ministry that alone could bear the congregation through the wilderness Grace alone could answer the ten thousand necessities of the militant host Power could not suffice Authority could not avail Priesthood alone could supply what was needed and this priesthood was instituted on the foundation of that efficacious grace which could bring fruit out of a dry rod Thus it was as to priesthood of old and thus it is as to ministry now All ministry in the Church of God is the fruit of Divine gracemdashthe gift of Christ the Churchrsquos Head (C H Mackintosh)

2 ldquoSpeak 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

BARNES Compare Eze_3716 ff

CLARKE And take of every one of them a rod - matteh the staff or מטהscepter which the prince or chief of each tribe bore and which was the sign of office or royalty among almost all the people of the earth

GILL Speak unto the children of Israel The principal men among them of the several tribes and take of everyone of them not of every individual of the people of Israel but of their princes as afterwards explained a rod according to the house of their fathers or father of whom their house or tribe was called as Reuben Simeon ampc this rod was either a

20

common walking staff as some think or rather the ensign of their princely office and dignity peculiar to each tribe though some think it was now freshly cut off from an almond tree and that all the rods were of one and the same tree but supposing they were all of the almond kind as Josephus (d) thinks yet being dry rods and of long use served to make the miracle appear the greater of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods this explains who they were to be taken of the princes of the several tribes whose names are given Num_15 and the number of them twelve according to the number of the twelve tribes write thou every mans name upon his rod the name of each prince or head of a tribe either by cutting it into the rod or fastening a writing to it after the manner of those times as for instance the name of Elizur for the tribe of Reuben by which it was to be made and was made to appear that to none of these tribes belonged the priesthood but to the tribe of Levi and to none of that tribe but the family of Aaron whereby it should seem that some of all the tribes made pretensions to it as being all holy and especially the chief firstborn of every tribe as such their princes were

JAMISON 2-5 Speak unto the children of Israel mdash The controversy with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood was of such a nature and magnitude as required a decisive and authoritative settlement For the removal of all doubts and the silencing of all murmuring in the future regarding the holder of the office a miracle was wrought of a remarkable character and permanent duration and in the manner of performing it all the people were made to have a direct and special interest

take of every one princes twelve rods mdash As the princes being the oldest sons of the chief family and heads of their tribes might have advanced the best claims to the priesthood if that sacred dignity was to be shared among all the tribes they were therefore selected and being twelve in number - that of Joseph being counted only one - Moses was ordered to see that the name of each was inscribed - a practice borrowed from the Egyptians - upon his rod or wand of office The name of Aaron rather than of Levi was used as the latter name would have opened a door of controversy among the Levites and as there was to be one rod only for the head of each tribe the express appointment of a rod for Aaron determined him to be the head of that tribe as well as that branch or family of the tribe to which the priestly dignity should belong These rods were to be laid in the tabernacle close to the ark (compare Num_1710 and Heb_94) where a divine token was promised that would for all time terminate the dispute

CALVIN 2Speak unto the children of Israel They are mistaken who suppose that to the twelve rods there was another added for the tribe of Levi (103) for since there was no question here as to the possession of the land there was no occasion at

21

all for the division of the tribe of Joseph into two parts We know too that it was endowed with a double portion because the Levites had no inheritance and in this case the circumstances were different because all the other tribes were contending for the priesthood with the tribe of Levi alone Hence it was then that rods were given to each of them in accordance with the origin of their race But when Aaronrsquos rod is said to have been ldquoin the midst of themrdquo (104) it is in the usual phrase of the Hebrew language because it was mixed with them as one of their number And this is expressly stated to show us that all ground for caviling might be taken from the ungodly since all the rods were east promiscuously into the same bundle so that none should be distinguished above the others and thus nothing could be ascribed to the collusion of men If any should object that by these means the rivalry was not extinguished which the other Levites had with the house of Aaron since his own name alone was inscribed upon the rod so that there would be no comparison between the families I reply that since the power of God manifested itself distinctly in the name of Aaron the rejection of the others was sufficiently shown forth by his election for if this honor had been common to the others God would have defrauded them by giving distinction to him alone Besides no other plan could have been adopted for putting an end to this quarrel for if there had been several rods for one tribe the whole people would have complained of the inequality It was necessary then that all should be brought to the contest on equal terms so that the difference between them might be seen to depend upon Godrsquos good pleasure But if the name of Levi had been inscribed all its families would have claimed the right of succession as if common to them all There was therefore no other course open but that God should prefer to the whole people one individual chosen from amongst the members of his own kindred and tribe COKE Numbers 172 Take of every one of them a rodmdash The minds of a considerable number of the people having been poisoned by the insinuations of Korah and his accomplices against Aaron and his family upon the account of the priesthood God is pleased to add another signal miracle in confirmation of his priests authority accordingly the head of each tribe is ordered to take a rod and bring it before the Lord Some have supposed that these were the ordinary rods or batoons which the princes of the tribes bore while from the 8th verse of this chapter others infer that these were twigs or branches from one and the same almond tree whichever was the case the miracle was sufficiently great to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of ProvidenceBENSON Numbers 172 Take of every one mdash Not of every person but of every tribe A rod mdash A twig or branch from one and the same almond-tree as some infer from Numbers 178 Or according to others the ordinary rods which the princes of the tribes carried in their hands as tokens of their dignity and authority Numbers 2118 And indeed the miracle would appear the greater if neither Aaronrsquos rod nor any of the rest was of the almond-tree But the miracle was sufficiently great either way to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of Providence Every manrsquos name mdash Every princersquos for they being the firstborn and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of

22

their tribes and besides the prince represented all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the question And this place seems to confirm the opinion that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contended with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holyELLICOTT (2) And take of every one of them mdashBetter And take of them a rod for each fatherrsquos houseTwelve rodsmdashSome suppose that Aaronrsquos rod was not included amongst the twelve Others suppose that one rod only was taken for the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh The latter supposition is more accordant with the terms here employed than the former and is supported by Deuteronomy 2712-13 where Joseph stands for the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh and Levi is included amongst the twelve tribesWrite thou every manrsquos name upon his rodmdashThis was in accordance with an Egyptian custom (See Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians III 388) The prophet Ezekiel received a similar injunction (Ezekiel 3716)POOLE Speak unto the children of Israel that I may fully and finally satisfy all their scruples and take away all pretence and cause of murmuringOf every one of them not of every person but of every tribe as it followsA rod either an ordinary walking staff or rather that staff or rod which the princes carried in their hand as tokens of their dignity and authority as may be gathered from Numbers 2118 compared with Psalms 1102 Jeremiah 481617According to the house of their fathers ie according to each family proceeding from the patriarch or father of that tribeEvery manrsquos name ie every princersquos for they being the first-born and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of their tribes and besides each prince represented and acted for all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the whole question And this plate seems to confirm what was before observed that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contested with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holy as they said Numbers 163

WHEDON 2 A rod mdash Each chief prince of the twelve tribes bore a staff or sceptre as the sign of office Such rods were often hereditary and of great antiquity That such dry staves should blossom and bear fruit again is so improbable that the Greeks were accustomed to swear by their sceptres Thus Achilles

23

ldquoBut hearken I will swear a solemn oathBy this sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as oncerdquoWritehellip every manrsquos name mdash To identify beyond dispute the rod of Aaron after the trial The illiteracy of Moses and his generation as alleged by some modern writers is here abundantly confuted Since there were twelve rods including Levirsquos it is evident that the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim are here counted as one tribe mdash that of JosephPETT Numbers 172lsquoSpeak to the children of Israel and take of them rods one for each fathersrsquo house of all their princes according to their fathersrsquo houses twelve rods You write every manrsquos name on his rodrsquoAll the men of Israel were to be involved in this It is possible that Levi were included among lsquothe twelversquo and that Manasseh and Ephraim were for this event treated as one tribe the rods representing the lsquohouseholdsrsquo of the original patriarchal fathers But a rod was taken for each of their fathersrsquo houses and the names of each of the chieftains of those fathersrsquo houses was written on the rods This would suggest in the light of previous references to twelve chieftains that the lsquotwelversquo rods were in contrast with Aaronrsquos rod (Alternately one rod may have represented Joseph including both Ephraim and Manasseh It was Joseph who was to be lsquoa fruitful boughrsquo (Genesis 4922) but not as pertaining to the priesthood)The word for lsquorodsrsquo also indicates lsquotribes and can in fact be used to indicate either Thus the rods symbolised each tribe

PULPIT Numbers 172Take of every one of them a rod Literally take of them a rod a rod ie a rod apiece in the way immediately particularized hsilgnEegaugnaL מטה is used for the staff of Judah (Genesis 3818) and for the rod of Moses (Exodus 42) It is also used in the sense of tribe (Numbers 14 Numbers 116) Each tribe was but a branch or rod out of the stock of Israel and therefore was most naturally represented by the rod cut from the tree lsquoThe words used for scepter in Genesis 4910 and in Psalms 457 and for rod in Isaiah 111 and elsewhere are different but the same imagery underlies the use of all of them Of all their princes hellip twelve rods These princes must be those named in Isaiah 22-21 and Isaiah 25-71 Since among these are to be found the tribe princes of Ephraim and Manasseh standing upon a perfect equality with the rest it is evident that the twelve rods were exclusive

24

of that of Aaron The joining together of Ephraim and Manasseh in Deuteronomy 2712 was a very different thing because it could not raise any question as between the two

3 On the staff of Levi write Aaronrsquos name for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe

BARNES Thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of Levi - The Levites had taken part in the late outbreak It was therefore necessary to vindicate the supremacy of the house of Aaron over them and accordingly his name was written on the rod of Levi although being the son of Kohath the second son of Levi (Exo_616 ff) he would not be the natural head of the tribe

GILL And thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi Or upon the rod that was for the tribe of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written not the word Levi or a Levite as Josephus (e) for that would not have decided the controversy about the priesthood which chiefly lay between the Levites and the family of Aaron who were of the same tribe for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers one rod for the head or prince of every tribe every prince representing his own tribe he was the head of and the rod the prince and though the tribe of Levi was divided into two families the family of the priests and the family of the Levites yet as Jarchi observes they were but one tribe and so one rod for them as for the other tribes

ELLICOTT (3) And thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of LevimdashAaron was descended from the second son of Levi He was not therefore the natural but the divinely-appointed head of his fatherrsquos house and hence it would not have sufficed for the purpose contemplated to have inscribed the name of Levi upon the rod Aaron was constituted the head alike of the priests and of the Levites into which two classes the tribe of Levi was divided

25

BENSON Numbers 173 Aaronrsquos name mdash Rather than Levirsquos for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos family One rod mdash There shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixed

POOLE Aaronrsquos rather than Levirsquos name for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos familyFor the head of the house of their fathers ie there shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixedPETT Numbers 173lsquoAnd you shall write Aaronrsquos name on the rod of Levi for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathersrsquo housesrsquoOn the rod of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written There was to be one for each head of their fathersrsquo houses In the light of the earlier divisions in chapters 1-4 we are probably therefore to see that there were thirteen rods the twelve which represented Israel in contrast with the Levites and the one that specifically represented AaronHere Aaron is depicted as the head of the house of Levi That may well be why earlier he was called lsquothe Levitersquo as the head of the family (Exodus 414)

PULPIT Numbers 173Thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi There was no tribe prince of Levi and it is not probable that either of the three chiefs of the sub-tribes (Numbers 324 Numbers 330 55) was called upon to bring a rod This rod was therefore provided by Moses himself and inscribed by him with the name of Aaron who stood by Divine appointment (so recently and fearfully attested) above all his brethren For the significance of the act cf Ezekiel 3716-28 For one rod hellip for the head of the house of their fathers For Levi therefore there must be not three rods inscribed with the names of the chiefs but one only bearing the name of Aaron as

26

their common superior

4 Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law where I meet with you

GILL And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation In the most holy place before the testimony that is the ark in which the testimony or the law was here they were laid as in the presence of God who was in a miraculous way to decide the controversy by them and put an end to it for upon the ark was the mercy seat over which were the cherubim the seat of the divine Majesty and where none could come at them and where no fraud could be supposed to be committed where I will meet with you not with the people in person who might not go at any time into the most holy place nor with Aaron who only might go into it on the day of atonement but with Moses the chief ruler and representative of the whole body of the people and who might go in there at any time to consult with God about matters of moment and difficulty and where the Lord had said he would meet him Exo_2522 and now would in a miraculous way clearly show him and the people of Israel by him who was the priest he had chosen of all the tribesCALVIN 4And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle The place itself had not a little to do with the effectual decision of the matter because it was clearly manifested that God was the author of the miracle and consequently that the priesthood proceeded from Him For we have elsewhere said that the whole government of the Church so entirely depends upon His decree that men are not permitted to interfere with it Wherefore He set the ark of the covenant in opposition to the voices of the whole people in order to testify that no further dispute was to be raised respecting the priest whom He had appointed by His own declaration and authority At the same time it had the effect of consoling the people and silencing their complaints that the rods of all the tribes were brought in common into the sanctuary before God for although a peculiar dignity was accorded to that of Aaron alone still the people ceased not to be a priestly kingdom Hence it follows that the honorable privilege conferred on one family contributed to the public welfare of all so far was it from being the case that their inferiority ought to have caused them pain or envy

27

POOLE Before the testimony ie before the ark of the testimony either mediately close by the veil behind which the ark stood or rather immediately within the veil in the most holy place close by the ark as may be gathered by comparing this place with Numbers 1710 and with Hebrews 94I will meet with you and manifest my mind to you for the ending of this dispute PETT The Rods Are To Be Laid Up in the Tent of Meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)Numbers 174lsquoAnd you shall lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony where I meet with yoursquoThese were then to be lsquolaid up in the Tent of meeting before the testimonyrsquo in the place where Yahweh meets with His people This probably meant in front of the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh lsquothe testimonyrsquo indicating the presence of the covenant tablets in the Ark and their testimony to the covenant

5 The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelitesrdquo

CLARKE The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossom - It was necessary that something farther should be done to quiet the minds of the people and for ever to settle the dispute in what tribe the priesthood should be fixed God therefore took the method described in the text and it had the desired effect the Aaronical priesthood was never after disputed

GILL And it shall come to pass that the mans rod whom I shall choose Or make it manifest that he had chosen him and so confirm the choice he had made of him and his family for the priesthood to be and continue in

28

shall blossom bud and blossom and yield fruit as it afterwards did which is here declared beforehand that the miracle might appear the greater exactly answering to a prediction delivered out before of it and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel whereby they murmur against you against Moses for setting up his brother as an high priest and establishing the priesthood in his family and against Aaron for accepting of it and officiating in it but by this method now taken God would for ever silence their murmurings so that they should never be able with any face to object any more to the authority of the Aaronic priesthood which should appear by the predicted miracle beyond all dispute and contradictionCALVIN 5And it shall come to pass that the manrsquos rod Aaron indeed had been previously chosen but the expression here refers to his manifestation (105) because God is said again to choose those whom He has chosen by His secret counsel when He brings them forth into the sight of men with their peculiar marks of distinction and this not once only but as often as he confirms their election by new indications And this seems to be spoken of by way of concession as if God would pass over all His former decrees and invite the people afresh to take cognizance of the matter With this view tie states that He will put an end to all the malevolent and noisy detractions of the people so that Aaron may henceforth exercise his office without controversy for although not even thus was their perverseness altogether cured still their insolence was restrained

ELLICOTT (5) The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossommdashOr shall sprout forth or put forthmdashie leaves or blossoms Achilles when enraged against Agamemnon is made to swear a solemn oath by his sceptre which having once left its stock on the mountains shall never again grow King Latinus is represented by Virgil as confirming his covenant with AEligneas by a similar oath

WHEDON 5 Whom I shall choose mdash That is select for the priesthoodCeasehellip murmurings mdash Suppress them beyond all possibility of a revival Jehovahrsquos claims are set forth in his word with such cogency that there is no just ground for gainsaying On all questions of duty there is a redundancy of evidencePETT The Rod of the Chosen One Will Bud and Put an End to Murmuring (Numbers 175)Numbers 175lsquoAnd it will come about that the rod of the man whom I shall choose will bud and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel which they

29

murmur against yoursquoThen Yahweh would make the rod of the man that Yahweh had chosen spring to life and bud This final display on Yahwehrsquos initiative should cause all further murmurings against Moses and Aaron on the question of who had the right of priesthood to cease

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 Aaronrsquos staff was among them

BARNES The whole number of rods was twelve exclusive of Aaronrsquos as the Vulgate expressly states

GILL And Moses spake unto the children of Israel What the Lord had bid him say unto them concerning the rods which they hearkened unto and observed and everyone of their princes gave him a rod apiece for each prince one every prince of the several tribes and so a rod for every tribe as well as for each prince according to their fathers houses even twelve rods there being twelve tribes named after their fathers or the patriarchs the twelve sons of Jacob and Joseph having two tribes which sprung from him called after his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh there were twelve rods besides that of Aaron and so the Vulgate Latin version renders the words with the next clauseand there were twelve rods besides the rod of Aaronin all thirteen though the Jews say there were but twelve with it allowing but one rod for Joseph under whom were comprehended Ephraim and Manasseh and reckoning the tribe of Levi one of the twelve so Aben Ezra observes that the rod of Levi was among the twelve and Joseph had but one rod and the rod of Aaron was among their rods in the middle of them and was

30

so placed as Jarchi thinks that it might not be said because it was put on the side of the Shechinah or divine Majesty therefore it budded but being in the middle of them there could be no difference in that respectJAMISON the rod of Aaron was among their rods mdash either one of the

twelve or as many suppose a thirteenth in the midst (Heb_94) The rods were of dry sticks or wands probably old as transmitted from one head of the family to a succeeding

KampD Num_176-11Moses carried out this command And when he went into the tabernacle the following morning behold Aarons rod of the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth shoots and had borne blossoms and matured almonds And Moses brought all the rods out of the sanctuary and gave every man his own the rest as we may gather from the context being all unchanged so that the whole nation could satisfy itself that God had chosen Aaron Thus was the word fulfilled which Moses had spoken at the commencement of the rebellion of the company of Korah (Num_165) and that in a way which could not fail to accredit him before the whole congregation as sent of GodSo far as the occurrence itself is concerned there can hardly be any need to remark that the natural interpretation which has lately been attempted by Ewald viz that Moses had laid several almond rods in the holy place which had just been freshly cut off that he might see the next day which of them would flower the best during the night is directly at variance with the words of the text and also with the fact that a rod even freshly cut off when laid in a dry place would not bear ripe fruit in a single night The miracle which God wrought here as the Creator of nature was at the same time a significant symbol of the nature and meaning of the priesthood The choice of the rods had also a bearing upon the object in question A mans rod was the sign of his position as ruler in the house and congregation with a prince the rod becomes a sceptre the insignia of rule (Gen_4910) As a severed branch the rod could not put forth shoots and blossom in a natural way But God could impart new vital powers even to the dry rod And so Aaron had naturally no pre-eminence above the heads of the other tribes But the priesthood was founded not upon natural qualifications and gifts but upon the power of the Spirit which God communicates according to the choice of His wisdom and which He had imparted to Aaron through his consecration with holy anointing oil It was this which the Lord intended to show to the people by causing Aarons rod to put forth branches blossom and fruit through a miracle of His omnipotence whereas the rods of the other heads of the tribes remained as barren as before In this way therefore it was not without deep significance that Aarons rod not only put forth shoots by which the divine election might be recognised but bore even blossom and ripe fruit This showed that Aaron was not only qualified for his calling but administered his office in the full power of the Spirit and bore the fruit expected of him The almond rod was especially adapted to exhibit this as

31

an almond-tree flowers and bears fruit the earliest of all the trees and has received its name of שקד ldquoawakerdquo from this very fact (cf Jer_111)

God then commanded (Num_1710 Num_1711) that Aarons rod should be taken back into the sanctuary and preserved before the testimony ldquofor a sign for the rebellious that thou puttest an end to their murmuring and they die notrdquo The preservation of the rod before the ark of the covenant in the immediate presence of the Lord was a pledge to Aaron of the continuance of his election and the permanent duration of his priesthood though we have no need to assume that through a perpetual miracle the staff continued green and blossoming In this way the staff became a sign to the rebellious which could not fail to stop their murmuringPETT All the Chieftains Give Rods Including Aaron (Numbers 176)Numbers 176lsquoAnd Moses spoke to the children of Israel and all their princes gave him rods for each prince one according to their fathersrsquo houses even twelve rods and the rod of Aaron was among their rodsrsquoSo Moses did as Yahweh commanded and requested rods from each of the chieftains of the twelve tribes These rods may well have been their symbols of authority Thus twelve rods were gathered and Aaronrsquos rod was placed among them PULPIT And the rod of Aaron was among the rods As there was no prince from whom this rod could have come and as there were twelve rods without it this must mean that Moses did not keep Aarons rod separate (which might have caused suspicion) but let it be seen amongst the others

7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law

GILL And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness In that part of the tabernacle where the testimony or witness was that is the law which was in the ark over which was the mercy seat with the cherubim between which Jehovah dwelt and this was the most holy place and the rods being laid here might be said to be laid before the Lord who by making a difference in one of those rods from the rest would decide the controversy about the priesthood which was the end of their being laid

32

before himHENRY The preparing of the rods accordingly The princes brought

them in some of them perhaps fondly expecting that the choice would fall upon them and all of them thinking it honour enough to be competitors with Aaron and to stand candidates even for the priesthood (Num_177) and Moses laid them up before the Lord He did not object that the matter was sufficiently settled already and enough done to convince those that were not invincibly hardened in their prejudices He did not undertake to determine the controversy himself though it might easily have been done nor did he suggest that it would be to no purpose to offer satisfaction to a people that were willingly blind But since God will have it so he did his part and lodged the case before the Lord to whom the appeal was made by consent and left it with him

WHEDON 7 Witness mdash The Hebrew is the same as that for testimony in Numbers 174 The reason for choosing this place may have been that no one would suspect the performance of any legerdemain or jugglery in the holy of holies a sanctuary too awful for any man to enter but the high priest one day in the year Moses entered on this occasion by express commandPETT The Rods Are Placed In the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)Numbers 177lsquoAnd Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimonyrsquoThe rods were then laid up lsquobefore Yahwehrsquo in lsquothe Tent of the testimonyrsquo Note the change in name for the Tent Emphasis is placed here on the fact that the Tent testifies to Yahweh and His covenant As we have already suggested this probably meant that they were placed before the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh although it may be that Moses uniquely had access into the Holy of Holies itself

8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaronrsquos staff which represented the tribe of Levi had not only sprouted but had budded blossomed and produced almonds 33

BARNES Yielded almonds - ldquoRipened almondsrdquo i e ldquobrought forth ripe almondsrdquo The name almond in Hebrew denotes the ldquowaking-treerdquo the ldquowaking-fruitrdquo and is applied to this tree because it blossoms early in the season It serves here as in Jer_111-12 to set forth the speed and certainty with which at Godrsquos will His purposes are accomplished So again the blossoming and bearing of Aaronrsquos rod naturally impotent when severed from the parent tree may signify the profitableness because of Godrsquos appointment and blessing of the various means of grace (e g the priesthood the sacraments) which of themselves and apart from Him could have no such efficacy Compare Isa_42 Isa_111 Isa_532 Jer_335 Zec_612

CLARKE The rod of Aaron - was budded etc - That is on the same rod or staff were found buds blossoms and ripe fruit This fact was so unquestionably miraculous as to decide the business for ever and probably this was intended to show that in the priesthood represented by that of Aaron the beginning middle and end of every good work must be found The buds of good desires the blossoms of holy resolutions and promising professions and the ripe fruit of faith love and obedience all spring from the priesthood of the Lord Jesus It has been thought by some that Aaronrsquos staff (and perhaps the staves of all the tribes) was made out of the amygdala communis or common almond tree In a favorable soil and climate it grows to twenty feet in height is one of the most noble flourishing trees in nature its flowers are of a delicate red and it puts them forth early in March having begun to bud in January It has its name שקד shaked from shakad to awake because it buds and flowers sooner than most other trees And it is very likely that the staves of office borne by the chiefs of all the tribes were made of this tree merely to signify that watchfulness and assiduous care which the chiefs should take of the persons committed in the course of the Divine providence to their keeping

Every thing in this miracle is so far beyond the power of nature that no doubt could remain on the minds of the people or the envious chiefs of the Divine appointment of Aaron and of the especial interference of God in this case To see a piece of wood long cut off from the parent stock without bark or moisture remaining laid up in a dry place for a single night with others in the same circumstances - to see such a piece of wood resume and evince the perfection of vegetative life budding blossoming and bringing forth ripe fruit at the same time must be such a demonstration of the peculiar interference of God as to silence every doubt and satisfy every scruple It is worthy of remark that a scepter or staff of office resuming its vegetative life was considered an absolute impossibility among the ancients and as 34

they were accustomed to swear by their sceptres this circumstance was added to establish and confirm the oath A remarkable instance of this we have in Homer Iliad lib i ver 233 etc where Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon thus speaks -Αλλrsquo εκ τοι ερεω και επι μεγαν ὁρκον ομουμαιΝαι μα τοδε σκηπτρον το μεν ουποτε φυλλα και οζουςΦυσει επειδη πρωτα τομην εν ορεσσι λελοιπενΟυδrsquo αναθηλησει περι γαρ ῥα ἑ χαλκος ελεψεΦυλλα τε και φλοιονὁ δε τοι μεγας εσσεται ὁρκοςBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same scepter which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopprsquod off its foliage greenAnd stripprsquod its bark shall never grow againCowper

Virgil represents King Latinus swearing in the same way to confirm his covenant with Aeneas -Ut Sceptrum hoc (dextra sceptrum nam forte gerebat)Nunquam fronde levi fundet virgulta neque umbrasCum semel in silvis imo de stirpe recisumMatre caret posuitque comas et brachia ferroOlim arbos nunc artificis manus aere decoroInclusit patribusque dedit gestare LatinisTalibus inter se firmabant foedera dictisAen lib xii ver 206-12Even as this royal Sceptre (for he boreA scepter in his hand) shall never moreShoot out in branches or renew the birthAn orphan now cut from the mother earthBy the keen axe dishonorrsquod of its hairAnd cased in brass for Latian kings to bearAnd thus in public view the peace was tiedWith solemn vows and sworn on either sideDryden

When the circumstance of the rod or scepter being used anciently in this way and the absolute impossibility of its reviviscence so strongly appealed to is considered it appears to have been a very proper instrument for the present occasion for the change that passed on it must be acknowledged as an immediate and incontestable miracle

35

GILL And it came to pass that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness Where none but he could go at any time this was the day after the rods had been placed there and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi the rod that had Aarons name upon it which was to represent the tribe of Levi of which he was was budded and brought forth buds knobs of blossom such that are seen on trees before they open for the almond tree puts forth its blossoms before its leaves though the Targum of Jonathan renders it branches as do some versions and some think this is to be understood of its putting out its leaves first contrary to the nature of the almond tree and so makes the miracle the greater thus Ben Melech and blossomed blossoms open flowers or blossoms such as appear on the almond tree in the spring and look very beautiful and yielded almonds ripe almonds in their full perfection as the Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan the latter of which isin the same night it perfected and brought forth almondsthe word used has the signification of weaning and alludes to children grown up to some ripeness and maturity Gen_218 the case seems to be this that in one part of the rod were buds swelling and just putting out in another part open flowers quite blown and in others full ripe fruit now this clearly showed it to be supernatural since the almond tree though quick and early in its production of buds and flowers yet never has those and ripe fruit on it at the same time to which may be added that this was not the time of year the almond tree blossoms not the spring but rather autumn as it should seem since it was after the affair of the spies and the murmurs of the people on their report now it was the time of the first ripe grapes when they went into the land and they were forty days searching it and it was after their return the insurrections before recorded were the design of this was to confirm the priesthood in Aarons family and show that it would continue there in a flourishing condition and that there would be a succession of priests from him to the time of the Messiah as there were and the almond tree having its name in Hebrew from watchfulness and haste see Jer_111 may denote the vigilance of the priests in their office and the haste punishment makes to come upon such that should oppose them or usurp the priesthood as in the case of Uzziah so Jarchi remarks this rod of Aarons may be an emblem of the Gospel ministry of that rod that should come out of Zion Psa_1102 which in the eyes of men is mean and despicable like a dry stick but becomes a fruitful one through the power of divine grace and an almond tree rod may denote the vigilance and watchfulness of Gospel ministers over themselves and others and their doctrine and oftentimes whom God puts into the ministry he early calls them by his grace and frequently makes the first part of their ministry most useful and fruit is brought forth which remains moreover this rod may be considered as a type of Christ it being a dry rod or stick may denote the

36

meanness of his descent and appearance in the world and the unpromising aspect of his being the King Messiah and Saviour of men and being an almond tree rod may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time which the Lord hastened his being the firstborn and his right to the priesthood and his vigilance in it its lying among other rods and budding and blossoming and bringing forth fruit may point at Christs assuming the common nature or man his being cut off by death his resurrection from the dead and the fruits arising from thence justification peace pardon and eternal life and as Aarons priesthood was confirmed by the budding ampc of this rod so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are by his resurrection from the dead See Gill on Heb_94HENRY 8-9 Here is I The final determination of the controversy

concerning the priesthood by a miracle Num_178 Num_179 The rods or staves were brought out from the most holy place where they were laid up and publicly produced before the people and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were Aarons rod only of a dry stick became a living branch budded and blossomed and yielded almonds In some places there were buds in others blossoms in others fruit at the same time This was miraculous and took away all suspicion of a fraud as if in the night Moses had taken away Aarons rod and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it for no ordinary branch would have buds blossoms and fruits upon it all at once Now1 This was a plain indication to the people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood and not any other of the princes of the tribes Thus he was distinguished from them and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven which sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor watering by the hand of man Bishop Hall here observes that fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call and that the plants of Gods setting and the boughs cut off from them will flourish See Psa_9212-14 The trees of the Lord though they seem dry trees are full of sap2 It was a very proper sign to represent the priesthood itself which was hereby confirmed to Aaron (1) That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God It produced not only blossoms but almonds for the priesthood was designed not only for an honour to Aaron but for a blessing to Israel Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they should go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit should remain Joh_1516 (2) That there should be a succession of priests Here were not only almonds for the present but buds and blossoms promising more hereafter Thus has Christ provided in his church that a seed should serve him from generation to generation (3) That yet this priesthood should not be perpetual but in process of time like the branches and blossoms of a tree should fail and wither The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age Ecc_125 This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood which soon became old and ready to vanish away Heb_8133 It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood for he is the man the branch that is to be a priest upon his throne as it follows (Zec_612) and he was to grow up before God as this before the ark like a tender

37

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

force superior to that which governs the ocean or controls the stars Man stands erect the tree rises and the bird soars because of lifeII Life is an appropriating force Vegetable and animal existences have a power of appropriating to themselves all surrounding elements conducive to their well-being just as the life of the plant converts the various gases around it into nutriment to promote its strength and development Wherever there is true religion there is a power to render all external circumstances subservient to its own strength and growth all things work together for its goodIII Life is a propagating force It has ldquothe seed in itselfrdquo Forests start from acorns and boundless harvests from the solitary grain It is said that the grateful Israelites anxious to carry away a bud a blossom or almond as a memento of the occasion the flowers and fruit on the rod were repeatedly and miraculously renewed for that purpose Be that as it may wherever there is religious life it will spread it scatters broadcast the incorruptible seed which liveth and abideth for everIV Life is a beautifying force There are two kinds of beautymdashthe sensational and the moral Nature in her ten thousand forms of loveliness and art in her exquisite expressions of taste are ministries to the former whilst spiritual truth moral goodness and the holiness of God address the latter The one is the poetry of the eye and ear the other of the soul The beauty that appeals to the religious nature of man is the beauty of holinessmdashthe beauty of the Lordmdashthe glory of God in His goodnessV Life is a fructifying force The true Christian not only lives and unfolds a noble disposition but is really useful St Paul speaks of ldquothe fruit of the Spiritrdquomdashrighteousness goodness truth The first as opposed to all injustice and dishonesty the second as opposed to the ten thousand forms of selfishness the third as opposed to all that is erroneous and false in the doctrines and theories of men (G L Saywell)

Aaronrsquos rodHere are three miracles in onemdash

1 That a dry rodmdashmade of the almond treemdashshould bring forth buds in a moment2 That those buds should presently become blossoms anal flowers3 That these should immediately become ripe fruit and that all at once or at least in a little space

Nature makes no such leaps All this was supernatural to these ends1 For a testimony of Godrsquos calling Aaron to the priesthood2 For a type of Christ the Branch (Isa_111)3 For a figure of the fruitfulness of a gospel ministry4 For a lively representation of a glorious resurrection (C Ness)

17

Lessons from the budding rodA wonderful work of God which sundry ways may profit us

1 As first to consider that if the power of God can do this in a dry stick cannot He make the barren woman to bare and be a joyful mother of children Can He not do whatsoever He will do By this power the sea is dried the rock gives water the earth cleaveth under the feet of men fire descends whose nature is to ascend raiseth the dead and calleth things that are not as if they were In a word He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think ampc2 This rod is a notable type of Christ His person and office Of His person in that He was born of the Virgin Mary who though He descended of the royal blood yet was now poor and mean as that royal race was brought exceeding low nothing remaining but as it were a root only Now the said Virgin flourisheth again as Aaronrsquos rod did and beareth such fruit as never woman bear Of this speaks Isaiah the prophet when he saith ldquoThere shall come a rod forth of the stock of Jesse and a graft shall grow out of his rootsrdquo Of His office both priestly and kingly His priestly office is figured in that being offered upon the cross He was as Aaronrsquos dried rod or as the Psalm saith ldquodried up like a potsherdrdquo But when He rose again He became like Aaronrsquos budding and fruit-bearing rod bringing forth to man believing on Him remission of sins righteousness and eternal life His kingly office in that He governeth His Church with a rod or sceptre of righteousness as it is in the Psalm ldquoThe sceptre of Thy kingdom is a right sceptrerdquo Which rod and sceptre is the preaching of the gospel ampc3 Again it was a resemblance of true ministers and of all faithful men and women for none of all these ought to be dry and withered sticks but bear and bring forth buds and fruit according to their places4 It is a shadow also of our resurrection by which we should grow green again and flourish with a new and an eternal glory having like dead seed lain in the ground and we shall bring forth ripe almonds that is the praise of Godrsquos incomprehensible goodness to us for ever and ever5 It resembleth our reformation and amendment of life for when our heart feeleth what is amiss this is as the bud when it resolveth of a change and a future amendment this is the blossom and when it performeth the same by a new reformed life indeed this is as the ripe almonds of Aaronrsquos rod(Bp Babington)

The priesthood divinely selectedWhat matchless wisdom shines in this arrangement How completely is the matter taken out of manrsquos hands and placed where alone it ought to be namely in the hands of the living God It was not to be a man appointing

18

himself or a man appointing his fellow but God appointing the man of His own selection In a word the question was to be definitively settled by God Himself so that all murmurings might be silenced for ever and no one be able again to charge Godrsquos high priest with taking too much upon him The human will had nothing whatever to do with this solemn matter The twelve rods all in a like condition were laid up before the Lord man retired and left God to act There was no room no opportunity because there was no occasion for human management In the profound retirement of the sanctuary far away from all manrsquos thinkings was the grand question of priesthood settled by Divine decision and being thus settled it could never again be raised (C H Mackintosh)

Aaronrsquos fruitful rodStriking and beautiful figure of Him who was ldquodeclared to be the Son of God with power by resurrection from the deadrdquo The twelve rods were all alike lifeless but God the living God entered the scene and by that power peculiar to Himself infused life into Aaronrsquos rod and brought it forth to view bearing upon it the fragrant fruits of resurrection Who could gainsay this The rationalist may sneer at it and raise a thousand questions Faith gazes on that fruit-bearing rod and sees in it a lovely figure of the new creation in the which all things are of God Infidelity may argue on the ground of the apparent impossibility of a dry stick budding blossoming and bearing fruit in the course of one night But to whelm does it appear impossible To the infidel the rationalist the sceptic And why Because he always shuts out God Let us remember this Infidelity invariably shuts out God God can do as He pleases The One who called worlds into existence could make a rod to bud blossom and bear fruit in a moment Bring God in and all is simple and plain as possible Leave God out and all is plunged in hopeless confusion (C H Mackintosh)

The rods contrastedPonder the difference between the rod of Moses and the rod of Aaron We have seen the former doing its characteristic work in other days and amid other scenes We have seen the land of Egypt trembling beneath the heavy strokes of that rod Plague after plague fell upon that devoted scene in answer to that outstretched rod We have seen the waters of the sea divided in answer to that rod In short the rod of Moses was a rod of power a rod of authority But it could not avail to hush the murmurings of the children of Israel nor yet to bring the people through the desert Grace alone could do that and we have the expression of pure gracemdashfree sovereign gracemdashin the budding of Aaronrsquos rod Nothing can be more forcible nothing more lovely That dry dead stick was the apt figure of Israelrsquos condition and indeed of the condition of every one of us by nature There was no sap no life no power One might well say ldquoWhat good can ever come of itrdquo None whatever had not grace come in and displayed its quickening power So was it with Israel in the wilderness and so is it with us now How were they to

19

be led along from day to day How were they to be sustained in all their weakness and need How were they to be borne with in all their sin and folly The answer is found in Aaronrsquos budding rod If the dry dead stick was the expression of naturersquos barren and worthless condition the buds blossoms and fruit set forth that living and life-giving grace and power of God on which was based the priestly ministry that alone could bear the congregation through the wilderness Grace alone could answer the ten thousand necessities of the militant host Power could not suffice Authority could not avail Priesthood alone could supply what was needed and this priesthood was instituted on the foundation of that efficacious grace which could bring fruit out of a dry rod Thus it was as to priesthood of old and thus it is as to ministry now All ministry in the Church of God is the fruit of Divine gracemdashthe gift of Christ the Churchrsquos Head (C H Mackintosh)

2 ldquoSpeak 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

BARNES Compare Eze_3716 ff

CLARKE And take of every one of them a rod - matteh the staff or מטהscepter which the prince or chief of each tribe bore and which was the sign of office or royalty among almost all the people of the earth

GILL Speak unto the children of Israel The principal men among them of the several tribes and take of everyone of them not of every individual of the people of Israel but of their princes as afterwards explained a rod according to the house of their fathers or father of whom their house or tribe was called as Reuben Simeon ampc this rod was either a

20

common walking staff as some think or rather the ensign of their princely office and dignity peculiar to each tribe though some think it was now freshly cut off from an almond tree and that all the rods were of one and the same tree but supposing they were all of the almond kind as Josephus (d) thinks yet being dry rods and of long use served to make the miracle appear the greater of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods this explains who they were to be taken of the princes of the several tribes whose names are given Num_15 and the number of them twelve according to the number of the twelve tribes write thou every mans name upon his rod the name of each prince or head of a tribe either by cutting it into the rod or fastening a writing to it after the manner of those times as for instance the name of Elizur for the tribe of Reuben by which it was to be made and was made to appear that to none of these tribes belonged the priesthood but to the tribe of Levi and to none of that tribe but the family of Aaron whereby it should seem that some of all the tribes made pretensions to it as being all holy and especially the chief firstborn of every tribe as such their princes were

JAMISON 2-5 Speak unto the children of Israel mdash The controversy with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood was of such a nature and magnitude as required a decisive and authoritative settlement For the removal of all doubts and the silencing of all murmuring in the future regarding the holder of the office a miracle was wrought of a remarkable character and permanent duration and in the manner of performing it all the people were made to have a direct and special interest

take of every one princes twelve rods mdash As the princes being the oldest sons of the chief family and heads of their tribes might have advanced the best claims to the priesthood if that sacred dignity was to be shared among all the tribes they were therefore selected and being twelve in number - that of Joseph being counted only one - Moses was ordered to see that the name of each was inscribed - a practice borrowed from the Egyptians - upon his rod or wand of office The name of Aaron rather than of Levi was used as the latter name would have opened a door of controversy among the Levites and as there was to be one rod only for the head of each tribe the express appointment of a rod for Aaron determined him to be the head of that tribe as well as that branch or family of the tribe to which the priestly dignity should belong These rods were to be laid in the tabernacle close to the ark (compare Num_1710 and Heb_94) where a divine token was promised that would for all time terminate the dispute

CALVIN 2Speak unto the children of Israel They are mistaken who suppose that to the twelve rods there was another added for the tribe of Levi (103) for since there was no question here as to the possession of the land there was no occasion at

21

all for the division of the tribe of Joseph into two parts We know too that it was endowed with a double portion because the Levites had no inheritance and in this case the circumstances were different because all the other tribes were contending for the priesthood with the tribe of Levi alone Hence it was then that rods were given to each of them in accordance with the origin of their race But when Aaronrsquos rod is said to have been ldquoin the midst of themrdquo (104) it is in the usual phrase of the Hebrew language because it was mixed with them as one of their number And this is expressly stated to show us that all ground for caviling might be taken from the ungodly since all the rods were east promiscuously into the same bundle so that none should be distinguished above the others and thus nothing could be ascribed to the collusion of men If any should object that by these means the rivalry was not extinguished which the other Levites had with the house of Aaron since his own name alone was inscribed upon the rod so that there would be no comparison between the families I reply that since the power of God manifested itself distinctly in the name of Aaron the rejection of the others was sufficiently shown forth by his election for if this honor had been common to the others God would have defrauded them by giving distinction to him alone Besides no other plan could have been adopted for putting an end to this quarrel for if there had been several rods for one tribe the whole people would have complained of the inequality It was necessary then that all should be brought to the contest on equal terms so that the difference between them might be seen to depend upon Godrsquos good pleasure But if the name of Levi had been inscribed all its families would have claimed the right of succession as if common to them all There was therefore no other course open but that God should prefer to the whole people one individual chosen from amongst the members of his own kindred and tribe COKE Numbers 172 Take of every one of them a rodmdash The minds of a considerable number of the people having been poisoned by the insinuations of Korah and his accomplices against Aaron and his family upon the account of the priesthood God is pleased to add another signal miracle in confirmation of his priests authority accordingly the head of each tribe is ordered to take a rod and bring it before the Lord Some have supposed that these were the ordinary rods or batoons which the princes of the tribes bore while from the 8th verse of this chapter others infer that these were twigs or branches from one and the same almond tree whichever was the case the miracle was sufficiently great to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of ProvidenceBENSON Numbers 172 Take of every one mdash Not of every person but of every tribe A rod mdash A twig or branch from one and the same almond-tree as some infer from Numbers 178 Or according to others the ordinary rods which the princes of the tribes carried in their hands as tokens of their dignity and authority Numbers 2118 And indeed the miracle would appear the greater if neither Aaronrsquos rod nor any of the rest was of the almond-tree But the miracle was sufficiently great either way to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of Providence Every manrsquos name mdash Every princersquos for they being the firstborn and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of

22

their tribes and besides the prince represented all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the question And this place seems to confirm the opinion that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contended with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holyELLICOTT (2) And take of every one of them mdashBetter And take of them a rod for each fatherrsquos houseTwelve rodsmdashSome suppose that Aaronrsquos rod was not included amongst the twelve Others suppose that one rod only was taken for the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh The latter supposition is more accordant with the terms here employed than the former and is supported by Deuteronomy 2712-13 where Joseph stands for the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh and Levi is included amongst the twelve tribesWrite thou every manrsquos name upon his rodmdashThis was in accordance with an Egyptian custom (See Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians III 388) The prophet Ezekiel received a similar injunction (Ezekiel 3716)POOLE Speak unto the children of Israel that I may fully and finally satisfy all their scruples and take away all pretence and cause of murmuringOf every one of them not of every person but of every tribe as it followsA rod either an ordinary walking staff or rather that staff or rod which the princes carried in their hand as tokens of their dignity and authority as may be gathered from Numbers 2118 compared with Psalms 1102 Jeremiah 481617According to the house of their fathers ie according to each family proceeding from the patriarch or father of that tribeEvery manrsquos name ie every princersquos for they being the first-born and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of their tribes and besides each prince represented and acted for all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the whole question And this plate seems to confirm what was before observed that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contested with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holy as they said Numbers 163

WHEDON 2 A rod mdash Each chief prince of the twelve tribes bore a staff or sceptre as the sign of office Such rods were often hereditary and of great antiquity That such dry staves should blossom and bear fruit again is so improbable that the Greeks were accustomed to swear by their sceptres Thus Achilles

23

ldquoBut hearken I will swear a solemn oathBy this sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as oncerdquoWritehellip every manrsquos name mdash To identify beyond dispute the rod of Aaron after the trial The illiteracy of Moses and his generation as alleged by some modern writers is here abundantly confuted Since there were twelve rods including Levirsquos it is evident that the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim are here counted as one tribe mdash that of JosephPETT Numbers 172lsquoSpeak to the children of Israel and take of them rods one for each fathersrsquo house of all their princes according to their fathersrsquo houses twelve rods You write every manrsquos name on his rodrsquoAll the men of Israel were to be involved in this It is possible that Levi were included among lsquothe twelversquo and that Manasseh and Ephraim were for this event treated as one tribe the rods representing the lsquohouseholdsrsquo of the original patriarchal fathers But a rod was taken for each of their fathersrsquo houses and the names of each of the chieftains of those fathersrsquo houses was written on the rods This would suggest in the light of previous references to twelve chieftains that the lsquotwelversquo rods were in contrast with Aaronrsquos rod (Alternately one rod may have represented Joseph including both Ephraim and Manasseh It was Joseph who was to be lsquoa fruitful boughrsquo (Genesis 4922) but not as pertaining to the priesthood)The word for lsquorodsrsquo also indicates lsquotribes and can in fact be used to indicate either Thus the rods symbolised each tribe

PULPIT Numbers 172Take of every one of them a rod Literally take of them a rod a rod ie a rod apiece in the way immediately particularized hsilgnEegaugnaL מטה is used for the staff of Judah (Genesis 3818) and for the rod of Moses (Exodus 42) It is also used in the sense of tribe (Numbers 14 Numbers 116) Each tribe was but a branch or rod out of the stock of Israel and therefore was most naturally represented by the rod cut from the tree lsquoThe words used for scepter in Genesis 4910 and in Psalms 457 and for rod in Isaiah 111 and elsewhere are different but the same imagery underlies the use of all of them Of all their princes hellip twelve rods These princes must be those named in Isaiah 22-21 and Isaiah 25-71 Since among these are to be found the tribe princes of Ephraim and Manasseh standing upon a perfect equality with the rest it is evident that the twelve rods were exclusive

24

of that of Aaron The joining together of Ephraim and Manasseh in Deuteronomy 2712 was a very different thing because it could not raise any question as between the two

3 On the staff of Levi write Aaronrsquos name for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe

BARNES Thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of Levi - The Levites had taken part in the late outbreak It was therefore necessary to vindicate the supremacy of the house of Aaron over them and accordingly his name was written on the rod of Levi although being the son of Kohath the second son of Levi (Exo_616 ff) he would not be the natural head of the tribe

GILL And thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi Or upon the rod that was for the tribe of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written not the word Levi or a Levite as Josephus (e) for that would not have decided the controversy about the priesthood which chiefly lay between the Levites and the family of Aaron who were of the same tribe for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers one rod for the head or prince of every tribe every prince representing his own tribe he was the head of and the rod the prince and though the tribe of Levi was divided into two families the family of the priests and the family of the Levites yet as Jarchi observes they were but one tribe and so one rod for them as for the other tribes

ELLICOTT (3) And thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of LevimdashAaron was descended from the second son of Levi He was not therefore the natural but the divinely-appointed head of his fatherrsquos house and hence it would not have sufficed for the purpose contemplated to have inscribed the name of Levi upon the rod Aaron was constituted the head alike of the priests and of the Levites into which two classes the tribe of Levi was divided

25

BENSON Numbers 173 Aaronrsquos name mdash Rather than Levirsquos for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos family One rod mdash There shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixed

POOLE Aaronrsquos rather than Levirsquos name for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos familyFor the head of the house of their fathers ie there shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixedPETT Numbers 173lsquoAnd you shall write Aaronrsquos name on the rod of Levi for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathersrsquo housesrsquoOn the rod of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written There was to be one for each head of their fathersrsquo houses In the light of the earlier divisions in chapters 1-4 we are probably therefore to see that there were thirteen rods the twelve which represented Israel in contrast with the Levites and the one that specifically represented AaronHere Aaron is depicted as the head of the house of Levi That may well be why earlier he was called lsquothe Levitersquo as the head of the family (Exodus 414)

PULPIT Numbers 173Thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi There was no tribe prince of Levi and it is not probable that either of the three chiefs of the sub-tribes (Numbers 324 Numbers 330 55) was called upon to bring a rod This rod was therefore provided by Moses himself and inscribed by him with the name of Aaron who stood by Divine appointment (so recently and fearfully attested) above all his brethren For the significance of the act cf Ezekiel 3716-28 For one rod hellip for the head of the house of their fathers For Levi therefore there must be not three rods inscribed with the names of the chiefs but one only bearing the name of Aaron as

26

their common superior

4 Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law where I meet with you

GILL And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation In the most holy place before the testimony that is the ark in which the testimony or the law was here they were laid as in the presence of God who was in a miraculous way to decide the controversy by them and put an end to it for upon the ark was the mercy seat over which were the cherubim the seat of the divine Majesty and where none could come at them and where no fraud could be supposed to be committed where I will meet with you not with the people in person who might not go at any time into the most holy place nor with Aaron who only might go into it on the day of atonement but with Moses the chief ruler and representative of the whole body of the people and who might go in there at any time to consult with God about matters of moment and difficulty and where the Lord had said he would meet him Exo_2522 and now would in a miraculous way clearly show him and the people of Israel by him who was the priest he had chosen of all the tribesCALVIN 4And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle The place itself had not a little to do with the effectual decision of the matter because it was clearly manifested that God was the author of the miracle and consequently that the priesthood proceeded from Him For we have elsewhere said that the whole government of the Church so entirely depends upon His decree that men are not permitted to interfere with it Wherefore He set the ark of the covenant in opposition to the voices of the whole people in order to testify that no further dispute was to be raised respecting the priest whom He had appointed by His own declaration and authority At the same time it had the effect of consoling the people and silencing their complaints that the rods of all the tribes were brought in common into the sanctuary before God for although a peculiar dignity was accorded to that of Aaron alone still the people ceased not to be a priestly kingdom Hence it follows that the honorable privilege conferred on one family contributed to the public welfare of all so far was it from being the case that their inferiority ought to have caused them pain or envy

27

POOLE Before the testimony ie before the ark of the testimony either mediately close by the veil behind which the ark stood or rather immediately within the veil in the most holy place close by the ark as may be gathered by comparing this place with Numbers 1710 and with Hebrews 94I will meet with you and manifest my mind to you for the ending of this dispute PETT The Rods Are To Be Laid Up in the Tent of Meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)Numbers 174lsquoAnd you shall lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony where I meet with yoursquoThese were then to be lsquolaid up in the Tent of meeting before the testimonyrsquo in the place where Yahweh meets with His people This probably meant in front of the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh lsquothe testimonyrsquo indicating the presence of the covenant tablets in the Ark and their testimony to the covenant

5 The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelitesrdquo

CLARKE The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossom - It was necessary that something farther should be done to quiet the minds of the people and for ever to settle the dispute in what tribe the priesthood should be fixed God therefore took the method described in the text and it had the desired effect the Aaronical priesthood was never after disputed

GILL And it shall come to pass that the mans rod whom I shall choose Or make it manifest that he had chosen him and so confirm the choice he had made of him and his family for the priesthood to be and continue in

28

shall blossom bud and blossom and yield fruit as it afterwards did which is here declared beforehand that the miracle might appear the greater exactly answering to a prediction delivered out before of it and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel whereby they murmur against you against Moses for setting up his brother as an high priest and establishing the priesthood in his family and against Aaron for accepting of it and officiating in it but by this method now taken God would for ever silence their murmurings so that they should never be able with any face to object any more to the authority of the Aaronic priesthood which should appear by the predicted miracle beyond all dispute and contradictionCALVIN 5And it shall come to pass that the manrsquos rod Aaron indeed had been previously chosen but the expression here refers to his manifestation (105) because God is said again to choose those whom He has chosen by His secret counsel when He brings them forth into the sight of men with their peculiar marks of distinction and this not once only but as often as he confirms their election by new indications And this seems to be spoken of by way of concession as if God would pass over all His former decrees and invite the people afresh to take cognizance of the matter With this view tie states that He will put an end to all the malevolent and noisy detractions of the people so that Aaron may henceforth exercise his office without controversy for although not even thus was their perverseness altogether cured still their insolence was restrained

ELLICOTT (5) The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossommdashOr shall sprout forth or put forthmdashie leaves or blossoms Achilles when enraged against Agamemnon is made to swear a solemn oath by his sceptre which having once left its stock on the mountains shall never again grow King Latinus is represented by Virgil as confirming his covenant with AEligneas by a similar oath

WHEDON 5 Whom I shall choose mdash That is select for the priesthoodCeasehellip murmurings mdash Suppress them beyond all possibility of a revival Jehovahrsquos claims are set forth in his word with such cogency that there is no just ground for gainsaying On all questions of duty there is a redundancy of evidencePETT The Rod of the Chosen One Will Bud and Put an End to Murmuring (Numbers 175)Numbers 175lsquoAnd it will come about that the rod of the man whom I shall choose will bud and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel which they

29

murmur against yoursquoThen Yahweh would make the rod of the man that Yahweh had chosen spring to life and bud This final display on Yahwehrsquos initiative should cause all further murmurings against Moses and Aaron on the question of who had the right of priesthood to cease

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 Aaronrsquos staff was among them

BARNES The whole number of rods was twelve exclusive of Aaronrsquos as the Vulgate expressly states

GILL And Moses spake unto the children of Israel What the Lord had bid him say unto them concerning the rods which they hearkened unto and observed and everyone of their princes gave him a rod apiece for each prince one every prince of the several tribes and so a rod for every tribe as well as for each prince according to their fathers houses even twelve rods there being twelve tribes named after their fathers or the patriarchs the twelve sons of Jacob and Joseph having two tribes which sprung from him called after his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh there were twelve rods besides that of Aaron and so the Vulgate Latin version renders the words with the next clauseand there were twelve rods besides the rod of Aaronin all thirteen though the Jews say there were but twelve with it allowing but one rod for Joseph under whom were comprehended Ephraim and Manasseh and reckoning the tribe of Levi one of the twelve so Aben Ezra observes that the rod of Levi was among the twelve and Joseph had but one rod and the rod of Aaron was among their rods in the middle of them and was

30

so placed as Jarchi thinks that it might not be said because it was put on the side of the Shechinah or divine Majesty therefore it budded but being in the middle of them there could be no difference in that respectJAMISON the rod of Aaron was among their rods mdash either one of the

twelve or as many suppose a thirteenth in the midst (Heb_94) The rods were of dry sticks or wands probably old as transmitted from one head of the family to a succeeding

KampD Num_176-11Moses carried out this command And when he went into the tabernacle the following morning behold Aarons rod of the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth shoots and had borne blossoms and matured almonds And Moses brought all the rods out of the sanctuary and gave every man his own the rest as we may gather from the context being all unchanged so that the whole nation could satisfy itself that God had chosen Aaron Thus was the word fulfilled which Moses had spoken at the commencement of the rebellion of the company of Korah (Num_165) and that in a way which could not fail to accredit him before the whole congregation as sent of GodSo far as the occurrence itself is concerned there can hardly be any need to remark that the natural interpretation which has lately been attempted by Ewald viz that Moses had laid several almond rods in the holy place which had just been freshly cut off that he might see the next day which of them would flower the best during the night is directly at variance with the words of the text and also with the fact that a rod even freshly cut off when laid in a dry place would not bear ripe fruit in a single night The miracle which God wrought here as the Creator of nature was at the same time a significant symbol of the nature and meaning of the priesthood The choice of the rods had also a bearing upon the object in question A mans rod was the sign of his position as ruler in the house and congregation with a prince the rod becomes a sceptre the insignia of rule (Gen_4910) As a severed branch the rod could not put forth shoots and blossom in a natural way But God could impart new vital powers even to the dry rod And so Aaron had naturally no pre-eminence above the heads of the other tribes But the priesthood was founded not upon natural qualifications and gifts but upon the power of the Spirit which God communicates according to the choice of His wisdom and which He had imparted to Aaron through his consecration with holy anointing oil It was this which the Lord intended to show to the people by causing Aarons rod to put forth branches blossom and fruit through a miracle of His omnipotence whereas the rods of the other heads of the tribes remained as barren as before In this way therefore it was not without deep significance that Aarons rod not only put forth shoots by which the divine election might be recognised but bore even blossom and ripe fruit This showed that Aaron was not only qualified for his calling but administered his office in the full power of the Spirit and bore the fruit expected of him The almond rod was especially adapted to exhibit this as

31

an almond-tree flowers and bears fruit the earliest of all the trees and has received its name of שקד ldquoawakerdquo from this very fact (cf Jer_111)

God then commanded (Num_1710 Num_1711) that Aarons rod should be taken back into the sanctuary and preserved before the testimony ldquofor a sign for the rebellious that thou puttest an end to their murmuring and they die notrdquo The preservation of the rod before the ark of the covenant in the immediate presence of the Lord was a pledge to Aaron of the continuance of his election and the permanent duration of his priesthood though we have no need to assume that through a perpetual miracle the staff continued green and blossoming In this way the staff became a sign to the rebellious which could not fail to stop their murmuringPETT All the Chieftains Give Rods Including Aaron (Numbers 176)Numbers 176lsquoAnd Moses spoke to the children of Israel and all their princes gave him rods for each prince one according to their fathersrsquo houses even twelve rods and the rod of Aaron was among their rodsrsquoSo Moses did as Yahweh commanded and requested rods from each of the chieftains of the twelve tribes These rods may well have been their symbols of authority Thus twelve rods were gathered and Aaronrsquos rod was placed among them PULPIT And the rod of Aaron was among the rods As there was no prince from whom this rod could have come and as there were twelve rods without it this must mean that Moses did not keep Aarons rod separate (which might have caused suspicion) but let it be seen amongst the others

7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law

GILL And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness In that part of the tabernacle where the testimony or witness was that is the law which was in the ark over which was the mercy seat with the cherubim between which Jehovah dwelt and this was the most holy place and the rods being laid here might be said to be laid before the Lord who by making a difference in one of those rods from the rest would decide the controversy about the priesthood which was the end of their being laid

32

before himHENRY The preparing of the rods accordingly The princes brought

them in some of them perhaps fondly expecting that the choice would fall upon them and all of them thinking it honour enough to be competitors with Aaron and to stand candidates even for the priesthood (Num_177) and Moses laid them up before the Lord He did not object that the matter was sufficiently settled already and enough done to convince those that were not invincibly hardened in their prejudices He did not undertake to determine the controversy himself though it might easily have been done nor did he suggest that it would be to no purpose to offer satisfaction to a people that were willingly blind But since God will have it so he did his part and lodged the case before the Lord to whom the appeal was made by consent and left it with him

WHEDON 7 Witness mdash The Hebrew is the same as that for testimony in Numbers 174 The reason for choosing this place may have been that no one would suspect the performance of any legerdemain or jugglery in the holy of holies a sanctuary too awful for any man to enter but the high priest one day in the year Moses entered on this occasion by express commandPETT The Rods Are Placed In the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)Numbers 177lsquoAnd Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimonyrsquoThe rods were then laid up lsquobefore Yahwehrsquo in lsquothe Tent of the testimonyrsquo Note the change in name for the Tent Emphasis is placed here on the fact that the Tent testifies to Yahweh and His covenant As we have already suggested this probably meant that they were placed before the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh although it may be that Moses uniquely had access into the Holy of Holies itself

8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaronrsquos staff which represented the tribe of Levi had not only sprouted but had budded blossomed and produced almonds 33

BARNES Yielded almonds - ldquoRipened almondsrdquo i e ldquobrought forth ripe almondsrdquo The name almond in Hebrew denotes the ldquowaking-treerdquo the ldquowaking-fruitrdquo and is applied to this tree because it blossoms early in the season It serves here as in Jer_111-12 to set forth the speed and certainty with which at Godrsquos will His purposes are accomplished So again the blossoming and bearing of Aaronrsquos rod naturally impotent when severed from the parent tree may signify the profitableness because of Godrsquos appointment and blessing of the various means of grace (e g the priesthood the sacraments) which of themselves and apart from Him could have no such efficacy Compare Isa_42 Isa_111 Isa_532 Jer_335 Zec_612

CLARKE The rod of Aaron - was budded etc - That is on the same rod or staff were found buds blossoms and ripe fruit This fact was so unquestionably miraculous as to decide the business for ever and probably this was intended to show that in the priesthood represented by that of Aaron the beginning middle and end of every good work must be found The buds of good desires the blossoms of holy resolutions and promising professions and the ripe fruit of faith love and obedience all spring from the priesthood of the Lord Jesus It has been thought by some that Aaronrsquos staff (and perhaps the staves of all the tribes) was made out of the amygdala communis or common almond tree In a favorable soil and climate it grows to twenty feet in height is one of the most noble flourishing trees in nature its flowers are of a delicate red and it puts them forth early in March having begun to bud in January It has its name שקד shaked from shakad to awake because it buds and flowers sooner than most other trees And it is very likely that the staves of office borne by the chiefs of all the tribes were made of this tree merely to signify that watchfulness and assiduous care which the chiefs should take of the persons committed in the course of the Divine providence to their keeping

Every thing in this miracle is so far beyond the power of nature that no doubt could remain on the minds of the people or the envious chiefs of the Divine appointment of Aaron and of the especial interference of God in this case To see a piece of wood long cut off from the parent stock without bark or moisture remaining laid up in a dry place for a single night with others in the same circumstances - to see such a piece of wood resume and evince the perfection of vegetative life budding blossoming and bringing forth ripe fruit at the same time must be such a demonstration of the peculiar interference of God as to silence every doubt and satisfy every scruple It is worthy of remark that a scepter or staff of office resuming its vegetative life was considered an absolute impossibility among the ancients and as 34

they were accustomed to swear by their sceptres this circumstance was added to establish and confirm the oath A remarkable instance of this we have in Homer Iliad lib i ver 233 etc where Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon thus speaks -Αλλrsquo εκ τοι ερεω και επι μεγαν ὁρκον ομουμαιΝαι μα τοδε σκηπτρον το μεν ουποτε φυλλα και οζουςΦυσει επειδη πρωτα τομην εν ορεσσι λελοιπενΟυδrsquo αναθηλησει περι γαρ ῥα ἑ χαλκος ελεψεΦυλλα τε και φλοιονὁ δε τοι μεγας εσσεται ὁρκοςBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same scepter which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopprsquod off its foliage greenAnd stripprsquod its bark shall never grow againCowper

Virgil represents King Latinus swearing in the same way to confirm his covenant with Aeneas -Ut Sceptrum hoc (dextra sceptrum nam forte gerebat)Nunquam fronde levi fundet virgulta neque umbrasCum semel in silvis imo de stirpe recisumMatre caret posuitque comas et brachia ferroOlim arbos nunc artificis manus aere decoroInclusit patribusque dedit gestare LatinisTalibus inter se firmabant foedera dictisAen lib xii ver 206-12Even as this royal Sceptre (for he boreA scepter in his hand) shall never moreShoot out in branches or renew the birthAn orphan now cut from the mother earthBy the keen axe dishonorrsquod of its hairAnd cased in brass for Latian kings to bearAnd thus in public view the peace was tiedWith solemn vows and sworn on either sideDryden

When the circumstance of the rod or scepter being used anciently in this way and the absolute impossibility of its reviviscence so strongly appealed to is considered it appears to have been a very proper instrument for the present occasion for the change that passed on it must be acknowledged as an immediate and incontestable miracle

35

GILL And it came to pass that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness Where none but he could go at any time this was the day after the rods had been placed there and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi the rod that had Aarons name upon it which was to represent the tribe of Levi of which he was was budded and brought forth buds knobs of blossom such that are seen on trees before they open for the almond tree puts forth its blossoms before its leaves though the Targum of Jonathan renders it branches as do some versions and some think this is to be understood of its putting out its leaves first contrary to the nature of the almond tree and so makes the miracle the greater thus Ben Melech and blossomed blossoms open flowers or blossoms such as appear on the almond tree in the spring and look very beautiful and yielded almonds ripe almonds in their full perfection as the Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan the latter of which isin the same night it perfected and brought forth almondsthe word used has the signification of weaning and alludes to children grown up to some ripeness and maturity Gen_218 the case seems to be this that in one part of the rod were buds swelling and just putting out in another part open flowers quite blown and in others full ripe fruit now this clearly showed it to be supernatural since the almond tree though quick and early in its production of buds and flowers yet never has those and ripe fruit on it at the same time to which may be added that this was not the time of year the almond tree blossoms not the spring but rather autumn as it should seem since it was after the affair of the spies and the murmurs of the people on their report now it was the time of the first ripe grapes when they went into the land and they were forty days searching it and it was after their return the insurrections before recorded were the design of this was to confirm the priesthood in Aarons family and show that it would continue there in a flourishing condition and that there would be a succession of priests from him to the time of the Messiah as there were and the almond tree having its name in Hebrew from watchfulness and haste see Jer_111 may denote the vigilance of the priests in their office and the haste punishment makes to come upon such that should oppose them or usurp the priesthood as in the case of Uzziah so Jarchi remarks this rod of Aarons may be an emblem of the Gospel ministry of that rod that should come out of Zion Psa_1102 which in the eyes of men is mean and despicable like a dry stick but becomes a fruitful one through the power of divine grace and an almond tree rod may denote the vigilance and watchfulness of Gospel ministers over themselves and others and their doctrine and oftentimes whom God puts into the ministry he early calls them by his grace and frequently makes the first part of their ministry most useful and fruit is brought forth which remains moreover this rod may be considered as a type of Christ it being a dry rod or stick may denote the

36

meanness of his descent and appearance in the world and the unpromising aspect of his being the King Messiah and Saviour of men and being an almond tree rod may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time which the Lord hastened his being the firstborn and his right to the priesthood and his vigilance in it its lying among other rods and budding and blossoming and bringing forth fruit may point at Christs assuming the common nature or man his being cut off by death his resurrection from the dead and the fruits arising from thence justification peace pardon and eternal life and as Aarons priesthood was confirmed by the budding ampc of this rod so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are by his resurrection from the dead See Gill on Heb_94HENRY 8-9 Here is I The final determination of the controversy

concerning the priesthood by a miracle Num_178 Num_179 The rods or staves were brought out from the most holy place where they were laid up and publicly produced before the people and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were Aarons rod only of a dry stick became a living branch budded and blossomed and yielded almonds In some places there were buds in others blossoms in others fruit at the same time This was miraculous and took away all suspicion of a fraud as if in the night Moses had taken away Aarons rod and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it for no ordinary branch would have buds blossoms and fruits upon it all at once Now1 This was a plain indication to the people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood and not any other of the princes of the tribes Thus he was distinguished from them and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven which sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor watering by the hand of man Bishop Hall here observes that fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call and that the plants of Gods setting and the boughs cut off from them will flourish See Psa_9212-14 The trees of the Lord though they seem dry trees are full of sap2 It was a very proper sign to represent the priesthood itself which was hereby confirmed to Aaron (1) That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God It produced not only blossoms but almonds for the priesthood was designed not only for an honour to Aaron but for a blessing to Israel Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they should go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit should remain Joh_1516 (2) That there should be a succession of priests Here were not only almonds for the present but buds and blossoms promising more hereafter Thus has Christ provided in his church that a seed should serve him from generation to generation (3) That yet this priesthood should not be perpetual but in process of time like the branches and blossoms of a tree should fail and wither The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age Ecc_125 This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood which soon became old and ready to vanish away Heb_8133 It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood for he is the man the branch that is to be a priest upon his throne as it follows (Zec_612) and he was to grow up before God as this before the ark like a tender

37

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

Lessons from the budding rodA wonderful work of God which sundry ways may profit us

1 As first to consider that if the power of God can do this in a dry stick cannot He make the barren woman to bare and be a joyful mother of children Can He not do whatsoever He will do By this power the sea is dried the rock gives water the earth cleaveth under the feet of men fire descends whose nature is to ascend raiseth the dead and calleth things that are not as if they were In a word He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think ampc2 This rod is a notable type of Christ His person and office Of His person in that He was born of the Virgin Mary who though He descended of the royal blood yet was now poor and mean as that royal race was brought exceeding low nothing remaining but as it were a root only Now the said Virgin flourisheth again as Aaronrsquos rod did and beareth such fruit as never woman bear Of this speaks Isaiah the prophet when he saith ldquoThere shall come a rod forth of the stock of Jesse and a graft shall grow out of his rootsrdquo Of His office both priestly and kingly His priestly office is figured in that being offered upon the cross He was as Aaronrsquos dried rod or as the Psalm saith ldquodried up like a potsherdrdquo But when He rose again He became like Aaronrsquos budding and fruit-bearing rod bringing forth to man believing on Him remission of sins righteousness and eternal life His kingly office in that He governeth His Church with a rod or sceptre of righteousness as it is in the Psalm ldquoThe sceptre of Thy kingdom is a right sceptrerdquo Which rod and sceptre is the preaching of the gospel ampc3 Again it was a resemblance of true ministers and of all faithful men and women for none of all these ought to be dry and withered sticks but bear and bring forth buds and fruit according to their places4 It is a shadow also of our resurrection by which we should grow green again and flourish with a new and an eternal glory having like dead seed lain in the ground and we shall bring forth ripe almonds that is the praise of Godrsquos incomprehensible goodness to us for ever and ever5 It resembleth our reformation and amendment of life for when our heart feeleth what is amiss this is as the bud when it resolveth of a change and a future amendment this is the blossom and when it performeth the same by a new reformed life indeed this is as the ripe almonds of Aaronrsquos rod(Bp Babington)

The priesthood divinely selectedWhat matchless wisdom shines in this arrangement How completely is the matter taken out of manrsquos hands and placed where alone it ought to be namely in the hands of the living God It was not to be a man appointing

18

himself or a man appointing his fellow but God appointing the man of His own selection In a word the question was to be definitively settled by God Himself so that all murmurings might be silenced for ever and no one be able again to charge Godrsquos high priest with taking too much upon him The human will had nothing whatever to do with this solemn matter The twelve rods all in a like condition were laid up before the Lord man retired and left God to act There was no room no opportunity because there was no occasion for human management In the profound retirement of the sanctuary far away from all manrsquos thinkings was the grand question of priesthood settled by Divine decision and being thus settled it could never again be raised (C H Mackintosh)

Aaronrsquos fruitful rodStriking and beautiful figure of Him who was ldquodeclared to be the Son of God with power by resurrection from the deadrdquo The twelve rods were all alike lifeless but God the living God entered the scene and by that power peculiar to Himself infused life into Aaronrsquos rod and brought it forth to view bearing upon it the fragrant fruits of resurrection Who could gainsay this The rationalist may sneer at it and raise a thousand questions Faith gazes on that fruit-bearing rod and sees in it a lovely figure of the new creation in the which all things are of God Infidelity may argue on the ground of the apparent impossibility of a dry stick budding blossoming and bearing fruit in the course of one night But to whelm does it appear impossible To the infidel the rationalist the sceptic And why Because he always shuts out God Let us remember this Infidelity invariably shuts out God God can do as He pleases The One who called worlds into existence could make a rod to bud blossom and bear fruit in a moment Bring God in and all is simple and plain as possible Leave God out and all is plunged in hopeless confusion (C H Mackintosh)

The rods contrastedPonder the difference between the rod of Moses and the rod of Aaron We have seen the former doing its characteristic work in other days and amid other scenes We have seen the land of Egypt trembling beneath the heavy strokes of that rod Plague after plague fell upon that devoted scene in answer to that outstretched rod We have seen the waters of the sea divided in answer to that rod In short the rod of Moses was a rod of power a rod of authority But it could not avail to hush the murmurings of the children of Israel nor yet to bring the people through the desert Grace alone could do that and we have the expression of pure gracemdashfree sovereign gracemdashin the budding of Aaronrsquos rod Nothing can be more forcible nothing more lovely That dry dead stick was the apt figure of Israelrsquos condition and indeed of the condition of every one of us by nature There was no sap no life no power One might well say ldquoWhat good can ever come of itrdquo None whatever had not grace come in and displayed its quickening power So was it with Israel in the wilderness and so is it with us now How were they to

19

be led along from day to day How were they to be sustained in all their weakness and need How were they to be borne with in all their sin and folly The answer is found in Aaronrsquos budding rod If the dry dead stick was the expression of naturersquos barren and worthless condition the buds blossoms and fruit set forth that living and life-giving grace and power of God on which was based the priestly ministry that alone could bear the congregation through the wilderness Grace alone could answer the ten thousand necessities of the militant host Power could not suffice Authority could not avail Priesthood alone could supply what was needed and this priesthood was instituted on the foundation of that efficacious grace which could bring fruit out of a dry rod Thus it was as to priesthood of old and thus it is as to ministry now All ministry in the Church of God is the fruit of Divine gracemdashthe gift of Christ the Churchrsquos Head (C H Mackintosh)

2 ldquoSpeak 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

BARNES Compare Eze_3716 ff

CLARKE And take of every one of them a rod - matteh the staff or מטהscepter which the prince or chief of each tribe bore and which was the sign of office or royalty among almost all the people of the earth

GILL Speak unto the children of Israel The principal men among them of the several tribes and take of everyone of them not of every individual of the people of Israel but of their princes as afterwards explained a rod according to the house of their fathers or father of whom their house or tribe was called as Reuben Simeon ampc this rod was either a

20

common walking staff as some think or rather the ensign of their princely office and dignity peculiar to each tribe though some think it was now freshly cut off from an almond tree and that all the rods were of one and the same tree but supposing they were all of the almond kind as Josephus (d) thinks yet being dry rods and of long use served to make the miracle appear the greater of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods this explains who they were to be taken of the princes of the several tribes whose names are given Num_15 and the number of them twelve according to the number of the twelve tribes write thou every mans name upon his rod the name of each prince or head of a tribe either by cutting it into the rod or fastening a writing to it after the manner of those times as for instance the name of Elizur for the tribe of Reuben by which it was to be made and was made to appear that to none of these tribes belonged the priesthood but to the tribe of Levi and to none of that tribe but the family of Aaron whereby it should seem that some of all the tribes made pretensions to it as being all holy and especially the chief firstborn of every tribe as such their princes were

JAMISON 2-5 Speak unto the children of Israel mdash The controversy with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood was of such a nature and magnitude as required a decisive and authoritative settlement For the removal of all doubts and the silencing of all murmuring in the future regarding the holder of the office a miracle was wrought of a remarkable character and permanent duration and in the manner of performing it all the people were made to have a direct and special interest

take of every one princes twelve rods mdash As the princes being the oldest sons of the chief family and heads of their tribes might have advanced the best claims to the priesthood if that sacred dignity was to be shared among all the tribes they were therefore selected and being twelve in number - that of Joseph being counted only one - Moses was ordered to see that the name of each was inscribed - a practice borrowed from the Egyptians - upon his rod or wand of office The name of Aaron rather than of Levi was used as the latter name would have opened a door of controversy among the Levites and as there was to be one rod only for the head of each tribe the express appointment of a rod for Aaron determined him to be the head of that tribe as well as that branch or family of the tribe to which the priestly dignity should belong These rods were to be laid in the tabernacle close to the ark (compare Num_1710 and Heb_94) where a divine token was promised that would for all time terminate the dispute

CALVIN 2Speak unto the children of Israel They are mistaken who suppose that to the twelve rods there was another added for the tribe of Levi (103) for since there was no question here as to the possession of the land there was no occasion at

21

all for the division of the tribe of Joseph into two parts We know too that it was endowed with a double portion because the Levites had no inheritance and in this case the circumstances were different because all the other tribes were contending for the priesthood with the tribe of Levi alone Hence it was then that rods were given to each of them in accordance with the origin of their race But when Aaronrsquos rod is said to have been ldquoin the midst of themrdquo (104) it is in the usual phrase of the Hebrew language because it was mixed with them as one of their number And this is expressly stated to show us that all ground for caviling might be taken from the ungodly since all the rods were east promiscuously into the same bundle so that none should be distinguished above the others and thus nothing could be ascribed to the collusion of men If any should object that by these means the rivalry was not extinguished which the other Levites had with the house of Aaron since his own name alone was inscribed upon the rod so that there would be no comparison between the families I reply that since the power of God manifested itself distinctly in the name of Aaron the rejection of the others was sufficiently shown forth by his election for if this honor had been common to the others God would have defrauded them by giving distinction to him alone Besides no other plan could have been adopted for putting an end to this quarrel for if there had been several rods for one tribe the whole people would have complained of the inequality It was necessary then that all should be brought to the contest on equal terms so that the difference between them might be seen to depend upon Godrsquos good pleasure But if the name of Levi had been inscribed all its families would have claimed the right of succession as if common to them all There was therefore no other course open but that God should prefer to the whole people one individual chosen from amongst the members of his own kindred and tribe COKE Numbers 172 Take of every one of them a rodmdash The minds of a considerable number of the people having been poisoned by the insinuations of Korah and his accomplices against Aaron and his family upon the account of the priesthood God is pleased to add another signal miracle in confirmation of his priests authority accordingly the head of each tribe is ordered to take a rod and bring it before the Lord Some have supposed that these were the ordinary rods or batoons which the princes of the tribes bore while from the 8th verse of this chapter others infer that these were twigs or branches from one and the same almond tree whichever was the case the miracle was sufficiently great to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of ProvidenceBENSON Numbers 172 Take of every one mdash Not of every person but of every tribe A rod mdash A twig or branch from one and the same almond-tree as some infer from Numbers 178 Or according to others the ordinary rods which the princes of the tribes carried in their hands as tokens of their dignity and authority Numbers 2118 And indeed the miracle would appear the greater if neither Aaronrsquos rod nor any of the rest was of the almond-tree But the miracle was sufficiently great either way to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of Providence Every manrsquos name mdash Every princersquos for they being the firstborn and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of

22

their tribes and besides the prince represented all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the question And this place seems to confirm the opinion that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contended with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holyELLICOTT (2) And take of every one of them mdashBetter And take of them a rod for each fatherrsquos houseTwelve rodsmdashSome suppose that Aaronrsquos rod was not included amongst the twelve Others suppose that one rod only was taken for the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh The latter supposition is more accordant with the terms here employed than the former and is supported by Deuteronomy 2712-13 where Joseph stands for the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh and Levi is included amongst the twelve tribesWrite thou every manrsquos name upon his rodmdashThis was in accordance with an Egyptian custom (See Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians III 388) The prophet Ezekiel received a similar injunction (Ezekiel 3716)POOLE Speak unto the children of Israel that I may fully and finally satisfy all their scruples and take away all pretence and cause of murmuringOf every one of them not of every person but of every tribe as it followsA rod either an ordinary walking staff or rather that staff or rod which the princes carried in their hand as tokens of their dignity and authority as may be gathered from Numbers 2118 compared with Psalms 1102 Jeremiah 481617According to the house of their fathers ie according to each family proceeding from the patriarch or father of that tribeEvery manrsquos name ie every princersquos for they being the first-born and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of their tribes and besides each prince represented and acted for all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the whole question And this plate seems to confirm what was before observed that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contested with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holy as they said Numbers 163

WHEDON 2 A rod mdash Each chief prince of the twelve tribes bore a staff or sceptre as the sign of office Such rods were often hereditary and of great antiquity That such dry staves should blossom and bear fruit again is so improbable that the Greeks were accustomed to swear by their sceptres Thus Achilles

23

ldquoBut hearken I will swear a solemn oathBy this sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as oncerdquoWritehellip every manrsquos name mdash To identify beyond dispute the rod of Aaron after the trial The illiteracy of Moses and his generation as alleged by some modern writers is here abundantly confuted Since there were twelve rods including Levirsquos it is evident that the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim are here counted as one tribe mdash that of JosephPETT Numbers 172lsquoSpeak to the children of Israel and take of them rods one for each fathersrsquo house of all their princes according to their fathersrsquo houses twelve rods You write every manrsquos name on his rodrsquoAll the men of Israel were to be involved in this It is possible that Levi were included among lsquothe twelversquo and that Manasseh and Ephraim were for this event treated as one tribe the rods representing the lsquohouseholdsrsquo of the original patriarchal fathers But a rod was taken for each of their fathersrsquo houses and the names of each of the chieftains of those fathersrsquo houses was written on the rods This would suggest in the light of previous references to twelve chieftains that the lsquotwelversquo rods were in contrast with Aaronrsquos rod (Alternately one rod may have represented Joseph including both Ephraim and Manasseh It was Joseph who was to be lsquoa fruitful boughrsquo (Genesis 4922) but not as pertaining to the priesthood)The word for lsquorodsrsquo also indicates lsquotribes and can in fact be used to indicate either Thus the rods symbolised each tribe

PULPIT Numbers 172Take of every one of them a rod Literally take of them a rod a rod ie a rod apiece in the way immediately particularized hsilgnEegaugnaL מטה is used for the staff of Judah (Genesis 3818) and for the rod of Moses (Exodus 42) It is also used in the sense of tribe (Numbers 14 Numbers 116) Each tribe was but a branch or rod out of the stock of Israel and therefore was most naturally represented by the rod cut from the tree lsquoThe words used for scepter in Genesis 4910 and in Psalms 457 and for rod in Isaiah 111 and elsewhere are different but the same imagery underlies the use of all of them Of all their princes hellip twelve rods These princes must be those named in Isaiah 22-21 and Isaiah 25-71 Since among these are to be found the tribe princes of Ephraim and Manasseh standing upon a perfect equality with the rest it is evident that the twelve rods were exclusive

24

of that of Aaron The joining together of Ephraim and Manasseh in Deuteronomy 2712 was a very different thing because it could not raise any question as between the two

3 On the staff of Levi write Aaronrsquos name for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe

BARNES Thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of Levi - The Levites had taken part in the late outbreak It was therefore necessary to vindicate the supremacy of the house of Aaron over them and accordingly his name was written on the rod of Levi although being the son of Kohath the second son of Levi (Exo_616 ff) he would not be the natural head of the tribe

GILL And thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi Or upon the rod that was for the tribe of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written not the word Levi or a Levite as Josephus (e) for that would not have decided the controversy about the priesthood which chiefly lay between the Levites and the family of Aaron who were of the same tribe for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers one rod for the head or prince of every tribe every prince representing his own tribe he was the head of and the rod the prince and though the tribe of Levi was divided into two families the family of the priests and the family of the Levites yet as Jarchi observes they were but one tribe and so one rod for them as for the other tribes

ELLICOTT (3) And thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of LevimdashAaron was descended from the second son of Levi He was not therefore the natural but the divinely-appointed head of his fatherrsquos house and hence it would not have sufficed for the purpose contemplated to have inscribed the name of Levi upon the rod Aaron was constituted the head alike of the priests and of the Levites into which two classes the tribe of Levi was divided

25

BENSON Numbers 173 Aaronrsquos name mdash Rather than Levirsquos for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos family One rod mdash There shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixed

POOLE Aaronrsquos rather than Levirsquos name for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos familyFor the head of the house of their fathers ie there shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixedPETT Numbers 173lsquoAnd you shall write Aaronrsquos name on the rod of Levi for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathersrsquo housesrsquoOn the rod of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written There was to be one for each head of their fathersrsquo houses In the light of the earlier divisions in chapters 1-4 we are probably therefore to see that there were thirteen rods the twelve which represented Israel in contrast with the Levites and the one that specifically represented AaronHere Aaron is depicted as the head of the house of Levi That may well be why earlier he was called lsquothe Levitersquo as the head of the family (Exodus 414)

PULPIT Numbers 173Thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi There was no tribe prince of Levi and it is not probable that either of the three chiefs of the sub-tribes (Numbers 324 Numbers 330 55) was called upon to bring a rod This rod was therefore provided by Moses himself and inscribed by him with the name of Aaron who stood by Divine appointment (so recently and fearfully attested) above all his brethren For the significance of the act cf Ezekiel 3716-28 For one rod hellip for the head of the house of their fathers For Levi therefore there must be not three rods inscribed with the names of the chiefs but one only bearing the name of Aaron as

26

their common superior

4 Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law where I meet with you

GILL And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation In the most holy place before the testimony that is the ark in which the testimony or the law was here they were laid as in the presence of God who was in a miraculous way to decide the controversy by them and put an end to it for upon the ark was the mercy seat over which were the cherubim the seat of the divine Majesty and where none could come at them and where no fraud could be supposed to be committed where I will meet with you not with the people in person who might not go at any time into the most holy place nor with Aaron who only might go into it on the day of atonement but with Moses the chief ruler and representative of the whole body of the people and who might go in there at any time to consult with God about matters of moment and difficulty and where the Lord had said he would meet him Exo_2522 and now would in a miraculous way clearly show him and the people of Israel by him who was the priest he had chosen of all the tribesCALVIN 4And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle The place itself had not a little to do with the effectual decision of the matter because it was clearly manifested that God was the author of the miracle and consequently that the priesthood proceeded from Him For we have elsewhere said that the whole government of the Church so entirely depends upon His decree that men are not permitted to interfere with it Wherefore He set the ark of the covenant in opposition to the voices of the whole people in order to testify that no further dispute was to be raised respecting the priest whom He had appointed by His own declaration and authority At the same time it had the effect of consoling the people and silencing their complaints that the rods of all the tribes were brought in common into the sanctuary before God for although a peculiar dignity was accorded to that of Aaron alone still the people ceased not to be a priestly kingdom Hence it follows that the honorable privilege conferred on one family contributed to the public welfare of all so far was it from being the case that their inferiority ought to have caused them pain or envy

27

POOLE Before the testimony ie before the ark of the testimony either mediately close by the veil behind which the ark stood or rather immediately within the veil in the most holy place close by the ark as may be gathered by comparing this place with Numbers 1710 and with Hebrews 94I will meet with you and manifest my mind to you for the ending of this dispute PETT The Rods Are To Be Laid Up in the Tent of Meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)Numbers 174lsquoAnd you shall lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony where I meet with yoursquoThese were then to be lsquolaid up in the Tent of meeting before the testimonyrsquo in the place where Yahweh meets with His people This probably meant in front of the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh lsquothe testimonyrsquo indicating the presence of the covenant tablets in the Ark and their testimony to the covenant

5 The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelitesrdquo

CLARKE The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossom - It was necessary that something farther should be done to quiet the minds of the people and for ever to settle the dispute in what tribe the priesthood should be fixed God therefore took the method described in the text and it had the desired effect the Aaronical priesthood was never after disputed

GILL And it shall come to pass that the mans rod whom I shall choose Or make it manifest that he had chosen him and so confirm the choice he had made of him and his family for the priesthood to be and continue in

28

shall blossom bud and blossom and yield fruit as it afterwards did which is here declared beforehand that the miracle might appear the greater exactly answering to a prediction delivered out before of it and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel whereby they murmur against you against Moses for setting up his brother as an high priest and establishing the priesthood in his family and against Aaron for accepting of it and officiating in it but by this method now taken God would for ever silence their murmurings so that they should never be able with any face to object any more to the authority of the Aaronic priesthood which should appear by the predicted miracle beyond all dispute and contradictionCALVIN 5And it shall come to pass that the manrsquos rod Aaron indeed had been previously chosen but the expression here refers to his manifestation (105) because God is said again to choose those whom He has chosen by His secret counsel when He brings them forth into the sight of men with their peculiar marks of distinction and this not once only but as often as he confirms their election by new indications And this seems to be spoken of by way of concession as if God would pass over all His former decrees and invite the people afresh to take cognizance of the matter With this view tie states that He will put an end to all the malevolent and noisy detractions of the people so that Aaron may henceforth exercise his office without controversy for although not even thus was their perverseness altogether cured still their insolence was restrained

ELLICOTT (5) The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossommdashOr shall sprout forth or put forthmdashie leaves or blossoms Achilles when enraged against Agamemnon is made to swear a solemn oath by his sceptre which having once left its stock on the mountains shall never again grow King Latinus is represented by Virgil as confirming his covenant with AEligneas by a similar oath

WHEDON 5 Whom I shall choose mdash That is select for the priesthoodCeasehellip murmurings mdash Suppress them beyond all possibility of a revival Jehovahrsquos claims are set forth in his word with such cogency that there is no just ground for gainsaying On all questions of duty there is a redundancy of evidencePETT The Rod of the Chosen One Will Bud and Put an End to Murmuring (Numbers 175)Numbers 175lsquoAnd it will come about that the rod of the man whom I shall choose will bud and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel which they

29

murmur against yoursquoThen Yahweh would make the rod of the man that Yahweh had chosen spring to life and bud This final display on Yahwehrsquos initiative should cause all further murmurings against Moses and Aaron on the question of who had the right of priesthood to cease

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 Aaronrsquos staff was among them

BARNES The whole number of rods was twelve exclusive of Aaronrsquos as the Vulgate expressly states

GILL And Moses spake unto the children of Israel What the Lord had bid him say unto them concerning the rods which they hearkened unto and observed and everyone of their princes gave him a rod apiece for each prince one every prince of the several tribes and so a rod for every tribe as well as for each prince according to their fathers houses even twelve rods there being twelve tribes named after their fathers or the patriarchs the twelve sons of Jacob and Joseph having two tribes which sprung from him called after his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh there were twelve rods besides that of Aaron and so the Vulgate Latin version renders the words with the next clauseand there were twelve rods besides the rod of Aaronin all thirteen though the Jews say there were but twelve with it allowing but one rod for Joseph under whom were comprehended Ephraim and Manasseh and reckoning the tribe of Levi one of the twelve so Aben Ezra observes that the rod of Levi was among the twelve and Joseph had but one rod and the rod of Aaron was among their rods in the middle of them and was

30

so placed as Jarchi thinks that it might not be said because it was put on the side of the Shechinah or divine Majesty therefore it budded but being in the middle of them there could be no difference in that respectJAMISON the rod of Aaron was among their rods mdash either one of the

twelve or as many suppose a thirteenth in the midst (Heb_94) The rods were of dry sticks or wands probably old as transmitted from one head of the family to a succeeding

KampD Num_176-11Moses carried out this command And when he went into the tabernacle the following morning behold Aarons rod of the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth shoots and had borne blossoms and matured almonds And Moses brought all the rods out of the sanctuary and gave every man his own the rest as we may gather from the context being all unchanged so that the whole nation could satisfy itself that God had chosen Aaron Thus was the word fulfilled which Moses had spoken at the commencement of the rebellion of the company of Korah (Num_165) and that in a way which could not fail to accredit him before the whole congregation as sent of GodSo far as the occurrence itself is concerned there can hardly be any need to remark that the natural interpretation which has lately been attempted by Ewald viz that Moses had laid several almond rods in the holy place which had just been freshly cut off that he might see the next day which of them would flower the best during the night is directly at variance with the words of the text and also with the fact that a rod even freshly cut off when laid in a dry place would not bear ripe fruit in a single night The miracle which God wrought here as the Creator of nature was at the same time a significant symbol of the nature and meaning of the priesthood The choice of the rods had also a bearing upon the object in question A mans rod was the sign of his position as ruler in the house and congregation with a prince the rod becomes a sceptre the insignia of rule (Gen_4910) As a severed branch the rod could not put forth shoots and blossom in a natural way But God could impart new vital powers even to the dry rod And so Aaron had naturally no pre-eminence above the heads of the other tribes But the priesthood was founded not upon natural qualifications and gifts but upon the power of the Spirit which God communicates according to the choice of His wisdom and which He had imparted to Aaron through his consecration with holy anointing oil It was this which the Lord intended to show to the people by causing Aarons rod to put forth branches blossom and fruit through a miracle of His omnipotence whereas the rods of the other heads of the tribes remained as barren as before In this way therefore it was not without deep significance that Aarons rod not only put forth shoots by which the divine election might be recognised but bore even blossom and ripe fruit This showed that Aaron was not only qualified for his calling but administered his office in the full power of the Spirit and bore the fruit expected of him The almond rod was especially adapted to exhibit this as

31

an almond-tree flowers and bears fruit the earliest of all the trees and has received its name of שקד ldquoawakerdquo from this very fact (cf Jer_111)

God then commanded (Num_1710 Num_1711) that Aarons rod should be taken back into the sanctuary and preserved before the testimony ldquofor a sign for the rebellious that thou puttest an end to their murmuring and they die notrdquo The preservation of the rod before the ark of the covenant in the immediate presence of the Lord was a pledge to Aaron of the continuance of his election and the permanent duration of his priesthood though we have no need to assume that through a perpetual miracle the staff continued green and blossoming In this way the staff became a sign to the rebellious which could not fail to stop their murmuringPETT All the Chieftains Give Rods Including Aaron (Numbers 176)Numbers 176lsquoAnd Moses spoke to the children of Israel and all their princes gave him rods for each prince one according to their fathersrsquo houses even twelve rods and the rod of Aaron was among their rodsrsquoSo Moses did as Yahweh commanded and requested rods from each of the chieftains of the twelve tribes These rods may well have been their symbols of authority Thus twelve rods were gathered and Aaronrsquos rod was placed among them PULPIT And the rod of Aaron was among the rods As there was no prince from whom this rod could have come and as there were twelve rods without it this must mean that Moses did not keep Aarons rod separate (which might have caused suspicion) but let it be seen amongst the others

7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law

GILL And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness In that part of the tabernacle where the testimony or witness was that is the law which was in the ark over which was the mercy seat with the cherubim between which Jehovah dwelt and this was the most holy place and the rods being laid here might be said to be laid before the Lord who by making a difference in one of those rods from the rest would decide the controversy about the priesthood which was the end of their being laid

32

before himHENRY The preparing of the rods accordingly The princes brought

them in some of them perhaps fondly expecting that the choice would fall upon them and all of them thinking it honour enough to be competitors with Aaron and to stand candidates even for the priesthood (Num_177) and Moses laid them up before the Lord He did not object that the matter was sufficiently settled already and enough done to convince those that were not invincibly hardened in their prejudices He did not undertake to determine the controversy himself though it might easily have been done nor did he suggest that it would be to no purpose to offer satisfaction to a people that were willingly blind But since God will have it so he did his part and lodged the case before the Lord to whom the appeal was made by consent and left it with him

WHEDON 7 Witness mdash The Hebrew is the same as that for testimony in Numbers 174 The reason for choosing this place may have been that no one would suspect the performance of any legerdemain or jugglery in the holy of holies a sanctuary too awful for any man to enter but the high priest one day in the year Moses entered on this occasion by express commandPETT The Rods Are Placed In the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)Numbers 177lsquoAnd Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimonyrsquoThe rods were then laid up lsquobefore Yahwehrsquo in lsquothe Tent of the testimonyrsquo Note the change in name for the Tent Emphasis is placed here on the fact that the Tent testifies to Yahweh and His covenant As we have already suggested this probably meant that they were placed before the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh although it may be that Moses uniquely had access into the Holy of Holies itself

8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaronrsquos staff which represented the tribe of Levi had not only sprouted but had budded blossomed and produced almonds 33

BARNES Yielded almonds - ldquoRipened almondsrdquo i e ldquobrought forth ripe almondsrdquo The name almond in Hebrew denotes the ldquowaking-treerdquo the ldquowaking-fruitrdquo and is applied to this tree because it blossoms early in the season It serves here as in Jer_111-12 to set forth the speed and certainty with which at Godrsquos will His purposes are accomplished So again the blossoming and bearing of Aaronrsquos rod naturally impotent when severed from the parent tree may signify the profitableness because of Godrsquos appointment and blessing of the various means of grace (e g the priesthood the sacraments) which of themselves and apart from Him could have no such efficacy Compare Isa_42 Isa_111 Isa_532 Jer_335 Zec_612

CLARKE The rod of Aaron - was budded etc - That is on the same rod or staff were found buds blossoms and ripe fruit This fact was so unquestionably miraculous as to decide the business for ever and probably this was intended to show that in the priesthood represented by that of Aaron the beginning middle and end of every good work must be found The buds of good desires the blossoms of holy resolutions and promising professions and the ripe fruit of faith love and obedience all spring from the priesthood of the Lord Jesus It has been thought by some that Aaronrsquos staff (and perhaps the staves of all the tribes) was made out of the amygdala communis or common almond tree In a favorable soil and climate it grows to twenty feet in height is one of the most noble flourishing trees in nature its flowers are of a delicate red and it puts them forth early in March having begun to bud in January It has its name שקד shaked from shakad to awake because it buds and flowers sooner than most other trees And it is very likely that the staves of office borne by the chiefs of all the tribes were made of this tree merely to signify that watchfulness and assiduous care which the chiefs should take of the persons committed in the course of the Divine providence to their keeping

Every thing in this miracle is so far beyond the power of nature that no doubt could remain on the minds of the people or the envious chiefs of the Divine appointment of Aaron and of the especial interference of God in this case To see a piece of wood long cut off from the parent stock without bark or moisture remaining laid up in a dry place for a single night with others in the same circumstances - to see such a piece of wood resume and evince the perfection of vegetative life budding blossoming and bringing forth ripe fruit at the same time must be such a demonstration of the peculiar interference of God as to silence every doubt and satisfy every scruple It is worthy of remark that a scepter or staff of office resuming its vegetative life was considered an absolute impossibility among the ancients and as 34

they were accustomed to swear by their sceptres this circumstance was added to establish and confirm the oath A remarkable instance of this we have in Homer Iliad lib i ver 233 etc where Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon thus speaks -Αλλrsquo εκ τοι ερεω και επι μεγαν ὁρκον ομουμαιΝαι μα τοδε σκηπτρον το μεν ουποτε φυλλα και οζουςΦυσει επειδη πρωτα τομην εν ορεσσι λελοιπενΟυδrsquo αναθηλησει περι γαρ ῥα ἑ χαλκος ελεψεΦυλλα τε και φλοιονὁ δε τοι μεγας εσσεται ὁρκοςBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same scepter which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopprsquod off its foliage greenAnd stripprsquod its bark shall never grow againCowper

Virgil represents King Latinus swearing in the same way to confirm his covenant with Aeneas -Ut Sceptrum hoc (dextra sceptrum nam forte gerebat)Nunquam fronde levi fundet virgulta neque umbrasCum semel in silvis imo de stirpe recisumMatre caret posuitque comas et brachia ferroOlim arbos nunc artificis manus aere decoroInclusit patribusque dedit gestare LatinisTalibus inter se firmabant foedera dictisAen lib xii ver 206-12Even as this royal Sceptre (for he boreA scepter in his hand) shall never moreShoot out in branches or renew the birthAn orphan now cut from the mother earthBy the keen axe dishonorrsquod of its hairAnd cased in brass for Latian kings to bearAnd thus in public view the peace was tiedWith solemn vows and sworn on either sideDryden

When the circumstance of the rod or scepter being used anciently in this way and the absolute impossibility of its reviviscence so strongly appealed to is considered it appears to have been a very proper instrument for the present occasion for the change that passed on it must be acknowledged as an immediate and incontestable miracle

35

GILL And it came to pass that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness Where none but he could go at any time this was the day after the rods had been placed there and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi the rod that had Aarons name upon it which was to represent the tribe of Levi of which he was was budded and brought forth buds knobs of blossom such that are seen on trees before they open for the almond tree puts forth its blossoms before its leaves though the Targum of Jonathan renders it branches as do some versions and some think this is to be understood of its putting out its leaves first contrary to the nature of the almond tree and so makes the miracle the greater thus Ben Melech and blossomed blossoms open flowers or blossoms such as appear on the almond tree in the spring and look very beautiful and yielded almonds ripe almonds in their full perfection as the Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan the latter of which isin the same night it perfected and brought forth almondsthe word used has the signification of weaning and alludes to children grown up to some ripeness and maturity Gen_218 the case seems to be this that in one part of the rod were buds swelling and just putting out in another part open flowers quite blown and in others full ripe fruit now this clearly showed it to be supernatural since the almond tree though quick and early in its production of buds and flowers yet never has those and ripe fruit on it at the same time to which may be added that this was not the time of year the almond tree blossoms not the spring but rather autumn as it should seem since it was after the affair of the spies and the murmurs of the people on their report now it was the time of the first ripe grapes when they went into the land and they were forty days searching it and it was after their return the insurrections before recorded were the design of this was to confirm the priesthood in Aarons family and show that it would continue there in a flourishing condition and that there would be a succession of priests from him to the time of the Messiah as there were and the almond tree having its name in Hebrew from watchfulness and haste see Jer_111 may denote the vigilance of the priests in their office and the haste punishment makes to come upon such that should oppose them or usurp the priesthood as in the case of Uzziah so Jarchi remarks this rod of Aarons may be an emblem of the Gospel ministry of that rod that should come out of Zion Psa_1102 which in the eyes of men is mean and despicable like a dry stick but becomes a fruitful one through the power of divine grace and an almond tree rod may denote the vigilance and watchfulness of Gospel ministers over themselves and others and their doctrine and oftentimes whom God puts into the ministry he early calls them by his grace and frequently makes the first part of their ministry most useful and fruit is brought forth which remains moreover this rod may be considered as a type of Christ it being a dry rod or stick may denote the

36

meanness of his descent and appearance in the world and the unpromising aspect of his being the King Messiah and Saviour of men and being an almond tree rod may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time which the Lord hastened his being the firstborn and his right to the priesthood and his vigilance in it its lying among other rods and budding and blossoming and bringing forth fruit may point at Christs assuming the common nature or man his being cut off by death his resurrection from the dead and the fruits arising from thence justification peace pardon and eternal life and as Aarons priesthood was confirmed by the budding ampc of this rod so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are by his resurrection from the dead See Gill on Heb_94HENRY 8-9 Here is I The final determination of the controversy

concerning the priesthood by a miracle Num_178 Num_179 The rods or staves were brought out from the most holy place where they were laid up and publicly produced before the people and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were Aarons rod only of a dry stick became a living branch budded and blossomed and yielded almonds In some places there were buds in others blossoms in others fruit at the same time This was miraculous and took away all suspicion of a fraud as if in the night Moses had taken away Aarons rod and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it for no ordinary branch would have buds blossoms and fruits upon it all at once Now1 This was a plain indication to the people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood and not any other of the princes of the tribes Thus he was distinguished from them and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven which sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor watering by the hand of man Bishop Hall here observes that fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call and that the plants of Gods setting and the boughs cut off from them will flourish See Psa_9212-14 The trees of the Lord though they seem dry trees are full of sap2 It was a very proper sign to represent the priesthood itself which was hereby confirmed to Aaron (1) That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God It produced not only blossoms but almonds for the priesthood was designed not only for an honour to Aaron but for a blessing to Israel Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they should go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit should remain Joh_1516 (2) That there should be a succession of priests Here were not only almonds for the present but buds and blossoms promising more hereafter Thus has Christ provided in his church that a seed should serve him from generation to generation (3) That yet this priesthood should not be perpetual but in process of time like the branches and blossoms of a tree should fail and wither The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age Ecc_125 This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood which soon became old and ready to vanish away Heb_8133 It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood for he is the man the branch that is to be a priest upon his throne as it follows (Zec_612) and he was to grow up before God as this before the ark like a tender

37

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

himself or a man appointing his fellow but God appointing the man of His own selection In a word the question was to be definitively settled by God Himself so that all murmurings might be silenced for ever and no one be able again to charge Godrsquos high priest with taking too much upon him The human will had nothing whatever to do with this solemn matter The twelve rods all in a like condition were laid up before the Lord man retired and left God to act There was no room no opportunity because there was no occasion for human management In the profound retirement of the sanctuary far away from all manrsquos thinkings was the grand question of priesthood settled by Divine decision and being thus settled it could never again be raised (C H Mackintosh)

Aaronrsquos fruitful rodStriking and beautiful figure of Him who was ldquodeclared to be the Son of God with power by resurrection from the deadrdquo The twelve rods were all alike lifeless but God the living God entered the scene and by that power peculiar to Himself infused life into Aaronrsquos rod and brought it forth to view bearing upon it the fragrant fruits of resurrection Who could gainsay this The rationalist may sneer at it and raise a thousand questions Faith gazes on that fruit-bearing rod and sees in it a lovely figure of the new creation in the which all things are of God Infidelity may argue on the ground of the apparent impossibility of a dry stick budding blossoming and bearing fruit in the course of one night But to whelm does it appear impossible To the infidel the rationalist the sceptic And why Because he always shuts out God Let us remember this Infidelity invariably shuts out God God can do as He pleases The One who called worlds into existence could make a rod to bud blossom and bear fruit in a moment Bring God in and all is simple and plain as possible Leave God out and all is plunged in hopeless confusion (C H Mackintosh)

The rods contrastedPonder the difference between the rod of Moses and the rod of Aaron We have seen the former doing its characteristic work in other days and amid other scenes We have seen the land of Egypt trembling beneath the heavy strokes of that rod Plague after plague fell upon that devoted scene in answer to that outstretched rod We have seen the waters of the sea divided in answer to that rod In short the rod of Moses was a rod of power a rod of authority But it could not avail to hush the murmurings of the children of Israel nor yet to bring the people through the desert Grace alone could do that and we have the expression of pure gracemdashfree sovereign gracemdashin the budding of Aaronrsquos rod Nothing can be more forcible nothing more lovely That dry dead stick was the apt figure of Israelrsquos condition and indeed of the condition of every one of us by nature There was no sap no life no power One might well say ldquoWhat good can ever come of itrdquo None whatever had not grace come in and displayed its quickening power So was it with Israel in the wilderness and so is it with us now How were they to

19

be led along from day to day How were they to be sustained in all their weakness and need How were they to be borne with in all their sin and folly The answer is found in Aaronrsquos budding rod If the dry dead stick was the expression of naturersquos barren and worthless condition the buds blossoms and fruit set forth that living and life-giving grace and power of God on which was based the priestly ministry that alone could bear the congregation through the wilderness Grace alone could answer the ten thousand necessities of the militant host Power could not suffice Authority could not avail Priesthood alone could supply what was needed and this priesthood was instituted on the foundation of that efficacious grace which could bring fruit out of a dry rod Thus it was as to priesthood of old and thus it is as to ministry now All ministry in the Church of God is the fruit of Divine gracemdashthe gift of Christ the Churchrsquos Head (C H Mackintosh)

2 ldquoSpeak 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

BARNES Compare Eze_3716 ff

CLARKE And take of every one of them a rod - matteh the staff or מטהscepter which the prince or chief of each tribe bore and which was the sign of office or royalty among almost all the people of the earth

GILL Speak unto the children of Israel The principal men among them of the several tribes and take of everyone of them not of every individual of the people of Israel but of their princes as afterwards explained a rod according to the house of their fathers or father of whom their house or tribe was called as Reuben Simeon ampc this rod was either a

20

common walking staff as some think or rather the ensign of their princely office and dignity peculiar to each tribe though some think it was now freshly cut off from an almond tree and that all the rods were of one and the same tree but supposing they were all of the almond kind as Josephus (d) thinks yet being dry rods and of long use served to make the miracle appear the greater of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods this explains who they were to be taken of the princes of the several tribes whose names are given Num_15 and the number of them twelve according to the number of the twelve tribes write thou every mans name upon his rod the name of each prince or head of a tribe either by cutting it into the rod or fastening a writing to it after the manner of those times as for instance the name of Elizur for the tribe of Reuben by which it was to be made and was made to appear that to none of these tribes belonged the priesthood but to the tribe of Levi and to none of that tribe but the family of Aaron whereby it should seem that some of all the tribes made pretensions to it as being all holy and especially the chief firstborn of every tribe as such their princes were

JAMISON 2-5 Speak unto the children of Israel mdash The controversy with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood was of such a nature and magnitude as required a decisive and authoritative settlement For the removal of all doubts and the silencing of all murmuring in the future regarding the holder of the office a miracle was wrought of a remarkable character and permanent duration and in the manner of performing it all the people were made to have a direct and special interest

take of every one princes twelve rods mdash As the princes being the oldest sons of the chief family and heads of their tribes might have advanced the best claims to the priesthood if that sacred dignity was to be shared among all the tribes they were therefore selected and being twelve in number - that of Joseph being counted only one - Moses was ordered to see that the name of each was inscribed - a practice borrowed from the Egyptians - upon his rod or wand of office The name of Aaron rather than of Levi was used as the latter name would have opened a door of controversy among the Levites and as there was to be one rod only for the head of each tribe the express appointment of a rod for Aaron determined him to be the head of that tribe as well as that branch or family of the tribe to which the priestly dignity should belong These rods were to be laid in the tabernacle close to the ark (compare Num_1710 and Heb_94) where a divine token was promised that would for all time terminate the dispute

CALVIN 2Speak unto the children of Israel They are mistaken who suppose that to the twelve rods there was another added for the tribe of Levi (103) for since there was no question here as to the possession of the land there was no occasion at

21

all for the division of the tribe of Joseph into two parts We know too that it was endowed with a double portion because the Levites had no inheritance and in this case the circumstances were different because all the other tribes were contending for the priesthood with the tribe of Levi alone Hence it was then that rods were given to each of them in accordance with the origin of their race But when Aaronrsquos rod is said to have been ldquoin the midst of themrdquo (104) it is in the usual phrase of the Hebrew language because it was mixed with them as one of their number And this is expressly stated to show us that all ground for caviling might be taken from the ungodly since all the rods were east promiscuously into the same bundle so that none should be distinguished above the others and thus nothing could be ascribed to the collusion of men If any should object that by these means the rivalry was not extinguished which the other Levites had with the house of Aaron since his own name alone was inscribed upon the rod so that there would be no comparison between the families I reply that since the power of God manifested itself distinctly in the name of Aaron the rejection of the others was sufficiently shown forth by his election for if this honor had been common to the others God would have defrauded them by giving distinction to him alone Besides no other plan could have been adopted for putting an end to this quarrel for if there had been several rods for one tribe the whole people would have complained of the inequality It was necessary then that all should be brought to the contest on equal terms so that the difference between them might be seen to depend upon Godrsquos good pleasure But if the name of Levi had been inscribed all its families would have claimed the right of succession as if common to them all There was therefore no other course open but that God should prefer to the whole people one individual chosen from amongst the members of his own kindred and tribe COKE Numbers 172 Take of every one of them a rodmdash The minds of a considerable number of the people having been poisoned by the insinuations of Korah and his accomplices against Aaron and his family upon the account of the priesthood God is pleased to add another signal miracle in confirmation of his priests authority accordingly the head of each tribe is ordered to take a rod and bring it before the Lord Some have supposed that these were the ordinary rods or batoons which the princes of the tribes bore while from the 8th verse of this chapter others infer that these were twigs or branches from one and the same almond tree whichever was the case the miracle was sufficiently great to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of ProvidenceBENSON Numbers 172 Take of every one mdash Not of every person but of every tribe A rod mdash A twig or branch from one and the same almond-tree as some infer from Numbers 178 Or according to others the ordinary rods which the princes of the tribes carried in their hands as tokens of their dignity and authority Numbers 2118 And indeed the miracle would appear the greater if neither Aaronrsquos rod nor any of the rest was of the almond-tree But the miracle was sufficiently great either way to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of Providence Every manrsquos name mdash Every princersquos for they being the firstborn and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of

22

their tribes and besides the prince represented all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the question And this place seems to confirm the opinion that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contended with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holyELLICOTT (2) And take of every one of them mdashBetter And take of them a rod for each fatherrsquos houseTwelve rodsmdashSome suppose that Aaronrsquos rod was not included amongst the twelve Others suppose that one rod only was taken for the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh The latter supposition is more accordant with the terms here employed than the former and is supported by Deuteronomy 2712-13 where Joseph stands for the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh and Levi is included amongst the twelve tribesWrite thou every manrsquos name upon his rodmdashThis was in accordance with an Egyptian custom (See Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians III 388) The prophet Ezekiel received a similar injunction (Ezekiel 3716)POOLE Speak unto the children of Israel that I may fully and finally satisfy all their scruples and take away all pretence and cause of murmuringOf every one of them not of every person but of every tribe as it followsA rod either an ordinary walking staff or rather that staff or rod which the princes carried in their hand as tokens of their dignity and authority as may be gathered from Numbers 2118 compared with Psalms 1102 Jeremiah 481617According to the house of their fathers ie according to each family proceeding from the patriarch or father of that tribeEvery manrsquos name ie every princersquos for they being the first-born and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of their tribes and besides each prince represented and acted for all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the whole question And this plate seems to confirm what was before observed that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contested with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holy as they said Numbers 163

WHEDON 2 A rod mdash Each chief prince of the twelve tribes bore a staff or sceptre as the sign of office Such rods were often hereditary and of great antiquity That such dry staves should blossom and bear fruit again is so improbable that the Greeks were accustomed to swear by their sceptres Thus Achilles

23

ldquoBut hearken I will swear a solemn oathBy this sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as oncerdquoWritehellip every manrsquos name mdash To identify beyond dispute the rod of Aaron after the trial The illiteracy of Moses and his generation as alleged by some modern writers is here abundantly confuted Since there were twelve rods including Levirsquos it is evident that the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim are here counted as one tribe mdash that of JosephPETT Numbers 172lsquoSpeak to the children of Israel and take of them rods one for each fathersrsquo house of all their princes according to their fathersrsquo houses twelve rods You write every manrsquos name on his rodrsquoAll the men of Israel were to be involved in this It is possible that Levi were included among lsquothe twelversquo and that Manasseh and Ephraim were for this event treated as one tribe the rods representing the lsquohouseholdsrsquo of the original patriarchal fathers But a rod was taken for each of their fathersrsquo houses and the names of each of the chieftains of those fathersrsquo houses was written on the rods This would suggest in the light of previous references to twelve chieftains that the lsquotwelversquo rods were in contrast with Aaronrsquos rod (Alternately one rod may have represented Joseph including both Ephraim and Manasseh It was Joseph who was to be lsquoa fruitful boughrsquo (Genesis 4922) but not as pertaining to the priesthood)The word for lsquorodsrsquo also indicates lsquotribes and can in fact be used to indicate either Thus the rods symbolised each tribe

PULPIT Numbers 172Take of every one of them a rod Literally take of them a rod a rod ie a rod apiece in the way immediately particularized hsilgnEegaugnaL מטה is used for the staff of Judah (Genesis 3818) and for the rod of Moses (Exodus 42) It is also used in the sense of tribe (Numbers 14 Numbers 116) Each tribe was but a branch or rod out of the stock of Israel and therefore was most naturally represented by the rod cut from the tree lsquoThe words used for scepter in Genesis 4910 and in Psalms 457 and for rod in Isaiah 111 and elsewhere are different but the same imagery underlies the use of all of them Of all their princes hellip twelve rods These princes must be those named in Isaiah 22-21 and Isaiah 25-71 Since among these are to be found the tribe princes of Ephraim and Manasseh standing upon a perfect equality with the rest it is evident that the twelve rods were exclusive

24

of that of Aaron The joining together of Ephraim and Manasseh in Deuteronomy 2712 was a very different thing because it could not raise any question as between the two

3 On the staff of Levi write Aaronrsquos name for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe

BARNES Thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of Levi - The Levites had taken part in the late outbreak It was therefore necessary to vindicate the supremacy of the house of Aaron over them and accordingly his name was written on the rod of Levi although being the son of Kohath the second son of Levi (Exo_616 ff) he would not be the natural head of the tribe

GILL And thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi Or upon the rod that was for the tribe of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written not the word Levi or a Levite as Josephus (e) for that would not have decided the controversy about the priesthood which chiefly lay between the Levites and the family of Aaron who were of the same tribe for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers one rod for the head or prince of every tribe every prince representing his own tribe he was the head of and the rod the prince and though the tribe of Levi was divided into two families the family of the priests and the family of the Levites yet as Jarchi observes they were but one tribe and so one rod for them as for the other tribes

ELLICOTT (3) And thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of LevimdashAaron was descended from the second son of Levi He was not therefore the natural but the divinely-appointed head of his fatherrsquos house and hence it would not have sufficed for the purpose contemplated to have inscribed the name of Levi upon the rod Aaron was constituted the head alike of the priests and of the Levites into which two classes the tribe of Levi was divided

25

BENSON Numbers 173 Aaronrsquos name mdash Rather than Levirsquos for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos family One rod mdash There shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixed

POOLE Aaronrsquos rather than Levirsquos name for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos familyFor the head of the house of their fathers ie there shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixedPETT Numbers 173lsquoAnd you shall write Aaronrsquos name on the rod of Levi for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathersrsquo housesrsquoOn the rod of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written There was to be one for each head of their fathersrsquo houses In the light of the earlier divisions in chapters 1-4 we are probably therefore to see that there were thirteen rods the twelve which represented Israel in contrast with the Levites and the one that specifically represented AaronHere Aaron is depicted as the head of the house of Levi That may well be why earlier he was called lsquothe Levitersquo as the head of the family (Exodus 414)

PULPIT Numbers 173Thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi There was no tribe prince of Levi and it is not probable that either of the three chiefs of the sub-tribes (Numbers 324 Numbers 330 55) was called upon to bring a rod This rod was therefore provided by Moses himself and inscribed by him with the name of Aaron who stood by Divine appointment (so recently and fearfully attested) above all his brethren For the significance of the act cf Ezekiel 3716-28 For one rod hellip for the head of the house of their fathers For Levi therefore there must be not three rods inscribed with the names of the chiefs but one only bearing the name of Aaron as

26

their common superior

4 Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law where I meet with you

GILL And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation In the most holy place before the testimony that is the ark in which the testimony or the law was here they were laid as in the presence of God who was in a miraculous way to decide the controversy by them and put an end to it for upon the ark was the mercy seat over which were the cherubim the seat of the divine Majesty and where none could come at them and where no fraud could be supposed to be committed where I will meet with you not with the people in person who might not go at any time into the most holy place nor with Aaron who only might go into it on the day of atonement but with Moses the chief ruler and representative of the whole body of the people and who might go in there at any time to consult with God about matters of moment and difficulty and where the Lord had said he would meet him Exo_2522 and now would in a miraculous way clearly show him and the people of Israel by him who was the priest he had chosen of all the tribesCALVIN 4And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle The place itself had not a little to do with the effectual decision of the matter because it was clearly manifested that God was the author of the miracle and consequently that the priesthood proceeded from Him For we have elsewhere said that the whole government of the Church so entirely depends upon His decree that men are not permitted to interfere with it Wherefore He set the ark of the covenant in opposition to the voices of the whole people in order to testify that no further dispute was to be raised respecting the priest whom He had appointed by His own declaration and authority At the same time it had the effect of consoling the people and silencing their complaints that the rods of all the tribes were brought in common into the sanctuary before God for although a peculiar dignity was accorded to that of Aaron alone still the people ceased not to be a priestly kingdom Hence it follows that the honorable privilege conferred on one family contributed to the public welfare of all so far was it from being the case that their inferiority ought to have caused them pain or envy

27

POOLE Before the testimony ie before the ark of the testimony either mediately close by the veil behind which the ark stood or rather immediately within the veil in the most holy place close by the ark as may be gathered by comparing this place with Numbers 1710 and with Hebrews 94I will meet with you and manifest my mind to you for the ending of this dispute PETT The Rods Are To Be Laid Up in the Tent of Meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)Numbers 174lsquoAnd you shall lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony where I meet with yoursquoThese were then to be lsquolaid up in the Tent of meeting before the testimonyrsquo in the place where Yahweh meets with His people This probably meant in front of the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh lsquothe testimonyrsquo indicating the presence of the covenant tablets in the Ark and their testimony to the covenant

5 The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelitesrdquo

CLARKE The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossom - It was necessary that something farther should be done to quiet the minds of the people and for ever to settle the dispute in what tribe the priesthood should be fixed God therefore took the method described in the text and it had the desired effect the Aaronical priesthood was never after disputed

GILL And it shall come to pass that the mans rod whom I shall choose Or make it manifest that he had chosen him and so confirm the choice he had made of him and his family for the priesthood to be and continue in

28

shall blossom bud and blossom and yield fruit as it afterwards did which is here declared beforehand that the miracle might appear the greater exactly answering to a prediction delivered out before of it and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel whereby they murmur against you against Moses for setting up his brother as an high priest and establishing the priesthood in his family and against Aaron for accepting of it and officiating in it but by this method now taken God would for ever silence their murmurings so that they should never be able with any face to object any more to the authority of the Aaronic priesthood which should appear by the predicted miracle beyond all dispute and contradictionCALVIN 5And it shall come to pass that the manrsquos rod Aaron indeed had been previously chosen but the expression here refers to his manifestation (105) because God is said again to choose those whom He has chosen by His secret counsel when He brings them forth into the sight of men with their peculiar marks of distinction and this not once only but as often as he confirms their election by new indications And this seems to be spoken of by way of concession as if God would pass over all His former decrees and invite the people afresh to take cognizance of the matter With this view tie states that He will put an end to all the malevolent and noisy detractions of the people so that Aaron may henceforth exercise his office without controversy for although not even thus was their perverseness altogether cured still their insolence was restrained

ELLICOTT (5) The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossommdashOr shall sprout forth or put forthmdashie leaves or blossoms Achilles when enraged against Agamemnon is made to swear a solemn oath by his sceptre which having once left its stock on the mountains shall never again grow King Latinus is represented by Virgil as confirming his covenant with AEligneas by a similar oath

WHEDON 5 Whom I shall choose mdash That is select for the priesthoodCeasehellip murmurings mdash Suppress them beyond all possibility of a revival Jehovahrsquos claims are set forth in his word with such cogency that there is no just ground for gainsaying On all questions of duty there is a redundancy of evidencePETT The Rod of the Chosen One Will Bud and Put an End to Murmuring (Numbers 175)Numbers 175lsquoAnd it will come about that the rod of the man whom I shall choose will bud and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel which they

29

murmur against yoursquoThen Yahweh would make the rod of the man that Yahweh had chosen spring to life and bud This final display on Yahwehrsquos initiative should cause all further murmurings against Moses and Aaron on the question of who had the right of priesthood to cease

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 Aaronrsquos staff was among them

BARNES The whole number of rods was twelve exclusive of Aaronrsquos as the Vulgate expressly states

GILL And Moses spake unto the children of Israel What the Lord had bid him say unto them concerning the rods which they hearkened unto and observed and everyone of their princes gave him a rod apiece for each prince one every prince of the several tribes and so a rod for every tribe as well as for each prince according to their fathers houses even twelve rods there being twelve tribes named after their fathers or the patriarchs the twelve sons of Jacob and Joseph having two tribes which sprung from him called after his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh there were twelve rods besides that of Aaron and so the Vulgate Latin version renders the words with the next clauseand there were twelve rods besides the rod of Aaronin all thirteen though the Jews say there were but twelve with it allowing but one rod for Joseph under whom were comprehended Ephraim and Manasseh and reckoning the tribe of Levi one of the twelve so Aben Ezra observes that the rod of Levi was among the twelve and Joseph had but one rod and the rod of Aaron was among their rods in the middle of them and was

30

so placed as Jarchi thinks that it might not be said because it was put on the side of the Shechinah or divine Majesty therefore it budded but being in the middle of them there could be no difference in that respectJAMISON the rod of Aaron was among their rods mdash either one of the

twelve or as many suppose a thirteenth in the midst (Heb_94) The rods were of dry sticks or wands probably old as transmitted from one head of the family to a succeeding

KampD Num_176-11Moses carried out this command And when he went into the tabernacle the following morning behold Aarons rod of the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth shoots and had borne blossoms and matured almonds And Moses brought all the rods out of the sanctuary and gave every man his own the rest as we may gather from the context being all unchanged so that the whole nation could satisfy itself that God had chosen Aaron Thus was the word fulfilled which Moses had spoken at the commencement of the rebellion of the company of Korah (Num_165) and that in a way which could not fail to accredit him before the whole congregation as sent of GodSo far as the occurrence itself is concerned there can hardly be any need to remark that the natural interpretation which has lately been attempted by Ewald viz that Moses had laid several almond rods in the holy place which had just been freshly cut off that he might see the next day which of them would flower the best during the night is directly at variance with the words of the text and also with the fact that a rod even freshly cut off when laid in a dry place would not bear ripe fruit in a single night The miracle which God wrought here as the Creator of nature was at the same time a significant symbol of the nature and meaning of the priesthood The choice of the rods had also a bearing upon the object in question A mans rod was the sign of his position as ruler in the house and congregation with a prince the rod becomes a sceptre the insignia of rule (Gen_4910) As a severed branch the rod could not put forth shoots and blossom in a natural way But God could impart new vital powers even to the dry rod And so Aaron had naturally no pre-eminence above the heads of the other tribes But the priesthood was founded not upon natural qualifications and gifts but upon the power of the Spirit which God communicates according to the choice of His wisdom and which He had imparted to Aaron through his consecration with holy anointing oil It was this which the Lord intended to show to the people by causing Aarons rod to put forth branches blossom and fruit through a miracle of His omnipotence whereas the rods of the other heads of the tribes remained as barren as before In this way therefore it was not without deep significance that Aarons rod not only put forth shoots by which the divine election might be recognised but bore even blossom and ripe fruit This showed that Aaron was not only qualified for his calling but administered his office in the full power of the Spirit and bore the fruit expected of him The almond rod was especially adapted to exhibit this as

31

an almond-tree flowers and bears fruit the earliest of all the trees and has received its name of שקד ldquoawakerdquo from this very fact (cf Jer_111)

God then commanded (Num_1710 Num_1711) that Aarons rod should be taken back into the sanctuary and preserved before the testimony ldquofor a sign for the rebellious that thou puttest an end to their murmuring and they die notrdquo The preservation of the rod before the ark of the covenant in the immediate presence of the Lord was a pledge to Aaron of the continuance of his election and the permanent duration of his priesthood though we have no need to assume that through a perpetual miracle the staff continued green and blossoming In this way the staff became a sign to the rebellious which could not fail to stop their murmuringPETT All the Chieftains Give Rods Including Aaron (Numbers 176)Numbers 176lsquoAnd Moses spoke to the children of Israel and all their princes gave him rods for each prince one according to their fathersrsquo houses even twelve rods and the rod of Aaron was among their rodsrsquoSo Moses did as Yahweh commanded and requested rods from each of the chieftains of the twelve tribes These rods may well have been their symbols of authority Thus twelve rods were gathered and Aaronrsquos rod was placed among them PULPIT And the rod of Aaron was among the rods As there was no prince from whom this rod could have come and as there were twelve rods without it this must mean that Moses did not keep Aarons rod separate (which might have caused suspicion) but let it be seen amongst the others

7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law

GILL And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness In that part of the tabernacle where the testimony or witness was that is the law which was in the ark over which was the mercy seat with the cherubim between which Jehovah dwelt and this was the most holy place and the rods being laid here might be said to be laid before the Lord who by making a difference in one of those rods from the rest would decide the controversy about the priesthood which was the end of their being laid

32

before himHENRY The preparing of the rods accordingly The princes brought

them in some of them perhaps fondly expecting that the choice would fall upon them and all of them thinking it honour enough to be competitors with Aaron and to stand candidates even for the priesthood (Num_177) and Moses laid them up before the Lord He did not object that the matter was sufficiently settled already and enough done to convince those that were not invincibly hardened in their prejudices He did not undertake to determine the controversy himself though it might easily have been done nor did he suggest that it would be to no purpose to offer satisfaction to a people that were willingly blind But since God will have it so he did his part and lodged the case before the Lord to whom the appeal was made by consent and left it with him

WHEDON 7 Witness mdash The Hebrew is the same as that for testimony in Numbers 174 The reason for choosing this place may have been that no one would suspect the performance of any legerdemain or jugglery in the holy of holies a sanctuary too awful for any man to enter but the high priest one day in the year Moses entered on this occasion by express commandPETT The Rods Are Placed In the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)Numbers 177lsquoAnd Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimonyrsquoThe rods were then laid up lsquobefore Yahwehrsquo in lsquothe Tent of the testimonyrsquo Note the change in name for the Tent Emphasis is placed here on the fact that the Tent testifies to Yahweh and His covenant As we have already suggested this probably meant that they were placed before the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh although it may be that Moses uniquely had access into the Holy of Holies itself

8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaronrsquos staff which represented the tribe of Levi had not only sprouted but had budded blossomed and produced almonds 33

BARNES Yielded almonds - ldquoRipened almondsrdquo i e ldquobrought forth ripe almondsrdquo The name almond in Hebrew denotes the ldquowaking-treerdquo the ldquowaking-fruitrdquo and is applied to this tree because it blossoms early in the season It serves here as in Jer_111-12 to set forth the speed and certainty with which at Godrsquos will His purposes are accomplished So again the blossoming and bearing of Aaronrsquos rod naturally impotent when severed from the parent tree may signify the profitableness because of Godrsquos appointment and blessing of the various means of grace (e g the priesthood the sacraments) which of themselves and apart from Him could have no such efficacy Compare Isa_42 Isa_111 Isa_532 Jer_335 Zec_612

CLARKE The rod of Aaron - was budded etc - That is on the same rod or staff were found buds blossoms and ripe fruit This fact was so unquestionably miraculous as to decide the business for ever and probably this was intended to show that in the priesthood represented by that of Aaron the beginning middle and end of every good work must be found The buds of good desires the blossoms of holy resolutions and promising professions and the ripe fruit of faith love and obedience all spring from the priesthood of the Lord Jesus It has been thought by some that Aaronrsquos staff (and perhaps the staves of all the tribes) was made out of the amygdala communis or common almond tree In a favorable soil and climate it grows to twenty feet in height is one of the most noble flourishing trees in nature its flowers are of a delicate red and it puts them forth early in March having begun to bud in January It has its name שקד shaked from shakad to awake because it buds and flowers sooner than most other trees And it is very likely that the staves of office borne by the chiefs of all the tribes were made of this tree merely to signify that watchfulness and assiduous care which the chiefs should take of the persons committed in the course of the Divine providence to their keeping

Every thing in this miracle is so far beyond the power of nature that no doubt could remain on the minds of the people or the envious chiefs of the Divine appointment of Aaron and of the especial interference of God in this case To see a piece of wood long cut off from the parent stock without bark or moisture remaining laid up in a dry place for a single night with others in the same circumstances - to see such a piece of wood resume and evince the perfection of vegetative life budding blossoming and bringing forth ripe fruit at the same time must be such a demonstration of the peculiar interference of God as to silence every doubt and satisfy every scruple It is worthy of remark that a scepter or staff of office resuming its vegetative life was considered an absolute impossibility among the ancients and as 34

they were accustomed to swear by their sceptres this circumstance was added to establish and confirm the oath A remarkable instance of this we have in Homer Iliad lib i ver 233 etc where Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon thus speaks -Αλλrsquo εκ τοι ερεω και επι μεγαν ὁρκον ομουμαιΝαι μα τοδε σκηπτρον το μεν ουποτε φυλλα και οζουςΦυσει επειδη πρωτα τομην εν ορεσσι λελοιπενΟυδrsquo αναθηλησει περι γαρ ῥα ἑ χαλκος ελεψεΦυλλα τε και φλοιονὁ δε τοι μεγας εσσεται ὁρκοςBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same scepter which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopprsquod off its foliage greenAnd stripprsquod its bark shall never grow againCowper

Virgil represents King Latinus swearing in the same way to confirm his covenant with Aeneas -Ut Sceptrum hoc (dextra sceptrum nam forte gerebat)Nunquam fronde levi fundet virgulta neque umbrasCum semel in silvis imo de stirpe recisumMatre caret posuitque comas et brachia ferroOlim arbos nunc artificis manus aere decoroInclusit patribusque dedit gestare LatinisTalibus inter se firmabant foedera dictisAen lib xii ver 206-12Even as this royal Sceptre (for he boreA scepter in his hand) shall never moreShoot out in branches or renew the birthAn orphan now cut from the mother earthBy the keen axe dishonorrsquod of its hairAnd cased in brass for Latian kings to bearAnd thus in public view the peace was tiedWith solemn vows and sworn on either sideDryden

When the circumstance of the rod or scepter being used anciently in this way and the absolute impossibility of its reviviscence so strongly appealed to is considered it appears to have been a very proper instrument for the present occasion for the change that passed on it must be acknowledged as an immediate and incontestable miracle

35

GILL And it came to pass that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness Where none but he could go at any time this was the day after the rods had been placed there and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi the rod that had Aarons name upon it which was to represent the tribe of Levi of which he was was budded and brought forth buds knobs of blossom such that are seen on trees before they open for the almond tree puts forth its blossoms before its leaves though the Targum of Jonathan renders it branches as do some versions and some think this is to be understood of its putting out its leaves first contrary to the nature of the almond tree and so makes the miracle the greater thus Ben Melech and blossomed blossoms open flowers or blossoms such as appear on the almond tree in the spring and look very beautiful and yielded almonds ripe almonds in their full perfection as the Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan the latter of which isin the same night it perfected and brought forth almondsthe word used has the signification of weaning and alludes to children grown up to some ripeness and maturity Gen_218 the case seems to be this that in one part of the rod were buds swelling and just putting out in another part open flowers quite blown and in others full ripe fruit now this clearly showed it to be supernatural since the almond tree though quick and early in its production of buds and flowers yet never has those and ripe fruit on it at the same time to which may be added that this was not the time of year the almond tree blossoms not the spring but rather autumn as it should seem since it was after the affair of the spies and the murmurs of the people on their report now it was the time of the first ripe grapes when they went into the land and they were forty days searching it and it was after their return the insurrections before recorded were the design of this was to confirm the priesthood in Aarons family and show that it would continue there in a flourishing condition and that there would be a succession of priests from him to the time of the Messiah as there were and the almond tree having its name in Hebrew from watchfulness and haste see Jer_111 may denote the vigilance of the priests in their office and the haste punishment makes to come upon such that should oppose them or usurp the priesthood as in the case of Uzziah so Jarchi remarks this rod of Aarons may be an emblem of the Gospel ministry of that rod that should come out of Zion Psa_1102 which in the eyes of men is mean and despicable like a dry stick but becomes a fruitful one through the power of divine grace and an almond tree rod may denote the vigilance and watchfulness of Gospel ministers over themselves and others and their doctrine and oftentimes whom God puts into the ministry he early calls them by his grace and frequently makes the first part of their ministry most useful and fruit is brought forth which remains moreover this rod may be considered as a type of Christ it being a dry rod or stick may denote the

36

meanness of his descent and appearance in the world and the unpromising aspect of his being the King Messiah and Saviour of men and being an almond tree rod may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time which the Lord hastened his being the firstborn and his right to the priesthood and his vigilance in it its lying among other rods and budding and blossoming and bringing forth fruit may point at Christs assuming the common nature or man his being cut off by death his resurrection from the dead and the fruits arising from thence justification peace pardon and eternal life and as Aarons priesthood was confirmed by the budding ampc of this rod so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are by his resurrection from the dead See Gill on Heb_94HENRY 8-9 Here is I The final determination of the controversy

concerning the priesthood by a miracle Num_178 Num_179 The rods or staves were brought out from the most holy place where they were laid up and publicly produced before the people and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were Aarons rod only of a dry stick became a living branch budded and blossomed and yielded almonds In some places there were buds in others blossoms in others fruit at the same time This was miraculous and took away all suspicion of a fraud as if in the night Moses had taken away Aarons rod and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it for no ordinary branch would have buds blossoms and fruits upon it all at once Now1 This was a plain indication to the people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood and not any other of the princes of the tribes Thus he was distinguished from them and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven which sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor watering by the hand of man Bishop Hall here observes that fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call and that the plants of Gods setting and the boughs cut off from them will flourish See Psa_9212-14 The trees of the Lord though they seem dry trees are full of sap2 It was a very proper sign to represent the priesthood itself which was hereby confirmed to Aaron (1) That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God It produced not only blossoms but almonds for the priesthood was designed not only for an honour to Aaron but for a blessing to Israel Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they should go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit should remain Joh_1516 (2) That there should be a succession of priests Here were not only almonds for the present but buds and blossoms promising more hereafter Thus has Christ provided in his church that a seed should serve him from generation to generation (3) That yet this priesthood should not be perpetual but in process of time like the branches and blossoms of a tree should fail and wither The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age Ecc_125 This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood which soon became old and ready to vanish away Heb_8133 It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood for he is the man the branch that is to be a priest upon his throne as it follows (Zec_612) and he was to grow up before God as this before the ark like a tender

37

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

be led along from day to day How were they to be sustained in all their weakness and need How were they to be borne with in all their sin and folly The answer is found in Aaronrsquos budding rod If the dry dead stick was the expression of naturersquos barren and worthless condition the buds blossoms and fruit set forth that living and life-giving grace and power of God on which was based the priestly ministry that alone could bear the congregation through the wilderness Grace alone could answer the ten thousand necessities of the militant host Power could not suffice Authority could not avail Priesthood alone could supply what was needed and this priesthood was instituted on the foundation of that efficacious grace which could bring fruit out of a dry rod Thus it was as to priesthood of old and thus it is as to ministry now All ministry in the Church of God is the fruit of Divine gracemdashthe gift of Christ the Churchrsquos Head (C H Mackintosh)

2 ldquoSpeak 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

BARNES Compare Eze_3716 ff

CLARKE And take of every one of them a rod - matteh the staff or מטהscepter which the prince or chief of each tribe bore and which was the sign of office or royalty among almost all the people of the earth

GILL Speak unto the children of Israel The principal men among them of the several tribes and take of everyone of them not of every individual of the people of Israel but of their princes as afterwards explained a rod according to the house of their fathers or father of whom their house or tribe was called as Reuben Simeon ampc this rod was either a

20

common walking staff as some think or rather the ensign of their princely office and dignity peculiar to each tribe though some think it was now freshly cut off from an almond tree and that all the rods were of one and the same tree but supposing they were all of the almond kind as Josephus (d) thinks yet being dry rods and of long use served to make the miracle appear the greater of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods this explains who they were to be taken of the princes of the several tribes whose names are given Num_15 and the number of them twelve according to the number of the twelve tribes write thou every mans name upon his rod the name of each prince or head of a tribe either by cutting it into the rod or fastening a writing to it after the manner of those times as for instance the name of Elizur for the tribe of Reuben by which it was to be made and was made to appear that to none of these tribes belonged the priesthood but to the tribe of Levi and to none of that tribe but the family of Aaron whereby it should seem that some of all the tribes made pretensions to it as being all holy and especially the chief firstborn of every tribe as such their princes were

JAMISON 2-5 Speak unto the children of Israel mdash The controversy with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood was of such a nature and magnitude as required a decisive and authoritative settlement For the removal of all doubts and the silencing of all murmuring in the future regarding the holder of the office a miracle was wrought of a remarkable character and permanent duration and in the manner of performing it all the people were made to have a direct and special interest

take of every one princes twelve rods mdash As the princes being the oldest sons of the chief family and heads of their tribes might have advanced the best claims to the priesthood if that sacred dignity was to be shared among all the tribes they were therefore selected and being twelve in number - that of Joseph being counted only one - Moses was ordered to see that the name of each was inscribed - a practice borrowed from the Egyptians - upon his rod or wand of office The name of Aaron rather than of Levi was used as the latter name would have opened a door of controversy among the Levites and as there was to be one rod only for the head of each tribe the express appointment of a rod for Aaron determined him to be the head of that tribe as well as that branch or family of the tribe to which the priestly dignity should belong These rods were to be laid in the tabernacle close to the ark (compare Num_1710 and Heb_94) where a divine token was promised that would for all time terminate the dispute

CALVIN 2Speak unto the children of Israel They are mistaken who suppose that to the twelve rods there was another added for the tribe of Levi (103) for since there was no question here as to the possession of the land there was no occasion at

21

all for the division of the tribe of Joseph into two parts We know too that it was endowed with a double portion because the Levites had no inheritance and in this case the circumstances were different because all the other tribes were contending for the priesthood with the tribe of Levi alone Hence it was then that rods were given to each of them in accordance with the origin of their race But when Aaronrsquos rod is said to have been ldquoin the midst of themrdquo (104) it is in the usual phrase of the Hebrew language because it was mixed with them as one of their number And this is expressly stated to show us that all ground for caviling might be taken from the ungodly since all the rods were east promiscuously into the same bundle so that none should be distinguished above the others and thus nothing could be ascribed to the collusion of men If any should object that by these means the rivalry was not extinguished which the other Levites had with the house of Aaron since his own name alone was inscribed upon the rod so that there would be no comparison between the families I reply that since the power of God manifested itself distinctly in the name of Aaron the rejection of the others was sufficiently shown forth by his election for if this honor had been common to the others God would have defrauded them by giving distinction to him alone Besides no other plan could have been adopted for putting an end to this quarrel for if there had been several rods for one tribe the whole people would have complained of the inequality It was necessary then that all should be brought to the contest on equal terms so that the difference between them might be seen to depend upon Godrsquos good pleasure But if the name of Levi had been inscribed all its families would have claimed the right of succession as if common to them all There was therefore no other course open but that God should prefer to the whole people one individual chosen from amongst the members of his own kindred and tribe COKE Numbers 172 Take of every one of them a rodmdash The minds of a considerable number of the people having been poisoned by the insinuations of Korah and his accomplices against Aaron and his family upon the account of the priesthood God is pleased to add another signal miracle in confirmation of his priests authority accordingly the head of each tribe is ordered to take a rod and bring it before the Lord Some have supposed that these were the ordinary rods or batoons which the princes of the tribes bore while from the 8th verse of this chapter others infer that these were twigs or branches from one and the same almond tree whichever was the case the miracle was sufficiently great to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of ProvidenceBENSON Numbers 172 Take of every one mdash Not of every person but of every tribe A rod mdash A twig or branch from one and the same almond-tree as some infer from Numbers 178 Or according to others the ordinary rods which the princes of the tribes carried in their hands as tokens of their dignity and authority Numbers 2118 And indeed the miracle would appear the greater if neither Aaronrsquos rod nor any of the rest was of the almond-tree But the miracle was sufficiently great either way to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of Providence Every manrsquos name mdash Every princersquos for they being the firstborn and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of

22

their tribes and besides the prince represented all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the question And this place seems to confirm the opinion that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contended with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holyELLICOTT (2) And take of every one of them mdashBetter And take of them a rod for each fatherrsquos houseTwelve rodsmdashSome suppose that Aaronrsquos rod was not included amongst the twelve Others suppose that one rod only was taken for the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh The latter supposition is more accordant with the terms here employed than the former and is supported by Deuteronomy 2712-13 where Joseph stands for the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh and Levi is included amongst the twelve tribesWrite thou every manrsquos name upon his rodmdashThis was in accordance with an Egyptian custom (See Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians III 388) The prophet Ezekiel received a similar injunction (Ezekiel 3716)POOLE Speak unto the children of Israel that I may fully and finally satisfy all their scruples and take away all pretence and cause of murmuringOf every one of them not of every person but of every tribe as it followsA rod either an ordinary walking staff or rather that staff or rod which the princes carried in their hand as tokens of their dignity and authority as may be gathered from Numbers 2118 compared with Psalms 1102 Jeremiah 481617According to the house of their fathers ie according to each family proceeding from the patriarch or father of that tribeEvery manrsquos name ie every princersquos for they being the first-born and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of their tribes and besides each prince represented and acted for all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the whole question And this plate seems to confirm what was before observed that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contested with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holy as they said Numbers 163

WHEDON 2 A rod mdash Each chief prince of the twelve tribes bore a staff or sceptre as the sign of office Such rods were often hereditary and of great antiquity That such dry staves should blossom and bear fruit again is so improbable that the Greeks were accustomed to swear by their sceptres Thus Achilles

23

ldquoBut hearken I will swear a solemn oathBy this sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as oncerdquoWritehellip every manrsquos name mdash To identify beyond dispute the rod of Aaron after the trial The illiteracy of Moses and his generation as alleged by some modern writers is here abundantly confuted Since there were twelve rods including Levirsquos it is evident that the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim are here counted as one tribe mdash that of JosephPETT Numbers 172lsquoSpeak to the children of Israel and take of them rods one for each fathersrsquo house of all their princes according to their fathersrsquo houses twelve rods You write every manrsquos name on his rodrsquoAll the men of Israel were to be involved in this It is possible that Levi were included among lsquothe twelversquo and that Manasseh and Ephraim were for this event treated as one tribe the rods representing the lsquohouseholdsrsquo of the original patriarchal fathers But a rod was taken for each of their fathersrsquo houses and the names of each of the chieftains of those fathersrsquo houses was written on the rods This would suggest in the light of previous references to twelve chieftains that the lsquotwelversquo rods were in contrast with Aaronrsquos rod (Alternately one rod may have represented Joseph including both Ephraim and Manasseh It was Joseph who was to be lsquoa fruitful boughrsquo (Genesis 4922) but not as pertaining to the priesthood)The word for lsquorodsrsquo also indicates lsquotribes and can in fact be used to indicate either Thus the rods symbolised each tribe

PULPIT Numbers 172Take of every one of them a rod Literally take of them a rod a rod ie a rod apiece in the way immediately particularized hsilgnEegaugnaL מטה is used for the staff of Judah (Genesis 3818) and for the rod of Moses (Exodus 42) It is also used in the sense of tribe (Numbers 14 Numbers 116) Each tribe was but a branch or rod out of the stock of Israel and therefore was most naturally represented by the rod cut from the tree lsquoThe words used for scepter in Genesis 4910 and in Psalms 457 and for rod in Isaiah 111 and elsewhere are different but the same imagery underlies the use of all of them Of all their princes hellip twelve rods These princes must be those named in Isaiah 22-21 and Isaiah 25-71 Since among these are to be found the tribe princes of Ephraim and Manasseh standing upon a perfect equality with the rest it is evident that the twelve rods were exclusive

24

of that of Aaron The joining together of Ephraim and Manasseh in Deuteronomy 2712 was a very different thing because it could not raise any question as between the two

3 On the staff of Levi write Aaronrsquos name for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe

BARNES Thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of Levi - The Levites had taken part in the late outbreak It was therefore necessary to vindicate the supremacy of the house of Aaron over them and accordingly his name was written on the rod of Levi although being the son of Kohath the second son of Levi (Exo_616 ff) he would not be the natural head of the tribe

GILL And thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi Or upon the rod that was for the tribe of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written not the word Levi or a Levite as Josephus (e) for that would not have decided the controversy about the priesthood which chiefly lay between the Levites and the family of Aaron who were of the same tribe for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers one rod for the head or prince of every tribe every prince representing his own tribe he was the head of and the rod the prince and though the tribe of Levi was divided into two families the family of the priests and the family of the Levites yet as Jarchi observes they were but one tribe and so one rod for them as for the other tribes

ELLICOTT (3) And thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of LevimdashAaron was descended from the second son of Levi He was not therefore the natural but the divinely-appointed head of his fatherrsquos house and hence it would not have sufficed for the purpose contemplated to have inscribed the name of Levi upon the rod Aaron was constituted the head alike of the priests and of the Levites into which two classes the tribe of Levi was divided

25

BENSON Numbers 173 Aaronrsquos name mdash Rather than Levirsquos for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos family One rod mdash There shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixed

POOLE Aaronrsquos rather than Levirsquos name for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos familyFor the head of the house of their fathers ie there shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixedPETT Numbers 173lsquoAnd you shall write Aaronrsquos name on the rod of Levi for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathersrsquo housesrsquoOn the rod of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written There was to be one for each head of their fathersrsquo houses In the light of the earlier divisions in chapters 1-4 we are probably therefore to see that there were thirteen rods the twelve which represented Israel in contrast with the Levites and the one that specifically represented AaronHere Aaron is depicted as the head of the house of Levi That may well be why earlier he was called lsquothe Levitersquo as the head of the family (Exodus 414)

PULPIT Numbers 173Thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi There was no tribe prince of Levi and it is not probable that either of the three chiefs of the sub-tribes (Numbers 324 Numbers 330 55) was called upon to bring a rod This rod was therefore provided by Moses himself and inscribed by him with the name of Aaron who stood by Divine appointment (so recently and fearfully attested) above all his brethren For the significance of the act cf Ezekiel 3716-28 For one rod hellip for the head of the house of their fathers For Levi therefore there must be not three rods inscribed with the names of the chiefs but one only bearing the name of Aaron as

26

their common superior

4 Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law where I meet with you

GILL And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation In the most holy place before the testimony that is the ark in which the testimony or the law was here they were laid as in the presence of God who was in a miraculous way to decide the controversy by them and put an end to it for upon the ark was the mercy seat over which were the cherubim the seat of the divine Majesty and where none could come at them and where no fraud could be supposed to be committed where I will meet with you not with the people in person who might not go at any time into the most holy place nor with Aaron who only might go into it on the day of atonement but with Moses the chief ruler and representative of the whole body of the people and who might go in there at any time to consult with God about matters of moment and difficulty and where the Lord had said he would meet him Exo_2522 and now would in a miraculous way clearly show him and the people of Israel by him who was the priest he had chosen of all the tribesCALVIN 4And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle The place itself had not a little to do with the effectual decision of the matter because it was clearly manifested that God was the author of the miracle and consequently that the priesthood proceeded from Him For we have elsewhere said that the whole government of the Church so entirely depends upon His decree that men are not permitted to interfere with it Wherefore He set the ark of the covenant in opposition to the voices of the whole people in order to testify that no further dispute was to be raised respecting the priest whom He had appointed by His own declaration and authority At the same time it had the effect of consoling the people and silencing their complaints that the rods of all the tribes were brought in common into the sanctuary before God for although a peculiar dignity was accorded to that of Aaron alone still the people ceased not to be a priestly kingdom Hence it follows that the honorable privilege conferred on one family contributed to the public welfare of all so far was it from being the case that their inferiority ought to have caused them pain or envy

27

POOLE Before the testimony ie before the ark of the testimony either mediately close by the veil behind which the ark stood or rather immediately within the veil in the most holy place close by the ark as may be gathered by comparing this place with Numbers 1710 and with Hebrews 94I will meet with you and manifest my mind to you for the ending of this dispute PETT The Rods Are To Be Laid Up in the Tent of Meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)Numbers 174lsquoAnd you shall lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony where I meet with yoursquoThese were then to be lsquolaid up in the Tent of meeting before the testimonyrsquo in the place where Yahweh meets with His people This probably meant in front of the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh lsquothe testimonyrsquo indicating the presence of the covenant tablets in the Ark and their testimony to the covenant

5 The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelitesrdquo

CLARKE The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossom - It was necessary that something farther should be done to quiet the minds of the people and for ever to settle the dispute in what tribe the priesthood should be fixed God therefore took the method described in the text and it had the desired effect the Aaronical priesthood was never after disputed

GILL And it shall come to pass that the mans rod whom I shall choose Or make it manifest that he had chosen him and so confirm the choice he had made of him and his family for the priesthood to be and continue in

28

shall blossom bud and blossom and yield fruit as it afterwards did which is here declared beforehand that the miracle might appear the greater exactly answering to a prediction delivered out before of it and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel whereby they murmur against you against Moses for setting up his brother as an high priest and establishing the priesthood in his family and against Aaron for accepting of it and officiating in it but by this method now taken God would for ever silence their murmurings so that they should never be able with any face to object any more to the authority of the Aaronic priesthood which should appear by the predicted miracle beyond all dispute and contradictionCALVIN 5And it shall come to pass that the manrsquos rod Aaron indeed had been previously chosen but the expression here refers to his manifestation (105) because God is said again to choose those whom He has chosen by His secret counsel when He brings them forth into the sight of men with their peculiar marks of distinction and this not once only but as often as he confirms their election by new indications And this seems to be spoken of by way of concession as if God would pass over all His former decrees and invite the people afresh to take cognizance of the matter With this view tie states that He will put an end to all the malevolent and noisy detractions of the people so that Aaron may henceforth exercise his office without controversy for although not even thus was their perverseness altogether cured still their insolence was restrained

ELLICOTT (5) The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossommdashOr shall sprout forth or put forthmdashie leaves or blossoms Achilles when enraged against Agamemnon is made to swear a solemn oath by his sceptre which having once left its stock on the mountains shall never again grow King Latinus is represented by Virgil as confirming his covenant with AEligneas by a similar oath

WHEDON 5 Whom I shall choose mdash That is select for the priesthoodCeasehellip murmurings mdash Suppress them beyond all possibility of a revival Jehovahrsquos claims are set forth in his word with such cogency that there is no just ground for gainsaying On all questions of duty there is a redundancy of evidencePETT The Rod of the Chosen One Will Bud and Put an End to Murmuring (Numbers 175)Numbers 175lsquoAnd it will come about that the rod of the man whom I shall choose will bud and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel which they

29

murmur against yoursquoThen Yahweh would make the rod of the man that Yahweh had chosen spring to life and bud This final display on Yahwehrsquos initiative should cause all further murmurings against Moses and Aaron on the question of who had the right of priesthood to cease

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 Aaronrsquos staff was among them

BARNES The whole number of rods was twelve exclusive of Aaronrsquos as the Vulgate expressly states

GILL And Moses spake unto the children of Israel What the Lord had bid him say unto them concerning the rods which they hearkened unto and observed and everyone of their princes gave him a rod apiece for each prince one every prince of the several tribes and so a rod for every tribe as well as for each prince according to their fathers houses even twelve rods there being twelve tribes named after their fathers or the patriarchs the twelve sons of Jacob and Joseph having two tribes which sprung from him called after his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh there were twelve rods besides that of Aaron and so the Vulgate Latin version renders the words with the next clauseand there were twelve rods besides the rod of Aaronin all thirteen though the Jews say there were but twelve with it allowing but one rod for Joseph under whom were comprehended Ephraim and Manasseh and reckoning the tribe of Levi one of the twelve so Aben Ezra observes that the rod of Levi was among the twelve and Joseph had but one rod and the rod of Aaron was among their rods in the middle of them and was

30

so placed as Jarchi thinks that it might not be said because it was put on the side of the Shechinah or divine Majesty therefore it budded but being in the middle of them there could be no difference in that respectJAMISON the rod of Aaron was among their rods mdash either one of the

twelve or as many suppose a thirteenth in the midst (Heb_94) The rods were of dry sticks or wands probably old as transmitted from one head of the family to a succeeding

KampD Num_176-11Moses carried out this command And when he went into the tabernacle the following morning behold Aarons rod of the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth shoots and had borne blossoms and matured almonds And Moses brought all the rods out of the sanctuary and gave every man his own the rest as we may gather from the context being all unchanged so that the whole nation could satisfy itself that God had chosen Aaron Thus was the word fulfilled which Moses had spoken at the commencement of the rebellion of the company of Korah (Num_165) and that in a way which could not fail to accredit him before the whole congregation as sent of GodSo far as the occurrence itself is concerned there can hardly be any need to remark that the natural interpretation which has lately been attempted by Ewald viz that Moses had laid several almond rods in the holy place which had just been freshly cut off that he might see the next day which of them would flower the best during the night is directly at variance with the words of the text and also with the fact that a rod even freshly cut off when laid in a dry place would not bear ripe fruit in a single night The miracle which God wrought here as the Creator of nature was at the same time a significant symbol of the nature and meaning of the priesthood The choice of the rods had also a bearing upon the object in question A mans rod was the sign of his position as ruler in the house and congregation with a prince the rod becomes a sceptre the insignia of rule (Gen_4910) As a severed branch the rod could not put forth shoots and blossom in a natural way But God could impart new vital powers even to the dry rod And so Aaron had naturally no pre-eminence above the heads of the other tribes But the priesthood was founded not upon natural qualifications and gifts but upon the power of the Spirit which God communicates according to the choice of His wisdom and which He had imparted to Aaron through his consecration with holy anointing oil It was this which the Lord intended to show to the people by causing Aarons rod to put forth branches blossom and fruit through a miracle of His omnipotence whereas the rods of the other heads of the tribes remained as barren as before In this way therefore it was not without deep significance that Aarons rod not only put forth shoots by which the divine election might be recognised but bore even blossom and ripe fruit This showed that Aaron was not only qualified for his calling but administered his office in the full power of the Spirit and bore the fruit expected of him The almond rod was especially adapted to exhibit this as

31

an almond-tree flowers and bears fruit the earliest of all the trees and has received its name of שקד ldquoawakerdquo from this very fact (cf Jer_111)

God then commanded (Num_1710 Num_1711) that Aarons rod should be taken back into the sanctuary and preserved before the testimony ldquofor a sign for the rebellious that thou puttest an end to their murmuring and they die notrdquo The preservation of the rod before the ark of the covenant in the immediate presence of the Lord was a pledge to Aaron of the continuance of his election and the permanent duration of his priesthood though we have no need to assume that through a perpetual miracle the staff continued green and blossoming In this way the staff became a sign to the rebellious which could not fail to stop their murmuringPETT All the Chieftains Give Rods Including Aaron (Numbers 176)Numbers 176lsquoAnd Moses spoke to the children of Israel and all their princes gave him rods for each prince one according to their fathersrsquo houses even twelve rods and the rod of Aaron was among their rodsrsquoSo Moses did as Yahweh commanded and requested rods from each of the chieftains of the twelve tribes These rods may well have been their symbols of authority Thus twelve rods were gathered and Aaronrsquos rod was placed among them PULPIT And the rod of Aaron was among the rods As there was no prince from whom this rod could have come and as there were twelve rods without it this must mean that Moses did not keep Aarons rod separate (which might have caused suspicion) but let it be seen amongst the others

7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law

GILL And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness In that part of the tabernacle where the testimony or witness was that is the law which was in the ark over which was the mercy seat with the cherubim between which Jehovah dwelt and this was the most holy place and the rods being laid here might be said to be laid before the Lord who by making a difference in one of those rods from the rest would decide the controversy about the priesthood which was the end of their being laid

32

before himHENRY The preparing of the rods accordingly The princes brought

them in some of them perhaps fondly expecting that the choice would fall upon them and all of them thinking it honour enough to be competitors with Aaron and to stand candidates even for the priesthood (Num_177) and Moses laid them up before the Lord He did not object that the matter was sufficiently settled already and enough done to convince those that were not invincibly hardened in their prejudices He did not undertake to determine the controversy himself though it might easily have been done nor did he suggest that it would be to no purpose to offer satisfaction to a people that were willingly blind But since God will have it so he did his part and lodged the case before the Lord to whom the appeal was made by consent and left it with him

WHEDON 7 Witness mdash The Hebrew is the same as that for testimony in Numbers 174 The reason for choosing this place may have been that no one would suspect the performance of any legerdemain or jugglery in the holy of holies a sanctuary too awful for any man to enter but the high priest one day in the year Moses entered on this occasion by express commandPETT The Rods Are Placed In the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)Numbers 177lsquoAnd Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimonyrsquoThe rods were then laid up lsquobefore Yahwehrsquo in lsquothe Tent of the testimonyrsquo Note the change in name for the Tent Emphasis is placed here on the fact that the Tent testifies to Yahweh and His covenant As we have already suggested this probably meant that they were placed before the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh although it may be that Moses uniquely had access into the Holy of Holies itself

8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaronrsquos staff which represented the tribe of Levi had not only sprouted but had budded blossomed and produced almonds 33

BARNES Yielded almonds - ldquoRipened almondsrdquo i e ldquobrought forth ripe almondsrdquo The name almond in Hebrew denotes the ldquowaking-treerdquo the ldquowaking-fruitrdquo and is applied to this tree because it blossoms early in the season It serves here as in Jer_111-12 to set forth the speed and certainty with which at Godrsquos will His purposes are accomplished So again the blossoming and bearing of Aaronrsquos rod naturally impotent when severed from the parent tree may signify the profitableness because of Godrsquos appointment and blessing of the various means of grace (e g the priesthood the sacraments) which of themselves and apart from Him could have no such efficacy Compare Isa_42 Isa_111 Isa_532 Jer_335 Zec_612

CLARKE The rod of Aaron - was budded etc - That is on the same rod or staff were found buds blossoms and ripe fruit This fact was so unquestionably miraculous as to decide the business for ever and probably this was intended to show that in the priesthood represented by that of Aaron the beginning middle and end of every good work must be found The buds of good desires the blossoms of holy resolutions and promising professions and the ripe fruit of faith love and obedience all spring from the priesthood of the Lord Jesus It has been thought by some that Aaronrsquos staff (and perhaps the staves of all the tribes) was made out of the amygdala communis or common almond tree In a favorable soil and climate it grows to twenty feet in height is one of the most noble flourishing trees in nature its flowers are of a delicate red and it puts them forth early in March having begun to bud in January It has its name שקד shaked from shakad to awake because it buds and flowers sooner than most other trees And it is very likely that the staves of office borne by the chiefs of all the tribes were made of this tree merely to signify that watchfulness and assiduous care which the chiefs should take of the persons committed in the course of the Divine providence to their keeping

Every thing in this miracle is so far beyond the power of nature that no doubt could remain on the minds of the people or the envious chiefs of the Divine appointment of Aaron and of the especial interference of God in this case To see a piece of wood long cut off from the parent stock without bark or moisture remaining laid up in a dry place for a single night with others in the same circumstances - to see such a piece of wood resume and evince the perfection of vegetative life budding blossoming and bringing forth ripe fruit at the same time must be such a demonstration of the peculiar interference of God as to silence every doubt and satisfy every scruple It is worthy of remark that a scepter or staff of office resuming its vegetative life was considered an absolute impossibility among the ancients and as 34

they were accustomed to swear by their sceptres this circumstance was added to establish and confirm the oath A remarkable instance of this we have in Homer Iliad lib i ver 233 etc where Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon thus speaks -Αλλrsquo εκ τοι ερεω και επι μεγαν ὁρκον ομουμαιΝαι μα τοδε σκηπτρον το μεν ουποτε φυλλα και οζουςΦυσει επειδη πρωτα τομην εν ορεσσι λελοιπενΟυδrsquo αναθηλησει περι γαρ ῥα ἑ χαλκος ελεψεΦυλλα τε και φλοιονὁ δε τοι μεγας εσσεται ὁρκοςBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same scepter which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopprsquod off its foliage greenAnd stripprsquod its bark shall never grow againCowper

Virgil represents King Latinus swearing in the same way to confirm his covenant with Aeneas -Ut Sceptrum hoc (dextra sceptrum nam forte gerebat)Nunquam fronde levi fundet virgulta neque umbrasCum semel in silvis imo de stirpe recisumMatre caret posuitque comas et brachia ferroOlim arbos nunc artificis manus aere decoroInclusit patribusque dedit gestare LatinisTalibus inter se firmabant foedera dictisAen lib xii ver 206-12Even as this royal Sceptre (for he boreA scepter in his hand) shall never moreShoot out in branches or renew the birthAn orphan now cut from the mother earthBy the keen axe dishonorrsquod of its hairAnd cased in brass for Latian kings to bearAnd thus in public view the peace was tiedWith solemn vows and sworn on either sideDryden

When the circumstance of the rod or scepter being used anciently in this way and the absolute impossibility of its reviviscence so strongly appealed to is considered it appears to have been a very proper instrument for the present occasion for the change that passed on it must be acknowledged as an immediate and incontestable miracle

35

GILL And it came to pass that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness Where none but he could go at any time this was the day after the rods had been placed there and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi the rod that had Aarons name upon it which was to represent the tribe of Levi of which he was was budded and brought forth buds knobs of blossom such that are seen on trees before they open for the almond tree puts forth its blossoms before its leaves though the Targum of Jonathan renders it branches as do some versions and some think this is to be understood of its putting out its leaves first contrary to the nature of the almond tree and so makes the miracle the greater thus Ben Melech and blossomed blossoms open flowers or blossoms such as appear on the almond tree in the spring and look very beautiful and yielded almonds ripe almonds in their full perfection as the Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan the latter of which isin the same night it perfected and brought forth almondsthe word used has the signification of weaning and alludes to children grown up to some ripeness and maturity Gen_218 the case seems to be this that in one part of the rod were buds swelling and just putting out in another part open flowers quite blown and in others full ripe fruit now this clearly showed it to be supernatural since the almond tree though quick and early in its production of buds and flowers yet never has those and ripe fruit on it at the same time to which may be added that this was not the time of year the almond tree blossoms not the spring but rather autumn as it should seem since it was after the affair of the spies and the murmurs of the people on their report now it was the time of the first ripe grapes when they went into the land and they were forty days searching it and it was after their return the insurrections before recorded were the design of this was to confirm the priesthood in Aarons family and show that it would continue there in a flourishing condition and that there would be a succession of priests from him to the time of the Messiah as there were and the almond tree having its name in Hebrew from watchfulness and haste see Jer_111 may denote the vigilance of the priests in their office and the haste punishment makes to come upon such that should oppose them or usurp the priesthood as in the case of Uzziah so Jarchi remarks this rod of Aarons may be an emblem of the Gospel ministry of that rod that should come out of Zion Psa_1102 which in the eyes of men is mean and despicable like a dry stick but becomes a fruitful one through the power of divine grace and an almond tree rod may denote the vigilance and watchfulness of Gospel ministers over themselves and others and their doctrine and oftentimes whom God puts into the ministry he early calls them by his grace and frequently makes the first part of their ministry most useful and fruit is brought forth which remains moreover this rod may be considered as a type of Christ it being a dry rod or stick may denote the

36

meanness of his descent and appearance in the world and the unpromising aspect of his being the King Messiah and Saviour of men and being an almond tree rod may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time which the Lord hastened his being the firstborn and his right to the priesthood and his vigilance in it its lying among other rods and budding and blossoming and bringing forth fruit may point at Christs assuming the common nature or man his being cut off by death his resurrection from the dead and the fruits arising from thence justification peace pardon and eternal life and as Aarons priesthood was confirmed by the budding ampc of this rod so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are by his resurrection from the dead See Gill on Heb_94HENRY 8-9 Here is I The final determination of the controversy

concerning the priesthood by a miracle Num_178 Num_179 The rods or staves were brought out from the most holy place where they were laid up and publicly produced before the people and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were Aarons rod only of a dry stick became a living branch budded and blossomed and yielded almonds In some places there were buds in others blossoms in others fruit at the same time This was miraculous and took away all suspicion of a fraud as if in the night Moses had taken away Aarons rod and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it for no ordinary branch would have buds blossoms and fruits upon it all at once Now1 This was a plain indication to the people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood and not any other of the princes of the tribes Thus he was distinguished from them and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven which sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor watering by the hand of man Bishop Hall here observes that fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call and that the plants of Gods setting and the boughs cut off from them will flourish See Psa_9212-14 The trees of the Lord though they seem dry trees are full of sap2 It was a very proper sign to represent the priesthood itself which was hereby confirmed to Aaron (1) That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God It produced not only blossoms but almonds for the priesthood was designed not only for an honour to Aaron but for a blessing to Israel Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they should go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit should remain Joh_1516 (2) That there should be a succession of priests Here were not only almonds for the present but buds and blossoms promising more hereafter Thus has Christ provided in his church that a seed should serve him from generation to generation (3) That yet this priesthood should not be perpetual but in process of time like the branches and blossoms of a tree should fail and wither The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age Ecc_125 This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood which soon became old and ready to vanish away Heb_8133 It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood for he is the man the branch that is to be a priest upon his throne as it follows (Zec_612) and he was to grow up before God as this before the ark like a tender

37

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

common walking staff as some think or rather the ensign of their princely office and dignity peculiar to each tribe though some think it was now freshly cut off from an almond tree and that all the rods were of one and the same tree but supposing they were all of the almond kind as Josephus (d) thinks yet being dry rods and of long use served to make the miracle appear the greater of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods this explains who they were to be taken of the princes of the several tribes whose names are given Num_15 and the number of them twelve according to the number of the twelve tribes write thou every mans name upon his rod the name of each prince or head of a tribe either by cutting it into the rod or fastening a writing to it after the manner of those times as for instance the name of Elizur for the tribe of Reuben by which it was to be made and was made to appear that to none of these tribes belonged the priesthood but to the tribe of Levi and to none of that tribe but the family of Aaron whereby it should seem that some of all the tribes made pretensions to it as being all holy and especially the chief firstborn of every tribe as such their princes were

JAMISON 2-5 Speak unto the children of Israel mdash The controversy with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood was of such a nature and magnitude as required a decisive and authoritative settlement For the removal of all doubts and the silencing of all murmuring in the future regarding the holder of the office a miracle was wrought of a remarkable character and permanent duration and in the manner of performing it all the people were made to have a direct and special interest

take of every one princes twelve rods mdash As the princes being the oldest sons of the chief family and heads of their tribes might have advanced the best claims to the priesthood if that sacred dignity was to be shared among all the tribes they were therefore selected and being twelve in number - that of Joseph being counted only one - Moses was ordered to see that the name of each was inscribed - a practice borrowed from the Egyptians - upon his rod or wand of office The name of Aaron rather than of Levi was used as the latter name would have opened a door of controversy among the Levites and as there was to be one rod only for the head of each tribe the express appointment of a rod for Aaron determined him to be the head of that tribe as well as that branch or family of the tribe to which the priestly dignity should belong These rods were to be laid in the tabernacle close to the ark (compare Num_1710 and Heb_94) where a divine token was promised that would for all time terminate the dispute

CALVIN 2Speak unto the children of Israel They are mistaken who suppose that to the twelve rods there was another added for the tribe of Levi (103) for since there was no question here as to the possession of the land there was no occasion at

21

all for the division of the tribe of Joseph into two parts We know too that it was endowed with a double portion because the Levites had no inheritance and in this case the circumstances were different because all the other tribes were contending for the priesthood with the tribe of Levi alone Hence it was then that rods were given to each of them in accordance with the origin of their race But when Aaronrsquos rod is said to have been ldquoin the midst of themrdquo (104) it is in the usual phrase of the Hebrew language because it was mixed with them as one of their number And this is expressly stated to show us that all ground for caviling might be taken from the ungodly since all the rods were east promiscuously into the same bundle so that none should be distinguished above the others and thus nothing could be ascribed to the collusion of men If any should object that by these means the rivalry was not extinguished which the other Levites had with the house of Aaron since his own name alone was inscribed upon the rod so that there would be no comparison between the families I reply that since the power of God manifested itself distinctly in the name of Aaron the rejection of the others was sufficiently shown forth by his election for if this honor had been common to the others God would have defrauded them by giving distinction to him alone Besides no other plan could have been adopted for putting an end to this quarrel for if there had been several rods for one tribe the whole people would have complained of the inequality It was necessary then that all should be brought to the contest on equal terms so that the difference between them might be seen to depend upon Godrsquos good pleasure But if the name of Levi had been inscribed all its families would have claimed the right of succession as if common to them all There was therefore no other course open but that God should prefer to the whole people one individual chosen from amongst the members of his own kindred and tribe COKE Numbers 172 Take of every one of them a rodmdash The minds of a considerable number of the people having been poisoned by the insinuations of Korah and his accomplices against Aaron and his family upon the account of the priesthood God is pleased to add another signal miracle in confirmation of his priests authority accordingly the head of each tribe is ordered to take a rod and bring it before the Lord Some have supposed that these were the ordinary rods or batoons which the princes of the tribes bore while from the 8th verse of this chapter others infer that these were twigs or branches from one and the same almond tree whichever was the case the miracle was sufficiently great to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of ProvidenceBENSON Numbers 172 Take of every one mdash Not of every person but of every tribe A rod mdash A twig or branch from one and the same almond-tree as some infer from Numbers 178 Or according to others the ordinary rods which the princes of the tribes carried in their hands as tokens of their dignity and authority Numbers 2118 And indeed the miracle would appear the greater if neither Aaronrsquos rod nor any of the rest was of the almond-tree But the miracle was sufficiently great either way to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of Providence Every manrsquos name mdash Every princersquos for they being the firstborn and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of

22

their tribes and besides the prince represented all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the question And this place seems to confirm the opinion that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contended with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holyELLICOTT (2) And take of every one of them mdashBetter And take of them a rod for each fatherrsquos houseTwelve rodsmdashSome suppose that Aaronrsquos rod was not included amongst the twelve Others suppose that one rod only was taken for the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh The latter supposition is more accordant with the terms here employed than the former and is supported by Deuteronomy 2712-13 where Joseph stands for the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh and Levi is included amongst the twelve tribesWrite thou every manrsquos name upon his rodmdashThis was in accordance with an Egyptian custom (See Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians III 388) The prophet Ezekiel received a similar injunction (Ezekiel 3716)POOLE Speak unto the children of Israel that I may fully and finally satisfy all their scruples and take away all pretence and cause of murmuringOf every one of them not of every person but of every tribe as it followsA rod either an ordinary walking staff or rather that staff or rod which the princes carried in their hand as tokens of their dignity and authority as may be gathered from Numbers 2118 compared with Psalms 1102 Jeremiah 481617According to the house of their fathers ie according to each family proceeding from the patriarch or father of that tribeEvery manrsquos name ie every princersquos for they being the first-born and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of their tribes and besides each prince represented and acted for all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the whole question And this plate seems to confirm what was before observed that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contested with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holy as they said Numbers 163

WHEDON 2 A rod mdash Each chief prince of the twelve tribes bore a staff or sceptre as the sign of office Such rods were often hereditary and of great antiquity That such dry staves should blossom and bear fruit again is so improbable that the Greeks were accustomed to swear by their sceptres Thus Achilles

23

ldquoBut hearken I will swear a solemn oathBy this sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as oncerdquoWritehellip every manrsquos name mdash To identify beyond dispute the rod of Aaron after the trial The illiteracy of Moses and his generation as alleged by some modern writers is here abundantly confuted Since there were twelve rods including Levirsquos it is evident that the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim are here counted as one tribe mdash that of JosephPETT Numbers 172lsquoSpeak to the children of Israel and take of them rods one for each fathersrsquo house of all their princes according to their fathersrsquo houses twelve rods You write every manrsquos name on his rodrsquoAll the men of Israel were to be involved in this It is possible that Levi were included among lsquothe twelversquo and that Manasseh and Ephraim were for this event treated as one tribe the rods representing the lsquohouseholdsrsquo of the original patriarchal fathers But a rod was taken for each of their fathersrsquo houses and the names of each of the chieftains of those fathersrsquo houses was written on the rods This would suggest in the light of previous references to twelve chieftains that the lsquotwelversquo rods were in contrast with Aaronrsquos rod (Alternately one rod may have represented Joseph including both Ephraim and Manasseh It was Joseph who was to be lsquoa fruitful boughrsquo (Genesis 4922) but not as pertaining to the priesthood)The word for lsquorodsrsquo also indicates lsquotribes and can in fact be used to indicate either Thus the rods symbolised each tribe

PULPIT Numbers 172Take of every one of them a rod Literally take of them a rod a rod ie a rod apiece in the way immediately particularized hsilgnEegaugnaL מטה is used for the staff of Judah (Genesis 3818) and for the rod of Moses (Exodus 42) It is also used in the sense of tribe (Numbers 14 Numbers 116) Each tribe was but a branch or rod out of the stock of Israel and therefore was most naturally represented by the rod cut from the tree lsquoThe words used for scepter in Genesis 4910 and in Psalms 457 and for rod in Isaiah 111 and elsewhere are different but the same imagery underlies the use of all of them Of all their princes hellip twelve rods These princes must be those named in Isaiah 22-21 and Isaiah 25-71 Since among these are to be found the tribe princes of Ephraim and Manasseh standing upon a perfect equality with the rest it is evident that the twelve rods were exclusive

24

of that of Aaron The joining together of Ephraim and Manasseh in Deuteronomy 2712 was a very different thing because it could not raise any question as between the two

3 On the staff of Levi write Aaronrsquos name for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe

BARNES Thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of Levi - The Levites had taken part in the late outbreak It was therefore necessary to vindicate the supremacy of the house of Aaron over them and accordingly his name was written on the rod of Levi although being the son of Kohath the second son of Levi (Exo_616 ff) he would not be the natural head of the tribe

GILL And thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi Or upon the rod that was for the tribe of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written not the word Levi or a Levite as Josephus (e) for that would not have decided the controversy about the priesthood which chiefly lay between the Levites and the family of Aaron who were of the same tribe for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers one rod for the head or prince of every tribe every prince representing his own tribe he was the head of and the rod the prince and though the tribe of Levi was divided into two families the family of the priests and the family of the Levites yet as Jarchi observes they were but one tribe and so one rod for them as for the other tribes

ELLICOTT (3) And thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of LevimdashAaron was descended from the second son of Levi He was not therefore the natural but the divinely-appointed head of his fatherrsquos house and hence it would not have sufficed for the purpose contemplated to have inscribed the name of Levi upon the rod Aaron was constituted the head alike of the priests and of the Levites into which two classes the tribe of Levi was divided

25

BENSON Numbers 173 Aaronrsquos name mdash Rather than Levirsquos for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos family One rod mdash There shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixed

POOLE Aaronrsquos rather than Levirsquos name for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos familyFor the head of the house of their fathers ie there shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixedPETT Numbers 173lsquoAnd you shall write Aaronrsquos name on the rod of Levi for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathersrsquo housesrsquoOn the rod of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written There was to be one for each head of their fathersrsquo houses In the light of the earlier divisions in chapters 1-4 we are probably therefore to see that there were thirteen rods the twelve which represented Israel in contrast with the Levites and the one that specifically represented AaronHere Aaron is depicted as the head of the house of Levi That may well be why earlier he was called lsquothe Levitersquo as the head of the family (Exodus 414)

PULPIT Numbers 173Thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi There was no tribe prince of Levi and it is not probable that either of the three chiefs of the sub-tribes (Numbers 324 Numbers 330 55) was called upon to bring a rod This rod was therefore provided by Moses himself and inscribed by him with the name of Aaron who stood by Divine appointment (so recently and fearfully attested) above all his brethren For the significance of the act cf Ezekiel 3716-28 For one rod hellip for the head of the house of their fathers For Levi therefore there must be not three rods inscribed with the names of the chiefs but one only bearing the name of Aaron as

26

their common superior

4 Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law where I meet with you

GILL And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation In the most holy place before the testimony that is the ark in which the testimony or the law was here they were laid as in the presence of God who was in a miraculous way to decide the controversy by them and put an end to it for upon the ark was the mercy seat over which were the cherubim the seat of the divine Majesty and where none could come at them and where no fraud could be supposed to be committed where I will meet with you not with the people in person who might not go at any time into the most holy place nor with Aaron who only might go into it on the day of atonement but with Moses the chief ruler and representative of the whole body of the people and who might go in there at any time to consult with God about matters of moment and difficulty and where the Lord had said he would meet him Exo_2522 and now would in a miraculous way clearly show him and the people of Israel by him who was the priest he had chosen of all the tribesCALVIN 4And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle The place itself had not a little to do with the effectual decision of the matter because it was clearly manifested that God was the author of the miracle and consequently that the priesthood proceeded from Him For we have elsewhere said that the whole government of the Church so entirely depends upon His decree that men are not permitted to interfere with it Wherefore He set the ark of the covenant in opposition to the voices of the whole people in order to testify that no further dispute was to be raised respecting the priest whom He had appointed by His own declaration and authority At the same time it had the effect of consoling the people and silencing their complaints that the rods of all the tribes were brought in common into the sanctuary before God for although a peculiar dignity was accorded to that of Aaron alone still the people ceased not to be a priestly kingdom Hence it follows that the honorable privilege conferred on one family contributed to the public welfare of all so far was it from being the case that their inferiority ought to have caused them pain or envy

27

POOLE Before the testimony ie before the ark of the testimony either mediately close by the veil behind which the ark stood or rather immediately within the veil in the most holy place close by the ark as may be gathered by comparing this place with Numbers 1710 and with Hebrews 94I will meet with you and manifest my mind to you for the ending of this dispute PETT The Rods Are To Be Laid Up in the Tent of Meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)Numbers 174lsquoAnd you shall lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony where I meet with yoursquoThese were then to be lsquolaid up in the Tent of meeting before the testimonyrsquo in the place where Yahweh meets with His people This probably meant in front of the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh lsquothe testimonyrsquo indicating the presence of the covenant tablets in the Ark and their testimony to the covenant

5 The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelitesrdquo

CLARKE The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossom - It was necessary that something farther should be done to quiet the minds of the people and for ever to settle the dispute in what tribe the priesthood should be fixed God therefore took the method described in the text and it had the desired effect the Aaronical priesthood was never after disputed

GILL And it shall come to pass that the mans rod whom I shall choose Or make it manifest that he had chosen him and so confirm the choice he had made of him and his family for the priesthood to be and continue in

28

shall blossom bud and blossom and yield fruit as it afterwards did which is here declared beforehand that the miracle might appear the greater exactly answering to a prediction delivered out before of it and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel whereby they murmur against you against Moses for setting up his brother as an high priest and establishing the priesthood in his family and against Aaron for accepting of it and officiating in it but by this method now taken God would for ever silence their murmurings so that they should never be able with any face to object any more to the authority of the Aaronic priesthood which should appear by the predicted miracle beyond all dispute and contradictionCALVIN 5And it shall come to pass that the manrsquos rod Aaron indeed had been previously chosen but the expression here refers to his manifestation (105) because God is said again to choose those whom He has chosen by His secret counsel when He brings them forth into the sight of men with their peculiar marks of distinction and this not once only but as often as he confirms their election by new indications And this seems to be spoken of by way of concession as if God would pass over all His former decrees and invite the people afresh to take cognizance of the matter With this view tie states that He will put an end to all the malevolent and noisy detractions of the people so that Aaron may henceforth exercise his office without controversy for although not even thus was their perverseness altogether cured still their insolence was restrained

ELLICOTT (5) The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossommdashOr shall sprout forth or put forthmdashie leaves or blossoms Achilles when enraged against Agamemnon is made to swear a solemn oath by his sceptre which having once left its stock on the mountains shall never again grow King Latinus is represented by Virgil as confirming his covenant with AEligneas by a similar oath

WHEDON 5 Whom I shall choose mdash That is select for the priesthoodCeasehellip murmurings mdash Suppress them beyond all possibility of a revival Jehovahrsquos claims are set forth in his word with such cogency that there is no just ground for gainsaying On all questions of duty there is a redundancy of evidencePETT The Rod of the Chosen One Will Bud and Put an End to Murmuring (Numbers 175)Numbers 175lsquoAnd it will come about that the rod of the man whom I shall choose will bud and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel which they

29

murmur against yoursquoThen Yahweh would make the rod of the man that Yahweh had chosen spring to life and bud This final display on Yahwehrsquos initiative should cause all further murmurings against Moses and Aaron on the question of who had the right of priesthood to cease

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 Aaronrsquos staff was among them

BARNES The whole number of rods was twelve exclusive of Aaronrsquos as the Vulgate expressly states

GILL And Moses spake unto the children of Israel What the Lord had bid him say unto them concerning the rods which they hearkened unto and observed and everyone of their princes gave him a rod apiece for each prince one every prince of the several tribes and so a rod for every tribe as well as for each prince according to their fathers houses even twelve rods there being twelve tribes named after their fathers or the patriarchs the twelve sons of Jacob and Joseph having two tribes which sprung from him called after his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh there were twelve rods besides that of Aaron and so the Vulgate Latin version renders the words with the next clauseand there were twelve rods besides the rod of Aaronin all thirteen though the Jews say there were but twelve with it allowing but one rod for Joseph under whom were comprehended Ephraim and Manasseh and reckoning the tribe of Levi one of the twelve so Aben Ezra observes that the rod of Levi was among the twelve and Joseph had but one rod and the rod of Aaron was among their rods in the middle of them and was

30

so placed as Jarchi thinks that it might not be said because it was put on the side of the Shechinah or divine Majesty therefore it budded but being in the middle of them there could be no difference in that respectJAMISON the rod of Aaron was among their rods mdash either one of the

twelve or as many suppose a thirteenth in the midst (Heb_94) The rods were of dry sticks or wands probably old as transmitted from one head of the family to a succeeding

KampD Num_176-11Moses carried out this command And when he went into the tabernacle the following morning behold Aarons rod of the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth shoots and had borne blossoms and matured almonds And Moses brought all the rods out of the sanctuary and gave every man his own the rest as we may gather from the context being all unchanged so that the whole nation could satisfy itself that God had chosen Aaron Thus was the word fulfilled which Moses had spoken at the commencement of the rebellion of the company of Korah (Num_165) and that in a way which could not fail to accredit him before the whole congregation as sent of GodSo far as the occurrence itself is concerned there can hardly be any need to remark that the natural interpretation which has lately been attempted by Ewald viz that Moses had laid several almond rods in the holy place which had just been freshly cut off that he might see the next day which of them would flower the best during the night is directly at variance with the words of the text and also with the fact that a rod even freshly cut off when laid in a dry place would not bear ripe fruit in a single night The miracle which God wrought here as the Creator of nature was at the same time a significant symbol of the nature and meaning of the priesthood The choice of the rods had also a bearing upon the object in question A mans rod was the sign of his position as ruler in the house and congregation with a prince the rod becomes a sceptre the insignia of rule (Gen_4910) As a severed branch the rod could not put forth shoots and blossom in a natural way But God could impart new vital powers even to the dry rod And so Aaron had naturally no pre-eminence above the heads of the other tribes But the priesthood was founded not upon natural qualifications and gifts but upon the power of the Spirit which God communicates according to the choice of His wisdom and which He had imparted to Aaron through his consecration with holy anointing oil It was this which the Lord intended to show to the people by causing Aarons rod to put forth branches blossom and fruit through a miracle of His omnipotence whereas the rods of the other heads of the tribes remained as barren as before In this way therefore it was not without deep significance that Aarons rod not only put forth shoots by which the divine election might be recognised but bore even blossom and ripe fruit This showed that Aaron was not only qualified for his calling but administered his office in the full power of the Spirit and bore the fruit expected of him The almond rod was especially adapted to exhibit this as

31

an almond-tree flowers and bears fruit the earliest of all the trees and has received its name of שקד ldquoawakerdquo from this very fact (cf Jer_111)

God then commanded (Num_1710 Num_1711) that Aarons rod should be taken back into the sanctuary and preserved before the testimony ldquofor a sign for the rebellious that thou puttest an end to their murmuring and they die notrdquo The preservation of the rod before the ark of the covenant in the immediate presence of the Lord was a pledge to Aaron of the continuance of his election and the permanent duration of his priesthood though we have no need to assume that through a perpetual miracle the staff continued green and blossoming In this way the staff became a sign to the rebellious which could not fail to stop their murmuringPETT All the Chieftains Give Rods Including Aaron (Numbers 176)Numbers 176lsquoAnd Moses spoke to the children of Israel and all their princes gave him rods for each prince one according to their fathersrsquo houses even twelve rods and the rod of Aaron was among their rodsrsquoSo Moses did as Yahweh commanded and requested rods from each of the chieftains of the twelve tribes These rods may well have been their symbols of authority Thus twelve rods were gathered and Aaronrsquos rod was placed among them PULPIT And the rod of Aaron was among the rods As there was no prince from whom this rod could have come and as there were twelve rods without it this must mean that Moses did not keep Aarons rod separate (which might have caused suspicion) but let it be seen amongst the others

7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law

GILL And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness In that part of the tabernacle where the testimony or witness was that is the law which was in the ark over which was the mercy seat with the cherubim between which Jehovah dwelt and this was the most holy place and the rods being laid here might be said to be laid before the Lord who by making a difference in one of those rods from the rest would decide the controversy about the priesthood which was the end of their being laid

32

before himHENRY The preparing of the rods accordingly The princes brought

them in some of them perhaps fondly expecting that the choice would fall upon them and all of them thinking it honour enough to be competitors with Aaron and to stand candidates even for the priesthood (Num_177) and Moses laid them up before the Lord He did not object that the matter was sufficiently settled already and enough done to convince those that were not invincibly hardened in their prejudices He did not undertake to determine the controversy himself though it might easily have been done nor did he suggest that it would be to no purpose to offer satisfaction to a people that were willingly blind But since God will have it so he did his part and lodged the case before the Lord to whom the appeal was made by consent and left it with him

WHEDON 7 Witness mdash The Hebrew is the same as that for testimony in Numbers 174 The reason for choosing this place may have been that no one would suspect the performance of any legerdemain or jugglery in the holy of holies a sanctuary too awful for any man to enter but the high priest one day in the year Moses entered on this occasion by express commandPETT The Rods Are Placed In the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)Numbers 177lsquoAnd Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimonyrsquoThe rods were then laid up lsquobefore Yahwehrsquo in lsquothe Tent of the testimonyrsquo Note the change in name for the Tent Emphasis is placed here on the fact that the Tent testifies to Yahweh and His covenant As we have already suggested this probably meant that they were placed before the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh although it may be that Moses uniquely had access into the Holy of Holies itself

8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaronrsquos staff which represented the tribe of Levi had not only sprouted but had budded blossomed and produced almonds 33

BARNES Yielded almonds - ldquoRipened almondsrdquo i e ldquobrought forth ripe almondsrdquo The name almond in Hebrew denotes the ldquowaking-treerdquo the ldquowaking-fruitrdquo and is applied to this tree because it blossoms early in the season It serves here as in Jer_111-12 to set forth the speed and certainty with which at Godrsquos will His purposes are accomplished So again the blossoming and bearing of Aaronrsquos rod naturally impotent when severed from the parent tree may signify the profitableness because of Godrsquos appointment and blessing of the various means of grace (e g the priesthood the sacraments) which of themselves and apart from Him could have no such efficacy Compare Isa_42 Isa_111 Isa_532 Jer_335 Zec_612

CLARKE The rod of Aaron - was budded etc - That is on the same rod or staff were found buds blossoms and ripe fruit This fact was so unquestionably miraculous as to decide the business for ever and probably this was intended to show that in the priesthood represented by that of Aaron the beginning middle and end of every good work must be found The buds of good desires the blossoms of holy resolutions and promising professions and the ripe fruit of faith love and obedience all spring from the priesthood of the Lord Jesus It has been thought by some that Aaronrsquos staff (and perhaps the staves of all the tribes) was made out of the amygdala communis or common almond tree In a favorable soil and climate it grows to twenty feet in height is one of the most noble flourishing trees in nature its flowers are of a delicate red and it puts them forth early in March having begun to bud in January It has its name שקד shaked from shakad to awake because it buds and flowers sooner than most other trees And it is very likely that the staves of office borne by the chiefs of all the tribes were made of this tree merely to signify that watchfulness and assiduous care which the chiefs should take of the persons committed in the course of the Divine providence to their keeping

Every thing in this miracle is so far beyond the power of nature that no doubt could remain on the minds of the people or the envious chiefs of the Divine appointment of Aaron and of the especial interference of God in this case To see a piece of wood long cut off from the parent stock without bark or moisture remaining laid up in a dry place for a single night with others in the same circumstances - to see such a piece of wood resume and evince the perfection of vegetative life budding blossoming and bringing forth ripe fruit at the same time must be such a demonstration of the peculiar interference of God as to silence every doubt and satisfy every scruple It is worthy of remark that a scepter or staff of office resuming its vegetative life was considered an absolute impossibility among the ancients and as 34

they were accustomed to swear by their sceptres this circumstance was added to establish and confirm the oath A remarkable instance of this we have in Homer Iliad lib i ver 233 etc where Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon thus speaks -Αλλrsquo εκ τοι ερεω και επι μεγαν ὁρκον ομουμαιΝαι μα τοδε σκηπτρον το μεν ουποτε φυλλα και οζουςΦυσει επειδη πρωτα τομην εν ορεσσι λελοιπενΟυδrsquo αναθηλησει περι γαρ ῥα ἑ χαλκος ελεψεΦυλλα τε και φλοιονὁ δε τοι μεγας εσσεται ὁρκοςBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same scepter which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopprsquod off its foliage greenAnd stripprsquod its bark shall never grow againCowper

Virgil represents King Latinus swearing in the same way to confirm his covenant with Aeneas -Ut Sceptrum hoc (dextra sceptrum nam forte gerebat)Nunquam fronde levi fundet virgulta neque umbrasCum semel in silvis imo de stirpe recisumMatre caret posuitque comas et brachia ferroOlim arbos nunc artificis manus aere decoroInclusit patribusque dedit gestare LatinisTalibus inter se firmabant foedera dictisAen lib xii ver 206-12Even as this royal Sceptre (for he boreA scepter in his hand) shall never moreShoot out in branches or renew the birthAn orphan now cut from the mother earthBy the keen axe dishonorrsquod of its hairAnd cased in brass for Latian kings to bearAnd thus in public view the peace was tiedWith solemn vows and sworn on either sideDryden

When the circumstance of the rod or scepter being used anciently in this way and the absolute impossibility of its reviviscence so strongly appealed to is considered it appears to have been a very proper instrument for the present occasion for the change that passed on it must be acknowledged as an immediate and incontestable miracle

35

GILL And it came to pass that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness Where none but he could go at any time this was the day after the rods had been placed there and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi the rod that had Aarons name upon it which was to represent the tribe of Levi of which he was was budded and brought forth buds knobs of blossom such that are seen on trees before they open for the almond tree puts forth its blossoms before its leaves though the Targum of Jonathan renders it branches as do some versions and some think this is to be understood of its putting out its leaves first contrary to the nature of the almond tree and so makes the miracle the greater thus Ben Melech and blossomed blossoms open flowers or blossoms such as appear on the almond tree in the spring and look very beautiful and yielded almonds ripe almonds in their full perfection as the Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan the latter of which isin the same night it perfected and brought forth almondsthe word used has the signification of weaning and alludes to children grown up to some ripeness and maturity Gen_218 the case seems to be this that in one part of the rod were buds swelling and just putting out in another part open flowers quite blown and in others full ripe fruit now this clearly showed it to be supernatural since the almond tree though quick and early in its production of buds and flowers yet never has those and ripe fruit on it at the same time to which may be added that this was not the time of year the almond tree blossoms not the spring but rather autumn as it should seem since it was after the affair of the spies and the murmurs of the people on their report now it was the time of the first ripe grapes when they went into the land and they were forty days searching it and it was after their return the insurrections before recorded were the design of this was to confirm the priesthood in Aarons family and show that it would continue there in a flourishing condition and that there would be a succession of priests from him to the time of the Messiah as there were and the almond tree having its name in Hebrew from watchfulness and haste see Jer_111 may denote the vigilance of the priests in their office and the haste punishment makes to come upon such that should oppose them or usurp the priesthood as in the case of Uzziah so Jarchi remarks this rod of Aarons may be an emblem of the Gospel ministry of that rod that should come out of Zion Psa_1102 which in the eyes of men is mean and despicable like a dry stick but becomes a fruitful one through the power of divine grace and an almond tree rod may denote the vigilance and watchfulness of Gospel ministers over themselves and others and their doctrine and oftentimes whom God puts into the ministry he early calls them by his grace and frequently makes the first part of their ministry most useful and fruit is brought forth which remains moreover this rod may be considered as a type of Christ it being a dry rod or stick may denote the

36

meanness of his descent and appearance in the world and the unpromising aspect of his being the King Messiah and Saviour of men and being an almond tree rod may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time which the Lord hastened his being the firstborn and his right to the priesthood and his vigilance in it its lying among other rods and budding and blossoming and bringing forth fruit may point at Christs assuming the common nature or man his being cut off by death his resurrection from the dead and the fruits arising from thence justification peace pardon and eternal life and as Aarons priesthood was confirmed by the budding ampc of this rod so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are by his resurrection from the dead See Gill on Heb_94HENRY 8-9 Here is I The final determination of the controversy

concerning the priesthood by a miracle Num_178 Num_179 The rods or staves were brought out from the most holy place where they were laid up and publicly produced before the people and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were Aarons rod only of a dry stick became a living branch budded and blossomed and yielded almonds In some places there were buds in others blossoms in others fruit at the same time This was miraculous and took away all suspicion of a fraud as if in the night Moses had taken away Aarons rod and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it for no ordinary branch would have buds blossoms and fruits upon it all at once Now1 This was a plain indication to the people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood and not any other of the princes of the tribes Thus he was distinguished from them and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven which sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor watering by the hand of man Bishop Hall here observes that fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call and that the plants of Gods setting and the boughs cut off from them will flourish See Psa_9212-14 The trees of the Lord though they seem dry trees are full of sap2 It was a very proper sign to represent the priesthood itself which was hereby confirmed to Aaron (1) That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God It produced not only blossoms but almonds for the priesthood was designed not only for an honour to Aaron but for a blessing to Israel Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they should go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit should remain Joh_1516 (2) That there should be a succession of priests Here were not only almonds for the present but buds and blossoms promising more hereafter Thus has Christ provided in his church that a seed should serve him from generation to generation (3) That yet this priesthood should not be perpetual but in process of time like the branches and blossoms of a tree should fail and wither The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age Ecc_125 This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood which soon became old and ready to vanish away Heb_8133 It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood for he is the man the branch that is to be a priest upon his throne as it follows (Zec_612) and he was to grow up before God as this before the ark like a tender

37

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

all for the division of the tribe of Joseph into two parts We know too that it was endowed with a double portion because the Levites had no inheritance and in this case the circumstances were different because all the other tribes were contending for the priesthood with the tribe of Levi alone Hence it was then that rods were given to each of them in accordance with the origin of their race But when Aaronrsquos rod is said to have been ldquoin the midst of themrdquo (104) it is in the usual phrase of the Hebrew language because it was mixed with them as one of their number And this is expressly stated to show us that all ground for caviling might be taken from the ungodly since all the rods were east promiscuously into the same bundle so that none should be distinguished above the others and thus nothing could be ascribed to the collusion of men If any should object that by these means the rivalry was not extinguished which the other Levites had with the house of Aaron since his own name alone was inscribed upon the rod so that there would be no comparison between the families I reply that since the power of God manifested itself distinctly in the name of Aaron the rejection of the others was sufficiently shown forth by his election for if this honor had been common to the others God would have defrauded them by giving distinction to him alone Besides no other plan could have been adopted for putting an end to this quarrel for if there had been several rods for one tribe the whole people would have complained of the inequality It was necessary then that all should be brought to the contest on equal terms so that the difference between them might be seen to depend upon Godrsquos good pleasure But if the name of Levi had been inscribed all its families would have claimed the right of succession as if common to them all There was therefore no other course open but that God should prefer to the whole people one individual chosen from amongst the members of his own kindred and tribe COKE Numbers 172 Take of every one of them a rodmdash The minds of a considerable number of the people having been poisoned by the insinuations of Korah and his accomplices against Aaron and his family upon the account of the priesthood God is pleased to add another signal miracle in confirmation of his priests authority accordingly the head of each tribe is ordered to take a rod and bring it before the Lord Some have supposed that these were the ordinary rods or batoons which the princes of the tribes bore while from the 8th verse of this chapter others infer that these were twigs or branches from one and the same almond tree whichever was the case the miracle was sufficiently great to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of ProvidenceBENSON Numbers 172 Take of every one mdash Not of every person but of every tribe A rod mdash A twig or branch from one and the same almond-tree as some infer from Numbers 178 Or according to others the ordinary rods which the princes of the tribes carried in their hands as tokens of their dignity and authority Numbers 2118 And indeed the miracle would appear the greater if neither Aaronrsquos rod nor any of the rest was of the almond-tree But the miracle was sufficiently great either way to demonstrate the extraordinary interposition of Providence Every manrsquos name mdash Every princersquos for they being the firstborn and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of

22

their tribes and besides the prince represented all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the question And this place seems to confirm the opinion that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contended with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holyELLICOTT (2) And take of every one of them mdashBetter And take of them a rod for each fatherrsquos houseTwelve rodsmdashSome suppose that Aaronrsquos rod was not included amongst the twelve Others suppose that one rod only was taken for the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh The latter supposition is more accordant with the terms here employed than the former and is supported by Deuteronomy 2712-13 where Joseph stands for the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh and Levi is included amongst the twelve tribesWrite thou every manrsquos name upon his rodmdashThis was in accordance with an Egyptian custom (See Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians III 388) The prophet Ezekiel received a similar injunction (Ezekiel 3716)POOLE Speak unto the children of Israel that I may fully and finally satisfy all their scruples and take away all pretence and cause of murmuringOf every one of them not of every person but of every tribe as it followsA rod either an ordinary walking staff or rather that staff or rod which the princes carried in their hand as tokens of their dignity and authority as may be gathered from Numbers 2118 compared with Psalms 1102 Jeremiah 481617According to the house of their fathers ie according to each family proceeding from the patriarch or father of that tribeEvery manrsquos name ie every princersquos for they being the first-born and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of their tribes and besides each prince represented and acted for all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the whole question And this plate seems to confirm what was before observed that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contested with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holy as they said Numbers 163

WHEDON 2 A rod mdash Each chief prince of the twelve tribes bore a staff or sceptre as the sign of office Such rods were often hereditary and of great antiquity That such dry staves should blossom and bear fruit again is so improbable that the Greeks were accustomed to swear by their sceptres Thus Achilles

23

ldquoBut hearken I will swear a solemn oathBy this sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as oncerdquoWritehellip every manrsquos name mdash To identify beyond dispute the rod of Aaron after the trial The illiteracy of Moses and his generation as alleged by some modern writers is here abundantly confuted Since there were twelve rods including Levirsquos it is evident that the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim are here counted as one tribe mdash that of JosephPETT Numbers 172lsquoSpeak to the children of Israel and take of them rods one for each fathersrsquo house of all their princes according to their fathersrsquo houses twelve rods You write every manrsquos name on his rodrsquoAll the men of Israel were to be involved in this It is possible that Levi were included among lsquothe twelversquo and that Manasseh and Ephraim were for this event treated as one tribe the rods representing the lsquohouseholdsrsquo of the original patriarchal fathers But a rod was taken for each of their fathersrsquo houses and the names of each of the chieftains of those fathersrsquo houses was written on the rods This would suggest in the light of previous references to twelve chieftains that the lsquotwelversquo rods were in contrast with Aaronrsquos rod (Alternately one rod may have represented Joseph including both Ephraim and Manasseh It was Joseph who was to be lsquoa fruitful boughrsquo (Genesis 4922) but not as pertaining to the priesthood)The word for lsquorodsrsquo also indicates lsquotribes and can in fact be used to indicate either Thus the rods symbolised each tribe

PULPIT Numbers 172Take of every one of them a rod Literally take of them a rod a rod ie a rod apiece in the way immediately particularized hsilgnEegaugnaL מטה is used for the staff of Judah (Genesis 3818) and for the rod of Moses (Exodus 42) It is also used in the sense of tribe (Numbers 14 Numbers 116) Each tribe was but a branch or rod out of the stock of Israel and therefore was most naturally represented by the rod cut from the tree lsquoThe words used for scepter in Genesis 4910 and in Psalms 457 and for rod in Isaiah 111 and elsewhere are different but the same imagery underlies the use of all of them Of all their princes hellip twelve rods These princes must be those named in Isaiah 22-21 and Isaiah 25-71 Since among these are to be found the tribe princes of Ephraim and Manasseh standing upon a perfect equality with the rest it is evident that the twelve rods were exclusive

24

of that of Aaron The joining together of Ephraim and Manasseh in Deuteronomy 2712 was a very different thing because it could not raise any question as between the two

3 On the staff of Levi write Aaronrsquos name for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe

BARNES Thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of Levi - The Levites had taken part in the late outbreak It was therefore necessary to vindicate the supremacy of the house of Aaron over them and accordingly his name was written on the rod of Levi although being the son of Kohath the second son of Levi (Exo_616 ff) he would not be the natural head of the tribe

GILL And thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi Or upon the rod that was for the tribe of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written not the word Levi or a Levite as Josephus (e) for that would not have decided the controversy about the priesthood which chiefly lay between the Levites and the family of Aaron who were of the same tribe for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers one rod for the head or prince of every tribe every prince representing his own tribe he was the head of and the rod the prince and though the tribe of Levi was divided into two families the family of the priests and the family of the Levites yet as Jarchi observes they were but one tribe and so one rod for them as for the other tribes

ELLICOTT (3) And thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of LevimdashAaron was descended from the second son of Levi He was not therefore the natural but the divinely-appointed head of his fatherrsquos house and hence it would not have sufficed for the purpose contemplated to have inscribed the name of Levi upon the rod Aaron was constituted the head alike of the priests and of the Levites into which two classes the tribe of Levi was divided

25

BENSON Numbers 173 Aaronrsquos name mdash Rather than Levirsquos for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos family One rod mdash There shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixed

POOLE Aaronrsquos rather than Levirsquos name for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos familyFor the head of the house of their fathers ie there shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixedPETT Numbers 173lsquoAnd you shall write Aaronrsquos name on the rod of Levi for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathersrsquo housesrsquoOn the rod of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written There was to be one for each head of their fathersrsquo houses In the light of the earlier divisions in chapters 1-4 we are probably therefore to see that there were thirteen rods the twelve which represented Israel in contrast with the Levites and the one that specifically represented AaronHere Aaron is depicted as the head of the house of Levi That may well be why earlier he was called lsquothe Levitersquo as the head of the family (Exodus 414)

PULPIT Numbers 173Thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi There was no tribe prince of Levi and it is not probable that either of the three chiefs of the sub-tribes (Numbers 324 Numbers 330 55) was called upon to bring a rod This rod was therefore provided by Moses himself and inscribed by him with the name of Aaron who stood by Divine appointment (so recently and fearfully attested) above all his brethren For the significance of the act cf Ezekiel 3716-28 For one rod hellip for the head of the house of their fathers For Levi therefore there must be not three rods inscribed with the names of the chiefs but one only bearing the name of Aaron as

26

their common superior

4 Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law where I meet with you

GILL And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation In the most holy place before the testimony that is the ark in which the testimony or the law was here they were laid as in the presence of God who was in a miraculous way to decide the controversy by them and put an end to it for upon the ark was the mercy seat over which were the cherubim the seat of the divine Majesty and where none could come at them and where no fraud could be supposed to be committed where I will meet with you not with the people in person who might not go at any time into the most holy place nor with Aaron who only might go into it on the day of atonement but with Moses the chief ruler and representative of the whole body of the people and who might go in there at any time to consult with God about matters of moment and difficulty and where the Lord had said he would meet him Exo_2522 and now would in a miraculous way clearly show him and the people of Israel by him who was the priest he had chosen of all the tribesCALVIN 4And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle The place itself had not a little to do with the effectual decision of the matter because it was clearly manifested that God was the author of the miracle and consequently that the priesthood proceeded from Him For we have elsewhere said that the whole government of the Church so entirely depends upon His decree that men are not permitted to interfere with it Wherefore He set the ark of the covenant in opposition to the voices of the whole people in order to testify that no further dispute was to be raised respecting the priest whom He had appointed by His own declaration and authority At the same time it had the effect of consoling the people and silencing their complaints that the rods of all the tribes were brought in common into the sanctuary before God for although a peculiar dignity was accorded to that of Aaron alone still the people ceased not to be a priestly kingdom Hence it follows that the honorable privilege conferred on one family contributed to the public welfare of all so far was it from being the case that their inferiority ought to have caused them pain or envy

27

POOLE Before the testimony ie before the ark of the testimony either mediately close by the veil behind which the ark stood or rather immediately within the veil in the most holy place close by the ark as may be gathered by comparing this place with Numbers 1710 and with Hebrews 94I will meet with you and manifest my mind to you for the ending of this dispute PETT The Rods Are To Be Laid Up in the Tent of Meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)Numbers 174lsquoAnd you shall lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony where I meet with yoursquoThese were then to be lsquolaid up in the Tent of meeting before the testimonyrsquo in the place where Yahweh meets with His people This probably meant in front of the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh lsquothe testimonyrsquo indicating the presence of the covenant tablets in the Ark and their testimony to the covenant

5 The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelitesrdquo

CLARKE The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossom - It was necessary that something farther should be done to quiet the minds of the people and for ever to settle the dispute in what tribe the priesthood should be fixed God therefore took the method described in the text and it had the desired effect the Aaronical priesthood was never after disputed

GILL And it shall come to pass that the mans rod whom I shall choose Or make it manifest that he had chosen him and so confirm the choice he had made of him and his family for the priesthood to be and continue in

28

shall blossom bud and blossom and yield fruit as it afterwards did which is here declared beforehand that the miracle might appear the greater exactly answering to a prediction delivered out before of it and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel whereby they murmur against you against Moses for setting up his brother as an high priest and establishing the priesthood in his family and against Aaron for accepting of it and officiating in it but by this method now taken God would for ever silence their murmurings so that they should never be able with any face to object any more to the authority of the Aaronic priesthood which should appear by the predicted miracle beyond all dispute and contradictionCALVIN 5And it shall come to pass that the manrsquos rod Aaron indeed had been previously chosen but the expression here refers to his manifestation (105) because God is said again to choose those whom He has chosen by His secret counsel when He brings them forth into the sight of men with their peculiar marks of distinction and this not once only but as often as he confirms their election by new indications And this seems to be spoken of by way of concession as if God would pass over all His former decrees and invite the people afresh to take cognizance of the matter With this view tie states that He will put an end to all the malevolent and noisy detractions of the people so that Aaron may henceforth exercise his office without controversy for although not even thus was their perverseness altogether cured still their insolence was restrained

ELLICOTT (5) The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossommdashOr shall sprout forth or put forthmdashie leaves or blossoms Achilles when enraged against Agamemnon is made to swear a solemn oath by his sceptre which having once left its stock on the mountains shall never again grow King Latinus is represented by Virgil as confirming his covenant with AEligneas by a similar oath

WHEDON 5 Whom I shall choose mdash That is select for the priesthoodCeasehellip murmurings mdash Suppress them beyond all possibility of a revival Jehovahrsquos claims are set forth in his word with such cogency that there is no just ground for gainsaying On all questions of duty there is a redundancy of evidencePETT The Rod of the Chosen One Will Bud and Put an End to Murmuring (Numbers 175)Numbers 175lsquoAnd it will come about that the rod of the man whom I shall choose will bud and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel which they

29

murmur against yoursquoThen Yahweh would make the rod of the man that Yahweh had chosen spring to life and bud This final display on Yahwehrsquos initiative should cause all further murmurings against Moses and Aaron on the question of who had the right of priesthood to cease

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 Aaronrsquos staff was among them

BARNES The whole number of rods was twelve exclusive of Aaronrsquos as the Vulgate expressly states

GILL And Moses spake unto the children of Israel What the Lord had bid him say unto them concerning the rods which they hearkened unto and observed and everyone of their princes gave him a rod apiece for each prince one every prince of the several tribes and so a rod for every tribe as well as for each prince according to their fathers houses even twelve rods there being twelve tribes named after their fathers or the patriarchs the twelve sons of Jacob and Joseph having two tribes which sprung from him called after his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh there were twelve rods besides that of Aaron and so the Vulgate Latin version renders the words with the next clauseand there were twelve rods besides the rod of Aaronin all thirteen though the Jews say there were but twelve with it allowing but one rod for Joseph under whom were comprehended Ephraim and Manasseh and reckoning the tribe of Levi one of the twelve so Aben Ezra observes that the rod of Levi was among the twelve and Joseph had but one rod and the rod of Aaron was among their rods in the middle of them and was

30

so placed as Jarchi thinks that it might not be said because it was put on the side of the Shechinah or divine Majesty therefore it budded but being in the middle of them there could be no difference in that respectJAMISON the rod of Aaron was among their rods mdash either one of the

twelve or as many suppose a thirteenth in the midst (Heb_94) The rods were of dry sticks or wands probably old as transmitted from one head of the family to a succeeding

KampD Num_176-11Moses carried out this command And when he went into the tabernacle the following morning behold Aarons rod of the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth shoots and had borne blossoms and matured almonds And Moses brought all the rods out of the sanctuary and gave every man his own the rest as we may gather from the context being all unchanged so that the whole nation could satisfy itself that God had chosen Aaron Thus was the word fulfilled which Moses had spoken at the commencement of the rebellion of the company of Korah (Num_165) and that in a way which could not fail to accredit him before the whole congregation as sent of GodSo far as the occurrence itself is concerned there can hardly be any need to remark that the natural interpretation which has lately been attempted by Ewald viz that Moses had laid several almond rods in the holy place which had just been freshly cut off that he might see the next day which of them would flower the best during the night is directly at variance with the words of the text and also with the fact that a rod even freshly cut off when laid in a dry place would not bear ripe fruit in a single night The miracle which God wrought here as the Creator of nature was at the same time a significant symbol of the nature and meaning of the priesthood The choice of the rods had also a bearing upon the object in question A mans rod was the sign of his position as ruler in the house and congregation with a prince the rod becomes a sceptre the insignia of rule (Gen_4910) As a severed branch the rod could not put forth shoots and blossom in a natural way But God could impart new vital powers even to the dry rod And so Aaron had naturally no pre-eminence above the heads of the other tribes But the priesthood was founded not upon natural qualifications and gifts but upon the power of the Spirit which God communicates according to the choice of His wisdom and which He had imparted to Aaron through his consecration with holy anointing oil It was this which the Lord intended to show to the people by causing Aarons rod to put forth branches blossom and fruit through a miracle of His omnipotence whereas the rods of the other heads of the tribes remained as barren as before In this way therefore it was not without deep significance that Aarons rod not only put forth shoots by which the divine election might be recognised but bore even blossom and ripe fruit This showed that Aaron was not only qualified for his calling but administered his office in the full power of the Spirit and bore the fruit expected of him The almond rod was especially adapted to exhibit this as

31

an almond-tree flowers and bears fruit the earliest of all the trees and has received its name of שקד ldquoawakerdquo from this very fact (cf Jer_111)

God then commanded (Num_1710 Num_1711) that Aarons rod should be taken back into the sanctuary and preserved before the testimony ldquofor a sign for the rebellious that thou puttest an end to their murmuring and they die notrdquo The preservation of the rod before the ark of the covenant in the immediate presence of the Lord was a pledge to Aaron of the continuance of his election and the permanent duration of his priesthood though we have no need to assume that through a perpetual miracle the staff continued green and blossoming In this way the staff became a sign to the rebellious which could not fail to stop their murmuringPETT All the Chieftains Give Rods Including Aaron (Numbers 176)Numbers 176lsquoAnd Moses spoke to the children of Israel and all their princes gave him rods for each prince one according to their fathersrsquo houses even twelve rods and the rod of Aaron was among their rodsrsquoSo Moses did as Yahweh commanded and requested rods from each of the chieftains of the twelve tribes These rods may well have been their symbols of authority Thus twelve rods were gathered and Aaronrsquos rod was placed among them PULPIT And the rod of Aaron was among the rods As there was no prince from whom this rod could have come and as there were twelve rods without it this must mean that Moses did not keep Aarons rod separate (which might have caused suspicion) but let it be seen amongst the others

7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law

GILL And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness In that part of the tabernacle where the testimony or witness was that is the law which was in the ark over which was the mercy seat with the cherubim between which Jehovah dwelt and this was the most holy place and the rods being laid here might be said to be laid before the Lord who by making a difference in one of those rods from the rest would decide the controversy about the priesthood which was the end of their being laid

32

before himHENRY The preparing of the rods accordingly The princes brought

them in some of them perhaps fondly expecting that the choice would fall upon them and all of them thinking it honour enough to be competitors with Aaron and to stand candidates even for the priesthood (Num_177) and Moses laid them up before the Lord He did not object that the matter was sufficiently settled already and enough done to convince those that were not invincibly hardened in their prejudices He did not undertake to determine the controversy himself though it might easily have been done nor did he suggest that it would be to no purpose to offer satisfaction to a people that were willingly blind But since God will have it so he did his part and lodged the case before the Lord to whom the appeal was made by consent and left it with him

WHEDON 7 Witness mdash The Hebrew is the same as that for testimony in Numbers 174 The reason for choosing this place may have been that no one would suspect the performance of any legerdemain or jugglery in the holy of holies a sanctuary too awful for any man to enter but the high priest one day in the year Moses entered on this occasion by express commandPETT The Rods Are Placed In the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)Numbers 177lsquoAnd Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimonyrsquoThe rods were then laid up lsquobefore Yahwehrsquo in lsquothe Tent of the testimonyrsquo Note the change in name for the Tent Emphasis is placed here on the fact that the Tent testifies to Yahweh and His covenant As we have already suggested this probably meant that they were placed before the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh although it may be that Moses uniquely had access into the Holy of Holies itself

8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaronrsquos staff which represented the tribe of Levi had not only sprouted but had budded blossomed and produced almonds 33

BARNES Yielded almonds - ldquoRipened almondsrdquo i e ldquobrought forth ripe almondsrdquo The name almond in Hebrew denotes the ldquowaking-treerdquo the ldquowaking-fruitrdquo and is applied to this tree because it blossoms early in the season It serves here as in Jer_111-12 to set forth the speed and certainty with which at Godrsquos will His purposes are accomplished So again the blossoming and bearing of Aaronrsquos rod naturally impotent when severed from the parent tree may signify the profitableness because of Godrsquos appointment and blessing of the various means of grace (e g the priesthood the sacraments) which of themselves and apart from Him could have no such efficacy Compare Isa_42 Isa_111 Isa_532 Jer_335 Zec_612

CLARKE The rod of Aaron - was budded etc - That is on the same rod or staff were found buds blossoms and ripe fruit This fact was so unquestionably miraculous as to decide the business for ever and probably this was intended to show that in the priesthood represented by that of Aaron the beginning middle and end of every good work must be found The buds of good desires the blossoms of holy resolutions and promising professions and the ripe fruit of faith love and obedience all spring from the priesthood of the Lord Jesus It has been thought by some that Aaronrsquos staff (and perhaps the staves of all the tribes) was made out of the amygdala communis or common almond tree In a favorable soil and climate it grows to twenty feet in height is one of the most noble flourishing trees in nature its flowers are of a delicate red and it puts them forth early in March having begun to bud in January It has its name שקד shaked from shakad to awake because it buds and flowers sooner than most other trees And it is very likely that the staves of office borne by the chiefs of all the tribes were made of this tree merely to signify that watchfulness and assiduous care which the chiefs should take of the persons committed in the course of the Divine providence to their keeping

Every thing in this miracle is so far beyond the power of nature that no doubt could remain on the minds of the people or the envious chiefs of the Divine appointment of Aaron and of the especial interference of God in this case To see a piece of wood long cut off from the parent stock without bark or moisture remaining laid up in a dry place for a single night with others in the same circumstances - to see such a piece of wood resume and evince the perfection of vegetative life budding blossoming and bringing forth ripe fruit at the same time must be such a demonstration of the peculiar interference of God as to silence every doubt and satisfy every scruple It is worthy of remark that a scepter or staff of office resuming its vegetative life was considered an absolute impossibility among the ancients and as 34

they were accustomed to swear by their sceptres this circumstance was added to establish and confirm the oath A remarkable instance of this we have in Homer Iliad lib i ver 233 etc where Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon thus speaks -Αλλrsquo εκ τοι ερεω και επι μεγαν ὁρκον ομουμαιΝαι μα τοδε σκηπτρον το μεν ουποτε φυλλα και οζουςΦυσει επειδη πρωτα τομην εν ορεσσι λελοιπενΟυδrsquo αναθηλησει περι γαρ ῥα ἑ χαλκος ελεψεΦυλλα τε και φλοιονὁ δε τοι μεγας εσσεται ὁρκοςBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same scepter which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopprsquod off its foliage greenAnd stripprsquod its bark shall never grow againCowper

Virgil represents King Latinus swearing in the same way to confirm his covenant with Aeneas -Ut Sceptrum hoc (dextra sceptrum nam forte gerebat)Nunquam fronde levi fundet virgulta neque umbrasCum semel in silvis imo de stirpe recisumMatre caret posuitque comas et brachia ferroOlim arbos nunc artificis manus aere decoroInclusit patribusque dedit gestare LatinisTalibus inter se firmabant foedera dictisAen lib xii ver 206-12Even as this royal Sceptre (for he boreA scepter in his hand) shall never moreShoot out in branches or renew the birthAn orphan now cut from the mother earthBy the keen axe dishonorrsquod of its hairAnd cased in brass for Latian kings to bearAnd thus in public view the peace was tiedWith solemn vows and sworn on either sideDryden

When the circumstance of the rod or scepter being used anciently in this way and the absolute impossibility of its reviviscence so strongly appealed to is considered it appears to have been a very proper instrument for the present occasion for the change that passed on it must be acknowledged as an immediate and incontestable miracle

35

GILL And it came to pass that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness Where none but he could go at any time this was the day after the rods had been placed there and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi the rod that had Aarons name upon it which was to represent the tribe of Levi of which he was was budded and brought forth buds knobs of blossom such that are seen on trees before they open for the almond tree puts forth its blossoms before its leaves though the Targum of Jonathan renders it branches as do some versions and some think this is to be understood of its putting out its leaves first contrary to the nature of the almond tree and so makes the miracle the greater thus Ben Melech and blossomed blossoms open flowers or blossoms such as appear on the almond tree in the spring and look very beautiful and yielded almonds ripe almonds in their full perfection as the Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan the latter of which isin the same night it perfected and brought forth almondsthe word used has the signification of weaning and alludes to children grown up to some ripeness and maturity Gen_218 the case seems to be this that in one part of the rod were buds swelling and just putting out in another part open flowers quite blown and in others full ripe fruit now this clearly showed it to be supernatural since the almond tree though quick and early in its production of buds and flowers yet never has those and ripe fruit on it at the same time to which may be added that this was not the time of year the almond tree blossoms not the spring but rather autumn as it should seem since it was after the affair of the spies and the murmurs of the people on their report now it was the time of the first ripe grapes when they went into the land and they were forty days searching it and it was after their return the insurrections before recorded were the design of this was to confirm the priesthood in Aarons family and show that it would continue there in a flourishing condition and that there would be a succession of priests from him to the time of the Messiah as there were and the almond tree having its name in Hebrew from watchfulness and haste see Jer_111 may denote the vigilance of the priests in their office and the haste punishment makes to come upon such that should oppose them or usurp the priesthood as in the case of Uzziah so Jarchi remarks this rod of Aarons may be an emblem of the Gospel ministry of that rod that should come out of Zion Psa_1102 which in the eyes of men is mean and despicable like a dry stick but becomes a fruitful one through the power of divine grace and an almond tree rod may denote the vigilance and watchfulness of Gospel ministers over themselves and others and their doctrine and oftentimes whom God puts into the ministry he early calls them by his grace and frequently makes the first part of their ministry most useful and fruit is brought forth which remains moreover this rod may be considered as a type of Christ it being a dry rod or stick may denote the

36

meanness of his descent and appearance in the world and the unpromising aspect of his being the King Messiah and Saviour of men and being an almond tree rod may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time which the Lord hastened his being the firstborn and his right to the priesthood and his vigilance in it its lying among other rods and budding and blossoming and bringing forth fruit may point at Christs assuming the common nature or man his being cut off by death his resurrection from the dead and the fruits arising from thence justification peace pardon and eternal life and as Aarons priesthood was confirmed by the budding ampc of this rod so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are by his resurrection from the dead See Gill on Heb_94HENRY 8-9 Here is I The final determination of the controversy

concerning the priesthood by a miracle Num_178 Num_179 The rods or staves were brought out from the most holy place where they were laid up and publicly produced before the people and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were Aarons rod only of a dry stick became a living branch budded and blossomed and yielded almonds In some places there were buds in others blossoms in others fruit at the same time This was miraculous and took away all suspicion of a fraud as if in the night Moses had taken away Aarons rod and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it for no ordinary branch would have buds blossoms and fruits upon it all at once Now1 This was a plain indication to the people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood and not any other of the princes of the tribes Thus he was distinguished from them and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven which sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor watering by the hand of man Bishop Hall here observes that fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call and that the plants of Gods setting and the boughs cut off from them will flourish See Psa_9212-14 The trees of the Lord though they seem dry trees are full of sap2 It was a very proper sign to represent the priesthood itself which was hereby confirmed to Aaron (1) That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God It produced not only blossoms but almonds for the priesthood was designed not only for an honour to Aaron but for a blessing to Israel Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they should go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit should remain Joh_1516 (2) That there should be a succession of priests Here were not only almonds for the present but buds and blossoms promising more hereafter Thus has Christ provided in his church that a seed should serve him from generation to generation (3) That yet this priesthood should not be perpetual but in process of time like the branches and blossoms of a tree should fail and wither The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age Ecc_125 This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood which soon became old and ready to vanish away Heb_8133 It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood for he is the man the branch that is to be a priest upon his throne as it follows (Zec_612) and he was to grow up before God as this before the ark like a tender

37

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

their tribes and besides the prince represented all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the question And this place seems to confirm the opinion that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contended with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holyELLICOTT (2) And take of every one of them mdashBetter And take of them a rod for each fatherrsquos houseTwelve rodsmdashSome suppose that Aaronrsquos rod was not included amongst the twelve Others suppose that one rod only was taken for the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh The latter supposition is more accordant with the terms here employed than the former and is supported by Deuteronomy 2712-13 where Joseph stands for the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh and Levi is included amongst the twelve tribesWrite thou every manrsquos name upon his rodmdashThis was in accordance with an Egyptian custom (See Wilkinsonrsquos Ancient Egyptians III 388) The prophet Ezekiel received a similar injunction (Ezekiel 3716)POOLE Speak unto the children of Israel that I may fully and finally satisfy all their scruples and take away all pretence and cause of murmuringOf every one of them not of every person but of every tribe as it followsA rod either an ordinary walking staff or rather that staff or rod which the princes carried in their hand as tokens of their dignity and authority as may be gathered from Numbers 2118 compared with Psalms 1102 Jeremiah 481617According to the house of their fathers ie according to each family proceeding from the patriarch or father of that tribeEvery manrsquos name ie every princersquos for they being the first-born and the chief of their tribes might above all others pretend to the priesthood if it was communicable to any of their tribes and besides each prince represented and acted for all his tribe so that this was a full decision of the whole question And this plate seems to confirm what was before observed that not only Korah and the Levites but also those of other tribes contested with Moses and Aaron about the priesthood as that which belonged to all the congregation they being all holy as they said Numbers 163

WHEDON 2 A rod mdash Each chief prince of the twelve tribes bore a staff or sceptre as the sign of office Such rods were often hereditary and of great antiquity That such dry staves should blossom and bear fruit again is so improbable that the Greeks were accustomed to swear by their sceptres Thus Achilles

23

ldquoBut hearken I will swear a solemn oathBy this sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as oncerdquoWritehellip every manrsquos name mdash To identify beyond dispute the rod of Aaron after the trial The illiteracy of Moses and his generation as alleged by some modern writers is here abundantly confuted Since there were twelve rods including Levirsquos it is evident that the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim are here counted as one tribe mdash that of JosephPETT Numbers 172lsquoSpeak to the children of Israel and take of them rods one for each fathersrsquo house of all their princes according to their fathersrsquo houses twelve rods You write every manrsquos name on his rodrsquoAll the men of Israel were to be involved in this It is possible that Levi were included among lsquothe twelversquo and that Manasseh and Ephraim were for this event treated as one tribe the rods representing the lsquohouseholdsrsquo of the original patriarchal fathers But a rod was taken for each of their fathersrsquo houses and the names of each of the chieftains of those fathersrsquo houses was written on the rods This would suggest in the light of previous references to twelve chieftains that the lsquotwelversquo rods were in contrast with Aaronrsquos rod (Alternately one rod may have represented Joseph including both Ephraim and Manasseh It was Joseph who was to be lsquoa fruitful boughrsquo (Genesis 4922) but not as pertaining to the priesthood)The word for lsquorodsrsquo also indicates lsquotribes and can in fact be used to indicate either Thus the rods symbolised each tribe

PULPIT Numbers 172Take of every one of them a rod Literally take of them a rod a rod ie a rod apiece in the way immediately particularized hsilgnEegaugnaL מטה is used for the staff of Judah (Genesis 3818) and for the rod of Moses (Exodus 42) It is also used in the sense of tribe (Numbers 14 Numbers 116) Each tribe was but a branch or rod out of the stock of Israel and therefore was most naturally represented by the rod cut from the tree lsquoThe words used for scepter in Genesis 4910 and in Psalms 457 and for rod in Isaiah 111 and elsewhere are different but the same imagery underlies the use of all of them Of all their princes hellip twelve rods These princes must be those named in Isaiah 22-21 and Isaiah 25-71 Since among these are to be found the tribe princes of Ephraim and Manasseh standing upon a perfect equality with the rest it is evident that the twelve rods were exclusive

24

of that of Aaron The joining together of Ephraim and Manasseh in Deuteronomy 2712 was a very different thing because it could not raise any question as between the two

3 On the staff of Levi write Aaronrsquos name for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe

BARNES Thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of Levi - The Levites had taken part in the late outbreak It was therefore necessary to vindicate the supremacy of the house of Aaron over them and accordingly his name was written on the rod of Levi although being the son of Kohath the second son of Levi (Exo_616 ff) he would not be the natural head of the tribe

GILL And thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi Or upon the rod that was for the tribe of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written not the word Levi or a Levite as Josephus (e) for that would not have decided the controversy about the priesthood which chiefly lay between the Levites and the family of Aaron who were of the same tribe for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers one rod for the head or prince of every tribe every prince representing his own tribe he was the head of and the rod the prince and though the tribe of Levi was divided into two families the family of the priests and the family of the Levites yet as Jarchi observes they were but one tribe and so one rod for them as for the other tribes

ELLICOTT (3) And thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of LevimdashAaron was descended from the second son of Levi He was not therefore the natural but the divinely-appointed head of his fatherrsquos house and hence it would not have sufficed for the purpose contemplated to have inscribed the name of Levi upon the rod Aaron was constituted the head alike of the priests and of the Levites into which two classes the tribe of Levi was divided

25

BENSON Numbers 173 Aaronrsquos name mdash Rather than Levirsquos for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos family One rod mdash There shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixed

POOLE Aaronrsquos rather than Levirsquos name for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos familyFor the head of the house of their fathers ie there shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixedPETT Numbers 173lsquoAnd you shall write Aaronrsquos name on the rod of Levi for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathersrsquo housesrsquoOn the rod of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written There was to be one for each head of their fathersrsquo houses In the light of the earlier divisions in chapters 1-4 we are probably therefore to see that there were thirteen rods the twelve which represented Israel in contrast with the Levites and the one that specifically represented AaronHere Aaron is depicted as the head of the house of Levi That may well be why earlier he was called lsquothe Levitersquo as the head of the family (Exodus 414)

PULPIT Numbers 173Thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi There was no tribe prince of Levi and it is not probable that either of the three chiefs of the sub-tribes (Numbers 324 Numbers 330 55) was called upon to bring a rod This rod was therefore provided by Moses himself and inscribed by him with the name of Aaron who stood by Divine appointment (so recently and fearfully attested) above all his brethren For the significance of the act cf Ezekiel 3716-28 For one rod hellip for the head of the house of their fathers For Levi therefore there must be not three rods inscribed with the names of the chiefs but one only bearing the name of Aaron as

26

their common superior

4 Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law where I meet with you

GILL And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation In the most holy place before the testimony that is the ark in which the testimony or the law was here they were laid as in the presence of God who was in a miraculous way to decide the controversy by them and put an end to it for upon the ark was the mercy seat over which were the cherubim the seat of the divine Majesty and where none could come at them and where no fraud could be supposed to be committed where I will meet with you not with the people in person who might not go at any time into the most holy place nor with Aaron who only might go into it on the day of atonement but with Moses the chief ruler and representative of the whole body of the people and who might go in there at any time to consult with God about matters of moment and difficulty and where the Lord had said he would meet him Exo_2522 and now would in a miraculous way clearly show him and the people of Israel by him who was the priest he had chosen of all the tribesCALVIN 4And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle The place itself had not a little to do with the effectual decision of the matter because it was clearly manifested that God was the author of the miracle and consequently that the priesthood proceeded from Him For we have elsewhere said that the whole government of the Church so entirely depends upon His decree that men are not permitted to interfere with it Wherefore He set the ark of the covenant in opposition to the voices of the whole people in order to testify that no further dispute was to be raised respecting the priest whom He had appointed by His own declaration and authority At the same time it had the effect of consoling the people and silencing their complaints that the rods of all the tribes were brought in common into the sanctuary before God for although a peculiar dignity was accorded to that of Aaron alone still the people ceased not to be a priestly kingdom Hence it follows that the honorable privilege conferred on one family contributed to the public welfare of all so far was it from being the case that their inferiority ought to have caused them pain or envy

27

POOLE Before the testimony ie before the ark of the testimony either mediately close by the veil behind which the ark stood or rather immediately within the veil in the most holy place close by the ark as may be gathered by comparing this place with Numbers 1710 and with Hebrews 94I will meet with you and manifest my mind to you for the ending of this dispute PETT The Rods Are To Be Laid Up in the Tent of Meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)Numbers 174lsquoAnd you shall lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony where I meet with yoursquoThese were then to be lsquolaid up in the Tent of meeting before the testimonyrsquo in the place where Yahweh meets with His people This probably meant in front of the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh lsquothe testimonyrsquo indicating the presence of the covenant tablets in the Ark and their testimony to the covenant

5 The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelitesrdquo

CLARKE The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossom - It was necessary that something farther should be done to quiet the minds of the people and for ever to settle the dispute in what tribe the priesthood should be fixed God therefore took the method described in the text and it had the desired effect the Aaronical priesthood was never after disputed

GILL And it shall come to pass that the mans rod whom I shall choose Or make it manifest that he had chosen him and so confirm the choice he had made of him and his family for the priesthood to be and continue in

28

shall blossom bud and blossom and yield fruit as it afterwards did which is here declared beforehand that the miracle might appear the greater exactly answering to a prediction delivered out before of it and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel whereby they murmur against you against Moses for setting up his brother as an high priest and establishing the priesthood in his family and against Aaron for accepting of it and officiating in it but by this method now taken God would for ever silence their murmurings so that they should never be able with any face to object any more to the authority of the Aaronic priesthood which should appear by the predicted miracle beyond all dispute and contradictionCALVIN 5And it shall come to pass that the manrsquos rod Aaron indeed had been previously chosen but the expression here refers to his manifestation (105) because God is said again to choose those whom He has chosen by His secret counsel when He brings them forth into the sight of men with their peculiar marks of distinction and this not once only but as often as he confirms their election by new indications And this seems to be spoken of by way of concession as if God would pass over all His former decrees and invite the people afresh to take cognizance of the matter With this view tie states that He will put an end to all the malevolent and noisy detractions of the people so that Aaron may henceforth exercise his office without controversy for although not even thus was their perverseness altogether cured still their insolence was restrained

ELLICOTT (5) The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossommdashOr shall sprout forth or put forthmdashie leaves or blossoms Achilles when enraged against Agamemnon is made to swear a solemn oath by his sceptre which having once left its stock on the mountains shall never again grow King Latinus is represented by Virgil as confirming his covenant with AEligneas by a similar oath

WHEDON 5 Whom I shall choose mdash That is select for the priesthoodCeasehellip murmurings mdash Suppress them beyond all possibility of a revival Jehovahrsquos claims are set forth in his word with such cogency that there is no just ground for gainsaying On all questions of duty there is a redundancy of evidencePETT The Rod of the Chosen One Will Bud and Put an End to Murmuring (Numbers 175)Numbers 175lsquoAnd it will come about that the rod of the man whom I shall choose will bud and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel which they

29

murmur against yoursquoThen Yahweh would make the rod of the man that Yahweh had chosen spring to life and bud This final display on Yahwehrsquos initiative should cause all further murmurings against Moses and Aaron on the question of who had the right of priesthood to cease

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 Aaronrsquos staff was among them

BARNES The whole number of rods was twelve exclusive of Aaronrsquos as the Vulgate expressly states

GILL And Moses spake unto the children of Israel What the Lord had bid him say unto them concerning the rods which they hearkened unto and observed and everyone of their princes gave him a rod apiece for each prince one every prince of the several tribes and so a rod for every tribe as well as for each prince according to their fathers houses even twelve rods there being twelve tribes named after their fathers or the patriarchs the twelve sons of Jacob and Joseph having two tribes which sprung from him called after his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh there were twelve rods besides that of Aaron and so the Vulgate Latin version renders the words with the next clauseand there were twelve rods besides the rod of Aaronin all thirteen though the Jews say there were but twelve with it allowing but one rod for Joseph under whom were comprehended Ephraim and Manasseh and reckoning the tribe of Levi one of the twelve so Aben Ezra observes that the rod of Levi was among the twelve and Joseph had but one rod and the rod of Aaron was among their rods in the middle of them and was

30

so placed as Jarchi thinks that it might not be said because it was put on the side of the Shechinah or divine Majesty therefore it budded but being in the middle of them there could be no difference in that respectJAMISON the rod of Aaron was among their rods mdash either one of the

twelve or as many suppose a thirteenth in the midst (Heb_94) The rods were of dry sticks or wands probably old as transmitted from one head of the family to a succeeding

KampD Num_176-11Moses carried out this command And when he went into the tabernacle the following morning behold Aarons rod of the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth shoots and had borne blossoms and matured almonds And Moses brought all the rods out of the sanctuary and gave every man his own the rest as we may gather from the context being all unchanged so that the whole nation could satisfy itself that God had chosen Aaron Thus was the word fulfilled which Moses had spoken at the commencement of the rebellion of the company of Korah (Num_165) and that in a way which could not fail to accredit him before the whole congregation as sent of GodSo far as the occurrence itself is concerned there can hardly be any need to remark that the natural interpretation which has lately been attempted by Ewald viz that Moses had laid several almond rods in the holy place which had just been freshly cut off that he might see the next day which of them would flower the best during the night is directly at variance with the words of the text and also with the fact that a rod even freshly cut off when laid in a dry place would not bear ripe fruit in a single night The miracle which God wrought here as the Creator of nature was at the same time a significant symbol of the nature and meaning of the priesthood The choice of the rods had also a bearing upon the object in question A mans rod was the sign of his position as ruler in the house and congregation with a prince the rod becomes a sceptre the insignia of rule (Gen_4910) As a severed branch the rod could not put forth shoots and blossom in a natural way But God could impart new vital powers even to the dry rod And so Aaron had naturally no pre-eminence above the heads of the other tribes But the priesthood was founded not upon natural qualifications and gifts but upon the power of the Spirit which God communicates according to the choice of His wisdom and which He had imparted to Aaron through his consecration with holy anointing oil It was this which the Lord intended to show to the people by causing Aarons rod to put forth branches blossom and fruit through a miracle of His omnipotence whereas the rods of the other heads of the tribes remained as barren as before In this way therefore it was not without deep significance that Aarons rod not only put forth shoots by which the divine election might be recognised but bore even blossom and ripe fruit This showed that Aaron was not only qualified for his calling but administered his office in the full power of the Spirit and bore the fruit expected of him The almond rod was especially adapted to exhibit this as

31

an almond-tree flowers and bears fruit the earliest of all the trees and has received its name of שקד ldquoawakerdquo from this very fact (cf Jer_111)

God then commanded (Num_1710 Num_1711) that Aarons rod should be taken back into the sanctuary and preserved before the testimony ldquofor a sign for the rebellious that thou puttest an end to their murmuring and they die notrdquo The preservation of the rod before the ark of the covenant in the immediate presence of the Lord was a pledge to Aaron of the continuance of his election and the permanent duration of his priesthood though we have no need to assume that through a perpetual miracle the staff continued green and blossoming In this way the staff became a sign to the rebellious which could not fail to stop their murmuringPETT All the Chieftains Give Rods Including Aaron (Numbers 176)Numbers 176lsquoAnd Moses spoke to the children of Israel and all their princes gave him rods for each prince one according to their fathersrsquo houses even twelve rods and the rod of Aaron was among their rodsrsquoSo Moses did as Yahweh commanded and requested rods from each of the chieftains of the twelve tribes These rods may well have been their symbols of authority Thus twelve rods were gathered and Aaronrsquos rod was placed among them PULPIT And the rod of Aaron was among the rods As there was no prince from whom this rod could have come and as there were twelve rods without it this must mean that Moses did not keep Aarons rod separate (which might have caused suspicion) but let it be seen amongst the others

7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law

GILL And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness In that part of the tabernacle where the testimony or witness was that is the law which was in the ark over which was the mercy seat with the cherubim between which Jehovah dwelt and this was the most holy place and the rods being laid here might be said to be laid before the Lord who by making a difference in one of those rods from the rest would decide the controversy about the priesthood which was the end of their being laid

32

before himHENRY The preparing of the rods accordingly The princes brought

them in some of them perhaps fondly expecting that the choice would fall upon them and all of them thinking it honour enough to be competitors with Aaron and to stand candidates even for the priesthood (Num_177) and Moses laid them up before the Lord He did not object that the matter was sufficiently settled already and enough done to convince those that were not invincibly hardened in their prejudices He did not undertake to determine the controversy himself though it might easily have been done nor did he suggest that it would be to no purpose to offer satisfaction to a people that were willingly blind But since God will have it so he did his part and lodged the case before the Lord to whom the appeal was made by consent and left it with him

WHEDON 7 Witness mdash The Hebrew is the same as that for testimony in Numbers 174 The reason for choosing this place may have been that no one would suspect the performance of any legerdemain or jugglery in the holy of holies a sanctuary too awful for any man to enter but the high priest one day in the year Moses entered on this occasion by express commandPETT The Rods Are Placed In the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)Numbers 177lsquoAnd Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimonyrsquoThe rods were then laid up lsquobefore Yahwehrsquo in lsquothe Tent of the testimonyrsquo Note the change in name for the Tent Emphasis is placed here on the fact that the Tent testifies to Yahweh and His covenant As we have already suggested this probably meant that they were placed before the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh although it may be that Moses uniquely had access into the Holy of Holies itself

8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaronrsquos staff which represented the tribe of Levi had not only sprouted but had budded blossomed and produced almonds 33

BARNES Yielded almonds - ldquoRipened almondsrdquo i e ldquobrought forth ripe almondsrdquo The name almond in Hebrew denotes the ldquowaking-treerdquo the ldquowaking-fruitrdquo and is applied to this tree because it blossoms early in the season It serves here as in Jer_111-12 to set forth the speed and certainty with which at Godrsquos will His purposes are accomplished So again the blossoming and bearing of Aaronrsquos rod naturally impotent when severed from the parent tree may signify the profitableness because of Godrsquos appointment and blessing of the various means of grace (e g the priesthood the sacraments) which of themselves and apart from Him could have no such efficacy Compare Isa_42 Isa_111 Isa_532 Jer_335 Zec_612

CLARKE The rod of Aaron - was budded etc - That is on the same rod or staff were found buds blossoms and ripe fruit This fact was so unquestionably miraculous as to decide the business for ever and probably this was intended to show that in the priesthood represented by that of Aaron the beginning middle and end of every good work must be found The buds of good desires the blossoms of holy resolutions and promising professions and the ripe fruit of faith love and obedience all spring from the priesthood of the Lord Jesus It has been thought by some that Aaronrsquos staff (and perhaps the staves of all the tribes) was made out of the amygdala communis or common almond tree In a favorable soil and climate it grows to twenty feet in height is one of the most noble flourishing trees in nature its flowers are of a delicate red and it puts them forth early in March having begun to bud in January It has its name שקד shaked from shakad to awake because it buds and flowers sooner than most other trees And it is very likely that the staves of office borne by the chiefs of all the tribes were made of this tree merely to signify that watchfulness and assiduous care which the chiefs should take of the persons committed in the course of the Divine providence to their keeping

Every thing in this miracle is so far beyond the power of nature that no doubt could remain on the minds of the people or the envious chiefs of the Divine appointment of Aaron and of the especial interference of God in this case To see a piece of wood long cut off from the parent stock without bark or moisture remaining laid up in a dry place for a single night with others in the same circumstances - to see such a piece of wood resume and evince the perfection of vegetative life budding blossoming and bringing forth ripe fruit at the same time must be such a demonstration of the peculiar interference of God as to silence every doubt and satisfy every scruple It is worthy of remark that a scepter or staff of office resuming its vegetative life was considered an absolute impossibility among the ancients and as 34

they were accustomed to swear by their sceptres this circumstance was added to establish and confirm the oath A remarkable instance of this we have in Homer Iliad lib i ver 233 etc where Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon thus speaks -Αλλrsquo εκ τοι ερεω και επι μεγαν ὁρκον ομουμαιΝαι μα τοδε σκηπτρον το μεν ουποτε φυλλα και οζουςΦυσει επειδη πρωτα τομην εν ορεσσι λελοιπενΟυδrsquo αναθηλησει περι γαρ ῥα ἑ χαλκος ελεψεΦυλλα τε και φλοιονὁ δε τοι μεγας εσσεται ὁρκοςBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same scepter which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopprsquod off its foliage greenAnd stripprsquod its bark shall never grow againCowper

Virgil represents King Latinus swearing in the same way to confirm his covenant with Aeneas -Ut Sceptrum hoc (dextra sceptrum nam forte gerebat)Nunquam fronde levi fundet virgulta neque umbrasCum semel in silvis imo de stirpe recisumMatre caret posuitque comas et brachia ferroOlim arbos nunc artificis manus aere decoroInclusit patribusque dedit gestare LatinisTalibus inter se firmabant foedera dictisAen lib xii ver 206-12Even as this royal Sceptre (for he boreA scepter in his hand) shall never moreShoot out in branches or renew the birthAn orphan now cut from the mother earthBy the keen axe dishonorrsquod of its hairAnd cased in brass for Latian kings to bearAnd thus in public view the peace was tiedWith solemn vows and sworn on either sideDryden

When the circumstance of the rod or scepter being used anciently in this way and the absolute impossibility of its reviviscence so strongly appealed to is considered it appears to have been a very proper instrument for the present occasion for the change that passed on it must be acknowledged as an immediate and incontestable miracle

35

GILL And it came to pass that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness Where none but he could go at any time this was the day after the rods had been placed there and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi the rod that had Aarons name upon it which was to represent the tribe of Levi of which he was was budded and brought forth buds knobs of blossom such that are seen on trees before they open for the almond tree puts forth its blossoms before its leaves though the Targum of Jonathan renders it branches as do some versions and some think this is to be understood of its putting out its leaves first contrary to the nature of the almond tree and so makes the miracle the greater thus Ben Melech and blossomed blossoms open flowers or blossoms such as appear on the almond tree in the spring and look very beautiful and yielded almonds ripe almonds in their full perfection as the Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan the latter of which isin the same night it perfected and brought forth almondsthe word used has the signification of weaning and alludes to children grown up to some ripeness and maturity Gen_218 the case seems to be this that in one part of the rod were buds swelling and just putting out in another part open flowers quite blown and in others full ripe fruit now this clearly showed it to be supernatural since the almond tree though quick and early in its production of buds and flowers yet never has those and ripe fruit on it at the same time to which may be added that this was not the time of year the almond tree blossoms not the spring but rather autumn as it should seem since it was after the affair of the spies and the murmurs of the people on their report now it was the time of the first ripe grapes when they went into the land and they were forty days searching it and it was after their return the insurrections before recorded were the design of this was to confirm the priesthood in Aarons family and show that it would continue there in a flourishing condition and that there would be a succession of priests from him to the time of the Messiah as there were and the almond tree having its name in Hebrew from watchfulness and haste see Jer_111 may denote the vigilance of the priests in their office and the haste punishment makes to come upon such that should oppose them or usurp the priesthood as in the case of Uzziah so Jarchi remarks this rod of Aarons may be an emblem of the Gospel ministry of that rod that should come out of Zion Psa_1102 which in the eyes of men is mean and despicable like a dry stick but becomes a fruitful one through the power of divine grace and an almond tree rod may denote the vigilance and watchfulness of Gospel ministers over themselves and others and their doctrine and oftentimes whom God puts into the ministry he early calls them by his grace and frequently makes the first part of their ministry most useful and fruit is brought forth which remains moreover this rod may be considered as a type of Christ it being a dry rod or stick may denote the

36

meanness of his descent and appearance in the world and the unpromising aspect of his being the King Messiah and Saviour of men and being an almond tree rod may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time which the Lord hastened his being the firstborn and his right to the priesthood and his vigilance in it its lying among other rods and budding and blossoming and bringing forth fruit may point at Christs assuming the common nature or man his being cut off by death his resurrection from the dead and the fruits arising from thence justification peace pardon and eternal life and as Aarons priesthood was confirmed by the budding ampc of this rod so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are by his resurrection from the dead See Gill on Heb_94HENRY 8-9 Here is I The final determination of the controversy

concerning the priesthood by a miracle Num_178 Num_179 The rods or staves were brought out from the most holy place where they were laid up and publicly produced before the people and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were Aarons rod only of a dry stick became a living branch budded and blossomed and yielded almonds In some places there were buds in others blossoms in others fruit at the same time This was miraculous and took away all suspicion of a fraud as if in the night Moses had taken away Aarons rod and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it for no ordinary branch would have buds blossoms and fruits upon it all at once Now1 This was a plain indication to the people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood and not any other of the princes of the tribes Thus he was distinguished from them and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven which sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor watering by the hand of man Bishop Hall here observes that fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call and that the plants of Gods setting and the boughs cut off from them will flourish See Psa_9212-14 The trees of the Lord though they seem dry trees are full of sap2 It was a very proper sign to represent the priesthood itself which was hereby confirmed to Aaron (1) That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God It produced not only blossoms but almonds for the priesthood was designed not only for an honour to Aaron but for a blessing to Israel Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they should go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit should remain Joh_1516 (2) That there should be a succession of priests Here were not only almonds for the present but buds and blossoms promising more hereafter Thus has Christ provided in his church that a seed should serve him from generation to generation (3) That yet this priesthood should not be perpetual but in process of time like the branches and blossoms of a tree should fail and wither The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age Ecc_125 This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood which soon became old and ready to vanish away Heb_8133 It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood for he is the man the branch that is to be a priest upon his throne as it follows (Zec_612) and he was to grow up before God as this before the ark like a tender

37

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

ldquoBut hearken I will swear a solemn oathBy this sceptre which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as oncerdquoWritehellip every manrsquos name mdash To identify beyond dispute the rod of Aaron after the trial The illiteracy of Moses and his generation as alleged by some modern writers is here abundantly confuted Since there were twelve rods including Levirsquos it is evident that the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim are here counted as one tribe mdash that of JosephPETT Numbers 172lsquoSpeak to the children of Israel and take of them rods one for each fathersrsquo house of all their princes according to their fathersrsquo houses twelve rods You write every manrsquos name on his rodrsquoAll the men of Israel were to be involved in this It is possible that Levi were included among lsquothe twelversquo and that Manasseh and Ephraim were for this event treated as one tribe the rods representing the lsquohouseholdsrsquo of the original patriarchal fathers But a rod was taken for each of their fathersrsquo houses and the names of each of the chieftains of those fathersrsquo houses was written on the rods This would suggest in the light of previous references to twelve chieftains that the lsquotwelversquo rods were in contrast with Aaronrsquos rod (Alternately one rod may have represented Joseph including both Ephraim and Manasseh It was Joseph who was to be lsquoa fruitful boughrsquo (Genesis 4922) but not as pertaining to the priesthood)The word for lsquorodsrsquo also indicates lsquotribes and can in fact be used to indicate either Thus the rods symbolised each tribe

PULPIT Numbers 172Take of every one of them a rod Literally take of them a rod a rod ie a rod apiece in the way immediately particularized hsilgnEegaugnaL מטה is used for the staff of Judah (Genesis 3818) and for the rod of Moses (Exodus 42) It is also used in the sense of tribe (Numbers 14 Numbers 116) Each tribe was but a branch or rod out of the stock of Israel and therefore was most naturally represented by the rod cut from the tree lsquoThe words used for scepter in Genesis 4910 and in Psalms 457 and for rod in Isaiah 111 and elsewhere are different but the same imagery underlies the use of all of them Of all their princes hellip twelve rods These princes must be those named in Isaiah 22-21 and Isaiah 25-71 Since among these are to be found the tribe princes of Ephraim and Manasseh standing upon a perfect equality with the rest it is evident that the twelve rods were exclusive

24

of that of Aaron The joining together of Ephraim and Manasseh in Deuteronomy 2712 was a very different thing because it could not raise any question as between the two

3 On the staff of Levi write Aaronrsquos name for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe

BARNES Thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of Levi - The Levites had taken part in the late outbreak It was therefore necessary to vindicate the supremacy of the house of Aaron over them and accordingly his name was written on the rod of Levi although being the son of Kohath the second son of Levi (Exo_616 ff) he would not be the natural head of the tribe

GILL And thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi Or upon the rod that was for the tribe of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written not the word Levi or a Levite as Josephus (e) for that would not have decided the controversy about the priesthood which chiefly lay between the Levites and the family of Aaron who were of the same tribe for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers one rod for the head or prince of every tribe every prince representing his own tribe he was the head of and the rod the prince and though the tribe of Levi was divided into two families the family of the priests and the family of the Levites yet as Jarchi observes they were but one tribe and so one rod for them as for the other tribes

ELLICOTT (3) And thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of LevimdashAaron was descended from the second son of Levi He was not therefore the natural but the divinely-appointed head of his fatherrsquos house and hence it would not have sufficed for the purpose contemplated to have inscribed the name of Levi upon the rod Aaron was constituted the head alike of the priests and of the Levites into which two classes the tribe of Levi was divided

25

BENSON Numbers 173 Aaronrsquos name mdash Rather than Levirsquos for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos family One rod mdash There shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixed

POOLE Aaronrsquos rather than Levirsquos name for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos familyFor the head of the house of their fathers ie there shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixedPETT Numbers 173lsquoAnd you shall write Aaronrsquos name on the rod of Levi for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathersrsquo housesrsquoOn the rod of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written There was to be one for each head of their fathersrsquo houses In the light of the earlier divisions in chapters 1-4 we are probably therefore to see that there were thirteen rods the twelve which represented Israel in contrast with the Levites and the one that specifically represented AaronHere Aaron is depicted as the head of the house of Levi That may well be why earlier he was called lsquothe Levitersquo as the head of the family (Exodus 414)

PULPIT Numbers 173Thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi There was no tribe prince of Levi and it is not probable that either of the three chiefs of the sub-tribes (Numbers 324 Numbers 330 55) was called upon to bring a rod This rod was therefore provided by Moses himself and inscribed by him with the name of Aaron who stood by Divine appointment (so recently and fearfully attested) above all his brethren For the significance of the act cf Ezekiel 3716-28 For one rod hellip for the head of the house of their fathers For Levi therefore there must be not three rods inscribed with the names of the chiefs but one only bearing the name of Aaron as

26

their common superior

4 Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law where I meet with you

GILL And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation In the most holy place before the testimony that is the ark in which the testimony or the law was here they were laid as in the presence of God who was in a miraculous way to decide the controversy by them and put an end to it for upon the ark was the mercy seat over which were the cherubim the seat of the divine Majesty and where none could come at them and where no fraud could be supposed to be committed where I will meet with you not with the people in person who might not go at any time into the most holy place nor with Aaron who only might go into it on the day of atonement but with Moses the chief ruler and representative of the whole body of the people and who might go in there at any time to consult with God about matters of moment and difficulty and where the Lord had said he would meet him Exo_2522 and now would in a miraculous way clearly show him and the people of Israel by him who was the priest he had chosen of all the tribesCALVIN 4And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle The place itself had not a little to do with the effectual decision of the matter because it was clearly manifested that God was the author of the miracle and consequently that the priesthood proceeded from Him For we have elsewhere said that the whole government of the Church so entirely depends upon His decree that men are not permitted to interfere with it Wherefore He set the ark of the covenant in opposition to the voices of the whole people in order to testify that no further dispute was to be raised respecting the priest whom He had appointed by His own declaration and authority At the same time it had the effect of consoling the people and silencing their complaints that the rods of all the tribes were brought in common into the sanctuary before God for although a peculiar dignity was accorded to that of Aaron alone still the people ceased not to be a priestly kingdom Hence it follows that the honorable privilege conferred on one family contributed to the public welfare of all so far was it from being the case that their inferiority ought to have caused them pain or envy

27

POOLE Before the testimony ie before the ark of the testimony either mediately close by the veil behind which the ark stood or rather immediately within the veil in the most holy place close by the ark as may be gathered by comparing this place with Numbers 1710 and with Hebrews 94I will meet with you and manifest my mind to you for the ending of this dispute PETT The Rods Are To Be Laid Up in the Tent of Meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)Numbers 174lsquoAnd you shall lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony where I meet with yoursquoThese were then to be lsquolaid up in the Tent of meeting before the testimonyrsquo in the place where Yahweh meets with His people This probably meant in front of the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh lsquothe testimonyrsquo indicating the presence of the covenant tablets in the Ark and their testimony to the covenant

5 The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelitesrdquo

CLARKE The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossom - It was necessary that something farther should be done to quiet the minds of the people and for ever to settle the dispute in what tribe the priesthood should be fixed God therefore took the method described in the text and it had the desired effect the Aaronical priesthood was never after disputed

GILL And it shall come to pass that the mans rod whom I shall choose Or make it manifest that he had chosen him and so confirm the choice he had made of him and his family for the priesthood to be and continue in

28

shall blossom bud and blossom and yield fruit as it afterwards did which is here declared beforehand that the miracle might appear the greater exactly answering to a prediction delivered out before of it and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel whereby they murmur against you against Moses for setting up his brother as an high priest and establishing the priesthood in his family and against Aaron for accepting of it and officiating in it but by this method now taken God would for ever silence their murmurings so that they should never be able with any face to object any more to the authority of the Aaronic priesthood which should appear by the predicted miracle beyond all dispute and contradictionCALVIN 5And it shall come to pass that the manrsquos rod Aaron indeed had been previously chosen but the expression here refers to his manifestation (105) because God is said again to choose those whom He has chosen by His secret counsel when He brings them forth into the sight of men with their peculiar marks of distinction and this not once only but as often as he confirms their election by new indications And this seems to be spoken of by way of concession as if God would pass over all His former decrees and invite the people afresh to take cognizance of the matter With this view tie states that He will put an end to all the malevolent and noisy detractions of the people so that Aaron may henceforth exercise his office without controversy for although not even thus was their perverseness altogether cured still their insolence was restrained

ELLICOTT (5) The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossommdashOr shall sprout forth or put forthmdashie leaves or blossoms Achilles when enraged against Agamemnon is made to swear a solemn oath by his sceptre which having once left its stock on the mountains shall never again grow King Latinus is represented by Virgil as confirming his covenant with AEligneas by a similar oath

WHEDON 5 Whom I shall choose mdash That is select for the priesthoodCeasehellip murmurings mdash Suppress them beyond all possibility of a revival Jehovahrsquos claims are set forth in his word with such cogency that there is no just ground for gainsaying On all questions of duty there is a redundancy of evidencePETT The Rod of the Chosen One Will Bud and Put an End to Murmuring (Numbers 175)Numbers 175lsquoAnd it will come about that the rod of the man whom I shall choose will bud and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel which they

29

murmur against yoursquoThen Yahweh would make the rod of the man that Yahweh had chosen spring to life and bud This final display on Yahwehrsquos initiative should cause all further murmurings against Moses and Aaron on the question of who had the right of priesthood to cease

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 Aaronrsquos staff was among them

BARNES The whole number of rods was twelve exclusive of Aaronrsquos as the Vulgate expressly states

GILL And Moses spake unto the children of Israel What the Lord had bid him say unto them concerning the rods which they hearkened unto and observed and everyone of their princes gave him a rod apiece for each prince one every prince of the several tribes and so a rod for every tribe as well as for each prince according to their fathers houses even twelve rods there being twelve tribes named after their fathers or the patriarchs the twelve sons of Jacob and Joseph having two tribes which sprung from him called after his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh there were twelve rods besides that of Aaron and so the Vulgate Latin version renders the words with the next clauseand there were twelve rods besides the rod of Aaronin all thirteen though the Jews say there were but twelve with it allowing but one rod for Joseph under whom were comprehended Ephraim and Manasseh and reckoning the tribe of Levi one of the twelve so Aben Ezra observes that the rod of Levi was among the twelve and Joseph had but one rod and the rod of Aaron was among their rods in the middle of them and was

30

so placed as Jarchi thinks that it might not be said because it was put on the side of the Shechinah or divine Majesty therefore it budded but being in the middle of them there could be no difference in that respectJAMISON the rod of Aaron was among their rods mdash either one of the

twelve or as many suppose a thirteenth in the midst (Heb_94) The rods were of dry sticks or wands probably old as transmitted from one head of the family to a succeeding

KampD Num_176-11Moses carried out this command And when he went into the tabernacle the following morning behold Aarons rod of the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth shoots and had borne blossoms and matured almonds And Moses brought all the rods out of the sanctuary and gave every man his own the rest as we may gather from the context being all unchanged so that the whole nation could satisfy itself that God had chosen Aaron Thus was the word fulfilled which Moses had spoken at the commencement of the rebellion of the company of Korah (Num_165) and that in a way which could not fail to accredit him before the whole congregation as sent of GodSo far as the occurrence itself is concerned there can hardly be any need to remark that the natural interpretation which has lately been attempted by Ewald viz that Moses had laid several almond rods in the holy place which had just been freshly cut off that he might see the next day which of them would flower the best during the night is directly at variance with the words of the text and also with the fact that a rod even freshly cut off when laid in a dry place would not bear ripe fruit in a single night The miracle which God wrought here as the Creator of nature was at the same time a significant symbol of the nature and meaning of the priesthood The choice of the rods had also a bearing upon the object in question A mans rod was the sign of his position as ruler in the house and congregation with a prince the rod becomes a sceptre the insignia of rule (Gen_4910) As a severed branch the rod could not put forth shoots and blossom in a natural way But God could impart new vital powers even to the dry rod And so Aaron had naturally no pre-eminence above the heads of the other tribes But the priesthood was founded not upon natural qualifications and gifts but upon the power of the Spirit which God communicates according to the choice of His wisdom and which He had imparted to Aaron through his consecration with holy anointing oil It was this which the Lord intended to show to the people by causing Aarons rod to put forth branches blossom and fruit through a miracle of His omnipotence whereas the rods of the other heads of the tribes remained as barren as before In this way therefore it was not without deep significance that Aarons rod not only put forth shoots by which the divine election might be recognised but bore even blossom and ripe fruit This showed that Aaron was not only qualified for his calling but administered his office in the full power of the Spirit and bore the fruit expected of him The almond rod was especially adapted to exhibit this as

31

an almond-tree flowers and bears fruit the earliest of all the trees and has received its name of שקד ldquoawakerdquo from this very fact (cf Jer_111)

God then commanded (Num_1710 Num_1711) that Aarons rod should be taken back into the sanctuary and preserved before the testimony ldquofor a sign for the rebellious that thou puttest an end to their murmuring and they die notrdquo The preservation of the rod before the ark of the covenant in the immediate presence of the Lord was a pledge to Aaron of the continuance of his election and the permanent duration of his priesthood though we have no need to assume that through a perpetual miracle the staff continued green and blossoming In this way the staff became a sign to the rebellious which could not fail to stop their murmuringPETT All the Chieftains Give Rods Including Aaron (Numbers 176)Numbers 176lsquoAnd Moses spoke to the children of Israel and all their princes gave him rods for each prince one according to their fathersrsquo houses even twelve rods and the rod of Aaron was among their rodsrsquoSo Moses did as Yahweh commanded and requested rods from each of the chieftains of the twelve tribes These rods may well have been their symbols of authority Thus twelve rods were gathered and Aaronrsquos rod was placed among them PULPIT And the rod of Aaron was among the rods As there was no prince from whom this rod could have come and as there were twelve rods without it this must mean that Moses did not keep Aarons rod separate (which might have caused suspicion) but let it be seen amongst the others

7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law

GILL And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness In that part of the tabernacle where the testimony or witness was that is the law which was in the ark over which was the mercy seat with the cherubim between which Jehovah dwelt and this was the most holy place and the rods being laid here might be said to be laid before the Lord who by making a difference in one of those rods from the rest would decide the controversy about the priesthood which was the end of their being laid

32

before himHENRY The preparing of the rods accordingly The princes brought

them in some of them perhaps fondly expecting that the choice would fall upon them and all of them thinking it honour enough to be competitors with Aaron and to stand candidates even for the priesthood (Num_177) and Moses laid them up before the Lord He did not object that the matter was sufficiently settled already and enough done to convince those that were not invincibly hardened in their prejudices He did not undertake to determine the controversy himself though it might easily have been done nor did he suggest that it would be to no purpose to offer satisfaction to a people that were willingly blind But since God will have it so he did his part and lodged the case before the Lord to whom the appeal was made by consent and left it with him

WHEDON 7 Witness mdash The Hebrew is the same as that for testimony in Numbers 174 The reason for choosing this place may have been that no one would suspect the performance of any legerdemain or jugglery in the holy of holies a sanctuary too awful for any man to enter but the high priest one day in the year Moses entered on this occasion by express commandPETT The Rods Are Placed In the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)Numbers 177lsquoAnd Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimonyrsquoThe rods were then laid up lsquobefore Yahwehrsquo in lsquothe Tent of the testimonyrsquo Note the change in name for the Tent Emphasis is placed here on the fact that the Tent testifies to Yahweh and His covenant As we have already suggested this probably meant that they were placed before the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh although it may be that Moses uniquely had access into the Holy of Holies itself

8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaronrsquos staff which represented the tribe of Levi had not only sprouted but had budded blossomed and produced almonds 33

BARNES Yielded almonds - ldquoRipened almondsrdquo i e ldquobrought forth ripe almondsrdquo The name almond in Hebrew denotes the ldquowaking-treerdquo the ldquowaking-fruitrdquo and is applied to this tree because it blossoms early in the season It serves here as in Jer_111-12 to set forth the speed and certainty with which at Godrsquos will His purposes are accomplished So again the blossoming and bearing of Aaronrsquos rod naturally impotent when severed from the parent tree may signify the profitableness because of Godrsquos appointment and blessing of the various means of grace (e g the priesthood the sacraments) which of themselves and apart from Him could have no such efficacy Compare Isa_42 Isa_111 Isa_532 Jer_335 Zec_612

CLARKE The rod of Aaron - was budded etc - That is on the same rod or staff were found buds blossoms and ripe fruit This fact was so unquestionably miraculous as to decide the business for ever and probably this was intended to show that in the priesthood represented by that of Aaron the beginning middle and end of every good work must be found The buds of good desires the blossoms of holy resolutions and promising professions and the ripe fruit of faith love and obedience all spring from the priesthood of the Lord Jesus It has been thought by some that Aaronrsquos staff (and perhaps the staves of all the tribes) was made out of the amygdala communis or common almond tree In a favorable soil and climate it grows to twenty feet in height is one of the most noble flourishing trees in nature its flowers are of a delicate red and it puts them forth early in March having begun to bud in January It has its name שקד shaked from shakad to awake because it buds and flowers sooner than most other trees And it is very likely that the staves of office borne by the chiefs of all the tribes were made of this tree merely to signify that watchfulness and assiduous care which the chiefs should take of the persons committed in the course of the Divine providence to their keeping

Every thing in this miracle is so far beyond the power of nature that no doubt could remain on the minds of the people or the envious chiefs of the Divine appointment of Aaron and of the especial interference of God in this case To see a piece of wood long cut off from the parent stock without bark or moisture remaining laid up in a dry place for a single night with others in the same circumstances - to see such a piece of wood resume and evince the perfection of vegetative life budding blossoming and bringing forth ripe fruit at the same time must be such a demonstration of the peculiar interference of God as to silence every doubt and satisfy every scruple It is worthy of remark that a scepter or staff of office resuming its vegetative life was considered an absolute impossibility among the ancients and as 34

they were accustomed to swear by their sceptres this circumstance was added to establish and confirm the oath A remarkable instance of this we have in Homer Iliad lib i ver 233 etc where Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon thus speaks -Αλλrsquo εκ τοι ερεω και επι μεγαν ὁρκον ομουμαιΝαι μα τοδε σκηπτρον το μεν ουποτε φυλλα και οζουςΦυσει επειδη πρωτα τομην εν ορεσσι λελοιπενΟυδrsquo αναθηλησει περι γαρ ῥα ἑ χαλκος ελεψεΦυλλα τε και φλοιονὁ δε τοι μεγας εσσεται ὁρκοςBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same scepter which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopprsquod off its foliage greenAnd stripprsquod its bark shall never grow againCowper

Virgil represents King Latinus swearing in the same way to confirm his covenant with Aeneas -Ut Sceptrum hoc (dextra sceptrum nam forte gerebat)Nunquam fronde levi fundet virgulta neque umbrasCum semel in silvis imo de stirpe recisumMatre caret posuitque comas et brachia ferroOlim arbos nunc artificis manus aere decoroInclusit patribusque dedit gestare LatinisTalibus inter se firmabant foedera dictisAen lib xii ver 206-12Even as this royal Sceptre (for he boreA scepter in his hand) shall never moreShoot out in branches or renew the birthAn orphan now cut from the mother earthBy the keen axe dishonorrsquod of its hairAnd cased in brass for Latian kings to bearAnd thus in public view the peace was tiedWith solemn vows and sworn on either sideDryden

When the circumstance of the rod or scepter being used anciently in this way and the absolute impossibility of its reviviscence so strongly appealed to is considered it appears to have been a very proper instrument for the present occasion for the change that passed on it must be acknowledged as an immediate and incontestable miracle

35

GILL And it came to pass that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness Where none but he could go at any time this was the day after the rods had been placed there and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi the rod that had Aarons name upon it which was to represent the tribe of Levi of which he was was budded and brought forth buds knobs of blossom such that are seen on trees before they open for the almond tree puts forth its blossoms before its leaves though the Targum of Jonathan renders it branches as do some versions and some think this is to be understood of its putting out its leaves first contrary to the nature of the almond tree and so makes the miracle the greater thus Ben Melech and blossomed blossoms open flowers or blossoms such as appear on the almond tree in the spring and look very beautiful and yielded almonds ripe almonds in their full perfection as the Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan the latter of which isin the same night it perfected and brought forth almondsthe word used has the signification of weaning and alludes to children grown up to some ripeness and maturity Gen_218 the case seems to be this that in one part of the rod were buds swelling and just putting out in another part open flowers quite blown and in others full ripe fruit now this clearly showed it to be supernatural since the almond tree though quick and early in its production of buds and flowers yet never has those and ripe fruit on it at the same time to which may be added that this was not the time of year the almond tree blossoms not the spring but rather autumn as it should seem since it was after the affair of the spies and the murmurs of the people on their report now it was the time of the first ripe grapes when they went into the land and they were forty days searching it and it was after their return the insurrections before recorded were the design of this was to confirm the priesthood in Aarons family and show that it would continue there in a flourishing condition and that there would be a succession of priests from him to the time of the Messiah as there were and the almond tree having its name in Hebrew from watchfulness and haste see Jer_111 may denote the vigilance of the priests in their office and the haste punishment makes to come upon such that should oppose them or usurp the priesthood as in the case of Uzziah so Jarchi remarks this rod of Aarons may be an emblem of the Gospel ministry of that rod that should come out of Zion Psa_1102 which in the eyes of men is mean and despicable like a dry stick but becomes a fruitful one through the power of divine grace and an almond tree rod may denote the vigilance and watchfulness of Gospel ministers over themselves and others and their doctrine and oftentimes whom God puts into the ministry he early calls them by his grace and frequently makes the first part of their ministry most useful and fruit is brought forth which remains moreover this rod may be considered as a type of Christ it being a dry rod or stick may denote the

36

meanness of his descent and appearance in the world and the unpromising aspect of his being the King Messiah and Saviour of men and being an almond tree rod may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time which the Lord hastened his being the firstborn and his right to the priesthood and his vigilance in it its lying among other rods and budding and blossoming and bringing forth fruit may point at Christs assuming the common nature or man his being cut off by death his resurrection from the dead and the fruits arising from thence justification peace pardon and eternal life and as Aarons priesthood was confirmed by the budding ampc of this rod so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are by his resurrection from the dead See Gill on Heb_94HENRY 8-9 Here is I The final determination of the controversy

concerning the priesthood by a miracle Num_178 Num_179 The rods or staves were brought out from the most holy place where they were laid up and publicly produced before the people and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were Aarons rod only of a dry stick became a living branch budded and blossomed and yielded almonds In some places there were buds in others blossoms in others fruit at the same time This was miraculous and took away all suspicion of a fraud as if in the night Moses had taken away Aarons rod and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it for no ordinary branch would have buds blossoms and fruits upon it all at once Now1 This was a plain indication to the people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood and not any other of the princes of the tribes Thus he was distinguished from them and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven which sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor watering by the hand of man Bishop Hall here observes that fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call and that the plants of Gods setting and the boughs cut off from them will flourish See Psa_9212-14 The trees of the Lord though they seem dry trees are full of sap2 It was a very proper sign to represent the priesthood itself which was hereby confirmed to Aaron (1) That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God It produced not only blossoms but almonds for the priesthood was designed not only for an honour to Aaron but for a blessing to Israel Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they should go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit should remain Joh_1516 (2) That there should be a succession of priests Here were not only almonds for the present but buds and blossoms promising more hereafter Thus has Christ provided in his church that a seed should serve him from generation to generation (3) That yet this priesthood should not be perpetual but in process of time like the branches and blossoms of a tree should fail and wither The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age Ecc_125 This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood which soon became old and ready to vanish away Heb_8133 It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood for he is the man the branch that is to be a priest upon his throne as it follows (Zec_612) and he was to grow up before God as this before the ark like a tender

37

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

of that of Aaron The joining together of Ephraim and Manasseh in Deuteronomy 2712 was a very different thing because it could not raise any question as between the two

3 On the staff of Levi write Aaronrsquos name for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe

BARNES Thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of Levi - The Levites had taken part in the late outbreak It was therefore necessary to vindicate the supremacy of the house of Aaron over them and accordingly his name was written on the rod of Levi although being the son of Kohath the second son of Levi (Exo_616 ff) he would not be the natural head of the tribe

GILL And thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi Or upon the rod that was for the tribe of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written not the word Levi or a Levite as Josephus (e) for that would not have decided the controversy about the priesthood which chiefly lay between the Levites and the family of Aaron who were of the same tribe for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers one rod for the head or prince of every tribe every prince representing his own tribe he was the head of and the rod the prince and though the tribe of Levi was divided into two families the family of the priests and the family of the Levites yet as Jarchi observes they were but one tribe and so one rod for them as for the other tribes

ELLICOTT (3) And thou shalt write Aaronrsquos name upon the rod of LevimdashAaron was descended from the second son of Levi He was not therefore the natural but the divinely-appointed head of his fatherrsquos house and hence it would not have sufficed for the purpose contemplated to have inscribed the name of Levi upon the rod Aaron was constituted the head alike of the priests and of the Levites into which two classes the tribe of Levi was divided

25

BENSON Numbers 173 Aaronrsquos name mdash Rather than Levirsquos for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos family One rod mdash There shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixed

POOLE Aaronrsquos rather than Levirsquos name for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos familyFor the head of the house of their fathers ie there shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixedPETT Numbers 173lsquoAnd you shall write Aaronrsquos name on the rod of Levi for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathersrsquo housesrsquoOn the rod of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written There was to be one for each head of their fathersrsquo houses In the light of the earlier divisions in chapters 1-4 we are probably therefore to see that there were thirteen rods the twelve which represented Israel in contrast with the Levites and the one that specifically represented AaronHere Aaron is depicted as the head of the house of Levi That may well be why earlier he was called lsquothe Levitersquo as the head of the family (Exodus 414)

PULPIT Numbers 173Thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi There was no tribe prince of Levi and it is not probable that either of the three chiefs of the sub-tribes (Numbers 324 Numbers 330 55) was called upon to bring a rod This rod was therefore provided by Moses himself and inscribed by him with the name of Aaron who stood by Divine appointment (so recently and fearfully attested) above all his brethren For the significance of the act cf Ezekiel 3716-28 For one rod hellip for the head of the house of their fathers For Levi therefore there must be not three rods inscribed with the names of the chiefs but one only bearing the name of Aaron as

26

their common superior

4 Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law where I meet with you

GILL And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation In the most holy place before the testimony that is the ark in which the testimony or the law was here they were laid as in the presence of God who was in a miraculous way to decide the controversy by them and put an end to it for upon the ark was the mercy seat over which were the cherubim the seat of the divine Majesty and where none could come at them and where no fraud could be supposed to be committed where I will meet with you not with the people in person who might not go at any time into the most holy place nor with Aaron who only might go into it on the day of atonement but with Moses the chief ruler and representative of the whole body of the people and who might go in there at any time to consult with God about matters of moment and difficulty and where the Lord had said he would meet him Exo_2522 and now would in a miraculous way clearly show him and the people of Israel by him who was the priest he had chosen of all the tribesCALVIN 4And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle The place itself had not a little to do with the effectual decision of the matter because it was clearly manifested that God was the author of the miracle and consequently that the priesthood proceeded from Him For we have elsewhere said that the whole government of the Church so entirely depends upon His decree that men are not permitted to interfere with it Wherefore He set the ark of the covenant in opposition to the voices of the whole people in order to testify that no further dispute was to be raised respecting the priest whom He had appointed by His own declaration and authority At the same time it had the effect of consoling the people and silencing their complaints that the rods of all the tribes were brought in common into the sanctuary before God for although a peculiar dignity was accorded to that of Aaron alone still the people ceased not to be a priestly kingdom Hence it follows that the honorable privilege conferred on one family contributed to the public welfare of all so far was it from being the case that their inferiority ought to have caused them pain or envy

27

POOLE Before the testimony ie before the ark of the testimony either mediately close by the veil behind which the ark stood or rather immediately within the veil in the most holy place close by the ark as may be gathered by comparing this place with Numbers 1710 and with Hebrews 94I will meet with you and manifest my mind to you for the ending of this dispute PETT The Rods Are To Be Laid Up in the Tent of Meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)Numbers 174lsquoAnd you shall lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony where I meet with yoursquoThese were then to be lsquolaid up in the Tent of meeting before the testimonyrsquo in the place where Yahweh meets with His people This probably meant in front of the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh lsquothe testimonyrsquo indicating the presence of the covenant tablets in the Ark and their testimony to the covenant

5 The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelitesrdquo

CLARKE The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossom - It was necessary that something farther should be done to quiet the minds of the people and for ever to settle the dispute in what tribe the priesthood should be fixed God therefore took the method described in the text and it had the desired effect the Aaronical priesthood was never after disputed

GILL And it shall come to pass that the mans rod whom I shall choose Or make it manifest that he had chosen him and so confirm the choice he had made of him and his family for the priesthood to be and continue in

28

shall blossom bud and blossom and yield fruit as it afterwards did which is here declared beforehand that the miracle might appear the greater exactly answering to a prediction delivered out before of it and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel whereby they murmur against you against Moses for setting up his brother as an high priest and establishing the priesthood in his family and against Aaron for accepting of it and officiating in it but by this method now taken God would for ever silence their murmurings so that they should never be able with any face to object any more to the authority of the Aaronic priesthood which should appear by the predicted miracle beyond all dispute and contradictionCALVIN 5And it shall come to pass that the manrsquos rod Aaron indeed had been previously chosen but the expression here refers to his manifestation (105) because God is said again to choose those whom He has chosen by His secret counsel when He brings them forth into the sight of men with their peculiar marks of distinction and this not once only but as often as he confirms their election by new indications And this seems to be spoken of by way of concession as if God would pass over all His former decrees and invite the people afresh to take cognizance of the matter With this view tie states that He will put an end to all the malevolent and noisy detractions of the people so that Aaron may henceforth exercise his office without controversy for although not even thus was their perverseness altogether cured still their insolence was restrained

ELLICOTT (5) The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossommdashOr shall sprout forth or put forthmdashie leaves or blossoms Achilles when enraged against Agamemnon is made to swear a solemn oath by his sceptre which having once left its stock on the mountains shall never again grow King Latinus is represented by Virgil as confirming his covenant with AEligneas by a similar oath

WHEDON 5 Whom I shall choose mdash That is select for the priesthoodCeasehellip murmurings mdash Suppress them beyond all possibility of a revival Jehovahrsquos claims are set forth in his word with such cogency that there is no just ground for gainsaying On all questions of duty there is a redundancy of evidencePETT The Rod of the Chosen One Will Bud and Put an End to Murmuring (Numbers 175)Numbers 175lsquoAnd it will come about that the rod of the man whom I shall choose will bud and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel which they

29

murmur against yoursquoThen Yahweh would make the rod of the man that Yahweh had chosen spring to life and bud This final display on Yahwehrsquos initiative should cause all further murmurings against Moses and Aaron on the question of who had the right of priesthood to cease

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 Aaronrsquos staff was among them

BARNES The whole number of rods was twelve exclusive of Aaronrsquos as the Vulgate expressly states

GILL And Moses spake unto the children of Israel What the Lord had bid him say unto them concerning the rods which they hearkened unto and observed and everyone of their princes gave him a rod apiece for each prince one every prince of the several tribes and so a rod for every tribe as well as for each prince according to their fathers houses even twelve rods there being twelve tribes named after their fathers or the patriarchs the twelve sons of Jacob and Joseph having two tribes which sprung from him called after his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh there were twelve rods besides that of Aaron and so the Vulgate Latin version renders the words with the next clauseand there were twelve rods besides the rod of Aaronin all thirteen though the Jews say there were but twelve with it allowing but one rod for Joseph under whom were comprehended Ephraim and Manasseh and reckoning the tribe of Levi one of the twelve so Aben Ezra observes that the rod of Levi was among the twelve and Joseph had but one rod and the rod of Aaron was among their rods in the middle of them and was

30

so placed as Jarchi thinks that it might not be said because it was put on the side of the Shechinah or divine Majesty therefore it budded but being in the middle of them there could be no difference in that respectJAMISON the rod of Aaron was among their rods mdash either one of the

twelve or as many suppose a thirteenth in the midst (Heb_94) The rods were of dry sticks or wands probably old as transmitted from one head of the family to a succeeding

KampD Num_176-11Moses carried out this command And when he went into the tabernacle the following morning behold Aarons rod of the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth shoots and had borne blossoms and matured almonds And Moses brought all the rods out of the sanctuary and gave every man his own the rest as we may gather from the context being all unchanged so that the whole nation could satisfy itself that God had chosen Aaron Thus was the word fulfilled which Moses had spoken at the commencement of the rebellion of the company of Korah (Num_165) and that in a way which could not fail to accredit him before the whole congregation as sent of GodSo far as the occurrence itself is concerned there can hardly be any need to remark that the natural interpretation which has lately been attempted by Ewald viz that Moses had laid several almond rods in the holy place which had just been freshly cut off that he might see the next day which of them would flower the best during the night is directly at variance with the words of the text and also with the fact that a rod even freshly cut off when laid in a dry place would not bear ripe fruit in a single night The miracle which God wrought here as the Creator of nature was at the same time a significant symbol of the nature and meaning of the priesthood The choice of the rods had also a bearing upon the object in question A mans rod was the sign of his position as ruler in the house and congregation with a prince the rod becomes a sceptre the insignia of rule (Gen_4910) As a severed branch the rod could not put forth shoots and blossom in a natural way But God could impart new vital powers even to the dry rod And so Aaron had naturally no pre-eminence above the heads of the other tribes But the priesthood was founded not upon natural qualifications and gifts but upon the power of the Spirit which God communicates according to the choice of His wisdom and which He had imparted to Aaron through his consecration with holy anointing oil It was this which the Lord intended to show to the people by causing Aarons rod to put forth branches blossom and fruit through a miracle of His omnipotence whereas the rods of the other heads of the tribes remained as barren as before In this way therefore it was not without deep significance that Aarons rod not only put forth shoots by which the divine election might be recognised but bore even blossom and ripe fruit This showed that Aaron was not only qualified for his calling but administered his office in the full power of the Spirit and bore the fruit expected of him The almond rod was especially adapted to exhibit this as

31

an almond-tree flowers and bears fruit the earliest of all the trees and has received its name of שקד ldquoawakerdquo from this very fact (cf Jer_111)

God then commanded (Num_1710 Num_1711) that Aarons rod should be taken back into the sanctuary and preserved before the testimony ldquofor a sign for the rebellious that thou puttest an end to their murmuring and they die notrdquo The preservation of the rod before the ark of the covenant in the immediate presence of the Lord was a pledge to Aaron of the continuance of his election and the permanent duration of his priesthood though we have no need to assume that through a perpetual miracle the staff continued green and blossoming In this way the staff became a sign to the rebellious which could not fail to stop their murmuringPETT All the Chieftains Give Rods Including Aaron (Numbers 176)Numbers 176lsquoAnd Moses spoke to the children of Israel and all their princes gave him rods for each prince one according to their fathersrsquo houses even twelve rods and the rod of Aaron was among their rodsrsquoSo Moses did as Yahweh commanded and requested rods from each of the chieftains of the twelve tribes These rods may well have been their symbols of authority Thus twelve rods were gathered and Aaronrsquos rod was placed among them PULPIT And the rod of Aaron was among the rods As there was no prince from whom this rod could have come and as there were twelve rods without it this must mean that Moses did not keep Aarons rod separate (which might have caused suspicion) but let it be seen amongst the others

7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law

GILL And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness In that part of the tabernacle where the testimony or witness was that is the law which was in the ark over which was the mercy seat with the cherubim between which Jehovah dwelt and this was the most holy place and the rods being laid here might be said to be laid before the Lord who by making a difference in one of those rods from the rest would decide the controversy about the priesthood which was the end of their being laid

32

before himHENRY The preparing of the rods accordingly The princes brought

them in some of them perhaps fondly expecting that the choice would fall upon them and all of them thinking it honour enough to be competitors with Aaron and to stand candidates even for the priesthood (Num_177) and Moses laid them up before the Lord He did not object that the matter was sufficiently settled already and enough done to convince those that were not invincibly hardened in their prejudices He did not undertake to determine the controversy himself though it might easily have been done nor did he suggest that it would be to no purpose to offer satisfaction to a people that were willingly blind But since God will have it so he did his part and lodged the case before the Lord to whom the appeal was made by consent and left it with him

WHEDON 7 Witness mdash The Hebrew is the same as that for testimony in Numbers 174 The reason for choosing this place may have been that no one would suspect the performance of any legerdemain or jugglery in the holy of holies a sanctuary too awful for any man to enter but the high priest one day in the year Moses entered on this occasion by express commandPETT The Rods Are Placed In the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)Numbers 177lsquoAnd Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimonyrsquoThe rods were then laid up lsquobefore Yahwehrsquo in lsquothe Tent of the testimonyrsquo Note the change in name for the Tent Emphasis is placed here on the fact that the Tent testifies to Yahweh and His covenant As we have already suggested this probably meant that they were placed before the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh although it may be that Moses uniquely had access into the Holy of Holies itself

8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaronrsquos staff which represented the tribe of Levi had not only sprouted but had budded blossomed and produced almonds 33

BARNES Yielded almonds - ldquoRipened almondsrdquo i e ldquobrought forth ripe almondsrdquo The name almond in Hebrew denotes the ldquowaking-treerdquo the ldquowaking-fruitrdquo and is applied to this tree because it blossoms early in the season It serves here as in Jer_111-12 to set forth the speed and certainty with which at Godrsquos will His purposes are accomplished So again the blossoming and bearing of Aaronrsquos rod naturally impotent when severed from the parent tree may signify the profitableness because of Godrsquos appointment and blessing of the various means of grace (e g the priesthood the sacraments) which of themselves and apart from Him could have no such efficacy Compare Isa_42 Isa_111 Isa_532 Jer_335 Zec_612

CLARKE The rod of Aaron - was budded etc - That is on the same rod or staff were found buds blossoms and ripe fruit This fact was so unquestionably miraculous as to decide the business for ever and probably this was intended to show that in the priesthood represented by that of Aaron the beginning middle and end of every good work must be found The buds of good desires the blossoms of holy resolutions and promising professions and the ripe fruit of faith love and obedience all spring from the priesthood of the Lord Jesus It has been thought by some that Aaronrsquos staff (and perhaps the staves of all the tribes) was made out of the amygdala communis or common almond tree In a favorable soil and climate it grows to twenty feet in height is one of the most noble flourishing trees in nature its flowers are of a delicate red and it puts them forth early in March having begun to bud in January It has its name שקד shaked from shakad to awake because it buds and flowers sooner than most other trees And it is very likely that the staves of office borne by the chiefs of all the tribes were made of this tree merely to signify that watchfulness and assiduous care which the chiefs should take of the persons committed in the course of the Divine providence to their keeping

Every thing in this miracle is so far beyond the power of nature that no doubt could remain on the minds of the people or the envious chiefs of the Divine appointment of Aaron and of the especial interference of God in this case To see a piece of wood long cut off from the parent stock without bark or moisture remaining laid up in a dry place for a single night with others in the same circumstances - to see such a piece of wood resume and evince the perfection of vegetative life budding blossoming and bringing forth ripe fruit at the same time must be such a demonstration of the peculiar interference of God as to silence every doubt and satisfy every scruple It is worthy of remark that a scepter or staff of office resuming its vegetative life was considered an absolute impossibility among the ancients and as 34

they were accustomed to swear by their sceptres this circumstance was added to establish and confirm the oath A remarkable instance of this we have in Homer Iliad lib i ver 233 etc where Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon thus speaks -Αλλrsquo εκ τοι ερεω και επι μεγαν ὁρκον ομουμαιΝαι μα τοδε σκηπτρον το μεν ουποτε φυλλα και οζουςΦυσει επειδη πρωτα τομην εν ορεσσι λελοιπενΟυδrsquo αναθηλησει περι γαρ ῥα ἑ χαλκος ελεψεΦυλλα τε και φλοιονὁ δε τοι μεγας εσσεται ὁρκοςBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same scepter which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopprsquod off its foliage greenAnd stripprsquod its bark shall never grow againCowper

Virgil represents King Latinus swearing in the same way to confirm his covenant with Aeneas -Ut Sceptrum hoc (dextra sceptrum nam forte gerebat)Nunquam fronde levi fundet virgulta neque umbrasCum semel in silvis imo de stirpe recisumMatre caret posuitque comas et brachia ferroOlim arbos nunc artificis manus aere decoroInclusit patribusque dedit gestare LatinisTalibus inter se firmabant foedera dictisAen lib xii ver 206-12Even as this royal Sceptre (for he boreA scepter in his hand) shall never moreShoot out in branches or renew the birthAn orphan now cut from the mother earthBy the keen axe dishonorrsquod of its hairAnd cased in brass for Latian kings to bearAnd thus in public view the peace was tiedWith solemn vows and sworn on either sideDryden

When the circumstance of the rod or scepter being used anciently in this way and the absolute impossibility of its reviviscence so strongly appealed to is considered it appears to have been a very proper instrument for the present occasion for the change that passed on it must be acknowledged as an immediate and incontestable miracle

35

GILL And it came to pass that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness Where none but he could go at any time this was the day after the rods had been placed there and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi the rod that had Aarons name upon it which was to represent the tribe of Levi of which he was was budded and brought forth buds knobs of blossom such that are seen on trees before they open for the almond tree puts forth its blossoms before its leaves though the Targum of Jonathan renders it branches as do some versions and some think this is to be understood of its putting out its leaves first contrary to the nature of the almond tree and so makes the miracle the greater thus Ben Melech and blossomed blossoms open flowers or blossoms such as appear on the almond tree in the spring and look very beautiful and yielded almonds ripe almonds in their full perfection as the Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan the latter of which isin the same night it perfected and brought forth almondsthe word used has the signification of weaning and alludes to children grown up to some ripeness and maturity Gen_218 the case seems to be this that in one part of the rod were buds swelling and just putting out in another part open flowers quite blown and in others full ripe fruit now this clearly showed it to be supernatural since the almond tree though quick and early in its production of buds and flowers yet never has those and ripe fruit on it at the same time to which may be added that this was not the time of year the almond tree blossoms not the spring but rather autumn as it should seem since it was after the affair of the spies and the murmurs of the people on their report now it was the time of the first ripe grapes when they went into the land and they were forty days searching it and it was after their return the insurrections before recorded were the design of this was to confirm the priesthood in Aarons family and show that it would continue there in a flourishing condition and that there would be a succession of priests from him to the time of the Messiah as there were and the almond tree having its name in Hebrew from watchfulness and haste see Jer_111 may denote the vigilance of the priests in their office and the haste punishment makes to come upon such that should oppose them or usurp the priesthood as in the case of Uzziah so Jarchi remarks this rod of Aarons may be an emblem of the Gospel ministry of that rod that should come out of Zion Psa_1102 which in the eyes of men is mean and despicable like a dry stick but becomes a fruitful one through the power of divine grace and an almond tree rod may denote the vigilance and watchfulness of Gospel ministers over themselves and others and their doctrine and oftentimes whom God puts into the ministry he early calls them by his grace and frequently makes the first part of their ministry most useful and fruit is brought forth which remains moreover this rod may be considered as a type of Christ it being a dry rod or stick may denote the

36

meanness of his descent and appearance in the world and the unpromising aspect of his being the King Messiah and Saviour of men and being an almond tree rod may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time which the Lord hastened his being the firstborn and his right to the priesthood and his vigilance in it its lying among other rods and budding and blossoming and bringing forth fruit may point at Christs assuming the common nature or man his being cut off by death his resurrection from the dead and the fruits arising from thence justification peace pardon and eternal life and as Aarons priesthood was confirmed by the budding ampc of this rod so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are by his resurrection from the dead See Gill on Heb_94HENRY 8-9 Here is I The final determination of the controversy

concerning the priesthood by a miracle Num_178 Num_179 The rods or staves were brought out from the most holy place where they were laid up and publicly produced before the people and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were Aarons rod only of a dry stick became a living branch budded and blossomed and yielded almonds In some places there were buds in others blossoms in others fruit at the same time This was miraculous and took away all suspicion of a fraud as if in the night Moses had taken away Aarons rod and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it for no ordinary branch would have buds blossoms and fruits upon it all at once Now1 This was a plain indication to the people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood and not any other of the princes of the tribes Thus he was distinguished from them and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven which sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor watering by the hand of man Bishop Hall here observes that fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call and that the plants of Gods setting and the boughs cut off from them will flourish See Psa_9212-14 The trees of the Lord though they seem dry trees are full of sap2 It was a very proper sign to represent the priesthood itself which was hereby confirmed to Aaron (1) That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God It produced not only blossoms but almonds for the priesthood was designed not only for an honour to Aaron but for a blessing to Israel Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they should go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit should remain Joh_1516 (2) That there should be a succession of priests Here were not only almonds for the present but buds and blossoms promising more hereafter Thus has Christ provided in his church that a seed should serve him from generation to generation (3) That yet this priesthood should not be perpetual but in process of time like the branches and blossoms of a tree should fail and wither The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age Ecc_125 This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood which soon became old and ready to vanish away Heb_8133 It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood for he is the man the branch that is to be a priest upon his throne as it follows (Zec_612) and he was to grow up before God as this before the ark like a tender

37

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

BENSON Numbers 173 Aaronrsquos name mdash Rather than Levirsquos for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos family One rod mdash There shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixed

POOLE Aaronrsquos rather than Levirsquos name for that would have left the controversy undecided between Aaron and the other Levites whereas this would justify the appropriation of the priesthood to Aaronrsquos familyFor the head of the house of their fathers ie there shall be in this as there is in all the other tribes only one rod and that for the head of their tribe who is Aaron in this tribe whereas it might have been expected that there should have been two rods one for Aaron and another for his competitors of the same tribe But Aaronrsquos name was sufficient to determine both the tribe and that branch or family of the tribe to whom this dignity should be affixedPETT Numbers 173lsquoAnd you shall write Aaronrsquos name on the rod of Levi for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathersrsquo housesrsquoOn the rod of Levi the name of Aaron was to be written There was to be one for each head of their fathersrsquo houses In the light of the earlier divisions in chapters 1-4 we are probably therefore to see that there were thirteen rods the twelve which represented Israel in contrast with the Levites and the one that specifically represented AaronHere Aaron is depicted as the head of the house of Levi That may well be why earlier he was called lsquothe Levitersquo as the head of the family (Exodus 414)

PULPIT Numbers 173Thou shalt write Aarons name upon the rod of Levi There was no tribe prince of Levi and it is not probable that either of the three chiefs of the sub-tribes (Numbers 324 Numbers 330 55) was called upon to bring a rod This rod was therefore provided by Moses himself and inscribed by him with the name of Aaron who stood by Divine appointment (so recently and fearfully attested) above all his brethren For the significance of the act cf Ezekiel 3716-28 For one rod hellip for the head of the house of their fathers For Levi therefore there must be not three rods inscribed with the names of the chiefs but one only bearing the name of Aaron as

26

their common superior

4 Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law where I meet with you

GILL And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation In the most holy place before the testimony that is the ark in which the testimony or the law was here they were laid as in the presence of God who was in a miraculous way to decide the controversy by them and put an end to it for upon the ark was the mercy seat over which were the cherubim the seat of the divine Majesty and where none could come at them and where no fraud could be supposed to be committed where I will meet with you not with the people in person who might not go at any time into the most holy place nor with Aaron who only might go into it on the day of atonement but with Moses the chief ruler and representative of the whole body of the people and who might go in there at any time to consult with God about matters of moment and difficulty and where the Lord had said he would meet him Exo_2522 and now would in a miraculous way clearly show him and the people of Israel by him who was the priest he had chosen of all the tribesCALVIN 4And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle The place itself had not a little to do with the effectual decision of the matter because it was clearly manifested that God was the author of the miracle and consequently that the priesthood proceeded from Him For we have elsewhere said that the whole government of the Church so entirely depends upon His decree that men are not permitted to interfere with it Wherefore He set the ark of the covenant in opposition to the voices of the whole people in order to testify that no further dispute was to be raised respecting the priest whom He had appointed by His own declaration and authority At the same time it had the effect of consoling the people and silencing their complaints that the rods of all the tribes were brought in common into the sanctuary before God for although a peculiar dignity was accorded to that of Aaron alone still the people ceased not to be a priestly kingdom Hence it follows that the honorable privilege conferred on one family contributed to the public welfare of all so far was it from being the case that their inferiority ought to have caused them pain or envy

27

POOLE Before the testimony ie before the ark of the testimony either mediately close by the veil behind which the ark stood or rather immediately within the veil in the most holy place close by the ark as may be gathered by comparing this place with Numbers 1710 and with Hebrews 94I will meet with you and manifest my mind to you for the ending of this dispute PETT The Rods Are To Be Laid Up in the Tent of Meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)Numbers 174lsquoAnd you shall lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony where I meet with yoursquoThese were then to be lsquolaid up in the Tent of meeting before the testimonyrsquo in the place where Yahweh meets with His people This probably meant in front of the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh lsquothe testimonyrsquo indicating the presence of the covenant tablets in the Ark and their testimony to the covenant

5 The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelitesrdquo

CLARKE The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossom - It was necessary that something farther should be done to quiet the minds of the people and for ever to settle the dispute in what tribe the priesthood should be fixed God therefore took the method described in the text and it had the desired effect the Aaronical priesthood was never after disputed

GILL And it shall come to pass that the mans rod whom I shall choose Or make it manifest that he had chosen him and so confirm the choice he had made of him and his family for the priesthood to be and continue in

28

shall blossom bud and blossom and yield fruit as it afterwards did which is here declared beforehand that the miracle might appear the greater exactly answering to a prediction delivered out before of it and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel whereby they murmur against you against Moses for setting up his brother as an high priest and establishing the priesthood in his family and against Aaron for accepting of it and officiating in it but by this method now taken God would for ever silence their murmurings so that they should never be able with any face to object any more to the authority of the Aaronic priesthood which should appear by the predicted miracle beyond all dispute and contradictionCALVIN 5And it shall come to pass that the manrsquos rod Aaron indeed had been previously chosen but the expression here refers to his manifestation (105) because God is said again to choose those whom He has chosen by His secret counsel when He brings them forth into the sight of men with their peculiar marks of distinction and this not once only but as often as he confirms their election by new indications And this seems to be spoken of by way of concession as if God would pass over all His former decrees and invite the people afresh to take cognizance of the matter With this view tie states that He will put an end to all the malevolent and noisy detractions of the people so that Aaron may henceforth exercise his office without controversy for although not even thus was their perverseness altogether cured still their insolence was restrained

ELLICOTT (5) The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossommdashOr shall sprout forth or put forthmdashie leaves or blossoms Achilles when enraged against Agamemnon is made to swear a solemn oath by his sceptre which having once left its stock on the mountains shall never again grow King Latinus is represented by Virgil as confirming his covenant with AEligneas by a similar oath

WHEDON 5 Whom I shall choose mdash That is select for the priesthoodCeasehellip murmurings mdash Suppress them beyond all possibility of a revival Jehovahrsquos claims are set forth in his word with such cogency that there is no just ground for gainsaying On all questions of duty there is a redundancy of evidencePETT The Rod of the Chosen One Will Bud and Put an End to Murmuring (Numbers 175)Numbers 175lsquoAnd it will come about that the rod of the man whom I shall choose will bud and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel which they

29

murmur against yoursquoThen Yahweh would make the rod of the man that Yahweh had chosen spring to life and bud This final display on Yahwehrsquos initiative should cause all further murmurings against Moses and Aaron on the question of who had the right of priesthood to cease

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 Aaronrsquos staff was among them

BARNES The whole number of rods was twelve exclusive of Aaronrsquos as the Vulgate expressly states

GILL And Moses spake unto the children of Israel What the Lord had bid him say unto them concerning the rods which they hearkened unto and observed and everyone of their princes gave him a rod apiece for each prince one every prince of the several tribes and so a rod for every tribe as well as for each prince according to their fathers houses even twelve rods there being twelve tribes named after their fathers or the patriarchs the twelve sons of Jacob and Joseph having two tribes which sprung from him called after his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh there were twelve rods besides that of Aaron and so the Vulgate Latin version renders the words with the next clauseand there were twelve rods besides the rod of Aaronin all thirteen though the Jews say there were but twelve with it allowing but one rod for Joseph under whom were comprehended Ephraim and Manasseh and reckoning the tribe of Levi one of the twelve so Aben Ezra observes that the rod of Levi was among the twelve and Joseph had but one rod and the rod of Aaron was among their rods in the middle of them and was

30

so placed as Jarchi thinks that it might not be said because it was put on the side of the Shechinah or divine Majesty therefore it budded but being in the middle of them there could be no difference in that respectJAMISON the rod of Aaron was among their rods mdash either one of the

twelve or as many suppose a thirteenth in the midst (Heb_94) The rods were of dry sticks or wands probably old as transmitted from one head of the family to a succeeding

KampD Num_176-11Moses carried out this command And when he went into the tabernacle the following morning behold Aarons rod of the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth shoots and had borne blossoms and matured almonds And Moses brought all the rods out of the sanctuary and gave every man his own the rest as we may gather from the context being all unchanged so that the whole nation could satisfy itself that God had chosen Aaron Thus was the word fulfilled which Moses had spoken at the commencement of the rebellion of the company of Korah (Num_165) and that in a way which could not fail to accredit him before the whole congregation as sent of GodSo far as the occurrence itself is concerned there can hardly be any need to remark that the natural interpretation which has lately been attempted by Ewald viz that Moses had laid several almond rods in the holy place which had just been freshly cut off that he might see the next day which of them would flower the best during the night is directly at variance with the words of the text and also with the fact that a rod even freshly cut off when laid in a dry place would not bear ripe fruit in a single night The miracle which God wrought here as the Creator of nature was at the same time a significant symbol of the nature and meaning of the priesthood The choice of the rods had also a bearing upon the object in question A mans rod was the sign of his position as ruler in the house and congregation with a prince the rod becomes a sceptre the insignia of rule (Gen_4910) As a severed branch the rod could not put forth shoots and blossom in a natural way But God could impart new vital powers even to the dry rod And so Aaron had naturally no pre-eminence above the heads of the other tribes But the priesthood was founded not upon natural qualifications and gifts but upon the power of the Spirit which God communicates according to the choice of His wisdom and which He had imparted to Aaron through his consecration with holy anointing oil It was this which the Lord intended to show to the people by causing Aarons rod to put forth branches blossom and fruit through a miracle of His omnipotence whereas the rods of the other heads of the tribes remained as barren as before In this way therefore it was not without deep significance that Aarons rod not only put forth shoots by which the divine election might be recognised but bore even blossom and ripe fruit This showed that Aaron was not only qualified for his calling but administered his office in the full power of the Spirit and bore the fruit expected of him The almond rod was especially adapted to exhibit this as

31

an almond-tree flowers and bears fruit the earliest of all the trees and has received its name of שקד ldquoawakerdquo from this very fact (cf Jer_111)

God then commanded (Num_1710 Num_1711) that Aarons rod should be taken back into the sanctuary and preserved before the testimony ldquofor a sign for the rebellious that thou puttest an end to their murmuring and they die notrdquo The preservation of the rod before the ark of the covenant in the immediate presence of the Lord was a pledge to Aaron of the continuance of his election and the permanent duration of his priesthood though we have no need to assume that through a perpetual miracle the staff continued green and blossoming In this way the staff became a sign to the rebellious which could not fail to stop their murmuringPETT All the Chieftains Give Rods Including Aaron (Numbers 176)Numbers 176lsquoAnd Moses spoke to the children of Israel and all their princes gave him rods for each prince one according to their fathersrsquo houses even twelve rods and the rod of Aaron was among their rodsrsquoSo Moses did as Yahweh commanded and requested rods from each of the chieftains of the twelve tribes These rods may well have been their symbols of authority Thus twelve rods were gathered and Aaronrsquos rod was placed among them PULPIT And the rod of Aaron was among the rods As there was no prince from whom this rod could have come and as there were twelve rods without it this must mean that Moses did not keep Aarons rod separate (which might have caused suspicion) but let it be seen amongst the others

7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law

GILL And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness In that part of the tabernacle where the testimony or witness was that is the law which was in the ark over which was the mercy seat with the cherubim between which Jehovah dwelt and this was the most holy place and the rods being laid here might be said to be laid before the Lord who by making a difference in one of those rods from the rest would decide the controversy about the priesthood which was the end of their being laid

32

before himHENRY The preparing of the rods accordingly The princes brought

them in some of them perhaps fondly expecting that the choice would fall upon them and all of them thinking it honour enough to be competitors with Aaron and to stand candidates even for the priesthood (Num_177) and Moses laid them up before the Lord He did not object that the matter was sufficiently settled already and enough done to convince those that were not invincibly hardened in their prejudices He did not undertake to determine the controversy himself though it might easily have been done nor did he suggest that it would be to no purpose to offer satisfaction to a people that were willingly blind But since God will have it so he did his part and lodged the case before the Lord to whom the appeal was made by consent and left it with him

WHEDON 7 Witness mdash The Hebrew is the same as that for testimony in Numbers 174 The reason for choosing this place may have been that no one would suspect the performance of any legerdemain or jugglery in the holy of holies a sanctuary too awful for any man to enter but the high priest one day in the year Moses entered on this occasion by express commandPETT The Rods Are Placed In the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)Numbers 177lsquoAnd Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimonyrsquoThe rods were then laid up lsquobefore Yahwehrsquo in lsquothe Tent of the testimonyrsquo Note the change in name for the Tent Emphasis is placed here on the fact that the Tent testifies to Yahweh and His covenant As we have already suggested this probably meant that they were placed before the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh although it may be that Moses uniquely had access into the Holy of Holies itself

8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaronrsquos staff which represented the tribe of Levi had not only sprouted but had budded blossomed and produced almonds 33

BARNES Yielded almonds - ldquoRipened almondsrdquo i e ldquobrought forth ripe almondsrdquo The name almond in Hebrew denotes the ldquowaking-treerdquo the ldquowaking-fruitrdquo and is applied to this tree because it blossoms early in the season It serves here as in Jer_111-12 to set forth the speed and certainty with which at Godrsquos will His purposes are accomplished So again the blossoming and bearing of Aaronrsquos rod naturally impotent when severed from the parent tree may signify the profitableness because of Godrsquos appointment and blessing of the various means of grace (e g the priesthood the sacraments) which of themselves and apart from Him could have no such efficacy Compare Isa_42 Isa_111 Isa_532 Jer_335 Zec_612

CLARKE The rod of Aaron - was budded etc - That is on the same rod or staff were found buds blossoms and ripe fruit This fact was so unquestionably miraculous as to decide the business for ever and probably this was intended to show that in the priesthood represented by that of Aaron the beginning middle and end of every good work must be found The buds of good desires the blossoms of holy resolutions and promising professions and the ripe fruit of faith love and obedience all spring from the priesthood of the Lord Jesus It has been thought by some that Aaronrsquos staff (and perhaps the staves of all the tribes) was made out of the amygdala communis or common almond tree In a favorable soil and climate it grows to twenty feet in height is one of the most noble flourishing trees in nature its flowers are of a delicate red and it puts them forth early in March having begun to bud in January It has its name שקד shaked from shakad to awake because it buds and flowers sooner than most other trees And it is very likely that the staves of office borne by the chiefs of all the tribes were made of this tree merely to signify that watchfulness and assiduous care which the chiefs should take of the persons committed in the course of the Divine providence to their keeping

Every thing in this miracle is so far beyond the power of nature that no doubt could remain on the minds of the people or the envious chiefs of the Divine appointment of Aaron and of the especial interference of God in this case To see a piece of wood long cut off from the parent stock without bark or moisture remaining laid up in a dry place for a single night with others in the same circumstances - to see such a piece of wood resume and evince the perfection of vegetative life budding blossoming and bringing forth ripe fruit at the same time must be such a demonstration of the peculiar interference of God as to silence every doubt and satisfy every scruple It is worthy of remark that a scepter or staff of office resuming its vegetative life was considered an absolute impossibility among the ancients and as 34

they were accustomed to swear by their sceptres this circumstance was added to establish and confirm the oath A remarkable instance of this we have in Homer Iliad lib i ver 233 etc where Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon thus speaks -Αλλrsquo εκ τοι ερεω και επι μεγαν ὁρκον ομουμαιΝαι μα τοδε σκηπτρον το μεν ουποτε φυλλα και οζουςΦυσει επειδη πρωτα τομην εν ορεσσι λελοιπενΟυδrsquo αναθηλησει περι γαρ ῥα ἑ χαλκος ελεψεΦυλλα τε και φλοιονὁ δε τοι μεγας εσσεται ὁρκοςBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same scepter which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopprsquod off its foliage greenAnd stripprsquod its bark shall never grow againCowper

Virgil represents King Latinus swearing in the same way to confirm his covenant with Aeneas -Ut Sceptrum hoc (dextra sceptrum nam forte gerebat)Nunquam fronde levi fundet virgulta neque umbrasCum semel in silvis imo de stirpe recisumMatre caret posuitque comas et brachia ferroOlim arbos nunc artificis manus aere decoroInclusit patribusque dedit gestare LatinisTalibus inter se firmabant foedera dictisAen lib xii ver 206-12Even as this royal Sceptre (for he boreA scepter in his hand) shall never moreShoot out in branches or renew the birthAn orphan now cut from the mother earthBy the keen axe dishonorrsquod of its hairAnd cased in brass for Latian kings to bearAnd thus in public view the peace was tiedWith solemn vows and sworn on either sideDryden

When the circumstance of the rod or scepter being used anciently in this way and the absolute impossibility of its reviviscence so strongly appealed to is considered it appears to have been a very proper instrument for the present occasion for the change that passed on it must be acknowledged as an immediate and incontestable miracle

35

GILL And it came to pass that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness Where none but he could go at any time this was the day after the rods had been placed there and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi the rod that had Aarons name upon it which was to represent the tribe of Levi of which he was was budded and brought forth buds knobs of blossom such that are seen on trees before they open for the almond tree puts forth its blossoms before its leaves though the Targum of Jonathan renders it branches as do some versions and some think this is to be understood of its putting out its leaves first contrary to the nature of the almond tree and so makes the miracle the greater thus Ben Melech and blossomed blossoms open flowers or blossoms such as appear on the almond tree in the spring and look very beautiful and yielded almonds ripe almonds in their full perfection as the Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan the latter of which isin the same night it perfected and brought forth almondsthe word used has the signification of weaning and alludes to children grown up to some ripeness and maturity Gen_218 the case seems to be this that in one part of the rod were buds swelling and just putting out in another part open flowers quite blown and in others full ripe fruit now this clearly showed it to be supernatural since the almond tree though quick and early in its production of buds and flowers yet never has those and ripe fruit on it at the same time to which may be added that this was not the time of year the almond tree blossoms not the spring but rather autumn as it should seem since it was after the affair of the spies and the murmurs of the people on their report now it was the time of the first ripe grapes when they went into the land and they were forty days searching it and it was after their return the insurrections before recorded were the design of this was to confirm the priesthood in Aarons family and show that it would continue there in a flourishing condition and that there would be a succession of priests from him to the time of the Messiah as there were and the almond tree having its name in Hebrew from watchfulness and haste see Jer_111 may denote the vigilance of the priests in their office and the haste punishment makes to come upon such that should oppose them or usurp the priesthood as in the case of Uzziah so Jarchi remarks this rod of Aarons may be an emblem of the Gospel ministry of that rod that should come out of Zion Psa_1102 which in the eyes of men is mean and despicable like a dry stick but becomes a fruitful one through the power of divine grace and an almond tree rod may denote the vigilance and watchfulness of Gospel ministers over themselves and others and their doctrine and oftentimes whom God puts into the ministry he early calls them by his grace and frequently makes the first part of their ministry most useful and fruit is brought forth which remains moreover this rod may be considered as a type of Christ it being a dry rod or stick may denote the

36

meanness of his descent and appearance in the world and the unpromising aspect of his being the King Messiah and Saviour of men and being an almond tree rod may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time which the Lord hastened his being the firstborn and his right to the priesthood and his vigilance in it its lying among other rods and budding and blossoming and bringing forth fruit may point at Christs assuming the common nature or man his being cut off by death his resurrection from the dead and the fruits arising from thence justification peace pardon and eternal life and as Aarons priesthood was confirmed by the budding ampc of this rod so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are by his resurrection from the dead See Gill on Heb_94HENRY 8-9 Here is I The final determination of the controversy

concerning the priesthood by a miracle Num_178 Num_179 The rods or staves were brought out from the most holy place where they were laid up and publicly produced before the people and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were Aarons rod only of a dry stick became a living branch budded and blossomed and yielded almonds In some places there were buds in others blossoms in others fruit at the same time This was miraculous and took away all suspicion of a fraud as if in the night Moses had taken away Aarons rod and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it for no ordinary branch would have buds blossoms and fruits upon it all at once Now1 This was a plain indication to the people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood and not any other of the princes of the tribes Thus he was distinguished from them and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven which sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor watering by the hand of man Bishop Hall here observes that fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call and that the plants of Gods setting and the boughs cut off from them will flourish See Psa_9212-14 The trees of the Lord though they seem dry trees are full of sap2 It was a very proper sign to represent the priesthood itself which was hereby confirmed to Aaron (1) That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God It produced not only blossoms but almonds for the priesthood was designed not only for an honour to Aaron but for a blessing to Israel Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they should go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit should remain Joh_1516 (2) That there should be a succession of priests Here were not only almonds for the present but buds and blossoms promising more hereafter Thus has Christ provided in his church that a seed should serve him from generation to generation (3) That yet this priesthood should not be perpetual but in process of time like the branches and blossoms of a tree should fail and wither The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age Ecc_125 This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood which soon became old and ready to vanish away Heb_8133 It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood for he is the man the branch that is to be a priest upon his throne as it follows (Zec_612) and he was to grow up before God as this before the ark like a tender

37

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

their common superior

4 Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law where I meet with you

GILL And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation In the most holy place before the testimony that is the ark in which the testimony or the law was here they were laid as in the presence of God who was in a miraculous way to decide the controversy by them and put an end to it for upon the ark was the mercy seat over which were the cherubim the seat of the divine Majesty and where none could come at them and where no fraud could be supposed to be committed where I will meet with you not with the people in person who might not go at any time into the most holy place nor with Aaron who only might go into it on the day of atonement but with Moses the chief ruler and representative of the whole body of the people and who might go in there at any time to consult with God about matters of moment and difficulty and where the Lord had said he would meet him Exo_2522 and now would in a miraculous way clearly show him and the people of Israel by him who was the priest he had chosen of all the tribesCALVIN 4And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle The place itself had not a little to do with the effectual decision of the matter because it was clearly manifested that God was the author of the miracle and consequently that the priesthood proceeded from Him For we have elsewhere said that the whole government of the Church so entirely depends upon His decree that men are not permitted to interfere with it Wherefore He set the ark of the covenant in opposition to the voices of the whole people in order to testify that no further dispute was to be raised respecting the priest whom He had appointed by His own declaration and authority At the same time it had the effect of consoling the people and silencing their complaints that the rods of all the tribes were brought in common into the sanctuary before God for although a peculiar dignity was accorded to that of Aaron alone still the people ceased not to be a priestly kingdom Hence it follows that the honorable privilege conferred on one family contributed to the public welfare of all so far was it from being the case that their inferiority ought to have caused them pain or envy

27

POOLE Before the testimony ie before the ark of the testimony either mediately close by the veil behind which the ark stood or rather immediately within the veil in the most holy place close by the ark as may be gathered by comparing this place with Numbers 1710 and with Hebrews 94I will meet with you and manifest my mind to you for the ending of this dispute PETT The Rods Are To Be Laid Up in the Tent of Meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)Numbers 174lsquoAnd you shall lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony where I meet with yoursquoThese were then to be lsquolaid up in the Tent of meeting before the testimonyrsquo in the place where Yahweh meets with His people This probably meant in front of the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh lsquothe testimonyrsquo indicating the presence of the covenant tablets in the Ark and their testimony to the covenant

5 The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelitesrdquo

CLARKE The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossom - It was necessary that something farther should be done to quiet the minds of the people and for ever to settle the dispute in what tribe the priesthood should be fixed God therefore took the method described in the text and it had the desired effect the Aaronical priesthood was never after disputed

GILL And it shall come to pass that the mans rod whom I shall choose Or make it manifest that he had chosen him and so confirm the choice he had made of him and his family for the priesthood to be and continue in

28

shall blossom bud and blossom and yield fruit as it afterwards did which is here declared beforehand that the miracle might appear the greater exactly answering to a prediction delivered out before of it and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel whereby they murmur against you against Moses for setting up his brother as an high priest and establishing the priesthood in his family and against Aaron for accepting of it and officiating in it but by this method now taken God would for ever silence their murmurings so that they should never be able with any face to object any more to the authority of the Aaronic priesthood which should appear by the predicted miracle beyond all dispute and contradictionCALVIN 5And it shall come to pass that the manrsquos rod Aaron indeed had been previously chosen but the expression here refers to his manifestation (105) because God is said again to choose those whom He has chosen by His secret counsel when He brings them forth into the sight of men with their peculiar marks of distinction and this not once only but as often as he confirms their election by new indications And this seems to be spoken of by way of concession as if God would pass over all His former decrees and invite the people afresh to take cognizance of the matter With this view tie states that He will put an end to all the malevolent and noisy detractions of the people so that Aaron may henceforth exercise his office without controversy for although not even thus was their perverseness altogether cured still their insolence was restrained

ELLICOTT (5) The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossommdashOr shall sprout forth or put forthmdashie leaves or blossoms Achilles when enraged against Agamemnon is made to swear a solemn oath by his sceptre which having once left its stock on the mountains shall never again grow King Latinus is represented by Virgil as confirming his covenant with AEligneas by a similar oath

WHEDON 5 Whom I shall choose mdash That is select for the priesthoodCeasehellip murmurings mdash Suppress them beyond all possibility of a revival Jehovahrsquos claims are set forth in his word with such cogency that there is no just ground for gainsaying On all questions of duty there is a redundancy of evidencePETT The Rod of the Chosen One Will Bud and Put an End to Murmuring (Numbers 175)Numbers 175lsquoAnd it will come about that the rod of the man whom I shall choose will bud and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel which they

29

murmur against yoursquoThen Yahweh would make the rod of the man that Yahweh had chosen spring to life and bud This final display on Yahwehrsquos initiative should cause all further murmurings against Moses and Aaron on the question of who had the right of priesthood to cease

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 Aaronrsquos staff was among them

BARNES The whole number of rods was twelve exclusive of Aaronrsquos as the Vulgate expressly states

GILL And Moses spake unto the children of Israel What the Lord had bid him say unto them concerning the rods which they hearkened unto and observed and everyone of their princes gave him a rod apiece for each prince one every prince of the several tribes and so a rod for every tribe as well as for each prince according to their fathers houses even twelve rods there being twelve tribes named after their fathers or the patriarchs the twelve sons of Jacob and Joseph having two tribes which sprung from him called after his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh there were twelve rods besides that of Aaron and so the Vulgate Latin version renders the words with the next clauseand there were twelve rods besides the rod of Aaronin all thirteen though the Jews say there were but twelve with it allowing but one rod for Joseph under whom were comprehended Ephraim and Manasseh and reckoning the tribe of Levi one of the twelve so Aben Ezra observes that the rod of Levi was among the twelve and Joseph had but one rod and the rod of Aaron was among their rods in the middle of them and was

30

so placed as Jarchi thinks that it might not be said because it was put on the side of the Shechinah or divine Majesty therefore it budded but being in the middle of them there could be no difference in that respectJAMISON the rod of Aaron was among their rods mdash either one of the

twelve or as many suppose a thirteenth in the midst (Heb_94) The rods were of dry sticks or wands probably old as transmitted from one head of the family to a succeeding

KampD Num_176-11Moses carried out this command And when he went into the tabernacle the following morning behold Aarons rod of the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth shoots and had borne blossoms and matured almonds And Moses brought all the rods out of the sanctuary and gave every man his own the rest as we may gather from the context being all unchanged so that the whole nation could satisfy itself that God had chosen Aaron Thus was the word fulfilled which Moses had spoken at the commencement of the rebellion of the company of Korah (Num_165) and that in a way which could not fail to accredit him before the whole congregation as sent of GodSo far as the occurrence itself is concerned there can hardly be any need to remark that the natural interpretation which has lately been attempted by Ewald viz that Moses had laid several almond rods in the holy place which had just been freshly cut off that he might see the next day which of them would flower the best during the night is directly at variance with the words of the text and also with the fact that a rod even freshly cut off when laid in a dry place would not bear ripe fruit in a single night The miracle which God wrought here as the Creator of nature was at the same time a significant symbol of the nature and meaning of the priesthood The choice of the rods had also a bearing upon the object in question A mans rod was the sign of his position as ruler in the house and congregation with a prince the rod becomes a sceptre the insignia of rule (Gen_4910) As a severed branch the rod could not put forth shoots and blossom in a natural way But God could impart new vital powers even to the dry rod And so Aaron had naturally no pre-eminence above the heads of the other tribes But the priesthood was founded not upon natural qualifications and gifts but upon the power of the Spirit which God communicates according to the choice of His wisdom and which He had imparted to Aaron through his consecration with holy anointing oil It was this which the Lord intended to show to the people by causing Aarons rod to put forth branches blossom and fruit through a miracle of His omnipotence whereas the rods of the other heads of the tribes remained as barren as before In this way therefore it was not without deep significance that Aarons rod not only put forth shoots by which the divine election might be recognised but bore even blossom and ripe fruit This showed that Aaron was not only qualified for his calling but administered his office in the full power of the Spirit and bore the fruit expected of him The almond rod was especially adapted to exhibit this as

31

an almond-tree flowers and bears fruit the earliest of all the trees and has received its name of שקד ldquoawakerdquo from this very fact (cf Jer_111)

God then commanded (Num_1710 Num_1711) that Aarons rod should be taken back into the sanctuary and preserved before the testimony ldquofor a sign for the rebellious that thou puttest an end to their murmuring and they die notrdquo The preservation of the rod before the ark of the covenant in the immediate presence of the Lord was a pledge to Aaron of the continuance of his election and the permanent duration of his priesthood though we have no need to assume that through a perpetual miracle the staff continued green and blossoming In this way the staff became a sign to the rebellious which could not fail to stop their murmuringPETT All the Chieftains Give Rods Including Aaron (Numbers 176)Numbers 176lsquoAnd Moses spoke to the children of Israel and all their princes gave him rods for each prince one according to their fathersrsquo houses even twelve rods and the rod of Aaron was among their rodsrsquoSo Moses did as Yahweh commanded and requested rods from each of the chieftains of the twelve tribes These rods may well have been their symbols of authority Thus twelve rods were gathered and Aaronrsquos rod was placed among them PULPIT And the rod of Aaron was among the rods As there was no prince from whom this rod could have come and as there were twelve rods without it this must mean that Moses did not keep Aarons rod separate (which might have caused suspicion) but let it be seen amongst the others

7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law

GILL And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness In that part of the tabernacle where the testimony or witness was that is the law which was in the ark over which was the mercy seat with the cherubim between which Jehovah dwelt and this was the most holy place and the rods being laid here might be said to be laid before the Lord who by making a difference in one of those rods from the rest would decide the controversy about the priesthood which was the end of their being laid

32

before himHENRY The preparing of the rods accordingly The princes brought

them in some of them perhaps fondly expecting that the choice would fall upon them and all of them thinking it honour enough to be competitors with Aaron and to stand candidates even for the priesthood (Num_177) and Moses laid them up before the Lord He did not object that the matter was sufficiently settled already and enough done to convince those that were not invincibly hardened in their prejudices He did not undertake to determine the controversy himself though it might easily have been done nor did he suggest that it would be to no purpose to offer satisfaction to a people that were willingly blind But since God will have it so he did his part and lodged the case before the Lord to whom the appeal was made by consent and left it with him

WHEDON 7 Witness mdash The Hebrew is the same as that for testimony in Numbers 174 The reason for choosing this place may have been that no one would suspect the performance of any legerdemain or jugglery in the holy of holies a sanctuary too awful for any man to enter but the high priest one day in the year Moses entered on this occasion by express commandPETT The Rods Are Placed In the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)Numbers 177lsquoAnd Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimonyrsquoThe rods were then laid up lsquobefore Yahwehrsquo in lsquothe Tent of the testimonyrsquo Note the change in name for the Tent Emphasis is placed here on the fact that the Tent testifies to Yahweh and His covenant As we have already suggested this probably meant that they were placed before the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh although it may be that Moses uniquely had access into the Holy of Holies itself

8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaronrsquos staff which represented the tribe of Levi had not only sprouted but had budded blossomed and produced almonds 33

BARNES Yielded almonds - ldquoRipened almondsrdquo i e ldquobrought forth ripe almondsrdquo The name almond in Hebrew denotes the ldquowaking-treerdquo the ldquowaking-fruitrdquo and is applied to this tree because it blossoms early in the season It serves here as in Jer_111-12 to set forth the speed and certainty with which at Godrsquos will His purposes are accomplished So again the blossoming and bearing of Aaronrsquos rod naturally impotent when severed from the parent tree may signify the profitableness because of Godrsquos appointment and blessing of the various means of grace (e g the priesthood the sacraments) which of themselves and apart from Him could have no such efficacy Compare Isa_42 Isa_111 Isa_532 Jer_335 Zec_612

CLARKE The rod of Aaron - was budded etc - That is on the same rod or staff were found buds blossoms and ripe fruit This fact was so unquestionably miraculous as to decide the business for ever and probably this was intended to show that in the priesthood represented by that of Aaron the beginning middle and end of every good work must be found The buds of good desires the blossoms of holy resolutions and promising professions and the ripe fruit of faith love and obedience all spring from the priesthood of the Lord Jesus It has been thought by some that Aaronrsquos staff (and perhaps the staves of all the tribes) was made out of the amygdala communis or common almond tree In a favorable soil and climate it grows to twenty feet in height is one of the most noble flourishing trees in nature its flowers are of a delicate red and it puts them forth early in March having begun to bud in January It has its name שקד shaked from shakad to awake because it buds and flowers sooner than most other trees And it is very likely that the staves of office borne by the chiefs of all the tribes were made of this tree merely to signify that watchfulness and assiduous care which the chiefs should take of the persons committed in the course of the Divine providence to their keeping

Every thing in this miracle is so far beyond the power of nature that no doubt could remain on the minds of the people or the envious chiefs of the Divine appointment of Aaron and of the especial interference of God in this case To see a piece of wood long cut off from the parent stock without bark or moisture remaining laid up in a dry place for a single night with others in the same circumstances - to see such a piece of wood resume and evince the perfection of vegetative life budding blossoming and bringing forth ripe fruit at the same time must be such a demonstration of the peculiar interference of God as to silence every doubt and satisfy every scruple It is worthy of remark that a scepter or staff of office resuming its vegetative life was considered an absolute impossibility among the ancients and as 34

they were accustomed to swear by their sceptres this circumstance was added to establish and confirm the oath A remarkable instance of this we have in Homer Iliad lib i ver 233 etc where Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon thus speaks -Αλλrsquo εκ τοι ερεω και επι μεγαν ὁρκον ομουμαιΝαι μα τοδε σκηπτρον το μεν ουποτε φυλλα και οζουςΦυσει επειδη πρωτα τομην εν ορεσσι λελοιπενΟυδrsquo αναθηλησει περι γαρ ῥα ἑ χαλκος ελεψεΦυλλα τε και φλοιονὁ δε τοι μεγας εσσεται ὁρκοςBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same scepter which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopprsquod off its foliage greenAnd stripprsquod its bark shall never grow againCowper

Virgil represents King Latinus swearing in the same way to confirm his covenant with Aeneas -Ut Sceptrum hoc (dextra sceptrum nam forte gerebat)Nunquam fronde levi fundet virgulta neque umbrasCum semel in silvis imo de stirpe recisumMatre caret posuitque comas et brachia ferroOlim arbos nunc artificis manus aere decoroInclusit patribusque dedit gestare LatinisTalibus inter se firmabant foedera dictisAen lib xii ver 206-12Even as this royal Sceptre (for he boreA scepter in his hand) shall never moreShoot out in branches or renew the birthAn orphan now cut from the mother earthBy the keen axe dishonorrsquod of its hairAnd cased in brass for Latian kings to bearAnd thus in public view the peace was tiedWith solemn vows and sworn on either sideDryden

When the circumstance of the rod or scepter being used anciently in this way and the absolute impossibility of its reviviscence so strongly appealed to is considered it appears to have been a very proper instrument for the present occasion for the change that passed on it must be acknowledged as an immediate and incontestable miracle

35

GILL And it came to pass that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness Where none but he could go at any time this was the day after the rods had been placed there and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi the rod that had Aarons name upon it which was to represent the tribe of Levi of which he was was budded and brought forth buds knobs of blossom such that are seen on trees before they open for the almond tree puts forth its blossoms before its leaves though the Targum of Jonathan renders it branches as do some versions and some think this is to be understood of its putting out its leaves first contrary to the nature of the almond tree and so makes the miracle the greater thus Ben Melech and blossomed blossoms open flowers or blossoms such as appear on the almond tree in the spring and look very beautiful and yielded almonds ripe almonds in their full perfection as the Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan the latter of which isin the same night it perfected and brought forth almondsthe word used has the signification of weaning and alludes to children grown up to some ripeness and maturity Gen_218 the case seems to be this that in one part of the rod were buds swelling and just putting out in another part open flowers quite blown and in others full ripe fruit now this clearly showed it to be supernatural since the almond tree though quick and early in its production of buds and flowers yet never has those and ripe fruit on it at the same time to which may be added that this was not the time of year the almond tree blossoms not the spring but rather autumn as it should seem since it was after the affair of the spies and the murmurs of the people on their report now it was the time of the first ripe grapes when they went into the land and they were forty days searching it and it was after their return the insurrections before recorded were the design of this was to confirm the priesthood in Aarons family and show that it would continue there in a flourishing condition and that there would be a succession of priests from him to the time of the Messiah as there were and the almond tree having its name in Hebrew from watchfulness and haste see Jer_111 may denote the vigilance of the priests in their office and the haste punishment makes to come upon such that should oppose them or usurp the priesthood as in the case of Uzziah so Jarchi remarks this rod of Aarons may be an emblem of the Gospel ministry of that rod that should come out of Zion Psa_1102 which in the eyes of men is mean and despicable like a dry stick but becomes a fruitful one through the power of divine grace and an almond tree rod may denote the vigilance and watchfulness of Gospel ministers over themselves and others and their doctrine and oftentimes whom God puts into the ministry he early calls them by his grace and frequently makes the first part of their ministry most useful and fruit is brought forth which remains moreover this rod may be considered as a type of Christ it being a dry rod or stick may denote the

36

meanness of his descent and appearance in the world and the unpromising aspect of his being the King Messiah and Saviour of men and being an almond tree rod may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time which the Lord hastened his being the firstborn and his right to the priesthood and his vigilance in it its lying among other rods and budding and blossoming and bringing forth fruit may point at Christs assuming the common nature or man his being cut off by death his resurrection from the dead and the fruits arising from thence justification peace pardon and eternal life and as Aarons priesthood was confirmed by the budding ampc of this rod so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are by his resurrection from the dead See Gill on Heb_94HENRY 8-9 Here is I The final determination of the controversy

concerning the priesthood by a miracle Num_178 Num_179 The rods or staves were brought out from the most holy place where they were laid up and publicly produced before the people and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were Aarons rod only of a dry stick became a living branch budded and blossomed and yielded almonds In some places there were buds in others blossoms in others fruit at the same time This was miraculous and took away all suspicion of a fraud as if in the night Moses had taken away Aarons rod and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it for no ordinary branch would have buds blossoms and fruits upon it all at once Now1 This was a plain indication to the people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood and not any other of the princes of the tribes Thus he was distinguished from them and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven which sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor watering by the hand of man Bishop Hall here observes that fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call and that the plants of Gods setting and the boughs cut off from them will flourish See Psa_9212-14 The trees of the Lord though they seem dry trees are full of sap2 It was a very proper sign to represent the priesthood itself which was hereby confirmed to Aaron (1) That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God It produced not only blossoms but almonds for the priesthood was designed not only for an honour to Aaron but for a blessing to Israel Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they should go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit should remain Joh_1516 (2) That there should be a succession of priests Here were not only almonds for the present but buds and blossoms promising more hereafter Thus has Christ provided in his church that a seed should serve him from generation to generation (3) That yet this priesthood should not be perpetual but in process of time like the branches and blossoms of a tree should fail and wither The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age Ecc_125 This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood which soon became old and ready to vanish away Heb_8133 It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood for he is the man the branch that is to be a priest upon his throne as it follows (Zec_612) and he was to grow up before God as this before the ark like a tender

37

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

POOLE Before the testimony ie before the ark of the testimony either mediately close by the veil behind which the ark stood or rather immediately within the veil in the most holy place close by the ark as may be gathered by comparing this place with Numbers 1710 and with Hebrews 94I will meet with you and manifest my mind to you for the ending of this dispute PETT The Rods Are To Be Laid Up in the Tent of Meeting before the Testimony (Numbers 174)Numbers 174lsquoAnd you shall lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony where I meet with yoursquoThese were then to be lsquolaid up in the Tent of meeting before the testimonyrsquo in the place where Yahweh meets with His people This probably meant in front of the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh lsquothe testimonyrsquo indicating the presence of the covenant tablets in the Ark and their testimony to the covenant

5 The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelitesrdquo

CLARKE The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossom - It was necessary that something farther should be done to quiet the minds of the people and for ever to settle the dispute in what tribe the priesthood should be fixed God therefore took the method described in the text and it had the desired effect the Aaronical priesthood was never after disputed

GILL And it shall come to pass that the mans rod whom I shall choose Or make it manifest that he had chosen him and so confirm the choice he had made of him and his family for the priesthood to be and continue in

28

shall blossom bud and blossom and yield fruit as it afterwards did which is here declared beforehand that the miracle might appear the greater exactly answering to a prediction delivered out before of it and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel whereby they murmur against you against Moses for setting up his brother as an high priest and establishing the priesthood in his family and against Aaron for accepting of it and officiating in it but by this method now taken God would for ever silence their murmurings so that they should never be able with any face to object any more to the authority of the Aaronic priesthood which should appear by the predicted miracle beyond all dispute and contradictionCALVIN 5And it shall come to pass that the manrsquos rod Aaron indeed had been previously chosen but the expression here refers to his manifestation (105) because God is said again to choose those whom He has chosen by His secret counsel when He brings them forth into the sight of men with their peculiar marks of distinction and this not once only but as often as he confirms their election by new indications And this seems to be spoken of by way of concession as if God would pass over all His former decrees and invite the people afresh to take cognizance of the matter With this view tie states that He will put an end to all the malevolent and noisy detractions of the people so that Aaron may henceforth exercise his office without controversy for although not even thus was their perverseness altogether cured still their insolence was restrained

ELLICOTT (5) The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossommdashOr shall sprout forth or put forthmdashie leaves or blossoms Achilles when enraged against Agamemnon is made to swear a solemn oath by his sceptre which having once left its stock on the mountains shall never again grow King Latinus is represented by Virgil as confirming his covenant with AEligneas by a similar oath

WHEDON 5 Whom I shall choose mdash That is select for the priesthoodCeasehellip murmurings mdash Suppress them beyond all possibility of a revival Jehovahrsquos claims are set forth in his word with such cogency that there is no just ground for gainsaying On all questions of duty there is a redundancy of evidencePETT The Rod of the Chosen One Will Bud and Put an End to Murmuring (Numbers 175)Numbers 175lsquoAnd it will come about that the rod of the man whom I shall choose will bud and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel which they

29

murmur against yoursquoThen Yahweh would make the rod of the man that Yahweh had chosen spring to life and bud This final display on Yahwehrsquos initiative should cause all further murmurings against Moses and Aaron on the question of who had the right of priesthood to cease

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 Aaronrsquos staff was among them

BARNES The whole number of rods was twelve exclusive of Aaronrsquos as the Vulgate expressly states

GILL And Moses spake unto the children of Israel What the Lord had bid him say unto them concerning the rods which they hearkened unto and observed and everyone of their princes gave him a rod apiece for each prince one every prince of the several tribes and so a rod for every tribe as well as for each prince according to their fathers houses even twelve rods there being twelve tribes named after their fathers or the patriarchs the twelve sons of Jacob and Joseph having two tribes which sprung from him called after his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh there were twelve rods besides that of Aaron and so the Vulgate Latin version renders the words with the next clauseand there were twelve rods besides the rod of Aaronin all thirteen though the Jews say there were but twelve with it allowing but one rod for Joseph under whom were comprehended Ephraim and Manasseh and reckoning the tribe of Levi one of the twelve so Aben Ezra observes that the rod of Levi was among the twelve and Joseph had but one rod and the rod of Aaron was among their rods in the middle of them and was

30

so placed as Jarchi thinks that it might not be said because it was put on the side of the Shechinah or divine Majesty therefore it budded but being in the middle of them there could be no difference in that respectJAMISON the rod of Aaron was among their rods mdash either one of the

twelve or as many suppose a thirteenth in the midst (Heb_94) The rods were of dry sticks or wands probably old as transmitted from one head of the family to a succeeding

KampD Num_176-11Moses carried out this command And when he went into the tabernacle the following morning behold Aarons rod of the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth shoots and had borne blossoms and matured almonds And Moses brought all the rods out of the sanctuary and gave every man his own the rest as we may gather from the context being all unchanged so that the whole nation could satisfy itself that God had chosen Aaron Thus was the word fulfilled which Moses had spoken at the commencement of the rebellion of the company of Korah (Num_165) and that in a way which could not fail to accredit him before the whole congregation as sent of GodSo far as the occurrence itself is concerned there can hardly be any need to remark that the natural interpretation which has lately been attempted by Ewald viz that Moses had laid several almond rods in the holy place which had just been freshly cut off that he might see the next day which of them would flower the best during the night is directly at variance with the words of the text and also with the fact that a rod even freshly cut off when laid in a dry place would not bear ripe fruit in a single night The miracle which God wrought here as the Creator of nature was at the same time a significant symbol of the nature and meaning of the priesthood The choice of the rods had also a bearing upon the object in question A mans rod was the sign of his position as ruler in the house and congregation with a prince the rod becomes a sceptre the insignia of rule (Gen_4910) As a severed branch the rod could not put forth shoots and blossom in a natural way But God could impart new vital powers even to the dry rod And so Aaron had naturally no pre-eminence above the heads of the other tribes But the priesthood was founded not upon natural qualifications and gifts but upon the power of the Spirit which God communicates according to the choice of His wisdom and which He had imparted to Aaron through his consecration with holy anointing oil It was this which the Lord intended to show to the people by causing Aarons rod to put forth branches blossom and fruit through a miracle of His omnipotence whereas the rods of the other heads of the tribes remained as barren as before In this way therefore it was not without deep significance that Aarons rod not only put forth shoots by which the divine election might be recognised but bore even blossom and ripe fruit This showed that Aaron was not only qualified for his calling but administered his office in the full power of the Spirit and bore the fruit expected of him The almond rod was especially adapted to exhibit this as

31

an almond-tree flowers and bears fruit the earliest of all the trees and has received its name of שקד ldquoawakerdquo from this very fact (cf Jer_111)

God then commanded (Num_1710 Num_1711) that Aarons rod should be taken back into the sanctuary and preserved before the testimony ldquofor a sign for the rebellious that thou puttest an end to their murmuring and they die notrdquo The preservation of the rod before the ark of the covenant in the immediate presence of the Lord was a pledge to Aaron of the continuance of his election and the permanent duration of his priesthood though we have no need to assume that through a perpetual miracle the staff continued green and blossoming In this way the staff became a sign to the rebellious which could not fail to stop their murmuringPETT All the Chieftains Give Rods Including Aaron (Numbers 176)Numbers 176lsquoAnd Moses spoke to the children of Israel and all their princes gave him rods for each prince one according to their fathersrsquo houses even twelve rods and the rod of Aaron was among their rodsrsquoSo Moses did as Yahweh commanded and requested rods from each of the chieftains of the twelve tribes These rods may well have been their symbols of authority Thus twelve rods were gathered and Aaronrsquos rod was placed among them PULPIT And the rod of Aaron was among the rods As there was no prince from whom this rod could have come and as there were twelve rods without it this must mean that Moses did not keep Aarons rod separate (which might have caused suspicion) but let it be seen amongst the others

7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law

GILL And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness In that part of the tabernacle where the testimony or witness was that is the law which was in the ark over which was the mercy seat with the cherubim between which Jehovah dwelt and this was the most holy place and the rods being laid here might be said to be laid before the Lord who by making a difference in one of those rods from the rest would decide the controversy about the priesthood which was the end of their being laid

32

before himHENRY The preparing of the rods accordingly The princes brought

them in some of them perhaps fondly expecting that the choice would fall upon them and all of them thinking it honour enough to be competitors with Aaron and to stand candidates even for the priesthood (Num_177) and Moses laid them up before the Lord He did not object that the matter was sufficiently settled already and enough done to convince those that were not invincibly hardened in their prejudices He did not undertake to determine the controversy himself though it might easily have been done nor did he suggest that it would be to no purpose to offer satisfaction to a people that were willingly blind But since God will have it so he did his part and lodged the case before the Lord to whom the appeal was made by consent and left it with him

WHEDON 7 Witness mdash The Hebrew is the same as that for testimony in Numbers 174 The reason for choosing this place may have been that no one would suspect the performance of any legerdemain or jugglery in the holy of holies a sanctuary too awful for any man to enter but the high priest one day in the year Moses entered on this occasion by express commandPETT The Rods Are Placed In the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)Numbers 177lsquoAnd Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimonyrsquoThe rods were then laid up lsquobefore Yahwehrsquo in lsquothe Tent of the testimonyrsquo Note the change in name for the Tent Emphasis is placed here on the fact that the Tent testifies to Yahweh and His covenant As we have already suggested this probably meant that they were placed before the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh although it may be that Moses uniquely had access into the Holy of Holies itself

8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaronrsquos staff which represented the tribe of Levi had not only sprouted but had budded blossomed and produced almonds 33

BARNES Yielded almonds - ldquoRipened almondsrdquo i e ldquobrought forth ripe almondsrdquo The name almond in Hebrew denotes the ldquowaking-treerdquo the ldquowaking-fruitrdquo and is applied to this tree because it blossoms early in the season It serves here as in Jer_111-12 to set forth the speed and certainty with which at Godrsquos will His purposes are accomplished So again the blossoming and bearing of Aaronrsquos rod naturally impotent when severed from the parent tree may signify the profitableness because of Godrsquos appointment and blessing of the various means of grace (e g the priesthood the sacraments) which of themselves and apart from Him could have no such efficacy Compare Isa_42 Isa_111 Isa_532 Jer_335 Zec_612

CLARKE The rod of Aaron - was budded etc - That is on the same rod or staff were found buds blossoms and ripe fruit This fact was so unquestionably miraculous as to decide the business for ever and probably this was intended to show that in the priesthood represented by that of Aaron the beginning middle and end of every good work must be found The buds of good desires the blossoms of holy resolutions and promising professions and the ripe fruit of faith love and obedience all spring from the priesthood of the Lord Jesus It has been thought by some that Aaronrsquos staff (and perhaps the staves of all the tribes) was made out of the amygdala communis or common almond tree In a favorable soil and climate it grows to twenty feet in height is one of the most noble flourishing trees in nature its flowers are of a delicate red and it puts them forth early in March having begun to bud in January It has its name שקד shaked from shakad to awake because it buds and flowers sooner than most other trees And it is very likely that the staves of office borne by the chiefs of all the tribes were made of this tree merely to signify that watchfulness and assiduous care which the chiefs should take of the persons committed in the course of the Divine providence to their keeping

Every thing in this miracle is so far beyond the power of nature that no doubt could remain on the minds of the people or the envious chiefs of the Divine appointment of Aaron and of the especial interference of God in this case To see a piece of wood long cut off from the parent stock without bark or moisture remaining laid up in a dry place for a single night with others in the same circumstances - to see such a piece of wood resume and evince the perfection of vegetative life budding blossoming and bringing forth ripe fruit at the same time must be such a demonstration of the peculiar interference of God as to silence every doubt and satisfy every scruple It is worthy of remark that a scepter or staff of office resuming its vegetative life was considered an absolute impossibility among the ancients and as 34

they were accustomed to swear by their sceptres this circumstance was added to establish and confirm the oath A remarkable instance of this we have in Homer Iliad lib i ver 233 etc where Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon thus speaks -Αλλrsquo εκ τοι ερεω και επι μεγαν ὁρκον ομουμαιΝαι μα τοδε σκηπτρον το μεν ουποτε φυλλα και οζουςΦυσει επειδη πρωτα τομην εν ορεσσι λελοιπενΟυδrsquo αναθηλησει περι γαρ ῥα ἑ χαλκος ελεψεΦυλλα τε και φλοιονὁ δε τοι μεγας εσσεται ὁρκοςBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same scepter which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopprsquod off its foliage greenAnd stripprsquod its bark shall never grow againCowper

Virgil represents King Latinus swearing in the same way to confirm his covenant with Aeneas -Ut Sceptrum hoc (dextra sceptrum nam forte gerebat)Nunquam fronde levi fundet virgulta neque umbrasCum semel in silvis imo de stirpe recisumMatre caret posuitque comas et brachia ferroOlim arbos nunc artificis manus aere decoroInclusit patribusque dedit gestare LatinisTalibus inter se firmabant foedera dictisAen lib xii ver 206-12Even as this royal Sceptre (for he boreA scepter in his hand) shall never moreShoot out in branches or renew the birthAn orphan now cut from the mother earthBy the keen axe dishonorrsquod of its hairAnd cased in brass for Latian kings to bearAnd thus in public view the peace was tiedWith solemn vows and sworn on either sideDryden

When the circumstance of the rod or scepter being used anciently in this way and the absolute impossibility of its reviviscence so strongly appealed to is considered it appears to have been a very proper instrument for the present occasion for the change that passed on it must be acknowledged as an immediate and incontestable miracle

35

GILL And it came to pass that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness Where none but he could go at any time this was the day after the rods had been placed there and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi the rod that had Aarons name upon it which was to represent the tribe of Levi of which he was was budded and brought forth buds knobs of blossom such that are seen on trees before they open for the almond tree puts forth its blossoms before its leaves though the Targum of Jonathan renders it branches as do some versions and some think this is to be understood of its putting out its leaves first contrary to the nature of the almond tree and so makes the miracle the greater thus Ben Melech and blossomed blossoms open flowers or blossoms such as appear on the almond tree in the spring and look very beautiful and yielded almonds ripe almonds in their full perfection as the Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan the latter of which isin the same night it perfected and brought forth almondsthe word used has the signification of weaning and alludes to children grown up to some ripeness and maturity Gen_218 the case seems to be this that in one part of the rod were buds swelling and just putting out in another part open flowers quite blown and in others full ripe fruit now this clearly showed it to be supernatural since the almond tree though quick and early in its production of buds and flowers yet never has those and ripe fruit on it at the same time to which may be added that this was not the time of year the almond tree blossoms not the spring but rather autumn as it should seem since it was after the affair of the spies and the murmurs of the people on their report now it was the time of the first ripe grapes when they went into the land and they were forty days searching it and it was after their return the insurrections before recorded were the design of this was to confirm the priesthood in Aarons family and show that it would continue there in a flourishing condition and that there would be a succession of priests from him to the time of the Messiah as there were and the almond tree having its name in Hebrew from watchfulness and haste see Jer_111 may denote the vigilance of the priests in their office and the haste punishment makes to come upon such that should oppose them or usurp the priesthood as in the case of Uzziah so Jarchi remarks this rod of Aarons may be an emblem of the Gospel ministry of that rod that should come out of Zion Psa_1102 which in the eyes of men is mean and despicable like a dry stick but becomes a fruitful one through the power of divine grace and an almond tree rod may denote the vigilance and watchfulness of Gospel ministers over themselves and others and their doctrine and oftentimes whom God puts into the ministry he early calls them by his grace and frequently makes the first part of their ministry most useful and fruit is brought forth which remains moreover this rod may be considered as a type of Christ it being a dry rod or stick may denote the

36

meanness of his descent and appearance in the world and the unpromising aspect of his being the King Messiah and Saviour of men and being an almond tree rod may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time which the Lord hastened his being the firstborn and his right to the priesthood and his vigilance in it its lying among other rods and budding and blossoming and bringing forth fruit may point at Christs assuming the common nature or man his being cut off by death his resurrection from the dead and the fruits arising from thence justification peace pardon and eternal life and as Aarons priesthood was confirmed by the budding ampc of this rod so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are by his resurrection from the dead See Gill on Heb_94HENRY 8-9 Here is I The final determination of the controversy

concerning the priesthood by a miracle Num_178 Num_179 The rods or staves were brought out from the most holy place where they were laid up and publicly produced before the people and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were Aarons rod only of a dry stick became a living branch budded and blossomed and yielded almonds In some places there were buds in others blossoms in others fruit at the same time This was miraculous and took away all suspicion of a fraud as if in the night Moses had taken away Aarons rod and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it for no ordinary branch would have buds blossoms and fruits upon it all at once Now1 This was a plain indication to the people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood and not any other of the princes of the tribes Thus he was distinguished from them and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven which sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor watering by the hand of man Bishop Hall here observes that fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call and that the plants of Gods setting and the boughs cut off from them will flourish See Psa_9212-14 The trees of the Lord though they seem dry trees are full of sap2 It was a very proper sign to represent the priesthood itself which was hereby confirmed to Aaron (1) That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God It produced not only blossoms but almonds for the priesthood was designed not only for an honour to Aaron but for a blessing to Israel Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they should go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit should remain Joh_1516 (2) That there should be a succession of priests Here were not only almonds for the present but buds and blossoms promising more hereafter Thus has Christ provided in his church that a seed should serve him from generation to generation (3) That yet this priesthood should not be perpetual but in process of time like the branches and blossoms of a tree should fail and wither The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age Ecc_125 This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood which soon became old and ready to vanish away Heb_8133 It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood for he is the man the branch that is to be a priest upon his throne as it follows (Zec_612) and he was to grow up before God as this before the ark like a tender

37

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

shall blossom bud and blossom and yield fruit as it afterwards did which is here declared beforehand that the miracle might appear the greater exactly answering to a prediction delivered out before of it and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel whereby they murmur against you against Moses for setting up his brother as an high priest and establishing the priesthood in his family and against Aaron for accepting of it and officiating in it but by this method now taken God would for ever silence their murmurings so that they should never be able with any face to object any more to the authority of the Aaronic priesthood which should appear by the predicted miracle beyond all dispute and contradictionCALVIN 5And it shall come to pass that the manrsquos rod Aaron indeed had been previously chosen but the expression here refers to his manifestation (105) because God is said again to choose those whom He has chosen by His secret counsel when He brings them forth into the sight of men with their peculiar marks of distinction and this not once only but as often as he confirms their election by new indications And this seems to be spoken of by way of concession as if God would pass over all His former decrees and invite the people afresh to take cognizance of the matter With this view tie states that He will put an end to all the malevolent and noisy detractions of the people so that Aaron may henceforth exercise his office without controversy for although not even thus was their perverseness altogether cured still their insolence was restrained

ELLICOTT (5) The manrsquos rod whom I shall choose shall blossommdashOr shall sprout forth or put forthmdashie leaves or blossoms Achilles when enraged against Agamemnon is made to swear a solemn oath by his sceptre which having once left its stock on the mountains shall never again grow King Latinus is represented by Virgil as confirming his covenant with AEligneas by a similar oath

WHEDON 5 Whom I shall choose mdash That is select for the priesthoodCeasehellip murmurings mdash Suppress them beyond all possibility of a revival Jehovahrsquos claims are set forth in his word with such cogency that there is no just ground for gainsaying On all questions of duty there is a redundancy of evidencePETT The Rod of the Chosen One Will Bud and Put an End to Murmuring (Numbers 175)Numbers 175lsquoAnd it will come about that the rod of the man whom I shall choose will bud and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel which they

29

murmur against yoursquoThen Yahweh would make the rod of the man that Yahweh had chosen spring to life and bud This final display on Yahwehrsquos initiative should cause all further murmurings against Moses and Aaron on the question of who had the right of priesthood to cease

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 Aaronrsquos staff was among them

BARNES The whole number of rods was twelve exclusive of Aaronrsquos as the Vulgate expressly states

GILL And Moses spake unto the children of Israel What the Lord had bid him say unto them concerning the rods which they hearkened unto and observed and everyone of their princes gave him a rod apiece for each prince one every prince of the several tribes and so a rod for every tribe as well as for each prince according to their fathers houses even twelve rods there being twelve tribes named after their fathers or the patriarchs the twelve sons of Jacob and Joseph having two tribes which sprung from him called after his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh there were twelve rods besides that of Aaron and so the Vulgate Latin version renders the words with the next clauseand there were twelve rods besides the rod of Aaronin all thirteen though the Jews say there were but twelve with it allowing but one rod for Joseph under whom were comprehended Ephraim and Manasseh and reckoning the tribe of Levi one of the twelve so Aben Ezra observes that the rod of Levi was among the twelve and Joseph had but one rod and the rod of Aaron was among their rods in the middle of them and was

30

so placed as Jarchi thinks that it might not be said because it was put on the side of the Shechinah or divine Majesty therefore it budded but being in the middle of them there could be no difference in that respectJAMISON the rod of Aaron was among their rods mdash either one of the

twelve or as many suppose a thirteenth in the midst (Heb_94) The rods were of dry sticks or wands probably old as transmitted from one head of the family to a succeeding

KampD Num_176-11Moses carried out this command And when he went into the tabernacle the following morning behold Aarons rod of the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth shoots and had borne blossoms and matured almonds And Moses brought all the rods out of the sanctuary and gave every man his own the rest as we may gather from the context being all unchanged so that the whole nation could satisfy itself that God had chosen Aaron Thus was the word fulfilled which Moses had spoken at the commencement of the rebellion of the company of Korah (Num_165) and that in a way which could not fail to accredit him before the whole congregation as sent of GodSo far as the occurrence itself is concerned there can hardly be any need to remark that the natural interpretation which has lately been attempted by Ewald viz that Moses had laid several almond rods in the holy place which had just been freshly cut off that he might see the next day which of them would flower the best during the night is directly at variance with the words of the text and also with the fact that a rod even freshly cut off when laid in a dry place would not bear ripe fruit in a single night The miracle which God wrought here as the Creator of nature was at the same time a significant symbol of the nature and meaning of the priesthood The choice of the rods had also a bearing upon the object in question A mans rod was the sign of his position as ruler in the house and congregation with a prince the rod becomes a sceptre the insignia of rule (Gen_4910) As a severed branch the rod could not put forth shoots and blossom in a natural way But God could impart new vital powers even to the dry rod And so Aaron had naturally no pre-eminence above the heads of the other tribes But the priesthood was founded not upon natural qualifications and gifts but upon the power of the Spirit which God communicates according to the choice of His wisdom and which He had imparted to Aaron through his consecration with holy anointing oil It was this which the Lord intended to show to the people by causing Aarons rod to put forth branches blossom and fruit through a miracle of His omnipotence whereas the rods of the other heads of the tribes remained as barren as before In this way therefore it was not without deep significance that Aarons rod not only put forth shoots by which the divine election might be recognised but bore even blossom and ripe fruit This showed that Aaron was not only qualified for his calling but administered his office in the full power of the Spirit and bore the fruit expected of him The almond rod was especially adapted to exhibit this as

31

an almond-tree flowers and bears fruit the earliest of all the trees and has received its name of שקד ldquoawakerdquo from this very fact (cf Jer_111)

God then commanded (Num_1710 Num_1711) that Aarons rod should be taken back into the sanctuary and preserved before the testimony ldquofor a sign for the rebellious that thou puttest an end to their murmuring and they die notrdquo The preservation of the rod before the ark of the covenant in the immediate presence of the Lord was a pledge to Aaron of the continuance of his election and the permanent duration of his priesthood though we have no need to assume that through a perpetual miracle the staff continued green and blossoming In this way the staff became a sign to the rebellious which could not fail to stop their murmuringPETT All the Chieftains Give Rods Including Aaron (Numbers 176)Numbers 176lsquoAnd Moses spoke to the children of Israel and all their princes gave him rods for each prince one according to their fathersrsquo houses even twelve rods and the rod of Aaron was among their rodsrsquoSo Moses did as Yahweh commanded and requested rods from each of the chieftains of the twelve tribes These rods may well have been their symbols of authority Thus twelve rods were gathered and Aaronrsquos rod was placed among them PULPIT And the rod of Aaron was among the rods As there was no prince from whom this rod could have come and as there were twelve rods without it this must mean that Moses did not keep Aarons rod separate (which might have caused suspicion) but let it be seen amongst the others

7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law

GILL And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness In that part of the tabernacle where the testimony or witness was that is the law which was in the ark over which was the mercy seat with the cherubim between which Jehovah dwelt and this was the most holy place and the rods being laid here might be said to be laid before the Lord who by making a difference in one of those rods from the rest would decide the controversy about the priesthood which was the end of their being laid

32

before himHENRY The preparing of the rods accordingly The princes brought

them in some of them perhaps fondly expecting that the choice would fall upon them and all of them thinking it honour enough to be competitors with Aaron and to stand candidates even for the priesthood (Num_177) and Moses laid them up before the Lord He did not object that the matter was sufficiently settled already and enough done to convince those that were not invincibly hardened in their prejudices He did not undertake to determine the controversy himself though it might easily have been done nor did he suggest that it would be to no purpose to offer satisfaction to a people that were willingly blind But since God will have it so he did his part and lodged the case before the Lord to whom the appeal was made by consent and left it with him

WHEDON 7 Witness mdash The Hebrew is the same as that for testimony in Numbers 174 The reason for choosing this place may have been that no one would suspect the performance of any legerdemain or jugglery in the holy of holies a sanctuary too awful for any man to enter but the high priest one day in the year Moses entered on this occasion by express commandPETT The Rods Are Placed In the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)Numbers 177lsquoAnd Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimonyrsquoThe rods were then laid up lsquobefore Yahwehrsquo in lsquothe Tent of the testimonyrsquo Note the change in name for the Tent Emphasis is placed here on the fact that the Tent testifies to Yahweh and His covenant As we have already suggested this probably meant that they were placed before the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh although it may be that Moses uniquely had access into the Holy of Holies itself

8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaronrsquos staff which represented the tribe of Levi had not only sprouted but had budded blossomed and produced almonds 33

BARNES Yielded almonds - ldquoRipened almondsrdquo i e ldquobrought forth ripe almondsrdquo The name almond in Hebrew denotes the ldquowaking-treerdquo the ldquowaking-fruitrdquo and is applied to this tree because it blossoms early in the season It serves here as in Jer_111-12 to set forth the speed and certainty with which at Godrsquos will His purposes are accomplished So again the blossoming and bearing of Aaronrsquos rod naturally impotent when severed from the parent tree may signify the profitableness because of Godrsquos appointment and blessing of the various means of grace (e g the priesthood the sacraments) which of themselves and apart from Him could have no such efficacy Compare Isa_42 Isa_111 Isa_532 Jer_335 Zec_612

CLARKE The rod of Aaron - was budded etc - That is on the same rod or staff were found buds blossoms and ripe fruit This fact was so unquestionably miraculous as to decide the business for ever and probably this was intended to show that in the priesthood represented by that of Aaron the beginning middle and end of every good work must be found The buds of good desires the blossoms of holy resolutions and promising professions and the ripe fruit of faith love and obedience all spring from the priesthood of the Lord Jesus It has been thought by some that Aaronrsquos staff (and perhaps the staves of all the tribes) was made out of the amygdala communis or common almond tree In a favorable soil and climate it grows to twenty feet in height is one of the most noble flourishing trees in nature its flowers are of a delicate red and it puts them forth early in March having begun to bud in January It has its name שקד shaked from shakad to awake because it buds and flowers sooner than most other trees And it is very likely that the staves of office borne by the chiefs of all the tribes were made of this tree merely to signify that watchfulness and assiduous care which the chiefs should take of the persons committed in the course of the Divine providence to their keeping

Every thing in this miracle is so far beyond the power of nature that no doubt could remain on the minds of the people or the envious chiefs of the Divine appointment of Aaron and of the especial interference of God in this case To see a piece of wood long cut off from the parent stock without bark or moisture remaining laid up in a dry place for a single night with others in the same circumstances - to see such a piece of wood resume and evince the perfection of vegetative life budding blossoming and bringing forth ripe fruit at the same time must be such a demonstration of the peculiar interference of God as to silence every doubt and satisfy every scruple It is worthy of remark that a scepter or staff of office resuming its vegetative life was considered an absolute impossibility among the ancients and as 34

they were accustomed to swear by their sceptres this circumstance was added to establish and confirm the oath A remarkable instance of this we have in Homer Iliad lib i ver 233 etc where Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon thus speaks -Αλλrsquo εκ τοι ερεω και επι μεγαν ὁρκον ομουμαιΝαι μα τοδε σκηπτρον το μεν ουποτε φυλλα και οζουςΦυσει επειδη πρωτα τομην εν ορεσσι λελοιπενΟυδrsquo αναθηλησει περι γαρ ῥα ἑ χαλκος ελεψεΦυλλα τε και φλοιονὁ δε τοι μεγας εσσεται ὁρκοςBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same scepter which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopprsquod off its foliage greenAnd stripprsquod its bark shall never grow againCowper

Virgil represents King Latinus swearing in the same way to confirm his covenant with Aeneas -Ut Sceptrum hoc (dextra sceptrum nam forte gerebat)Nunquam fronde levi fundet virgulta neque umbrasCum semel in silvis imo de stirpe recisumMatre caret posuitque comas et brachia ferroOlim arbos nunc artificis manus aere decoroInclusit patribusque dedit gestare LatinisTalibus inter se firmabant foedera dictisAen lib xii ver 206-12Even as this royal Sceptre (for he boreA scepter in his hand) shall never moreShoot out in branches or renew the birthAn orphan now cut from the mother earthBy the keen axe dishonorrsquod of its hairAnd cased in brass for Latian kings to bearAnd thus in public view the peace was tiedWith solemn vows and sworn on either sideDryden

When the circumstance of the rod or scepter being used anciently in this way and the absolute impossibility of its reviviscence so strongly appealed to is considered it appears to have been a very proper instrument for the present occasion for the change that passed on it must be acknowledged as an immediate and incontestable miracle

35

GILL And it came to pass that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness Where none but he could go at any time this was the day after the rods had been placed there and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi the rod that had Aarons name upon it which was to represent the tribe of Levi of which he was was budded and brought forth buds knobs of blossom such that are seen on trees before they open for the almond tree puts forth its blossoms before its leaves though the Targum of Jonathan renders it branches as do some versions and some think this is to be understood of its putting out its leaves first contrary to the nature of the almond tree and so makes the miracle the greater thus Ben Melech and blossomed blossoms open flowers or blossoms such as appear on the almond tree in the spring and look very beautiful and yielded almonds ripe almonds in their full perfection as the Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan the latter of which isin the same night it perfected and brought forth almondsthe word used has the signification of weaning and alludes to children grown up to some ripeness and maturity Gen_218 the case seems to be this that in one part of the rod were buds swelling and just putting out in another part open flowers quite blown and in others full ripe fruit now this clearly showed it to be supernatural since the almond tree though quick and early in its production of buds and flowers yet never has those and ripe fruit on it at the same time to which may be added that this was not the time of year the almond tree blossoms not the spring but rather autumn as it should seem since it was after the affair of the spies and the murmurs of the people on their report now it was the time of the first ripe grapes when they went into the land and they were forty days searching it and it was after their return the insurrections before recorded were the design of this was to confirm the priesthood in Aarons family and show that it would continue there in a flourishing condition and that there would be a succession of priests from him to the time of the Messiah as there were and the almond tree having its name in Hebrew from watchfulness and haste see Jer_111 may denote the vigilance of the priests in their office and the haste punishment makes to come upon such that should oppose them or usurp the priesthood as in the case of Uzziah so Jarchi remarks this rod of Aarons may be an emblem of the Gospel ministry of that rod that should come out of Zion Psa_1102 which in the eyes of men is mean and despicable like a dry stick but becomes a fruitful one through the power of divine grace and an almond tree rod may denote the vigilance and watchfulness of Gospel ministers over themselves and others and their doctrine and oftentimes whom God puts into the ministry he early calls them by his grace and frequently makes the first part of their ministry most useful and fruit is brought forth which remains moreover this rod may be considered as a type of Christ it being a dry rod or stick may denote the

36

meanness of his descent and appearance in the world and the unpromising aspect of his being the King Messiah and Saviour of men and being an almond tree rod may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time which the Lord hastened his being the firstborn and his right to the priesthood and his vigilance in it its lying among other rods and budding and blossoming and bringing forth fruit may point at Christs assuming the common nature or man his being cut off by death his resurrection from the dead and the fruits arising from thence justification peace pardon and eternal life and as Aarons priesthood was confirmed by the budding ampc of this rod so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are by his resurrection from the dead See Gill on Heb_94HENRY 8-9 Here is I The final determination of the controversy

concerning the priesthood by a miracle Num_178 Num_179 The rods or staves were brought out from the most holy place where they were laid up and publicly produced before the people and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were Aarons rod only of a dry stick became a living branch budded and blossomed and yielded almonds In some places there were buds in others blossoms in others fruit at the same time This was miraculous and took away all suspicion of a fraud as if in the night Moses had taken away Aarons rod and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it for no ordinary branch would have buds blossoms and fruits upon it all at once Now1 This was a plain indication to the people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood and not any other of the princes of the tribes Thus he was distinguished from them and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven which sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor watering by the hand of man Bishop Hall here observes that fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call and that the plants of Gods setting and the boughs cut off from them will flourish See Psa_9212-14 The trees of the Lord though they seem dry trees are full of sap2 It was a very proper sign to represent the priesthood itself which was hereby confirmed to Aaron (1) That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God It produced not only blossoms but almonds for the priesthood was designed not only for an honour to Aaron but for a blessing to Israel Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they should go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit should remain Joh_1516 (2) That there should be a succession of priests Here were not only almonds for the present but buds and blossoms promising more hereafter Thus has Christ provided in his church that a seed should serve him from generation to generation (3) That yet this priesthood should not be perpetual but in process of time like the branches and blossoms of a tree should fail and wither The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age Ecc_125 This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood which soon became old and ready to vanish away Heb_8133 It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood for he is the man the branch that is to be a priest upon his throne as it follows (Zec_612) and he was to grow up before God as this before the ark like a tender

37

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

murmur against yoursquoThen Yahweh would make the rod of the man that Yahweh had chosen spring to life and bud This final display on Yahwehrsquos initiative should cause all further murmurings against Moses and Aaron on the question of who had the right of priesthood to cease

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 Aaronrsquos staff was among them

BARNES The whole number of rods was twelve exclusive of Aaronrsquos as the Vulgate expressly states

GILL And Moses spake unto the children of Israel What the Lord had bid him say unto them concerning the rods which they hearkened unto and observed and everyone of their princes gave him a rod apiece for each prince one every prince of the several tribes and so a rod for every tribe as well as for each prince according to their fathers houses even twelve rods there being twelve tribes named after their fathers or the patriarchs the twelve sons of Jacob and Joseph having two tribes which sprung from him called after his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh there were twelve rods besides that of Aaron and so the Vulgate Latin version renders the words with the next clauseand there were twelve rods besides the rod of Aaronin all thirteen though the Jews say there were but twelve with it allowing but one rod for Joseph under whom were comprehended Ephraim and Manasseh and reckoning the tribe of Levi one of the twelve so Aben Ezra observes that the rod of Levi was among the twelve and Joseph had but one rod and the rod of Aaron was among their rods in the middle of them and was

30

so placed as Jarchi thinks that it might not be said because it was put on the side of the Shechinah or divine Majesty therefore it budded but being in the middle of them there could be no difference in that respectJAMISON the rod of Aaron was among their rods mdash either one of the

twelve or as many suppose a thirteenth in the midst (Heb_94) The rods were of dry sticks or wands probably old as transmitted from one head of the family to a succeeding

KampD Num_176-11Moses carried out this command And when he went into the tabernacle the following morning behold Aarons rod of the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth shoots and had borne blossoms and matured almonds And Moses brought all the rods out of the sanctuary and gave every man his own the rest as we may gather from the context being all unchanged so that the whole nation could satisfy itself that God had chosen Aaron Thus was the word fulfilled which Moses had spoken at the commencement of the rebellion of the company of Korah (Num_165) and that in a way which could not fail to accredit him before the whole congregation as sent of GodSo far as the occurrence itself is concerned there can hardly be any need to remark that the natural interpretation which has lately been attempted by Ewald viz that Moses had laid several almond rods in the holy place which had just been freshly cut off that he might see the next day which of them would flower the best during the night is directly at variance with the words of the text and also with the fact that a rod even freshly cut off when laid in a dry place would not bear ripe fruit in a single night The miracle which God wrought here as the Creator of nature was at the same time a significant symbol of the nature and meaning of the priesthood The choice of the rods had also a bearing upon the object in question A mans rod was the sign of his position as ruler in the house and congregation with a prince the rod becomes a sceptre the insignia of rule (Gen_4910) As a severed branch the rod could not put forth shoots and blossom in a natural way But God could impart new vital powers even to the dry rod And so Aaron had naturally no pre-eminence above the heads of the other tribes But the priesthood was founded not upon natural qualifications and gifts but upon the power of the Spirit which God communicates according to the choice of His wisdom and which He had imparted to Aaron through his consecration with holy anointing oil It was this which the Lord intended to show to the people by causing Aarons rod to put forth branches blossom and fruit through a miracle of His omnipotence whereas the rods of the other heads of the tribes remained as barren as before In this way therefore it was not without deep significance that Aarons rod not only put forth shoots by which the divine election might be recognised but bore even blossom and ripe fruit This showed that Aaron was not only qualified for his calling but administered his office in the full power of the Spirit and bore the fruit expected of him The almond rod was especially adapted to exhibit this as

31

an almond-tree flowers and bears fruit the earliest of all the trees and has received its name of שקד ldquoawakerdquo from this very fact (cf Jer_111)

God then commanded (Num_1710 Num_1711) that Aarons rod should be taken back into the sanctuary and preserved before the testimony ldquofor a sign for the rebellious that thou puttest an end to their murmuring and they die notrdquo The preservation of the rod before the ark of the covenant in the immediate presence of the Lord was a pledge to Aaron of the continuance of his election and the permanent duration of his priesthood though we have no need to assume that through a perpetual miracle the staff continued green and blossoming In this way the staff became a sign to the rebellious which could not fail to stop their murmuringPETT All the Chieftains Give Rods Including Aaron (Numbers 176)Numbers 176lsquoAnd Moses spoke to the children of Israel and all their princes gave him rods for each prince one according to their fathersrsquo houses even twelve rods and the rod of Aaron was among their rodsrsquoSo Moses did as Yahweh commanded and requested rods from each of the chieftains of the twelve tribes These rods may well have been their symbols of authority Thus twelve rods were gathered and Aaronrsquos rod was placed among them PULPIT And the rod of Aaron was among the rods As there was no prince from whom this rod could have come and as there were twelve rods without it this must mean that Moses did not keep Aarons rod separate (which might have caused suspicion) but let it be seen amongst the others

7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law

GILL And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness In that part of the tabernacle where the testimony or witness was that is the law which was in the ark over which was the mercy seat with the cherubim between which Jehovah dwelt and this was the most holy place and the rods being laid here might be said to be laid before the Lord who by making a difference in one of those rods from the rest would decide the controversy about the priesthood which was the end of their being laid

32

before himHENRY The preparing of the rods accordingly The princes brought

them in some of them perhaps fondly expecting that the choice would fall upon them and all of them thinking it honour enough to be competitors with Aaron and to stand candidates even for the priesthood (Num_177) and Moses laid them up before the Lord He did not object that the matter was sufficiently settled already and enough done to convince those that were not invincibly hardened in their prejudices He did not undertake to determine the controversy himself though it might easily have been done nor did he suggest that it would be to no purpose to offer satisfaction to a people that were willingly blind But since God will have it so he did his part and lodged the case before the Lord to whom the appeal was made by consent and left it with him

WHEDON 7 Witness mdash The Hebrew is the same as that for testimony in Numbers 174 The reason for choosing this place may have been that no one would suspect the performance of any legerdemain or jugglery in the holy of holies a sanctuary too awful for any man to enter but the high priest one day in the year Moses entered on this occasion by express commandPETT The Rods Are Placed In the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)Numbers 177lsquoAnd Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimonyrsquoThe rods were then laid up lsquobefore Yahwehrsquo in lsquothe Tent of the testimonyrsquo Note the change in name for the Tent Emphasis is placed here on the fact that the Tent testifies to Yahweh and His covenant As we have already suggested this probably meant that they were placed before the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh although it may be that Moses uniquely had access into the Holy of Holies itself

8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaronrsquos staff which represented the tribe of Levi had not only sprouted but had budded blossomed and produced almonds 33

BARNES Yielded almonds - ldquoRipened almondsrdquo i e ldquobrought forth ripe almondsrdquo The name almond in Hebrew denotes the ldquowaking-treerdquo the ldquowaking-fruitrdquo and is applied to this tree because it blossoms early in the season It serves here as in Jer_111-12 to set forth the speed and certainty with which at Godrsquos will His purposes are accomplished So again the blossoming and bearing of Aaronrsquos rod naturally impotent when severed from the parent tree may signify the profitableness because of Godrsquos appointment and blessing of the various means of grace (e g the priesthood the sacraments) which of themselves and apart from Him could have no such efficacy Compare Isa_42 Isa_111 Isa_532 Jer_335 Zec_612

CLARKE The rod of Aaron - was budded etc - That is on the same rod or staff were found buds blossoms and ripe fruit This fact was so unquestionably miraculous as to decide the business for ever and probably this was intended to show that in the priesthood represented by that of Aaron the beginning middle and end of every good work must be found The buds of good desires the blossoms of holy resolutions and promising professions and the ripe fruit of faith love and obedience all spring from the priesthood of the Lord Jesus It has been thought by some that Aaronrsquos staff (and perhaps the staves of all the tribes) was made out of the amygdala communis or common almond tree In a favorable soil and climate it grows to twenty feet in height is one of the most noble flourishing trees in nature its flowers are of a delicate red and it puts them forth early in March having begun to bud in January It has its name שקד shaked from shakad to awake because it buds and flowers sooner than most other trees And it is very likely that the staves of office borne by the chiefs of all the tribes were made of this tree merely to signify that watchfulness and assiduous care which the chiefs should take of the persons committed in the course of the Divine providence to their keeping

Every thing in this miracle is so far beyond the power of nature that no doubt could remain on the minds of the people or the envious chiefs of the Divine appointment of Aaron and of the especial interference of God in this case To see a piece of wood long cut off from the parent stock without bark or moisture remaining laid up in a dry place for a single night with others in the same circumstances - to see such a piece of wood resume and evince the perfection of vegetative life budding blossoming and bringing forth ripe fruit at the same time must be such a demonstration of the peculiar interference of God as to silence every doubt and satisfy every scruple It is worthy of remark that a scepter or staff of office resuming its vegetative life was considered an absolute impossibility among the ancients and as 34

they were accustomed to swear by their sceptres this circumstance was added to establish and confirm the oath A remarkable instance of this we have in Homer Iliad lib i ver 233 etc where Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon thus speaks -Αλλrsquo εκ τοι ερεω και επι μεγαν ὁρκον ομουμαιΝαι μα τοδε σκηπτρον το μεν ουποτε φυλλα και οζουςΦυσει επειδη πρωτα τομην εν ορεσσι λελοιπενΟυδrsquo αναθηλησει περι γαρ ῥα ἑ χαλκος ελεψεΦυλλα τε και φλοιονὁ δε τοι μεγας εσσεται ὁρκοςBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same scepter which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopprsquod off its foliage greenAnd stripprsquod its bark shall never grow againCowper

Virgil represents King Latinus swearing in the same way to confirm his covenant with Aeneas -Ut Sceptrum hoc (dextra sceptrum nam forte gerebat)Nunquam fronde levi fundet virgulta neque umbrasCum semel in silvis imo de stirpe recisumMatre caret posuitque comas et brachia ferroOlim arbos nunc artificis manus aere decoroInclusit patribusque dedit gestare LatinisTalibus inter se firmabant foedera dictisAen lib xii ver 206-12Even as this royal Sceptre (for he boreA scepter in his hand) shall never moreShoot out in branches or renew the birthAn orphan now cut from the mother earthBy the keen axe dishonorrsquod of its hairAnd cased in brass for Latian kings to bearAnd thus in public view the peace was tiedWith solemn vows and sworn on either sideDryden

When the circumstance of the rod or scepter being used anciently in this way and the absolute impossibility of its reviviscence so strongly appealed to is considered it appears to have been a very proper instrument for the present occasion for the change that passed on it must be acknowledged as an immediate and incontestable miracle

35

GILL And it came to pass that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness Where none but he could go at any time this was the day after the rods had been placed there and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi the rod that had Aarons name upon it which was to represent the tribe of Levi of which he was was budded and brought forth buds knobs of blossom such that are seen on trees before they open for the almond tree puts forth its blossoms before its leaves though the Targum of Jonathan renders it branches as do some versions and some think this is to be understood of its putting out its leaves first contrary to the nature of the almond tree and so makes the miracle the greater thus Ben Melech and blossomed blossoms open flowers or blossoms such as appear on the almond tree in the spring and look very beautiful and yielded almonds ripe almonds in their full perfection as the Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan the latter of which isin the same night it perfected and brought forth almondsthe word used has the signification of weaning and alludes to children grown up to some ripeness and maturity Gen_218 the case seems to be this that in one part of the rod were buds swelling and just putting out in another part open flowers quite blown and in others full ripe fruit now this clearly showed it to be supernatural since the almond tree though quick and early in its production of buds and flowers yet never has those and ripe fruit on it at the same time to which may be added that this was not the time of year the almond tree blossoms not the spring but rather autumn as it should seem since it was after the affair of the spies and the murmurs of the people on their report now it was the time of the first ripe grapes when they went into the land and they were forty days searching it and it was after their return the insurrections before recorded were the design of this was to confirm the priesthood in Aarons family and show that it would continue there in a flourishing condition and that there would be a succession of priests from him to the time of the Messiah as there were and the almond tree having its name in Hebrew from watchfulness and haste see Jer_111 may denote the vigilance of the priests in their office and the haste punishment makes to come upon such that should oppose them or usurp the priesthood as in the case of Uzziah so Jarchi remarks this rod of Aarons may be an emblem of the Gospel ministry of that rod that should come out of Zion Psa_1102 which in the eyes of men is mean and despicable like a dry stick but becomes a fruitful one through the power of divine grace and an almond tree rod may denote the vigilance and watchfulness of Gospel ministers over themselves and others and their doctrine and oftentimes whom God puts into the ministry he early calls them by his grace and frequently makes the first part of their ministry most useful and fruit is brought forth which remains moreover this rod may be considered as a type of Christ it being a dry rod or stick may denote the

36

meanness of his descent and appearance in the world and the unpromising aspect of his being the King Messiah and Saviour of men and being an almond tree rod may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time which the Lord hastened his being the firstborn and his right to the priesthood and his vigilance in it its lying among other rods and budding and blossoming and bringing forth fruit may point at Christs assuming the common nature or man his being cut off by death his resurrection from the dead and the fruits arising from thence justification peace pardon and eternal life and as Aarons priesthood was confirmed by the budding ampc of this rod so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are by his resurrection from the dead See Gill on Heb_94HENRY 8-9 Here is I The final determination of the controversy

concerning the priesthood by a miracle Num_178 Num_179 The rods or staves were brought out from the most holy place where they were laid up and publicly produced before the people and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were Aarons rod only of a dry stick became a living branch budded and blossomed and yielded almonds In some places there were buds in others blossoms in others fruit at the same time This was miraculous and took away all suspicion of a fraud as if in the night Moses had taken away Aarons rod and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it for no ordinary branch would have buds blossoms and fruits upon it all at once Now1 This was a plain indication to the people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood and not any other of the princes of the tribes Thus he was distinguished from them and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven which sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor watering by the hand of man Bishop Hall here observes that fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call and that the plants of Gods setting and the boughs cut off from them will flourish See Psa_9212-14 The trees of the Lord though they seem dry trees are full of sap2 It was a very proper sign to represent the priesthood itself which was hereby confirmed to Aaron (1) That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God It produced not only blossoms but almonds for the priesthood was designed not only for an honour to Aaron but for a blessing to Israel Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they should go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit should remain Joh_1516 (2) That there should be a succession of priests Here were not only almonds for the present but buds and blossoms promising more hereafter Thus has Christ provided in his church that a seed should serve him from generation to generation (3) That yet this priesthood should not be perpetual but in process of time like the branches and blossoms of a tree should fail and wither The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age Ecc_125 This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood which soon became old and ready to vanish away Heb_8133 It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood for he is the man the branch that is to be a priest upon his throne as it follows (Zec_612) and he was to grow up before God as this before the ark like a tender

37

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

so placed as Jarchi thinks that it might not be said because it was put on the side of the Shechinah or divine Majesty therefore it budded but being in the middle of them there could be no difference in that respectJAMISON the rod of Aaron was among their rods mdash either one of the

twelve or as many suppose a thirteenth in the midst (Heb_94) The rods were of dry sticks or wands probably old as transmitted from one head of the family to a succeeding

KampD Num_176-11Moses carried out this command And when he went into the tabernacle the following morning behold Aarons rod of the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth shoots and had borne blossoms and matured almonds And Moses brought all the rods out of the sanctuary and gave every man his own the rest as we may gather from the context being all unchanged so that the whole nation could satisfy itself that God had chosen Aaron Thus was the word fulfilled which Moses had spoken at the commencement of the rebellion of the company of Korah (Num_165) and that in a way which could not fail to accredit him before the whole congregation as sent of GodSo far as the occurrence itself is concerned there can hardly be any need to remark that the natural interpretation which has lately been attempted by Ewald viz that Moses had laid several almond rods in the holy place which had just been freshly cut off that he might see the next day which of them would flower the best during the night is directly at variance with the words of the text and also with the fact that a rod even freshly cut off when laid in a dry place would not bear ripe fruit in a single night The miracle which God wrought here as the Creator of nature was at the same time a significant symbol of the nature and meaning of the priesthood The choice of the rods had also a bearing upon the object in question A mans rod was the sign of his position as ruler in the house and congregation with a prince the rod becomes a sceptre the insignia of rule (Gen_4910) As a severed branch the rod could not put forth shoots and blossom in a natural way But God could impart new vital powers even to the dry rod And so Aaron had naturally no pre-eminence above the heads of the other tribes But the priesthood was founded not upon natural qualifications and gifts but upon the power of the Spirit which God communicates according to the choice of His wisdom and which He had imparted to Aaron through his consecration with holy anointing oil It was this which the Lord intended to show to the people by causing Aarons rod to put forth branches blossom and fruit through a miracle of His omnipotence whereas the rods of the other heads of the tribes remained as barren as before In this way therefore it was not without deep significance that Aarons rod not only put forth shoots by which the divine election might be recognised but bore even blossom and ripe fruit This showed that Aaron was not only qualified for his calling but administered his office in the full power of the Spirit and bore the fruit expected of him The almond rod was especially adapted to exhibit this as

31

an almond-tree flowers and bears fruit the earliest of all the trees and has received its name of שקד ldquoawakerdquo from this very fact (cf Jer_111)

God then commanded (Num_1710 Num_1711) that Aarons rod should be taken back into the sanctuary and preserved before the testimony ldquofor a sign for the rebellious that thou puttest an end to their murmuring and they die notrdquo The preservation of the rod before the ark of the covenant in the immediate presence of the Lord was a pledge to Aaron of the continuance of his election and the permanent duration of his priesthood though we have no need to assume that through a perpetual miracle the staff continued green and blossoming In this way the staff became a sign to the rebellious which could not fail to stop their murmuringPETT All the Chieftains Give Rods Including Aaron (Numbers 176)Numbers 176lsquoAnd Moses spoke to the children of Israel and all their princes gave him rods for each prince one according to their fathersrsquo houses even twelve rods and the rod of Aaron was among their rodsrsquoSo Moses did as Yahweh commanded and requested rods from each of the chieftains of the twelve tribes These rods may well have been their symbols of authority Thus twelve rods were gathered and Aaronrsquos rod was placed among them PULPIT And the rod of Aaron was among the rods As there was no prince from whom this rod could have come and as there were twelve rods without it this must mean that Moses did not keep Aarons rod separate (which might have caused suspicion) but let it be seen amongst the others

7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law

GILL And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness In that part of the tabernacle where the testimony or witness was that is the law which was in the ark over which was the mercy seat with the cherubim between which Jehovah dwelt and this was the most holy place and the rods being laid here might be said to be laid before the Lord who by making a difference in one of those rods from the rest would decide the controversy about the priesthood which was the end of their being laid

32

before himHENRY The preparing of the rods accordingly The princes brought

them in some of them perhaps fondly expecting that the choice would fall upon them and all of them thinking it honour enough to be competitors with Aaron and to stand candidates even for the priesthood (Num_177) and Moses laid them up before the Lord He did not object that the matter was sufficiently settled already and enough done to convince those that were not invincibly hardened in their prejudices He did not undertake to determine the controversy himself though it might easily have been done nor did he suggest that it would be to no purpose to offer satisfaction to a people that were willingly blind But since God will have it so he did his part and lodged the case before the Lord to whom the appeal was made by consent and left it with him

WHEDON 7 Witness mdash The Hebrew is the same as that for testimony in Numbers 174 The reason for choosing this place may have been that no one would suspect the performance of any legerdemain or jugglery in the holy of holies a sanctuary too awful for any man to enter but the high priest one day in the year Moses entered on this occasion by express commandPETT The Rods Are Placed In the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)Numbers 177lsquoAnd Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimonyrsquoThe rods were then laid up lsquobefore Yahwehrsquo in lsquothe Tent of the testimonyrsquo Note the change in name for the Tent Emphasis is placed here on the fact that the Tent testifies to Yahweh and His covenant As we have already suggested this probably meant that they were placed before the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh although it may be that Moses uniquely had access into the Holy of Holies itself

8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaronrsquos staff which represented the tribe of Levi had not only sprouted but had budded blossomed and produced almonds 33

BARNES Yielded almonds - ldquoRipened almondsrdquo i e ldquobrought forth ripe almondsrdquo The name almond in Hebrew denotes the ldquowaking-treerdquo the ldquowaking-fruitrdquo and is applied to this tree because it blossoms early in the season It serves here as in Jer_111-12 to set forth the speed and certainty with which at Godrsquos will His purposes are accomplished So again the blossoming and bearing of Aaronrsquos rod naturally impotent when severed from the parent tree may signify the profitableness because of Godrsquos appointment and blessing of the various means of grace (e g the priesthood the sacraments) which of themselves and apart from Him could have no such efficacy Compare Isa_42 Isa_111 Isa_532 Jer_335 Zec_612

CLARKE The rod of Aaron - was budded etc - That is on the same rod or staff were found buds blossoms and ripe fruit This fact was so unquestionably miraculous as to decide the business for ever and probably this was intended to show that in the priesthood represented by that of Aaron the beginning middle and end of every good work must be found The buds of good desires the blossoms of holy resolutions and promising professions and the ripe fruit of faith love and obedience all spring from the priesthood of the Lord Jesus It has been thought by some that Aaronrsquos staff (and perhaps the staves of all the tribes) was made out of the amygdala communis or common almond tree In a favorable soil and climate it grows to twenty feet in height is one of the most noble flourishing trees in nature its flowers are of a delicate red and it puts them forth early in March having begun to bud in January It has its name שקד shaked from shakad to awake because it buds and flowers sooner than most other trees And it is very likely that the staves of office borne by the chiefs of all the tribes were made of this tree merely to signify that watchfulness and assiduous care which the chiefs should take of the persons committed in the course of the Divine providence to their keeping

Every thing in this miracle is so far beyond the power of nature that no doubt could remain on the minds of the people or the envious chiefs of the Divine appointment of Aaron and of the especial interference of God in this case To see a piece of wood long cut off from the parent stock without bark or moisture remaining laid up in a dry place for a single night with others in the same circumstances - to see such a piece of wood resume and evince the perfection of vegetative life budding blossoming and bringing forth ripe fruit at the same time must be such a demonstration of the peculiar interference of God as to silence every doubt and satisfy every scruple It is worthy of remark that a scepter or staff of office resuming its vegetative life was considered an absolute impossibility among the ancients and as 34

they were accustomed to swear by their sceptres this circumstance was added to establish and confirm the oath A remarkable instance of this we have in Homer Iliad lib i ver 233 etc where Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon thus speaks -Αλλrsquo εκ τοι ερεω και επι μεγαν ὁρκον ομουμαιΝαι μα τοδε σκηπτρον το μεν ουποτε φυλλα και οζουςΦυσει επειδη πρωτα τομην εν ορεσσι λελοιπενΟυδrsquo αναθηλησει περι γαρ ῥα ἑ χαλκος ελεψεΦυλλα τε και φλοιονὁ δε τοι μεγας εσσεται ὁρκοςBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same scepter which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopprsquod off its foliage greenAnd stripprsquod its bark shall never grow againCowper

Virgil represents King Latinus swearing in the same way to confirm his covenant with Aeneas -Ut Sceptrum hoc (dextra sceptrum nam forte gerebat)Nunquam fronde levi fundet virgulta neque umbrasCum semel in silvis imo de stirpe recisumMatre caret posuitque comas et brachia ferroOlim arbos nunc artificis manus aere decoroInclusit patribusque dedit gestare LatinisTalibus inter se firmabant foedera dictisAen lib xii ver 206-12Even as this royal Sceptre (for he boreA scepter in his hand) shall never moreShoot out in branches or renew the birthAn orphan now cut from the mother earthBy the keen axe dishonorrsquod of its hairAnd cased in brass for Latian kings to bearAnd thus in public view the peace was tiedWith solemn vows and sworn on either sideDryden

When the circumstance of the rod or scepter being used anciently in this way and the absolute impossibility of its reviviscence so strongly appealed to is considered it appears to have been a very proper instrument for the present occasion for the change that passed on it must be acknowledged as an immediate and incontestable miracle

35

GILL And it came to pass that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness Where none but he could go at any time this was the day after the rods had been placed there and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi the rod that had Aarons name upon it which was to represent the tribe of Levi of which he was was budded and brought forth buds knobs of blossom such that are seen on trees before they open for the almond tree puts forth its blossoms before its leaves though the Targum of Jonathan renders it branches as do some versions and some think this is to be understood of its putting out its leaves first contrary to the nature of the almond tree and so makes the miracle the greater thus Ben Melech and blossomed blossoms open flowers or blossoms such as appear on the almond tree in the spring and look very beautiful and yielded almonds ripe almonds in their full perfection as the Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan the latter of which isin the same night it perfected and brought forth almondsthe word used has the signification of weaning and alludes to children grown up to some ripeness and maturity Gen_218 the case seems to be this that in one part of the rod were buds swelling and just putting out in another part open flowers quite blown and in others full ripe fruit now this clearly showed it to be supernatural since the almond tree though quick and early in its production of buds and flowers yet never has those and ripe fruit on it at the same time to which may be added that this was not the time of year the almond tree blossoms not the spring but rather autumn as it should seem since it was after the affair of the spies and the murmurs of the people on their report now it was the time of the first ripe grapes when they went into the land and they were forty days searching it and it was after their return the insurrections before recorded were the design of this was to confirm the priesthood in Aarons family and show that it would continue there in a flourishing condition and that there would be a succession of priests from him to the time of the Messiah as there were and the almond tree having its name in Hebrew from watchfulness and haste see Jer_111 may denote the vigilance of the priests in their office and the haste punishment makes to come upon such that should oppose them or usurp the priesthood as in the case of Uzziah so Jarchi remarks this rod of Aarons may be an emblem of the Gospel ministry of that rod that should come out of Zion Psa_1102 which in the eyes of men is mean and despicable like a dry stick but becomes a fruitful one through the power of divine grace and an almond tree rod may denote the vigilance and watchfulness of Gospel ministers over themselves and others and their doctrine and oftentimes whom God puts into the ministry he early calls them by his grace and frequently makes the first part of their ministry most useful and fruit is brought forth which remains moreover this rod may be considered as a type of Christ it being a dry rod or stick may denote the

36

meanness of his descent and appearance in the world and the unpromising aspect of his being the King Messiah and Saviour of men and being an almond tree rod may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time which the Lord hastened his being the firstborn and his right to the priesthood and his vigilance in it its lying among other rods and budding and blossoming and bringing forth fruit may point at Christs assuming the common nature or man his being cut off by death his resurrection from the dead and the fruits arising from thence justification peace pardon and eternal life and as Aarons priesthood was confirmed by the budding ampc of this rod so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are by his resurrection from the dead See Gill on Heb_94HENRY 8-9 Here is I The final determination of the controversy

concerning the priesthood by a miracle Num_178 Num_179 The rods or staves were brought out from the most holy place where they were laid up and publicly produced before the people and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were Aarons rod only of a dry stick became a living branch budded and blossomed and yielded almonds In some places there were buds in others blossoms in others fruit at the same time This was miraculous and took away all suspicion of a fraud as if in the night Moses had taken away Aarons rod and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it for no ordinary branch would have buds blossoms and fruits upon it all at once Now1 This was a plain indication to the people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood and not any other of the princes of the tribes Thus he was distinguished from them and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven which sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor watering by the hand of man Bishop Hall here observes that fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call and that the plants of Gods setting and the boughs cut off from them will flourish See Psa_9212-14 The trees of the Lord though they seem dry trees are full of sap2 It was a very proper sign to represent the priesthood itself which was hereby confirmed to Aaron (1) That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God It produced not only blossoms but almonds for the priesthood was designed not only for an honour to Aaron but for a blessing to Israel Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they should go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit should remain Joh_1516 (2) That there should be a succession of priests Here were not only almonds for the present but buds and blossoms promising more hereafter Thus has Christ provided in his church that a seed should serve him from generation to generation (3) That yet this priesthood should not be perpetual but in process of time like the branches and blossoms of a tree should fail and wither The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age Ecc_125 This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood which soon became old and ready to vanish away Heb_8133 It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood for he is the man the branch that is to be a priest upon his throne as it follows (Zec_612) and he was to grow up before God as this before the ark like a tender

37

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

an almond-tree flowers and bears fruit the earliest of all the trees and has received its name of שקד ldquoawakerdquo from this very fact (cf Jer_111)

God then commanded (Num_1710 Num_1711) that Aarons rod should be taken back into the sanctuary and preserved before the testimony ldquofor a sign for the rebellious that thou puttest an end to their murmuring and they die notrdquo The preservation of the rod before the ark of the covenant in the immediate presence of the Lord was a pledge to Aaron of the continuance of his election and the permanent duration of his priesthood though we have no need to assume that through a perpetual miracle the staff continued green and blossoming In this way the staff became a sign to the rebellious which could not fail to stop their murmuringPETT All the Chieftains Give Rods Including Aaron (Numbers 176)Numbers 176lsquoAnd Moses spoke to the children of Israel and all their princes gave him rods for each prince one according to their fathersrsquo houses even twelve rods and the rod of Aaron was among their rodsrsquoSo Moses did as Yahweh commanded and requested rods from each of the chieftains of the twelve tribes These rods may well have been their symbols of authority Thus twelve rods were gathered and Aaronrsquos rod was placed among them PULPIT And the rod of Aaron was among the rods As there was no prince from whom this rod could have come and as there were twelve rods without it this must mean that Moses did not keep Aarons rod separate (which might have caused suspicion) but let it be seen amongst the others

7 Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law

GILL And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness In that part of the tabernacle where the testimony or witness was that is the law which was in the ark over which was the mercy seat with the cherubim between which Jehovah dwelt and this was the most holy place and the rods being laid here might be said to be laid before the Lord who by making a difference in one of those rods from the rest would decide the controversy about the priesthood which was the end of their being laid

32

before himHENRY The preparing of the rods accordingly The princes brought

them in some of them perhaps fondly expecting that the choice would fall upon them and all of them thinking it honour enough to be competitors with Aaron and to stand candidates even for the priesthood (Num_177) and Moses laid them up before the Lord He did not object that the matter was sufficiently settled already and enough done to convince those that were not invincibly hardened in their prejudices He did not undertake to determine the controversy himself though it might easily have been done nor did he suggest that it would be to no purpose to offer satisfaction to a people that were willingly blind But since God will have it so he did his part and lodged the case before the Lord to whom the appeal was made by consent and left it with him

WHEDON 7 Witness mdash The Hebrew is the same as that for testimony in Numbers 174 The reason for choosing this place may have been that no one would suspect the performance of any legerdemain or jugglery in the holy of holies a sanctuary too awful for any man to enter but the high priest one day in the year Moses entered on this occasion by express commandPETT The Rods Are Placed In the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)Numbers 177lsquoAnd Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimonyrsquoThe rods were then laid up lsquobefore Yahwehrsquo in lsquothe Tent of the testimonyrsquo Note the change in name for the Tent Emphasis is placed here on the fact that the Tent testifies to Yahweh and His covenant As we have already suggested this probably meant that they were placed before the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh although it may be that Moses uniquely had access into the Holy of Holies itself

8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaronrsquos staff which represented the tribe of Levi had not only sprouted but had budded blossomed and produced almonds 33

BARNES Yielded almonds - ldquoRipened almondsrdquo i e ldquobrought forth ripe almondsrdquo The name almond in Hebrew denotes the ldquowaking-treerdquo the ldquowaking-fruitrdquo and is applied to this tree because it blossoms early in the season It serves here as in Jer_111-12 to set forth the speed and certainty with which at Godrsquos will His purposes are accomplished So again the blossoming and bearing of Aaronrsquos rod naturally impotent when severed from the parent tree may signify the profitableness because of Godrsquos appointment and blessing of the various means of grace (e g the priesthood the sacraments) which of themselves and apart from Him could have no such efficacy Compare Isa_42 Isa_111 Isa_532 Jer_335 Zec_612

CLARKE The rod of Aaron - was budded etc - That is on the same rod or staff were found buds blossoms and ripe fruit This fact was so unquestionably miraculous as to decide the business for ever and probably this was intended to show that in the priesthood represented by that of Aaron the beginning middle and end of every good work must be found The buds of good desires the blossoms of holy resolutions and promising professions and the ripe fruit of faith love and obedience all spring from the priesthood of the Lord Jesus It has been thought by some that Aaronrsquos staff (and perhaps the staves of all the tribes) was made out of the amygdala communis or common almond tree In a favorable soil and climate it grows to twenty feet in height is one of the most noble flourishing trees in nature its flowers are of a delicate red and it puts them forth early in March having begun to bud in January It has its name שקד shaked from shakad to awake because it buds and flowers sooner than most other trees And it is very likely that the staves of office borne by the chiefs of all the tribes were made of this tree merely to signify that watchfulness and assiduous care which the chiefs should take of the persons committed in the course of the Divine providence to their keeping

Every thing in this miracle is so far beyond the power of nature that no doubt could remain on the minds of the people or the envious chiefs of the Divine appointment of Aaron and of the especial interference of God in this case To see a piece of wood long cut off from the parent stock without bark or moisture remaining laid up in a dry place for a single night with others in the same circumstances - to see such a piece of wood resume and evince the perfection of vegetative life budding blossoming and bringing forth ripe fruit at the same time must be such a demonstration of the peculiar interference of God as to silence every doubt and satisfy every scruple It is worthy of remark that a scepter or staff of office resuming its vegetative life was considered an absolute impossibility among the ancients and as 34

they were accustomed to swear by their sceptres this circumstance was added to establish and confirm the oath A remarkable instance of this we have in Homer Iliad lib i ver 233 etc where Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon thus speaks -Αλλrsquo εκ τοι ερεω και επι μεγαν ὁρκον ομουμαιΝαι μα τοδε σκηπτρον το μεν ουποτε φυλλα και οζουςΦυσει επειδη πρωτα τομην εν ορεσσι λελοιπενΟυδrsquo αναθηλησει περι γαρ ῥα ἑ χαλκος ελεψεΦυλλα τε και φλοιονὁ δε τοι μεγας εσσεται ὁρκοςBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same scepter which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopprsquod off its foliage greenAnd stripprsquod its bark shall never grow againCowper

Virgil represents King Latinus swearing in the same way to confirm his covenant with Aeneas -Ut Sceptrum hoc (dextra sceptrum nam forte gerebat)Nunquam fronde levi fundet virgulta neque umbrasCum semel in silvis imo de stirpe recisumMatre caret posuitque comas et brachia ferroOlim arbos nunc artificis manus aere decoroInclusit patribusque dedit gestare LatinisTalibus inter se firmabant foedera dictisAen lib xii ver 206-12Even as this royal Sceptre (for he boreA scepter in his hand) shall never moreShoot out in branches or renew the birthAn orphan now cut from the mother earthBy the keen axe dishonorrsquod of its hairAnd cased in brass for Latian kings to bearAnd thus in public view the peace was tiedWith solemn vows and sworn on either sideDryden

When the circumstance of the rod or scepter being used anciently in this way and the absolute impossibility of its reviviscence so strongly appealed to is considered it appears to have been a very proper instrument for the present occasion for the change that passed on it must be acknowledged as an immediate and incontestable miracle

35

GILL And it came to pass that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness Where none but he could go at any time this was the day after the rods had been placed there and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi the rod that had Aarons name upon it which was to represent the tribe of Levi of which he was was budded and brought forth buds knobs of blossom such that are seen on trees before they open for the almond tree puts forth its blossoms before its leaves though the Targum of Jonathan renders it branches as do some versions and some think this is to be understood of its putting out its leaves first contrary to the nature of the almond tree and so makes the miracle the greater thus Ben Melech and blossomed blossoms open flowers or blossoms such as appear on the almond tree in the spring and look very beautiful and yielded almonds ripe almonds in their full perfection as the Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan the latter of which isin the same night it perfected and brought forth almondsthe word used has the signification of weaning and alludes to children grown up to some ripeness and maturity Gen_218 the case seems to be this that in one part of the rod were buds swelling and just putting out in another part open flowers quite blown and in others full ripe fruit now this clearly showed it to be supernatural since the almond tree though quick and early in its production of buds and flowers yet never has those and ripe fruit on it at the same time to which may be added that this was not the time of year the almond tree blossoms not the spring but rather autumn as it should seem since it was after the affair of the spies and the murmurs of the people on their report now it was the time of the first ripe grapes when they went into the land and they were forty days searching it and it was after their return the insurrections before recorded were the design of this was to confirm the priesthood in Aarons family and show that it would continue there in a flourishing condition and that there would be a succession of priests from him to the time of the Messiah as there were and the almond tree having its name in Hebrew from watchfulness and haste see Jer_111 may denote the vigilance of the priests in their office and the haste punishment makes to come upon such that should oppose them or usurp the priesthood as in the case of Uzziah so Jarchi remarks this rod of Aarons may be an emblem of the Gospel ministry of that rod that should come out of Zion Psa_1102 which in the eyes of men is mean and despicable like a dry stick but becomes a fruitful one through the power of divine grace and an almond tree rod may denote the vigilance and watchfulness of Gospel ministers over themselves and others and their doctrine and oftentimes whom God puts into the ministry he early calls them by his grace and frequently makes the first part of their ministry most useful and fruit is brought forth which remains moreover this rod may be considered as a type of Christ it being a dry rod or stick may denote the

36

meanness of his descent and appearance in the world and the unpromising aspect of his being the King Messiah and Saviour of men and being an almond tree rod may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time which the Lord hastened his being the firstborn and his right to the priesthood and his vigilance in it its lying among other rods and budding and blossoming and bringing forth fruit may point at Christs assuming the common nature or man his being cut off by death his resurrection from the dead and the fruits arising from thence justification peace pardon and eternal life and as Aarons priesthood was confirmed by the budding ampc of this rod so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are by his resurrection from the dead See Gill on Heb_94HENRY 8-9 Here is I The final determination of the controversy

concerning the priesthood by a miracle Num_178 Num_179 The rods or staves were brought out from the most holy place where they were laid up and publicly produced before the people and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were Aarons rod only of a dry stick became a living branch budded and blossomed and yielded almonds In some places there were buds in others blossoms in others fruit at the same time This was miraculous and took away all suspicion of a fraud as if in the night Moses had taken away Aarons rod and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it for no ordinary branch would have buds blossoms and fruits upon it all at once Now1 This was a plain indication to the people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood and not any other of the princes of the tribes Thus he was distinguished from them and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven which sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor watering by the hand of man Bishop Hall here observes that fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call and that the plants of Gods setting and the boughs cut off from them will flourish See Psa_9212-14 The trees of the Lord though they seem dry trees are full of sap2 It was a very proper sign to represent the priesthood itself which was hereby confirmed to Aaron (1) That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God It produced not only blossoms but almonds for the priesthood was designed not only for an honour to Aaron but for a blessing to Israel Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they should go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit should remain Joh_1516 (2) That there should be a succession of priests Here were not only almonds for the present but buds and blossoms promising more hereafter Thus has Christ provided in his church that a seed should serve him from generation to generation (3) That yet this priesthood should not be perpetual but in process of time like the branches and blossoms of a tree should fail and wither The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age Ecc_125 This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood which soon became old and ready to vanish away Heb_8133 It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood for he is the man the branch that is to be a priest upon his throne as it follows (Zec_612) and he was to grow up before God as this before the ark like a tender

37

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

before himHENRY The preparing of the rods accordingly The princes brought

them in some of them perhaps fondly expecting that the choice would fall upon them and all of them thinking it honour enough to be competitors with Aaron and to stand candidates even for the priesthood (Num_177) and Moses laid them up before the Lord He did not object that the matter was sufficiently settled already and enough done to convince those that were not invincibly hardened in their prejudices He did not undertake to determine the controversy himself though it might easily have been done nor did he suggest that it would be to no purpose to offer satisfaction to a people that were willingly blind But since God will have it so he did his part and lodged the case before the Lord to whom the appeal was made by consent and left it with him

WHEDON 7 Witness mdash The Hebrew is the same as that for testimony in Numbers 174 The reason for choosing this place may have been that no one would suspect the performance of any legerdemain or jugglery in the holy of holies a sanctuary too awful for any man to enter but the high priest one day in the year Moses entered on this occasion by express commandPETT The Rods Are Placed In the Tent of Testimony (Numbers 177)Numbers 177lsquoAnd Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimonyrsquoThe rods were then laid up lsquobefore Yahwehrsquo in lsquothe Tent of the testimonyrsquo Note the change in name for the Tent Emphasis is placed here on the fact that the Tent testifies to Yahweh and His covenant As we have already suggested this probably meant that they were placed before the veil behind which was the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh although it may be that Moses uniquely had access into the Holy of Holies itself

8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaronrsquos staff which represented the tribe of Levi had not only sprouted but had budded blossomed and produced almonds 33

BARNES Yielded almonds - ldquoRipened almondsrdquo i e ldquobrought forth ripe almondsrdquo The name almond in Hebrew denotes the ldquowaking-treerdquo the ldquowaking-fruitrdquo and is applied to this tree because it blossoms early in the season It serves here as in Jer_111-12 to set forth the speed and certainty with which at Godrsquos will His purposes are accomplished So again the blossoming and bearing of Aaronrsquos rod naturally impotent when severed from the parent tree may signify the profitableness because of Godrsquos appointment and blessing of the various means of grace (e g the priesthood the sacraments) which of themselves and apart from Him could have no such efficacy Compare Isa_42 Isa_111 Isa_532 Jer_335 Zec_612

CLARKE The rod of Aaron - was budded etc - That is on the same rod or staff were found buds blossoms and ripe fruit This fact was so unquestionably miraculous as to decide the business for ever and probably this was intended to show that in the priesthood represented by that of Aaron the beginning middle and end of every good work must be found The buds of good desires the blossoms of holy resolutions and promising professions and the ripe fruit of faith love and obedience all spring from the priesthood of the Lord Jesus It has been thought by some that Aaronrsquos staff (and perhaps the staves of all the tribes) was made out of the amygdala communis or common almond tree In a favorable soil and climate it grows to twenty feet in height is one of the most noble flourishing trees in nature its flowers are of a delicate red and it puts them forth early in March having begun to bud in January It has its name שקד shaked from shakad to awake because it buds and flowers sooner than most other trees And it is very likely that the staves of office borne by the chiefs of all the tribes were made of this tree merely to signify that watchfulness and assiduous care which the chiefs should take of the persons committed in the course of the Divine providence to their keeping

Every thing in this miracle is so far beyond the power of nature that no doubt could remain on the minds of the people or the envious chiefs of the Divine appointment of Aaron and of the especial interference of God in this case To see a piece of wood long cut off from the parent stock without bark or moisture remaining laid up in a dry place for a single night with others in the same circumstances - to see such a piece of wood resume and evince the perfection of vegetative life budding blossoming and bringing forth ripe fruit at the same time must be such a demonstration of the peculiar interference of God as to silence every doubt and satisfy every scruple It is worthy of remark that a scepter or staff of office resuming its vegetative life was considered an absolute impossibility among the ancients and as 34

they were accustomed to swear by their sceptres this circumstance was added to establish and confirm the oath A remarkable instance of this we have in Homer Iliad lib i ver 233 etc where Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon thus speaks -Αλλrsquo εκ τοι ερεω και επι μεγαν ὁρκον ομουμαιΝαι μα τοδε σκηπτρον το μεν ουποτε φυλλα και οζουςΦυσει επειδη πρωτα τομην εν ορεσσι λελοιπενΟυδrsquo αναθηλησει περι γαρ ῥα ἑ χαλκος ελεψεΦυλλα τε και φλοιονὁ δε τοι μεγας εσσεται ὁρκοςBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same scepter which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopprsquod off its foliage greenAnd stripprsquod its bark shall never grow againCowper

Virgil represents King Latinus swearing in the same way to confirm his covenant with Aeneas -Ut Sceptrum hoc (dextra sceptrum nam forte gerebat)Nunquam fronde levi fundet virgulta neque umbrasCum semel in silvis imo de stirpe recisumMatre caret posuitque comas et brachia ferroOlim arbos nunc artificis manus aere decoroInclusit patribusque dedit gestare LatinisTalibus inter se firmabant foedera dictisAen lib xii ver 206-12Even as this royal Sceptre (for he boreA scepter in his hand) shall never moreShoot out in branches or renew the birthAn orphan now cut from the mother earthBy the keen axe dishonorrsquod of its hairAnd cased in brass for Latian kings to bearAnd thus in public view the peace was tiedWith solemn vows and sworn on either sideDryden

When the circumstance of the rod or scepter being used anciently in this way and the absolute impossibility of its reviviscence so strongly appealed to is considered it appears to have been a very proper instrument for the present occasion for the change that passed on it must be acknowledged as an immediate and incontestable miracle

35

GILL And it came to pass that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness Where none but he could go at any time this was the day after the rods had been placed there and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi the rod that had Aarons name upon it which was to represent the tribe of Levi of which he was was budded and brought forth buds knobs of blossom such that are seen on trees before they open for the almond tree puts forth its blossoms before its leaves though the Targum of Jonathan renders it branches as do some versions and some think this is to be understood of its putting out its leaves first contrary to the nature of the almond tree and so makes the miracle the greater thus Ben Melech and blossomed blossoms open flowers or blossoms such as appear on the almond tree in the spring and look very beautiful and yielded almonds ripe almonds in their full perfection as the Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan the latter of which isin the same night it perfected and brought forth almondsthe word used has the signification of weaning and alludes to children grown up to some ripeness and maturity Gen_218 the case seems to be this that in one part of the rod were buds swelling and just putting out in another part open flowers quite blown and in others full ripe fruit now this clearly showed it to be supernatural since the almond tree though quick and early in its production of buds and flowers yet never has those and ripe fruit on it at the same time to which may be added that this was not the time of year the almond tree blossoms not the spring but rather autumn as it should seem since it was after the affair of the spies and the murmurs of the people on their report now it was the time of the first ripe grapes when they went into the land and they were forty days searching it and it was after their return the insurrections before recorded were the design of this was to confirm the priesthood in Aarons family and show that it would continue there in a flourishing condition and that there would be a succession of priests from him to the time of the Messiah as there were and the almond tree having its name in Hebrew from watchfulness and haste see Jer_111 may denote the vigilance of the priests in their office and the haste punishment makes to come upon such that should oppose them or usurp the priesthood as in the case of Uzziah so Jarchi remarks this rod of Aarons may be an emblem of the Gospel ministry of that rod that should come out of Zion Psa_1102 which in the eyes of men is mean and despicable like a dry stick but becomes a fruitful one through the power of divine grace and an almond tree rod may denote the vigilance and watchfulness of Gospel ministers over themselves and others and their doctrine and oftentimes whom God puts into the ministry he early calls them by his grace and frequently makes the first part of their ministry most useful and fruit is brought forth which remains moreover this rod may be considered as a type of Christ it being a dry rod or stick may denote the

36

meanness of his descent and appearance in the world and the unpromising aspect of his being the King Messiah and Saviour of men and being an almond tree rod may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time which the Lord hastened his being the firstborn and his right to the priesthood and his vigilance in it its lying among other rods and budding and blossoming and bringing forth fruit may point at Christs assuming the common nature or man his being cut off by death his resurrection from the dead and the fruits arising from thence justification peace pardon and eternal life and as Aarons priesthood was confirmed by the budding ampc of this rod so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are by his resurrection from the dead See Gill on Heb_94HENRY 8-9 Here is I The final determination of the controversy

concerning the priesthood by a miracle Num_178 Num_179 The rods or staves were brought out from the most holy place where they were laid up and publicly produced before the people and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were Aarons rod only of a dry stick became a living branch budded and blossomed and yielded almonds In some places there were buds in others blossoms in others fruit at the same time This was miraculous and took away all suspicion of a fraud as if in the night Moses had taken away Aarons rod and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it for no ordinary branch would have buds blossoms and fruits upon it all at once Now1 This was a plain indication to the people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood and not any other of the princes of the tribes Thus he was distinguished from them and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven which sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor watering by the hand of man Bishop Hall here observes that fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call and that the plants of Gods setting and the boughs cut off from them will flourish See Psa_9212-14 The trees of the Lord though they seem dry trees are full of sap2 It was a very proper sign to represent the priesthood itself which was hereby confirmed to Aaron (1) That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God It produced not only blossoms but almonds for the priesthood was designed not only for an honour to Aaron but for a blessing to Israel Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they should go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit should remain Joh_1516 (2) That there should be a succession of priests Here were not only almonds for the present but buds and blossoms promising more hereafter Thus has Christ provided in his church that a seed should serve him from generation to generation (3) That yet this priesthood should not be perpetual but in process of time like the branches and blossoms of a tree should fail and wither The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age Ecc_125 This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood which soon became old and ready to vanish away Heb_8133 It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood for he is the man the branch that is to be a priest upon his throne as it follows (Zec_612) and he was to grow up before God as this before the ark like a tender

37

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

BARNES Yielded almonds - ldquoRipened almondsrdquo i e ldquobrought forth ripe almondsrdquo The name almond in Hebrew denotes the ldquowaking-treerdquo the ldquowaking-fruitrdquo and is applied to this tree because it blossoms early in the season It serves here as in Jer_111-12 to set forth the speed and certainty with which at Godrsquos will His purposes are accomplished So again the blossoming and bearing of Aaronrsquos rod naturally impotent when severed from the parent tree may signify the profitableness because of Godrsquos appointment and blessing of the various means of grace (e g the priesthood the sacraments) which of themselves and apart from Him could have no such efficacy Compare Isa_42 Isa_111 Isa_532 Jer_335 Zec_612

CLARKE The rod of Aaron - was budded etc - That is on the same rod or staff were found buds blossoms and ripe fruit This fact was so unquestionably miraculous as to decide the business for ever and probably this was intended to show that in the priesthood represented by that of Aaron the beginning middle and end of every good work must be found The buds of good desires the blossoms of holy resolutions and promising professions and the ripe fruit of faith love and obedience all spring from the priesthood of the Lord Jesus It has been thought by some that Aaronrsquos staff (and perhaps the staves of all the tribes) was made out of the amygdala communis or common almond tree In a favorable soil and climate it grows to twenty feet in height is one of the most noble flourishing trees in nature its flowers are of a delicate red and it puts them forth early in March having begun to bud in January It has its name שקד shaked from shakad to awake because it buds and flowers sooner than most other trees And it is very likely that the staves of office borne by the chiefs of all the tribes were made of this tree merely to signify that watchfulness and assiduous care which the chiefs should take of the persons committed in the course of the Divine providence to their keeping

Every thing in this miracle is so far beyond the power of nature that no doubt could remain on the minds of the people or the envious chiefs of the Divine appointment of Aaron and of the especial interference of God in this case To see a piece of wood long cut off from the parent stock without bark or moisture remaining laid up in a dry place for a single night with others in the same circumstances - to see such a piece of wood resume and evince the perfection of vegetative life budding blossoming and bringing forth ripe fruit at the same time must be such a demonstration of the peculiar interference of God as to silence every doubt and satisfy every scruple It is worthy of remark that a scepter or staff of office resuming its vegetative life was considered an absolute impossibility among the ancients and as 34

they were accustomed to swear by their sceptres this circumstance was added to establish and confirm the oath A remarkable instance of this we have in Homer Iliad lib i ver 233 etc where Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon thus speaks -Αλλrsquo εκ τοι ερεω και επι μεγαν ὁρκον ομουμαιΝαι μα τοδε σκηπτρον το μεν ουποτε φυλλα και οζουςΦυσει επειδη πρωτα τομην εν ορεσσι λελοιπενΟυδrsquo αναθηλησει περι γαρ ῥα ἑ χαλκος ελεψεΦυλλα τε και φλοιονὁ δε τοι μεγας εσσεται ὁρκοςBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same scepter which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopprsquod off its foliage greenAnd stripprsquod its bark shall never grow againCowper

Virgil represents King Latinus swearing in the same way to confirm his covenant with Aeneas -Ut Sceptrum hoc (dextra sceptrum nam forte gerebat)Nunquam fronde levi fundet virgulta neque umbrasCum semel in silvis imo de stirpe recisumMatre caret posuitque comas et brachia ferroOlim arbos nunc artificis manus aere decoroInclusit patribusque dedit gestare LatinisTalibus inter se firmabant foedera dictisAen lib xii ver 206-12Even as this royal Sceptre (for he boreA scepter in his hand) shall never moreShoot out in branches or renew the birthAn orphan now cut from the mother earthBy the keen axe dishonorrsquod of its hairAnd cased in brass for Latian kings to bearAnd thus in public view the peace was tiedWith solemn vows and sworn on either sideDryden

When the circumstance of the rod or scepter being used anciently in this way and the absolute impossibility of its reviviscence so strongly appealed to is considered it appears to have been a very proper instrument for the present occasion for the change that passed on it must be acknowledged as an immediate and incontestable miracle

35

GILL And it came to pass that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness Where none but he could go at any time this was the day after the rods had been placed there and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi the rod that had Aarons name upon it which was to represent the tribe of Levi of which he was was budded and brought forth buds knobs of blossom such that are seen on trees before they open for the almond tree puts forth its blossoms before its leaves though the Targum of Jonathan renders it branches as do some versions and some think this is to be understood of its putting out its leaves first contrary to the nature of the almond tree and so makes the miracle the greater thus Ben Melech and blossomed blossoms open flowers or blossoms such as appear on the almond tree in the spring and look very beautiful and yielded almonds ripe almonds in their full perfection as the Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan the latter of which isin the same night it perfected and brought forth almondsthe word used has the signification of weaning and alludes to children grown up to some ripeness and maturity Gen_218 the case seems to be this that in one part of the rod were buds swelling and just putting out in another part open flowers quite blown and in others full ripe fruit now this clearly showed it to be supernatural since the almond tree though quick and early in its production of buds and flowers yet never has those and ripe fruit on it at the same time to which may be added that this was not the time of year the almond tree blossoms not the spring but rather autumn as it should seem since it was after the affair of the spies and the murmurs of the people on their report now it was the time of the first ripe grapes when they went into the land and they were forty days searching it and it was after their return the insurrections before recorded were the design of this was to confirm the priesthood in Aarons family and show that it would continue there in a flourishing condition and that there would be a succession of priests from him to the time of the Messiah as there were and the almond tree having its name in Hebrew from watchfulness and haste see Jer_111 may denote the vigilance of the priests in their office and the haste punishment makes to come upon such that should oppose them or usurp the priesthood as in the case of Uzziah so Jarchi remarks this rod of Aarons may be an emblem of the Gospel ministry of that rod that should come out of Zion Psa_1102 which in the eyes of men is mean and despicable like a dry stick but becomes a fruitful one through the power of divine grace and an almond tree rod may denote the vigilance and watchfulness of Gospel ministers over themselves and others and their doctrine and oftentimes whom God puts into the ministry he early calls them by his grace and frequently makes the first part of their ministry most useful and fruit is brought forth which remains moreover this rod may be considered as a type of Christ it being a dry rod or stick may denote the

36

meanness of his descent and appearance in the world and the unpromising aspect of his being the King Messiah and Saviour of men and being an almond tree rod may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time which the Lord hastened his being the firstborn and his right to the priesthood and his vigilance in it its lying among other rods and budding and blossoming and bringing forth fruit may point at Christs assuming the common nature or man his being cut off by death his resurrection from the dead and the fruits arising from thence justification peace pardon and eternal life and as Aarons priesthood was confirmed by the budding ampc of this rod so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are by his resurrection from the dead See Gill on Heb_94HENRY 8-9 Here is I The final determination of the controversy

concerning the priesthood by a miracle Num_178 Num_179 The rods or staves were brought out from the most holy place where they were laid up and publicly produced before the people and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were Aarons rod only of a dry stick became a living branch budded and blossomed and yielded almonds In some places there were buds in others blossoms in others fruit at the same time This was miraculous and took away all suspicion of a fraud as if in the night Moses had taken away Aarons rod and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it for no ordinary branch would have buds blossoms and fruits upon it all at once Now1 This was a plain indication to the people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood and not any other of the princes of the tribes Thus he was distinguished from them and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven which sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor watering by the hand of man Bishop Hall here observes that fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call and that the plants of Gods setting and the boughs cut off from them will flourish See Psa_9212-14 The trees of the Lord though they seem dry trees are full of sap2 It was a very proper sign to represent the priesthood itself which was hereby confirmed to Aaron (1) That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God It produced not only blossoms but almonds for the priesthood was designed not only for an honour to Aaron but for a blessing to Israel Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they should go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit should remain Joh_1516 (2) That there should be a succession of priests Here were not only almonds for the present but buds and blossoms promising more hereafter Thus has Christ provided in his church that a seed should serve him from generation to generation (3) That yet this priesthood should not be perpetual but in process of time like the branches and blossoms of a tree should fail and wither The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age Ecc_125 This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood which soon became old and ready to vanish away Heb_8133 It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood for he is the man the branch that is to be a priest upon his throne as it follows (Zec_612) and he was to grow up before God as this before the ark like a tender

37

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

they were accustomed to swear by their sceptres this circumstance was added to establish and confirm the oath A remarkable instance of this we have in Homer Iliad lib i ver 233 etc where Achilles in his rage against Agamemnon thus speaks -Αλλrsquo εκ τοι ερεω και επι μεγαν ὁρκον ομουμαιΝαι μα τοδε σκηπτρον το μεν ουποτε φυλλα και οζουςΦυσει επειδη πρωτα τομην εν ορεσσι λελοιπενΟυδrsquo αναθηλησει περι γαρ ῥα ἑ χαλκος ελεψεΦυλλα τε και φλοιονὁ δε τοι μεγας εσσεται ὁρκοςBut hearken I shall swear a solemn oathBy this same scepter which shall never budNor boughs bring forth as once which having leftIts parent on the mountain top what timeThe woodmanrsquos axe lopprsquod off its foliage greenAnd stripprsquod its bark shall never grow againCowper

Virgil represents King Latinus swearing in the same way to confirm his covenant with Aeneas -Ut Sceptrum hoc (dextra sceptrum nam forte gerebat)Nunquam fronde levi fundet virgulta neque umbrasCum semel in silvis imo de stirpe recisumMatre caret posuitque comas et brachia ferroOlim arbos nunc artificis manus aere decoroInclusit patribusque dedit gestare LatinisTalibus inter se firmabant foedera dictisAen lib xii ver 206-12Even as this royal Sceptre (for he boreA scepter in his hand) shall never moreShoot out in branches or renew the birthAn orphan now cut from the mother earthBy the keen axe dishonorrsquod of its hairAnd cased in brass for Latian kings to bearAnd thus in public view the peace was tiedWith solemn vows and sworn on either sideDryden

When the circumstance of the rod or scepter being used anciently in this way and the absolute impossibility of its reviviscence so strongly appealed to is considered it appears to have been a very proper instrument for the present occasion for the change that passed on it must be acknowledged as an immediate and incontestable miracle

35

GILL And it came to pass that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness Where none but he could go at any time this was the day after the rods had been placed there and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi the rod that had Aarons name upon it which was to represent the tribe of Levi of which he was was budded and brought forth buds knobs of blossom such that are seen on trees before they open for the almond tree puts forth its blossoms before its leaves though the Targum of Jonathan renders it branches as do some versions and some think this is to be understood of its putting out its leaves first contrary to the nature of the almond tree and so makes the miracle the greater thus Ben Melech and blossomed blossoms open flowers or blossoms such as appear on the almond tree in the spring and look very beautiful and yielded almonds ripe almonds in their full perfection as the Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan the latter of which isin the same night it perfected and brought forth almondsthe word used has the signification of weaning and alludes to children grown up to some ripeness and maturity Gen_218 the case seems to be this that in one part of the rod were buds swelling and just putting out in another part open flowers quite blown and in others full ripe fruit now this clearly showed it to be supernatural since the almond tree though quick and early in its production of buds and flowers yet never has those and ripe fruit on it at the same time to which may be added that this was not the time of year the almond tree blossoms not the spring but rather autumn as it should seem since it was after the affair of the spies and the murmurs of the people on their report now it was the time of the first ripe grapes when they went into the land and they were forty days searching it and it was after their return the insurrections before recorded were the design of this was to confirm the priesthood in Aarons family and show that it would continue there in a flourishing condition and that there would be a succession of priests from him to the time of the Messiah as there were and the almond tree having its name in Hebrew from watchfulness and haste see Jer_111 may denote the vigilance of the priests in their office and the haste punishment makes to come upon such that should oppose them or usurp the priesthood as in the case of Uzziah so Jarchi remarks this rod of Aarons may be an emblem of the Gospel ministry of that rod that should come out of Zion Psa_1102 which in the eyes of men is mean and despicable like a dry stick but becomes a fruitful one through the power of divine grace and an almond tree rod may denote the vigilance and watchfulness of Gospel ministers over themselves and others and their doctrine and oftentimes whom God puts into the ministry he early calls them by his grace and frequently makes the first part of their ministry most useful and fruit is brought forth which remains moreover this rod may be considered as a type of Christ it being a dry rod or stick may denote the

36

meanness of his descent and appearance in the world and the unpromising aspect of his being the King Messiah and Saviour of men and being an almond tree rod may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time which the Lord hastened his being the firstborn and his right to the priesthood and his vigilance in it its lying among other rods and budding and blossoming and bringing forth fruit may point at Christs assuming the common nature or man his being cut off by death his resurrection from the dead and the fruits arising from thence justification peace pardon and eternal life and as Aarons priesthood was confirmed by the budding ampc of this rod so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are by his resurrection from the dead See Gill on Heb_94HENRY 8-9 Here is I The final determination of the controversy

concerning the priesthood by a miracle Num_178 Num_179 The rods or staves were brought out from the most holy place where they were laid up and publicly produced before the people and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were Aarons rod only of a dry stick became a living branch budded and blossomed and yielded almonds In some places there were buds in others blossoms in others fruit at the same time This was miraculous and took away all suspicion of a fraud as if in the night Moses had taken away Aarons rod and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it for no ordinary branch would have buds blossoms and fruits upon it all at once Now1 This was a plain indication to the people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood and not any other of the princes of the tribes Thus he was distinguished from them and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven which sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor watering by the hand of man Bishop Hall here observes that fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call and that the plants of Gods setting and the boughs cut off from them will flourish See Psa_9212-14 The trees of the Lord though they seem dry trees are full of sap2 It was a very proper sign to represent the priesthood itself which was hereby confirmed to Aaron (1) That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God It produced not only blossoms but almonds for the priesthood was designed not only for an honour to Aaron but for a blessing to Israel Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they should go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit should remain Joh_1516 (2) That there should be a succession of priests Here were not only almonds for the present but buds and blossoms promising more hereafter Thus has Christ provided in his church that a seed should serve him from generation to generation (3) That yet this priesthood should not be perpetual but in process of time like the branches and blossoms of a tree should fail and wither The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age Ecc_125 This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood which soon became old and ready to vanish away Heb_8133 It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood for he is the man the branch that is to be a priest upon his throne as it follows (Zec_612) and he was to grow up before God as this before the ark like a tender

37

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

GILL And it came to pass that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness Where none but he could go at any time this was the day after the rods had been placed there and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi the rod that had Aarons name upon it which was to represent the tribe of Levi of which he was was budded and brought forth buds knobs of blossom such that are seen on trees before they open for the almond tree puts forth its blossoms before its leaves though the Targum of Jonathan renders it branches as do some versions and some think this is to be understood of its putting out its leaves first contrary to the nature of the almond tree and so makes the miracle the greater thus Ben Melech and blossomed blossoms open flowers or blossoms such as appear on the almond tree in the spring and look very beautiful and yielded almonds ripe almonds in their full perfection as the Targums of Jerusalem and Jonathan the latter of which isin the same night it perfected and brought forth almondsthe word used has the signification of weaning and alludes to children grown up to some ripeness and maturity Gen_218 the case seems to be this that in one part of the rod were buds swelling and just putting out in another part open flowers quite blown and in others full ripe fruit now this clearly showed it to be supernatural since the almond tree though quick and early in its production of buds and flowers yet never has those and ripe fruit on it at the same time to which may be added that this was not the time of year the almond tree blossoms not the spring but rather autumn as it should seem since it was after the affair of the spies and the murmurs of the people on their report now it was the time of the first ripe grapes when they went into the land and they were forty days searching it and it was after their return the insurrections before recorded were the design of this was to confirm the priesthood in Aarons family and show that it would continue there in a flourishing condition and that there would be a succession of priests from him to the time of the Messiah as there were and the almond tree having its name in Hebrew from watchfulness and haste see Jer_111 may denote the vigilance of the priests in their office and the haste punishment makes to come upon such that should oppose them or usurp the priesthood as in the case of Uzziah so Jarchi remarks this rod of Aarons may be an emblem of the Gospel ministry of that rod that should come out of Zion Psa_1102 which in the eyes of men is mean and despicable like a dry stick but becomes a fruitful one through the power of divine grace and an almond tree rod may denote the vigilance and watchfulness of Gospel ministers over themselves and others and their doctrine and oftentimes whom God puts into the ministry he early calls them by his grace and frequently makes the first part of their ministry most useful and fruit is brought forth which remains moreover this rod may be considered as a type of Christ it being a dry rod or stick may denote the

36

meanness of his descent and appearance in the world and the unpromising aspect of his being the King Messiah and Saviour of men and being an almond tree rod may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time which the Lord hastened his being the firstborn and his right to the priesthood and his vigilance in it its lying among other rods and budding and blossoming and bringing forth fruit may point at Christs assuming the common nature or man his being cut off by death his resurrection from the dead and the fruits arising from thence justification peace pardon and eternal life and as Aarons priesthood was confirmed by the budding ampc of this rod so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are by his resurrection from the dead See Gill on Heb_94HENRY 8-9 Here is I The final determination of the controversy

concerning the priesthood by a miracle Num_178 Num_179 The rods or staves were brought out from the most holy place where they were laid up and publicly produced before the people and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were Aarons rod only of a dry stick became a living branch budded and blossomed and yielded almonds In some places there were buds in others blossoms in others fruit at the same time This was miraculous and took away all suspicion of a fraud as if in the night Moses had taken away Aarons rod and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it for no ordinary branch would have buds blossoms and fruits upon it all at once Now1 This was a plain indication to the people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood and not any other of the princes of the tribes Thus he was distinguished from them and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven which sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor watering by the hand of man Bishop Hall here observes that fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call and that the plants of Gods setting and the boughs cut off from them will flourish See Psa_9212-14 The trees of the Lord though they seem dry trees are full of sap2 It was a very proper sign to represent the priesthood itself which was hereby confirmed to Aaron (1) That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God It produced not only blossoms but almonds for the priesthood was designed not only for an honour to Aaron but for a blessing to Israel Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they should go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit should remain Joh_1516 (2) That there should be a succession of priests Here were not only almonds for the present but buds and blossoms promising more hereafter Thus has Christ provided in his church that a seed should serve him from generation to generation (3) That yet this priesthood should not be perpetual but in process of time like the branches and blossoms of a tree should fail and wither The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age Ecc_125 This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood which soon became old and ready to vanish away Heb_8133 It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood for he is the man the branch that is to be a priest upon his throne as it follows (Zec_612) and he was to grow up before God as this before the ark like a tender

37

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

meanness of his descent and appearance in the world and the unpromising aspect of his being the King Messiah and Saviour of men and being an almond tree rod may signify his speedy incarnation in the fulness of time which the Lord hastened his being the firstborn and his right to the priesthood and his vigilance in it its lying among other rods and budding and blossoming and bringing forth fruit may point at Christs assuming the common nature or man his being cut off by death his resurrection from the dead and the fruits arising from thence justification peace pardon and eternal life and as Aarons priesthood was confirmed by the budding ampc of this rod so the deity and Messiahship of Christ are by his resurrection from the dead See Gill on Heb_94HENRY 8-9 Here is I The final determination of the controversy

concerning the priesthood by a miracle Num_178 Num_179 The rods or staves were brought out from the most holy place where they were laid up and publicly produced before the people and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were Aarons rod only of a dry stick became a living branch budded and blossomed and yielded almonds In some places there were buds in others blossoms in others fruit at the same time This was miraculous and took away all suspicion of a fraud as if in the night Moses had taken away Aarons rod and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it for no ordinary branch would have buds blossoms and fruits upon it all at once Now1 This was a plain indication to the people that Aaron was chosen to the priesthood and not any other of the princes of the tribes Thus he was distinguished from them and manifested to be under the special blessing of heaven which sometimes yields increase where there is neither planting nor watering by the hand of man Bishop Hall here observes that fruitfulness is the best evidence of a divine call and that the plants of Gods setting and the boughs cut off from them will flourish See Psa_9212-14 The trees of the Lord though they seem dry trees are full of sap2 It was a very proper sign to represent the priesthood itself which was hereby confirmed to Aaron (1) That it should be fruitful and serviceable to the church of God It produced not only blossoms but almonds for the priesthood was designed not only for an honour to Aaron but for a blessing to Israel Thus Christ ordained his apostles and ministers that they should go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit should remain Joh_1516 (2) That there should be a succession of priests Here were not only almonds for the present but buds and blossoms promising more hereafter Thus has Christ provided in his church that a seed should serve him from generation to generation (3) That yet this priesthood should not be perpetual but in process of time like the branches and blossoms of a tree should fail and wither The flourishing of the almond-tree is mentioned as one of the signs of old age Ecc_125 This character was betimes put upon the Mosaic priesthood which soon became old and ready to vanish away Heb_8133 It was a type and figure of Christ and his priesthood for he is the man the branch that is to be a priest upon his throne as it follows (Zec_612) and he was to grow up before God as this before the ark like a tender

37

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

plant and a root out of a dry ground Isa_532JAMISON Moses went into the tabernacle mdash being privileged to do so on

this occasion by the special command of God And he there beheld the remarkable spectacle of Aaronrsquos rod - which according to Josephus was a stick of an almond tree bearing fruit in three different stages at once - buds blossoms and fruitCALVIN 8And it came to pass that on the morrow It is not without cause that the time is notified for by no skill could it be brought about that a rod should blossom in the lapse of a single night Again all suspicion of fraud was removed by the fact that Moses departed when he had placed the rods in the sanctuary and returning on the next day brought out the bundle of rods before them all But in this respect was the power of God principally shown forth that in so short a space of time not only flowers but fruits also were formed upon a dry bough which could not have occurred but by the reversal of the order of nature And further the time of year is to be taken into account which was by no means in accordance with such maturity Now by this miracle the dignity of the typical priesthood was undoubtedly ratified to the ancient people under the Law but in so much as the truth itself is more excellent than its figure or image the intention of God unquestionably was to assert the priesthood of His only-begotten Son rather than that of Aaron Hence the profit to be derived from this miracle most especially pertains to us(ldquoNous appartient plus qursquoaux Juifsrdquo pertains to us more than to the Jews mdash Fr) in order that we may embrace the Priest presented to us by God with the veneration He deserves I pass by the frivolous allegories (106) in which others take delight And in fact it ought to be abundantly sufficient for us that the power of God which might direct the people to the Mediator appeared of old under a visible symbol but when the Son of God came whatever He then represented to their sight was spiritually revealed in Him for not only was He a sprout (surculus) from the stem of Jesse as He is called by Isaiah (Isaiah 111) and a stone hewn without the art or labor of man under which form he was shown to Daniel (Daniel 234) but by His resurrection tie was separated from the whole human race For this too we must diligently observe that it is not enough that He should obtain with us the prerogative and title of Priest unless He is so only and indivisibly Hence it is plain that His honor is in the Papacy torn in pieces by foul and intolerable sacrilege when they invent innumerable mediatorsldquoSymbolice et tropologice (he says) this rod signifies what sort of person a pontifex and pastor ought to be viz watchful active laborious and austere such as were St Nicholas of Myra St Andrew the Carmelite Pius II and Cardinal Julian CesarinusldquoAllegorice it is Christ or the Virgin Mary whose flower is ChristldquoAnagogice it is a symbol ofrsquo the resurrectionrdquo

38

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

COFFMAN And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms and bare ripe almonds And Moses brought out all the rods from before Jehovah unto all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rod And Jehovah said unto Moses Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that thou mayest make an end of their murmurings against me and that they die not Thus did Moses as Jehovah commanded him so did heOf many supernatural events in the OT surely this one must rank as one of the greatest It had the utility of establishing permanently the High Priesthood and preeminence of Aaron

COKE Numbers 178 Was budded and brought forth buds ampcmdash ie as Bishop Patrick ingeniously observes in some places there was an appearance of buds coming forth in some those buds were fully thrust out in others they were opened into blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into almonds and all this in the space of one night a miracle so great and convincing that we find it had its effect the authority of Aarons priesthood never being afterwards (that we hear of) called in question Grotius has a curious remark here respecting the propriety of producing almonds in preference to any other fruit It was intended says he to signify the vigilance immediately requisite in the high priest for the word שקדsheked signifies both that fruit and this virtue fructum illum et hanc virtutem The almond-tree is so called in the Hebrew says Parkhurst because it first of the trees waketh and riseth from its winter repose it flowers in the month of January and by March brings its fruit to maturity that is in the warm southern countries The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated to us by the vision of Jeremiah ch Numbers 12-111 and also Plinys Nat Hist lib 16 cap 25 It would be endless to recount here the fabulous stories respecting the rod of Aaron those who are inclined to inquiries of this sort may find their curiosity gratified by referring to Parkhurst and Saurins 61st Dissertation

ELLICOTT (8) Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded mdashAs the budding of Aaronrsquos rod was the divinely appointed proof of the establishment of the priesthood in his person and in his posterity so our Lord proved Himself to be the true High Priest over the House of God by coming forth as ldquoa rod [or shoot] out of the stem of Jesserdquo (Isaiah 111) and as ldquoa root out of a dry groundrdquo (Isaiah 532) The miraculous shooting forth of Aaronrsquos dry rod may be regarded as a type of the mode of the Spiritrsquos operation in the Church and more especially in the work of the ministry ldquoNot by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hostsrdquo (Zechariah 46)And yielded almondsmdashBetter and brought almonds to maturity or yielded ripe

39

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

almonds The word shaked (almond-tree) is a cognate form of the verb shakadmdashto keep watch The name is supposed to have been given to the almond-tree because it blossoms at a time when vegetation is lying in the sleep of winter (See Jeremiah 111-12 also The Land and the Book p 319)

POOLE Into the tabernacle of witness into the most holy place which he might safely do under the protection of Godrsquos command though otherwise none but the high priest might enter there and that once in a yearYielded almonds this being as Josephus with great probability affirms a staff of an almond tree as the rest also were

WHEDON 8 Buddedhellip bloomedhellip almonds mdash The miracle consisted in the sudden vegetation of a dry rod in different stages of growth mdash buds just appearing full blossoms and mature fruit ldquoripe almondsrdquo RV That this effect should have been produced upon Aaronrsquos lifeless rod must have been deemed an indisputable designation of Aaron ldquoSure he could not but think Who am I O God that thou shouldest choose me out of all the tribes of Israel My weakness has been more worthy of the rod of correction than my rod has been worthy of these blossoms How able art thou to defend my imbecility with the rod of thy support How able art thou to defend me with the rod of thy power who hast thus brought fruit out of the rod of my professionrdquo mdash Bishop Hall Ewald feebly attempts to reduce this miracle to the effect of natural causes by suggesting that the rods had just been freshly cut and that Moses laid them away during the night to see which of them would flower the best during the night To this we reply that there is no hint of a recent cutting of the rods that if freshly cut they would not bud blossom and bear fruit in a dry place in a few hours and that nature has no power to discriminate in favor of the rod of Aaron and to pour into it extraordinary life and fruitfulness The entire account strongly implies that the other rods were unchanged In this fact lies the proof of Aaronrsquos election

PETT Verse 8-9Aaronrsquos Rod Buds and Flowers in the Tent of Testimony and The Budded and Unbudded Rods Are Revealed to All the People Who Look on Them (so that murmuring will cease) (Numbers 178-9)Numbers 178lsquoAnd it came about on the next day that Moses went into the tent of the testimony and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and put forth buds and produced blossoms (tsits) and bare ripe almondsrsquo

40

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

The next day Moses entered the Tent of testimony and there he discovered that Aaronrsquos rod had budded Indeed it had not only produced buds but had also burst into flower and borne ripe almonds The same word (tsits) which indicates lsquoblossomsrsquo also signifies the golden lsquoplatersquo which was part of the High Priestrsquos headdress (Exodus 2836 Leviticus 89) Assuming them to be almond flowers they would have been pinky white Jeremiah 111-12 associates lsquoalmondsrsquo (shaked) with lsquovigilancersquo and lsquowatchingrsquo (shoked) The almond was also the earliest tree to blossom Thus the budding was evidence of new life the flowers symbolised the High Priestly lsquoholiness to Yahwehrsquo in the whiteness of purity and righteousness and the almonds indicated that Yahweh watched over him with vigilanceThe lampstand in the Dwellinglace of Yahweh represented an almond tree (Exodus 2533-34) Thus the rod that produced almonds was seen as as it were an offshoot of the One represented by the lampstandThe message was clear The rod of Aaron lived in the presence of Yahweh but the rods of the tribes remained dead Only Aaron and his sons could be in the presence of Yahweh in the Holy Place and live Only Aaron could lsquoproduce fruitrsquo in the Holy Place PULPIT Numbers 178Was budded or sprouted פרח And yielded almonds Rather matured almonds This particular rod had been cut from an almond tree and it would seem probable that it had on it shoots and flowers and fruit at once so that the various stages of its natural growth were all exemplified together The almond has its Hebrew name שקד awake from the well-known fact of its being the first of all trees to awake from the winter sleep of nature and to herald the vernal resurrection with its conspicuous show of snow-white blossoms which even anticipate the leaves (cf Ecclesiastes 125 ) Thus the rod of an almond-tree ( מקל שקד) was shown to the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 111) as the evident symbol of the vigilant haste with which the purposes of God were to be developed and matured It is possible that all the tribe princes had official rods of the almond-tree to denote their watchful alacrity in duty and that these were the rods which they brought to Moses In any case the flowering and fruiting of Aarons rod while it was an unquestionable miracle (for if not a miracle it could only have been a disgraceful imposture) was a σημεῖον in the true sense ie a miracle which was also a parable Aarons rod could no more blossom and fruit by nature than any of the others since it also had been severed from the living tree and so in Aaron himself was no more power or goodness than in the rest of Israel But as the rod germinated and matured its fruit by the power of God supernaturally starting and accelerating the natural forces of vegetable life even so in Aaron the grace of God was quick and fruitful to put forth not the signs only and promise of spiritual gifts and energies but the ripened fruits as well

41

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lordrsquos presence to all the Israelites They looked at them and each of the leaders took his own staff

GILL And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel He brought them out of the holy place and showed them to the princes of the several tribes and they looked and took every man his rod which they knew by their names upon them by their own handwriting as Aben Ezra for though Moses is bid to write their names on them Num_172 yet no more may be meant by that than that he should order them to be written and take care that they werePETT Numbers 179lsquoAnd Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel and they looked and took every man his rodrsquoThen Moses brought all the rods out lsquofrom before Yahwehrsquo and brought them to the children of Israel and they looked and saw and each chieftain took his rod Nothing further needed to be said The rods spoke for themselves They were taken back to the tribe with an account of what had happened and no doubt carefully examined

10 The Lord said to Moses ldquoPut back Aaronrsquos 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 42

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

will not dierdquo

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his house

HENRY 10-11 The record of this determination by the preserving of the rod before the testimony in perpetuam rei memoriam - that it might be had in perpetual remembrance Num_1710 Num_1711 It is probable that the buds and blossoms and fruit continued fresh the same divine power that produced them in a night preserved them for ages at least so long as it was necessary for a token against the rebels So it was a standing miracle and the continuance of it was an undeniable proof of the truth of it Even the leaf of Gods trees shall not wither Psa_13 This rod was preserved as the censers were to take away their murmurings that they die not Note 1 The design of God in all his providences both mercies and judgments and in the memorials of them is to take away sin and to prevent it These things are done these things written that we sin not 1Jo_21 Christ was manifested to take away sin 2 What God does for the taking away of sin is done in real kindness to us that we die not All the bitter potions he gives and all the sharp methods he uses with us are for the cure of a disease which otherwise would certainly be fatal Bishop Hall observes here that the tables of the law the pot of manna and Aarons rod were preserved together in or about the ark (the apostle takes notice of them all three together Heb_94) to show to after-ages how the ancient church was taught and fed and ruled and he infers how precious the doctrine sacraments and government of the church are to God and should be to us The rod of Moses was used in working many miracles yet we do not find that this was preserved for the keeping of it would serve only to gratify mens curiosity but the rod of Aaron which carried its miracle along with it was carefully preserved because that would be of standing use to convince mens consciences to silence all disputes about the priesthood and to confirm the faith of Gods Israel in his institutions Such is the difference between the sacraments which Christ has appointed for edification and the relics which men have devised for superstitionCALVIN 10And the Lord said unto Moses What God had prescribed concerning the censers He now commands as to the rod ie that it should be preserved as a monument for future ages because men are forgetful and slow to consider His works and not only so but because they bury their memory as if of deliberate malice he bids therefore and not without reproach that this sign should be laid up in safety saying that this is done on account of their perverseness At the same time however He commends His paternal love and pity in that whilst tie chastises their

43

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

pride He provides for their welfare For as they were given to rebellion they would still have provoked His wrath by new murmurings He says then that He anticipates them and restrains their impetuous fury lest they should die Thus in humbling us tie not only punishes our transgressions but tie has regard to what is profitable for us and proves that He cares for us

ELLICOTT (10) Bring Aaronrsquos red again before the testimonymdashBetter Put back (literally make to return) Aaronrsquos rod It is not stated here that the rod was put within the ark Nor is it so stated in Exodus 1633 with regard to the pot of manna Neither of these was within the ark when it was brought into Solomonrsquos temple (1 Kings 89) but this statement is by no means inconsistent with that contained in Hebrews 94 inasmuch as the assertion that there was nothing but the tables of the law in the ark at that time does not prove that there were not other things in it at an earlier period and may be thought to suggest the inference that such was actually the case The Jews have a tradition that when King Josiah ordered the ark to be put in the house which King Solomon built the rod of Aaron and the pot of manna and the anointing oil were hidden with the ark and that at that time the rod of Aaron had buds and almonds

WHEDON 10 To be kept for a token mdash Probably the buds blossoms and fruit remained upon the rod fresh from age to age a standing miracle and token of the presence and inworking of the Spirit of God in the priestly office making its ministrations efficacious for the salvation of obedient Israelpett Verse 10-11Aaronrsquos Rod Is Laid Up lsquoBefore the Testimonyrsquo to Put an End to Their Murmuring (Numbers 1710-11)Numbers 1710lsquoAnd Yahweh said to Moses ldquoPut back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion that you may make an end of their murmurings against me that they die notrdquo rsquoThen Yahweh told Moses to put Aaronrsquos rod back lsquobefore the testimonyrsquo It would be a permanent token to the rebellious in order that their murmurings might cease so that they would not need to die

SIMEON AARONrsquoS ROD THAT BUDDEDNumbers 1710 And the Lord said unto Moses Bring Aaronrsquos rod again before the testimony to be kept for a token against the rebels and thou shalt quite take away

44

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

their murmurings from me that they die notONE cannot read one page in the Bible without seeing abundant evidence that God delighteth in the exercise of mercy Judgment is with great truth called ldquohis strange actrdquo it is an act to which he never resorts but from absolute necessity but mercy is his darling attribute and to that he is inclined even when the conduct of his enemies calls most loudly for tokens of his displeasure Of this we have a surprising instance in the chapter before us The competitors with Aaron for the high-priesthood had been struck dead by fire whilst they were in the very act of presenting their offerings to God whilst their associates in rebellion with their whole families were swallowed up by an earthquake These judgments produced a murmuring throughout the camp and fourteen thousand seven hundred were swept off by a plague which was stopped only by the interposition of Aaron The people now were dumb but God knew that though intimidated they were not so convinced but that they would on some future occasion renew their pretensions to the priesthood and thereby provoke him to destroy them utterly Of his own rich mercy therefore he proposed to give them a sign which should for ever silence their murmurings and preclude the necessity of heavier judgmentsIn opening this subject we shall shewI What God did to confirm the Aaronic priesthoodmdashHe commanded the head of every tribe to bring a rod or staff to Moses who inscribed on every one of them the ownerrsquos name These all together were placed before the ark and the people were taught to expect that the rod belonging to that tribe which God had chosen for the priesthood should blossom whilst all the other rods should remain as they were On the morrow the rods were all brought forth The owners severally took their own and Aaronrsquos was distinguished from the rest by the mark proposed ldquoit was budded and brought forth buds and blossomed blossoms and yielded almondsrdquo The controversy being thus decided God commanded that Aaronrsquos rod should be brought again before the ark and ldquobe kept for a token against the rebelsrdquo How long it was preserved cannot be ascertained but that it was for a very long period is certain because St Paul speaks of that and the golden pot that had manna as known appendages to the ark [Note Hebrews 94] Thus its use was not confined to that generation it remained to future ages1 An evidence of Godrsquos decisionmdash[The change wrought upon the rod in one single night together with its having at once all the different stages of vegetation ldquobuds blossoms fruitrdquo this was sufficient to convince the most incredulous no room could hereafter be left for doubt upon the subject Nor do we find from this time even to the days of King Uzziah that any one dared to usurp again the priestly office]2 A memorial of his mercymdash

45

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

[Justly might the people have been utterly destroyed for their continued murmurings against God But God here shewed that ldquohe desireth not the death of sinners but rather that they should turn from their wickedness and liverdquo This was the avowed design of the test which God proposed ldquoIt shall quite take away their murmurings from me that they die notrdquo What astonishing condescension Was it not enough for him to make the appointment but must he use such methods to convince unreasonable men to convince those whom neither mercies nor judgments had before convinced Had it been given like Gideonrsquos fleece to assure a doubting saint we should the less have wondered at it but when it was given as a superabundant proof to silence the most incorrigible rebels it remained a monument to all future ages that God is indeed ldquofull of compassion slow to anger and of great kindnessrdquo]3 A witness for him in case he should be hereafter compelled to inflict his judgments upon themmdash[It is well called ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo God might at all future periods point to it and ask ldquoWhat could have been done more for my people than I have done for them [Note Isaiah 53-4]rdquo Have they not procured my judgments by their own wilful and obstinate transgressions [Note Jeremiah 217 Jeremiah 418] mdash mdash mdash By this means whatever judgments he should from that time inflict he would ldquobe justified in what he ordained and be clear when he judged [Note Psalms 514]rdquo]If we bear in mind that the Aaronic priesthood was typical we shall see the propriety of consideringII What he has done to confirm the priesthood of ChristmdashThe whole Epistle to the Hebrews is written to shew that the Aaronic priesthood typified that of the Lord Jesus and was accomplished by it This will account for the jealousy which God manifested on the subject of the Aaronic priesthood and the care that he took to establish it on an immovable foundation Whether there was any thing typical in the peculiar means by which it was established we will not pretend to determine but certain it is that there is a striking correspondence between the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod and those things by which Christrsquos priesthood is established Two things in particular we shall mention as placing beyond all doubt the appointment of the Lord Jesus to the priestly office1 The resurrection of Christmdash[Christ is expressly called ldquoa rod out of the stem of Jesse [Note Isaiah 111]rdquo and so little prospect was there according to human appearances that he should ever flourish that it was said of him ldquoHe shall grow up as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry groundrdquo ldquoHe is despised and rejected of men [Note Isaiah 532-3]rdquo If this was his state whilst yet alive how much more must it be so when he was dead

46

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

and buried His enemies then triumphed over him as a deceiver and his followers despaired of ever seeing his pretensions realized But behold with the intervention of one single day this dry rod revived and blossomed to the astonishment and confusion of all his adversaries Now indeed it appeared that God had ldquoappointed him to be both Lord and Christ [Note Acts 232 Acts 236]rdquo Now it was proved that ldquohis enemies should become his footstool [Note Acts 234-35]rdquo On his ascension to heaven he was laid up as it were beside the testimony in the immediate presence of his God to be ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo There is he ldquoa tokenrdquo that God desires to save his rebellious people that ldquohe has laid help for them upon one that is mightyrdquo that all which is necessary for their salvation is already accomplished that their great High-Priest having made atonement fur them is entered within the veil and that ldquohe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for themrdquo If any shall now reject him he will be ldquoa swift witness against themrdquo and God will be justified yea he will glorify himself in their eternal condemnation]2 The spread of the Gospelmdash[The Gospel is represented by God as ldquothe rod of his strength [Note Psalms 1102]rdquo and in reference as it should seem to the very miracle before us its miraculous propagation through the earth is thus foretold ldquoGod shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world with fruit [Note Isaiah 276 with Matthew 2414]rdquo Consider how the Gospel militated against all the prejudices and passions of mankind and by whom it was to be propagated (a few poor fishermen) and it will appear that the blossoming of Aaronrsquos rod was not a more unlikely event than that Christianity should be established in the world Yet behold a very short space of time was sufficient for the diffusion of it throughout the Roman empire and from its first propagation to the present moment not all the efforts of men or devils have been able to root it out The spread of Mahometanism affords no parallel to this because that was propagated by the sword and tended rather to gratify than counteract the sinful passions of mankind The doctrine of the cross not only gained acceptance through the world but transformed the very natures of men into the divine image Such operations visible in every place and in every stage of their progress from their first budding to the production of ripe fruit could not but prove that the priesthood which it maintained was of divine appointment that the doctrine which it published was suited to our necessities and that all who embraced it should be saved by it In this view every individual believer is a witness for God and ldquoa token against the rebelsrdquo inasmuch as he manifests to all the power and efficacy of the gospel salvation he is ldquoan epistle of Christ known and read of all menrdquo and by his earnestness in the ways of God he says to all around him ldquoHow shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvationrdquo Yes every soul that shall have found mercy through the mediation of our great High-Priest will in the last day rise up in judgment against the despisers of his salvation and condemn them nor will the condemned criminals themselves be able to offer a plea in arrest of judgment]

47

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

Address1 Those who are unconscious of having rejected Christmdash[It is not necessary in order to a rejection of Christ that we should combine against him as the Israelites did against Aaron we reject him in fact if we do not receive him for the ends and purposes for which he was sent Our inquiry then must be not Have I conspired against him and openly cast him off but Am I daily making HIM the one medium of my access to God and expecting salvation through him alone mdash mdash mdash If we have not thus practically regarded him in his mediatorial character we are decided rebels against God]2 Those who begin to he sensible of their rebellion against himmdash[Men are apt to run to extremes the transition from presumption to despondency is very common See how rapidly it took place in the rebellious Israelites I No sooner did they see the controversy decided than they cried ldquoBehold we die we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die shall we be consumed with dying [Note ver 12 13]rdquo What consternation and terror did they here express Just before they would be priests and come to the very altar of God and now they will not ldquocome any thing near the tabernaclerdquo though it was their duty to bring their sacrifices to the very door thereof So it is too often with us Before we are convinced of sin we cast off all fear of Godrsquos judgments and when convinced we put away all hope of his mercy Let it not be thus The very means which God has used for our conviction are proofs and evidences of his tender mercy mdash mdash mdash Only let us come to him through Christ and all our past iniquities shall be ldquoblotted out as a morning cloudrdquo]3 Those who confess him as their divinely appointed Mediatormdash[From this time the Israelites never presumed to approach the Lord but through the mediation of the high-priest Whether they offered sacrifices or gifts they equally acknowledged the unacceptableness of them in any other than the appointed way Thus must we do Not any thing must be presented to God or be expected from him but in and through the Lord Jesus Christ If we approach God in any other way we shall find him ldquoa consuming firerdquo Let this be remembered by us it cannot possibly be too deeply engraven on our minds If God manifested such indignation against those who disregarded the shadow what must be the fate of those who disregard the substance If we reject Christ we have nothing to hope for if we cleave unto him we have nothing to fear]

PULPIT Numbers 1710Before the testimony By comparison with Numbers 177 this should mean before the ark in which the testimony lay In Hebrews 94 however the rod is said to

48

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

have been in the ark although before Solo-mens time it had disappeared (1 Kings 89) We may suppose that after it had been inspected by the princes it was deposited for safer preservation and easier conveyance inside the sacred chest To be kept for a token against the rebels Rather against the rebellious literally children of rebellion (cf Ephesians 22 Ephesians 23) It could only serve as a token as long as it retained the evidences of having sprouted and fruited either miraculously in a fresh state or naturally in a withered state As a fact however it does not appear that the lesson ever needed to be learnt again and therefore we may suppose that the rod was left first to shrivel with age and then to be lost through some accident

11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him

GILL And Moses did so as the Lord commanded him even so did he Took Aarons rod and laid it up before the ark for the purpose mentioned being a faithful servant to God in all his housePETT Numbers 1711lsquoThus did Moses as Yahweh commanded him so did hersquoAnd Moses did all that Yahweh had commanded him

12 The Israelites said to Moses ldquoWe will die We are lost we are all lost

BARNES A new section should begin with these verses They are connected retrospectively with Num 16 and form the immediate introduction to Num 18 The people were terror-stricken by the fate of the company of Korah and by the plague Presumption passed by reaction into

49

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

despair Was there any approach for them to the tabernacle of the Lord Was there any escape from death except by keeping aloof from His presence The answers are supplied by the ordinances which testified that the God of judgment was still a God of grace and of love

CLARKE Behold we die we perish we all perish - gavaenu גוענו signifies not so much to die simply as to feel an extreme difficulty of breathing which producing suffocation ends at last in death See the folly and extravagance of this sinful people At first every person might come near to God for all they thought were sufficiently holy and every way qualified to minister in holy things Now no one in their apprehension can come near to the tabernacle without being consumed Num_1713 In both cases they were wrong some there were who might approach others there were who might not God had put the difference His decision should have been final with them but sinners are ever running into extremes

GILL And the children of Israel spake unto Moses The princes of the tribes who had seen the miracle of the rod and knew that it was laid up in the most holy place and for what purpose which gave them a sensible concern these and as many as were acquainted with it addressed Moses upon it as follows saying behold we die we perish we all perish which being expressed without the copulative and in different words show that they were spoken quick and in haste and discover the passion of mind and distress they were in and the sense they had of their sin and danger fearing they should all die and perish as many had already it has respect as some think to punishments past and future so the Targum of Jonathansome of us have been consumed by flaming fire and others of us have been swallowed up in the earth and are lost and lo we are accounted as if all of us would perish

HENRY 12-13 The outcry of the people hereupon (Num_1712 Num_1713) Behold we die we perish we all perish Shall we be consumed with dying This may be considered as the language either 1 Of a repining people quarrelling with the judgments of God which by their own pride and obstinacy they had brought upon themselves They seem to speak despairingly as if God was a hard Master that sought advantage against them and took all occasions to pick quarrels with them so that if they trod every so little awry if they stepped ever so little beyond their bounds they must die they must perish they must all perish basely insinuating that God would never be satisfied with their blood and ruin till he had made an end of them all and they were consumed with dying Thus they seem to be like a wild bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord (Isa_5120) fretting that God was too hard for them and that they were forced to submit which they did only because they could not help it Note It is a very wicked thing to fret

50

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

against God when we are in affliction and in our distress thus to trespass yet more If we die if we perish it is owing to ourselves and the blame will lie upon our own heads Or 2 Of a repenting people Many interpreters take it as expressing their submission ldquoNow we see that it is the will of God we should keep our distance and that it is at our peril if we draw nearer than is appointed We submit to the divine will in this appointment we will not contend any more lest we all perishrdquo and they engage Moses to intercede for them that they may not be all consumed with dying Thus the point was gained and in this matter God quite took away their murmurings and henceforward they acquiesced Note When God judges he will overcome and one way or other will oblige the most obstinate gainsayers to confess their folly sooner or later and that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them Vicisti Galilaee - O Galilaean thou hast conquered

JAMISON 12-13 Behold we die we perish mdash an exclamation of fear both from the remembrance of former judgments and the apprehension of future relapses into murmuring

KampD Num_1712-13This miracle awakened a salutary terror in all the people so that they cried out to Moses in mortal anguish ldquobehold we die we perish we all perish Every one who comes near to the dwelling of Jehovah dies are we all to dierdquo Even if this fear of death was no fruit of faith it was fitted for all that to prevent any fresh outbreaks of rebellion on the part of the rejected generation

CALVIN 12And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses It was indeed somewhat better to be alarmed by admiration of Godrsquos power than as if they had despised it in brutal stupidity but there is a medium between torpor or obstinacy and consternation It is true that believers tremble at the judgments of God and in proportion as each of us has advanced in piety so we are the more affected by a sense of His anger But this fear humbles believers in such a manner that they nevertheless seek after God whilst the reprobate so tremble as fretfully to desire to drive God far away from them Hence it arose that the Israelites stunned as it were by Godrsquos severity which they deemed excessive deplored their wretched lot for inasmuch as they had no sense of Godrsquos goodness the chastisement to them was like a gibbet rather than a medicine They exclaim therefore that they are destroyed because God so severely avenges His polluted worship as if all such instances of rigor were not profitable for the purpose of rendering them more heedful and cautious No doubt this servile fear sometimes prepares men for repentance but nothing is more perilous than to rest in it because it first engenders bitterness and indignation and at length drives them to despair Howsoever formidable then may be Godrsquos severity let us learn at the same time to apprehend His mercy so that we may be prepared to endure willingly with meek and quiet minds the punishments

51

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

which we have deserved In short this passage shows how little progress the Israelites had made since the rods of God so greatly exasperated them that they cut themselves off from all hope of salvation For this is the meaning of the words ldquoShall we be consumed with dyingrdquo as if it were not the case that God on the contrary was preserving them from death when in His paternal solicitude He warned them of their danger COFFMANAnd the children of Israel spake unto Moses saying Behold we perish we are undone we are all undone Every one that cometh near that cometh near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth shall we perish all of usWe agree with Longacre that the fear of death expressed by Israel following the astounding wonders of this chapter and the preceding one did not afford any evidence of deep repentance on Israels part but was rather the expression of a natural fear in view of the events just recounted[6] Whatever the source of their fear however the effective discipline of these wonders quelled completely this rebellion described by Keil as the most important of the wilderness wanderings[7]

BENSON Verse 12-13Numbers 1712-13 Behold we die we perish mdash Words of consternation arising from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments from the threatening of death upon any succeeding murmurings and from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselves Near mdash Nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commit Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice till all the people be cut off

ELLICOTT Verse 12-13(12 13) And the children of Israel spake unto Moses mdashThe special manifestations of Divine power which the Israelites had witnessed excited within them salutary emotions of awe and of anxious apprehension but do not seem to have awakened within them any corresponding sense of gratitude either for their deliverance from the plague or for the privileges which they enjoyed by reason of the Divine presence amongst them The true answer to their inquiry whether they were doomed utterly to perish is contained in the following chapter in which the priesthood of Christ is typically set forth as bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary and thus making reconciliation for the sins and securing the acceptance of the imperfect service of His peoplePOOLE Words of consternation arising partly from the remembrance of these severe and repeated judgments partly from the threatening of death upon ally

52

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

succeeding murmurings partly from the sense of their own guilt and weakness which made them fear lest they should relapse into the same miscarriages and thereby bring the vengeance of God upon themselvesWHEDON 12 We all perish mdash This miracle made a deeper impression upon the people than any other wrought in the wilderness except the terrific display of power at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai Nor were they so alarmed by the supernatural judgments of Jehovah such as the slaying of Nadab and Abihu of the ten faithless spies the engulfing of a part of Korahrsquos conspirators and the burning of the 250 at the tabernacle and the recent plague-stroke that swept away 14700 of Israel at oncePETT Verse 12-13The People Recognise that None But Aaronrsquos House May Enter the Tabernacle They Alone Can Enter the Sanctuary and Live (Numbers 1712-13)Numbers 1712-13lsquoAnd the children of Israel spoke to Moses saying ldquoBehold we perish we are undone all of us are undone Every one who comes near who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh dies Shall we perish all of usrdquo rsquoThe people examined the dead rods that represented the tribes in contrast with the living rod of Aaron and their consciences smote them as they remembered their recent past They must have asked themselves what did this signify Terror took hold of them and spread Their rod had come back dead They panicked Was this an omen an indication of their coming fate that Yahweh was handing them over to death They understood the message that was given that they could not enter the near presence of Yahweh lest they die that to come too near to the Sanctuary was death as Moses had already warned (Numbers 151 Numbers 153) But they feared that death was upon them as they recognised that they had been approaching His Dwellingplace so lightly Were they then doomed Was this the harbinger of a ghastly fate Moses no doubt reassured them of what the true significance of the rods was but for the reader held in suspense the answer is given in Numbers 182 The iniquity of the Sanctuary and the priesthood would be borne by Aaron and his sonsSo once the initial panic had subsided the people learned in a never to be forgotten way that the Sanctuary was holy and the inner Sanctuary was for the priests alone God had made quite plain through the rods that only Aaron and his sons could flourish there For all others to enter would be to perish Note the threefold stress lsquoperish -- undone -- all undonersquo indicating how distressed they were The repetition of lsquocomes nearrsquo indicates coming very close To come too close to the Dwellingplace of Yahweh would result in death just as the rods were dead They had to face up to the fact that in the future all who did so would perish

53

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

This example of the rods also pictorially made clear to them what had happened to Korah and his band of Levites They had thought to come too close to Yahweh in direct disobedience to His instruction and they had died None must ever again make the same mistake The same would happen to any who made the attempt Only Aaron and his sons had the privilege of entry into His inner SanctuaryFor us the message is that if we would enter the presence of God we too must receive life and bud and produce fruit We must receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 524 John 1028 1 John 512-13 2 Corinthians 517) and only then we can live before Him For us our right of access is through the sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 1019-20) and results from our being made a royal priesthood through Him (1 Peter 29)

PULPIT And the children of Israel spake unto Moses It is a mistake to unite these verses specially with the following chapter for they clearly belong to the story of Korahs rebellion although not particularly connected with the miracle of the rod These are the last wailings of the great storm which had raged against Moses and Aaron which had roared so loudly and angrily at its height which was now sobbing itself out in the petulant despair of defeated and disheartened men cowed indeed but not convinced fearful to offend yet not loving to obey

13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die Are we all going to dierdquo

GILL Whosoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die They who before were so bold and daring as to think the priesthood was common to them with Aaron or they had as good a right to it and might go into the sanctuary of the Lord where he did are now so frightened at the rod being laid up as a token against them that they thought they must not come near the tabernacle at all and if they did would be in the utmost danger of death shall we be consumed with dying such violent deaths until there are none left of us but the Syriac and Arabic versions render the words affirmatively we are near or about to be consumed and so the Targum of

54

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

Onkelos lo we are to be consumed which agrees best with the preceding clause for they would scarcely make a question of what they had affirmedJAMISON cometh any thing near mdash that is nearer than he ought to do

an error into which many may fall Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense We shall all be destroyed Some however regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit Let us fear and sin notCOKE Numbers 1713 Whosoever comethmdashnear unto the tabernaclemdashshall diemdash ie We are now convinced and firmly believe that whosoever cometh near to the tabernacle to officiate as a priest without the divine appointment shall certainly be struck dead by the hand of God Nothing can more strongly paint the consternation of the people than the words in this and the preceding verse they are always in extremes either daring and presumptuous or abject and full of despair now they seem to have such a slavish fear of God upon their spirits from the late severe visitation that they speak of it as extremely dangerous to engage at all in sacred duties left by committing one error against the instituted forms of religion they should suffer death as their brethren had done to obviate which cavil the following declaration seems intended ch Numbers 181REFLECTIONSmdashThe rods are produced and a new miracle confirms Gods appointment of Aaron1 His rod alone was teeming with life fruit leaves and blossoms all adorn it thus every suspicion of fraud in Moses is removed and Aarons office confirmed to him Note (1) They bring forth fruit abundantly whom God hath called and chosen (2) Those whom Christ ordains and sends to his work he will bless To see no souls quickened and converted by our ministry would be a pretty strong proof that we have not been ordained of God2 Aarons rod is said up for a memorial that if as is probable the blossoms leaves and fruit continued un-withering it served as an abiding proof of Aarons choice and a constant token against the past as well as a guard against future rebellion Note The design of God in sending his Son and in every dispensation of his grace or providence is the salvation of all that will believe3 The people now convinced of their guilt are ready to give up all for lost so apt are we to be verging to extremes and changing presumption for despair Trembling at the rod laid up against them they resolve not to come near the tabernacle of the Lord or ever again challenge Aarons place left death should accomplish the ruin which it had begun Note It is never too late to repent happy for us if by experience we are convinced of the evil and danger of sin bow down before the chastening rod and with jealousy watch and pray that we may never again return unto folly

55

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

General Reflections on Chapters XVI and XVIIAmong the miracles which it pleased God to perform by the ministration of Moses there are few which more evidently prove the truth of the Jewish religion than this destruction of Korah and his seditious company To give this prodigy its full force we ought above all things to remark that it happened not by chance but that Moses predicted the punishment before it could possibly be known that such an event would happen That the earth should swallow up men and their dwellings had nothing in it contrary to the powers of Nature it is an event which has often happened in different countries but the miracle before us is entirely out of the common laws of Nature while the earth was firm and entire Moses announced the time when the place where the persons on whom and the manner in which this prodigy should happen and the effect immediately followed the prediction But what we ought particularly to remark is that this miracle happened not in Sicily in Italy or in a country undermined with subterraneous fire it was not in mountainous places which might have been supposed to have abounded in cavities but it was in Arabia a sandy desart soil and which like all flat places is less subject to earthquakes Thus doth this severe vengeance appear to be strikingly miraculous and the occasion of it abundantly shews that every one ought to abide in his calling and submit himself to the order which God has established that none ought to assume to themselves the honour of the ministry nor exercise its functions unless God has called them to itIt is observable that the greatest part of the miracles which God wrought for the establishment of the Jewish religion were fearful and destructive on the contrary the truth of the Gospel is founded upon an infinite number of miracles which were salutary no less to the enemies than to the friends of that religion There reigned in the ancient law a spirit of bondage which kept in fear Romans 815 instead of which in the new Dispensation there reigns a spirit of love a spirit of adoption which fills with joy inexpressible the hearts of all true believers and which ought certainly to render them no less forward than Moses to pray for those who have injured them to intercede for them with God and to labour by all means to bring them back to their dutyIf the destruction of the rebellious Korah and his company evidently proves the divine interposition the blossoming of Aarons rod is a no less striking proof of it Neither Nature nor Chance could occasion it we have the order of God his promise and prediction with a full completion related in the text To be sensible of the greatness of this miracle we should observe the circumstances of the time The rod continued exposed not for many months or weeks but only for the space of a day and a night Yesterday without sap and perfectly dry to-day it is filled with moisture and only one of twelve equally exposed to the powers of nature and the omnipotence of God laid up in a hot climate in a dry place impenetrable to the rain and dew the only one which in the space of one night produced flowers and fruit Neither man nor all his art could be concerned here nor could His hand fail to be acknowledged who calleth the things that are not as though they were

56

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

57

difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

58

Romans 417 Reflections which ought for ever to silence their malignity who pretend that Moses employed pious frauds to procure his brother the dignity of the high priesthoodEvery body knows that the almond is one of those trees of which the children are born before their parents that at the beginning of the spring it produces flowers before the leaves discover themselves and that some months after it bears fruit Here on the contrary we see a branch of the almond tree a dry rod recovering its verdure in one night filled with sap pushing forth its buds and loaded with flowers leaves and fruit This prodigy in my opinion may well justify that exclamation Who is like unto thee O Lord Glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wondersAmong the other prodigies attending the rod of Aaron we ought to number that perpetual miracle which preserved it green flourishing and full of flowers and fruit as a memorial of the event for which the prodigy was wrought The same hand which caused the rod to blossom and bring forth fruit preserved it in that state the table of Moses the rod of Aaron the miraculous manna are proper monuments for so holy a shrine as the ark of God the doctrine sacraments and government of his people are precious to Him and must be so to all men he is willing to preserve to all times the memory how his ancient church was led taught and ruled The rod of Moses did great miracles yet we find it not in the ark the rod of Aaron has this privilege because it carried the miracle still in itselfWe may just observe that the twelve princes of the tribes of Israel would never have written their names on their rods but in the hope that they might be chosen Had they not thought it a high preferment they would never have envied so much the office of Aaron What should we think of the change which has taken placemdashIs the evangelical administration of less worth than the Levitical while the Testament is better is the service worse Happy they who value as they ought and fulfil as well as they are able the angelic duties of gospel-ministers Such faithful stewards shall meet a great reward from that God and master who has called them

POOLE Any thing near ie nearer than he should do an error which we may easily commitShall we be consumed will God proceed with us in these severe courses according to his strict justice will he show us no mercy nor pity till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another

WHEDON 13 Shall we be consumed mdash Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience as he could not in this rejected generation he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy the

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difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

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difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews as in Deuteronomy 524-27 Numbers 1712-13 Isaiah 4515 See also Job 932-35 Job 1321-22 Hence arose idolatry which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah

PULPIT Shall we be consumed with dying It was a natural question considering all that had happened and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative for their sentence was In this wilderness they shall be consumed (Numbers 1435) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate

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