Aaron's Rod

Open your Bibles, please, to the book of Hebrews, chapter 9:

HEBREWS 9

"The first covenant" is a reference to the Mosiac covenant, to the ordinances of divine service, and to various regulations and feasts which we will be noticing in connection with our study of the Tabernacle. "A worldly sanctuary" means a sanctuary related to this cosmos, to this earth.

HEBREWS 9

Paul means, "of which we cannot now speak in detail." He says that he is simply naming the various pieces of furniture in the Tabernacle. According to that verse, we have gone through the second room, wherein were the Ark of the Covenant and the golden censer. The golden censer was carried by the priest; and when we study the high priest and his garments, we will see the significance of the golden censer.

The Ark of the Covenant was a little chest-like object in the second room of the Tabernacle. It was 27 inches wide, 27 inches high, and 45 inches long. There were rings in each corner of the Ark of the Covenant, and through those rings were passed staves which were used for the purpose of carrying it when it and the other pieces of furniture were transported from place to place as the children of Israel moved through the wilderness. The Tabernacle was not meant to be a permanent dwelling place. It was moved only as the children of Israel went from place to place.

We have been studying the contents of the Ark of the Covenant. We began our study of the Tabernacle with this piece of furniture because the book of Exodus presents the Tabernacle in this fashion. We have already noticed that within the Ark of the Covenant there were the two tables of stone upon which were written the law of God. We noticed also that there was a golden pot of manna.

We want now to look with you at Aaron's rod that budded, which is the third item in the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark was covered with the Mercy Seat, which was a separate piece of furniture, yet served as a lid to the Ark of the Covenant. Over the Mercy Seat were the cherubim which faced each other and looked down upon the Ark of the Covenant itself. If we are to understand the rod that budded which was in the Ark, we will have to know what the Bible has to say about rods.

There are four Hebrew words for "rod" in the Scriptures. There is not enough difference in those four words for us to examine them in great detail. One of the words is used of a rod that is like a dead stick. Break a dead limb off a tree, and that would be a rod. One of the words is used to describe a branch that you just break off a tree. It will have leaves on it, and you don't bother to strip it down. Another word for "rod" describes a branch broken off a tree, with the limbs very carefully cut off, all the crooked pieces cut out, and a stave made of it. The fourth word for "rod" is a rather nondescript word that has no special significance.

The reason there is no point in our examining these words in the places where they are used in the Scriptures is that they are used interchangeably. But if we were careful in our search of the Word of God, we would discover that there are approximately five kinds of rods mentioned in the Scriptures. I would like for us to notice them, because when you see the word "rod" in the Scriptures you need to know its significance if you are to receive the lesson of this section.

Turn, please, to the book of Isaiah, chapter 28, verse 23:

ISAIAH 28

I suggest that you read this passage of Scripture carefully and meditate upon it; it is full of good things. We read it primarily that we might know why a rod is used. I want to emphasize that when we speak about the rod, we are thinking about a very ordinary stick. It is important for you to remember that.

This particular rod is what we might refer to as the "farmer's rod." The farmer kept it on the threshing floor, and when it came time to thresh the various kinds of grain, they were threshed in the manner that is described here. Cummin was beaten out with a farmer's rod. The rod about which we are thinking could very easily have been a farmer's rod, just an ordinary stick before God blessed it.

Turn in your Bibles, please, to Psalm 23, a familiar portion of the Word of God. Many of you have committed this to memory, and I suppose all of you have found in this Psalm a great blessing for your hearts.

PSALMS 23

Here we have presented the shepherd's rod--the rod that the shepherd used consistently in his work. The purpose of the rod was to see that the sheep were counted well when they were put into the fold at night and that they did not wander in the wrong direction. The rod which Moses and Aaron had could very well have been a shepherd's rod, because Moses, you will remember, tended the flocks of Jethro on the back side of the desert long before he became the leader of the nation of Israel.

Turn, please, to the book of I Samuel, chapter 14, verse 27. This is a story about Jonathan, with whom many of you are familiar. We will not take the time to read the body of Scripture that surrounds the verse at which we wish to look. You will remember that King Saul had given orders, because of the dire circumstances, that the people were not to eat any food that day. The message had not reached Jonathan. He was very hungry, and we read in verse 27:

I SAMUEL 14

This is the soldier's rod, and it is very possible that this could have been the rod that Moses had. It is a possibility because, though we think of Moses as a prophet and as a great teacher, he was one of the world's greatest military commanders.

Now turn to Psalm 74:

PSALMS 74

Notice the phrase, "the rod of thine inheritance." It was a tribal rod, and here it is used symbolically. Each of the twelve tribes of Israel had a rod which was the symbol of their authority. Because the rod was the symbol of their authority, often writers of the Scriptures spoke of the tribe in connection with their rod; instead of calling it a tribe, they called it a rod. A very good illustration of that, and one in line with our study, is found in chapter 11 of the book of Isaiah. Here we have a prophetic passage of Scripture, and the subject of that prophecy is none other than our Lord Jesus Christ:

ISAIAH 11

In this paragraph there are two rods mentioned. The one in the first verse refers to the Lord Jesus Christ. Here the important person of the tribe is referred to as the rod and not the tribe. In verse 4, the word "rod" is used again, and here it speaks of the Word of God which the Lord Jesus Christ will utter when He returns to this earth and visits judgment upon the world.

That leads us to the last use of the word "rod". Turn, please, to Psalm 2. This is a prophetic Psalm that speaks of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to this earth to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. It describes the attitude of some of the nations of the world--one which will eventually be the attitude of all the nations of the world:

PSALMS 2

When you see the word "heathen" in the Scriptures, say "nation" in your own mind at least, because "heathen" did not have the meaning then that if has today. Usually we think of people in some benighted part of the world who have never heard the Gospel as being heathen. But this is the Old Testament, and everyone who was not a Jew was a heathen to the Jewish writers. It would be better to substitute the word "nations" or "Gentile nations". We could read the verse: "Why do the nations rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?"

PSALMS 2

Then the Psalmist reports the conversation that is held among the nations of the world when they say:

PSALMS 2

What effect do you suppose that will have on God? In verse 4 we are told. This is one of those rare instances in the Bible, and there are three of them, in which it is recorded that God laughs. This is not a jolly kind of laugh. It is not a laugh which is spontaneous with enjoyment. It is a laugh of derision:

PSALMS 2

God will be tremendously amused at their efforts to break the bands of God asunder. We should remember that, because sometimes we are vitally concerned about the atheistic philosophy that seems to be sweeping the world may be successful and that the things for which we have always stood will be no more. But remember this: When the nations of the world get together and try to break the bands of God from them, God will sit in the heavens and laugh. When He has worn them out:

PSALMS 2

Then He will make an announcement:

PSALMS 2

Get the picture. The kings of the earth are objecting to the authority of God, and God vexes them in His sore displeasure. Then He says, "I have an announcement to make. I have set my King upon my holy hill in Zion." The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son, interrupts and says:

PSALMS 2

When was it that God said to His Son, "Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee"? When was it that God said to His Son, "Ask of Me and I shall give thee the nation of the earth for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession"? Well, the answer is found in the last part of verse 7: "This day have I begotten thee."

Usually the word "begotten" is related in our minds to birth. If you assume this here, you will be in error, because the Lord Jesus Christ is not begotten in the sense that man is begotten. This is the word that is always used in connection with the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. When the Lord Jesus Christ died and arose from the grave and ascended back into Heaven, God said to Him--we say this reverently--"Son, You have completed the work that I gave You to do, and I want to reward You. Ask Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for Your possession."

You see, we are not fighting a losing battle. It has already been settled:

PSALMS 2

This is the promise that is given to the Lord Jesus Christ--that someday He will hold in His hand the sovereign's rod. This is the fifth rod that is mentioned in the Bible--the sovereign's rod. The Psalmist gives advice to the nations of the world in verse 10:

PSALMS 2

Notice in verse 12 the phrase, "Kiss the Son." This was the sign of obeisance in the Orient. When one was conquered by another, he knelt and kissed the feet of the conquering king. The Psalmist was saying to the nations of the world, "You will have to bow your knees someday. Why not do it now? Kiss the Son, lest He be angry with you." Then he added, "Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him."

Of these five rods we have mentioned, any one of them could have been the rod which belonged either to Moses or Aaron. We are interested in the two which Moses and Aaron did use. If we are to understand Aaron's rod that budded, it will be necessary for us to understand the difference between the rod of Moses and the rod of Aaron. I want to emphasize that, because you will miss the meaning of the whole lesson if you do not realize that God took an ordinary branch of a tree and made it a tremendous thing.

Turn, please, to the book of Exodus, chapter 4, in which you will find the first use of a rod on the part of either Moses or Aaron. This passage of Scripture describes the use of Moses' rod:

EXODUS 4

He gave a very natural answer. Keep in mind that Moses was saying to God, "You have asked me to go down to Egypt and lead the people of Israel out. You expect me to tell them that You appeared to me in a burning bush. They will not believe a fantastic tale like that." God did not argue with him. He said, "What do you have in your hand?" Moses said, "The rod that I carry with me always--the shepherd's rod, the farmer's rod. There is nothing unusual about it." God said, "Isn't there?"

EXODUS 4

It did not wiggle like a serpent just because the earth vibrated, as some people would have you think. It became a serpent so real that Moses fled from it.

EXODUS 4

I would like to see what an artist would do with a picture of the fear that Moses had, running as fast as he could run, and then God's telling him to take that serpent by the tail. It took a lot of courage.

EXODUS 4

Again, just an ordinary rod. "That is all you will ever need," God said. "This rod, turned completely over to Me, will become a symbol of power." We have found that it did.

You will notice in verse 17 another use of the word "rod" in this chapter:

EXODUS 4

This was the rod that had become a snake and then became a rod again. Look at verse 20:

EXODUS 4

Is that the way your Bible reads? Mine reads that Moses took the rod of God in his hand, because this ordinary stick that Moses had used as a shepherd's rod, as a farmer's rod, became the rod of God when God decided to use it.

Turn, please, to chapter 7 of the book of Exodus:

EXODUS 7

This is the first time that Aaron's rod is mentioned except for what Moses said to him in verse 9:

EXODUS 7

Moses had a rod. Aaron had a rod. You might assume that they were made for the same purpose. We do not have time to do it, but when you have the time, study the way in which Moses used his rod and Aaron used his. You will find, with the one exception that we noticed in verse 19, that Aaron used his rod only for the production or the sustenance of life. Moses' rod, on the other hand, with one exception, was used for the purpose of judgment. If we keep that in mind, we will be able to understand that God made a difference between the lawgiver's rod and the high priest's rod.

That difference becomes very evident in the book of Numbers, chapter 20. Here we find the record of how the children of Israel in the wilderness needed water for the second time. There was a time when they needed water, and God directed Moses to a rock in the wilderness. Moses took his rod and struck the rock and water came forth. This is the only time that he used his rod for the sustenance of life. We might even question that, because when we followed the symbolism of the story, the striking of the rock was the symbol of the striking of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross in judgment.

The children of Israel had come to the place where they needed water again. We read:

NUMBERS 20

Water had to be provided; and God said, "Take the rod and speak to the rock, and there will be water for the people and water for the animals." We wonder which rod this was. Was it the rod of Moses or was it the rod of Aaron in verse 9? We anticipate ourselves a bit before the incident that is the basis for our story. It was Aaron's rod, because it was Aaron's rod in chapter 9, verse 4, of the book of Hebrews that was laid up before the Lord. We will be looking in a moment at Numbers, chapters 16 and 17, so you can see we are a little bit ahead of ourselves, but for a purpose.

In verse 9, Moses took the rod from before the Lord, as He commanded him. so the rod that was used this second time they needed water was Aaron's rod. Think with me. The first time they got water out of the rock, it was Moses' rod. The rock had to be smitten. But when they were to get water out of the rock the second time, it was not the rod of the lawgiver, but the rod of the high priest. Notice what happened:

NUMBERS 20

That is, Moses smote the rock for the second time. This does not mean that he smote the rock twice at that time. It refers the fact that this is the second time that the rock was smitten. He smote it first some years before; now he is smiting it for the second time. Someone says, "Wonderful; everything is settled." Not quite. Look at verse 12:

NUMBERS 20

"Moses," God said, "you never should have struck the rock. You disobeyed Me. I said, 'Speak to the rock.' You struck it!"

As we learned from subsequent passages of Scripture, Moses was forbidden to go into the promised land because he dared to strike the rock. Oh, why take Aaron's rod? Aaron's rod was used in order to symbolize that because of the intercession of the high priest, the rock did not need to be smitten again. This rod, and the smiting of the rock the first time, as we learned when we were studying the book of Exodus earlier, were symbolic of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ was smitten once. His blood was shed, and now for sin there is no need for him to be crucified afresh. There is only need for Him to intercede in our behalf on the basis of His shed blood. That is why Aaron's rod was placed in the Ark of the Covenant and not Moses' rod.

Aaron's, the high priest's, rod was typical of the intercessory work that is being done by the Lord Jesus Christ at the right hand of the throne of God on our behalf. Not everyone wants to accept that fact. That is why the rod was placed in the Ark.

Turn, please, to chapter 16 of the book of Numbers. In this chapter, we have the story of the rebellion led by four individuals: Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi; Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab; and On, the son of Pelleth, the son of Reuben. These four men rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel--two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly. These were well known men in the nation of Israel.

NUMBERS 16

Do you see what happened? They came together, 250 princes, led by these individuals, and called Moses and Aaron out and said, "We want to know why you think you're so big. We want to know why you think you can stand between us and God. We are just as holy as you are." As soon as Moses heard that, he fell on his face. The reason he fell on his face was that he realized what a serious sin they were about to commit. Moses had learned that no man could stand before God without a mediator, and that was exactly what they were trying to be. Moses said, "Tomorrow God will make the decision. I will not argue with you. I will not try to convince you of what is right. God will make the decision. Take you censers, Korah, and all his company." Now notice verse 7:

NUMBERS 16

Get the picture in these words. The tribe of Levi (there were twelve tribes) were set aside to be priests in ministering the worship of the Tabernacle. They had the opportunity of carrying the various pieces of furniture, the various vessels and the implements of the sacrifices. They even had the opportunity of sharing in some of the sacrifices. They were a group who officiated in the Tabernacle worship. Moses said to them, "This is a tremendous honor that God has given you. Why on earth do you want the priesthood also?" The reason he said that was that God had only one high priest. The first high priest God had was Aaron. The descendants of Aaron followed in the office until there came a time when one arose who was not of Aaron's tribe, the Lord Jesus Christ. He was the last high priest that men knew, for He was able to finish the work that none of the others could do.

We mentioned the censer to you earlier in our discussion, and we said that Aaron took the censer when he went into the Most Holy Place once a year on the day of atonement. He took the censer, some fire from off the altar, and some incense from off the altar, and made a great cloud of smoke, When the cloud of smoke arose, he went through the veil where no one could look upon the Mercy Seat. These Levites wanted to do what Aaron did, and so Moses said, "I will not argue with you about it. Get you a censer tomorrow, all of you. Meet here and we will let God decide who are his priests and who are not." In verse 17, Moses said:

NUMBERS 16

Get the picture in your minds. These four men, led by Korah and the 250 priests, gathered at the Tabernacle. Aaron had his censer in his hand, too. Suddenly the glory of the Lord appeared over the Mercy Seat in this part of the Tabernacle; and as soon as it appeared, a voice came from the cloud saying to Moses and Aaron, "Step back, Moses and Aaron. I am going to destroy this people." Aaron, the intercessor, fell on his face and said, "God, are you going to destroy the whole congregation because of the sin of one man?" Immediately they sent word to all the congregation of Israel to separate themselves from Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.

You understand that the tents of Israel were all around the Tabernacle. It was the center. Korah, Dathan, and Abiram had their tents, and these people were gathered with them after the glory of the Lord appeared; they had all stepped back into their tents. As soon as the people separated themselves, going back to their own tents, Moses, seeing Dathan and Abiram and Korah in their tents, said, "If these men die natural deaths, then you do not have to listen to anything I say." You remember the rest of the story. Moses said, "If the ground opens up and swallows you, you will know whom God has chosen." Well, in the rest of the chapter, the ground did open up and swallow them, and they perished--every single one of them.

You would think that would convince the people of God's choice, but the tendency of the human heart toward rebellion against God never ceases to amaze me. Certainly that is the case here, because these people, instead of saying, "Moses, we believe you now; we know what has happened," they got mad at Moses and said, "You have killed the people of the Lord. You are responsible for the deaths of these people." God was so angry that He said, "Now I will destroy them." A plague started in the midst of them, and what happened? Aaron, the high priest, the intercessor, the man who stood between the multitude and God, took a censer and went out into the midst of the congregation where the people were suffering from the plague; he stood between the people who were already afflicted and the people who were about to be afflicted, and as he stood there as a high priest of God and as an intercessor, the plague was stopped. The people were spared.

One final sign had to be given to convince the people that you do not appoint yourself a high priest, nor do you approach God in any manner that you deem wise. You approach God according to His appointed channel. So in chapter 17 of the book of Numbers, Moses said:

NUMBERS 17

Moses conveyed this message to the tribes of Israel. Twelve rods were then laid in the second room of the Tabernacle, one for each tribe, including Aaron's. The name of the leader of each tribe was written upon his rod. All of it was done open and above board, so that everyone would know what was happening. God said, "The rod that I cause to bud belongs to the man that I have chosen to intercede in behalf of the people." Notice verse 7:

NUMBERS 17

The question demands a negative answer because Aaron, the high priest, whose rod was in the Ark of the Covenant, could stand between them and the wrath of God.

Keep in mind that the rod that budded and blossomed and bore the fruit of almonds was a dead stick when it was placed in the Most Holy Place before the Tabernacle. God vindicated his man by letting his rod bud, blossom, and bear fruit. Does this sound strange? It should seem strange to you, because usually the branch gives the bud, and the bud gives way to the blossom; when the blossom dies, the fruit is produced. You cannot have one without the other. But on this rod, to which God gave life, they all existed at the same time. The bud is representative of life; the blossom is representative of beauty, and the almond is representative of life.

In the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom this rod speaks, we find all these things. There is life. Paul said in his letter to the Hebrews, "He ever liveth to make intercession for us" (Hebrews 7:25). He is beautiful. When he was on the earth, Isaiah said there was no beauty that we should desire him (Isaiah 53:2). But the Psalmist sees Him at the right hand of the throne of God as our Intercessor, pleading for us, and He said that someday we shall see the King and his beauty face to face. The fruit which is signified by the almond is the fruit that is born in your life and mine as we submit and yield our lives to Him.

Notice upon what the fruitfulness depends--the intercessory work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn with me to the book of Zechariah, chapter 4, for one of the best illustrations of the intercessory work of Christ that I believe you will find in the Word of God. Zechariah, chapter 3, turns back the curtain in Heaven and gives us a scene enacted in Heaven one day when an individual stood in the presence of God. These are visions which God gave to Zechariah:

ZECHARIAH 3

Joshua was a successor to Aaron; many years later he filled the office of the high priest. You would think a high priest would be perfect, wouldn't you? But this was not the case. There was only one perfect High Priest, spotless and undefiled; and that was the Lord Jesus Christ. This was an earthly high priest, and the earthly high priest needed an intercessor just as you and I do.

ZECHARIAH 3

Do you get the picture? Here we are in Heaven. Joshua, the high priest is standing there, and the Lord Jesus Christ is standing there also. Who is that other individual standing at the right hand of Joshua? Zechariah looks more closely and sees that it is the Devil. Why is he there? He is there for the purpose of accusing Joshua. The Lord Jesus Christ knows he is there, so we read:

ZECHARIAH 3

Jehovah said unto Satan, "Jehovah rebuke thee, O Satan." You are never told anywhere in the Word of God to rebuke the Devil. I hope you don't go about doing it. You have no right to do it. He is not the least bit afraid of you. You have every right in the world to resist him with the blood of Christ as you plead with the Lord Jesus Christ to rebuke the Devil. That is exactly what happened here. The Lord Jesus Christ, anticipating the accusation that the Devil was going to level at Joshua, said to him, "Don't you know that Joshua is a brand plucked out of the burning?"

The picture is of a man who is ready to be consumed by fire, and someone rescues him. He is an individual who has been rescued. In verse 3, Zechariah says to himself, "Well, he doesn't look much like anyone who has been rescued."

ZECHARIAH 3

Maybe the Devil did have something to accuse him of. Maybe the Devil did have something to point his finger at. As Zechariah looked at him in his filthy garments, he thought so, but notice verse 4:

ZECHARIAH 3

My, these are beautiful words. Joshua was standing there in his own strength, realizing that his garments were filthy, and realizing that the Devil could tell so much on him if he wanted to tell it, trembling from head to toe; and the Lord Jesus Christ said, "Take those dirty garments away. They don't belong to him." Then in a word of reassurance to Joshua He said, "I caused your iniquity to pass from you. Don't worry; I will give you a change of raiment." In verse 5, He said:

ZECHARIAH 3

This is a vision related to that future day when the nation of Israel will be cleansed from all her sin and testifies of the Lord Jesus Christ at the right hand of the throne of God in our behalf. Don't be confused and think that this refers to what some people tell you will occur when you die--that you will stand in the presence of God and tremble from head to foot and wonder if you will be accepted or turned away. It does not refer to the fable that some people repeat that you go up to the gates of Heaven and knock on the door, and Peter leaves you standing out in the cold while he goes to see whether or not you are accepted. If it is not settled before you get there, it is too late to settle it then.

What this refers to is what is happening at the present time at the throne of God; the Devil is accusing every believer at the throne of God, and he has a lot to accuse us of. You know that. If the veil were pulled back from your life and mine, a lot of sin would be revealed. But the Lord Jesus Christ stands there when the accusations come and says to God, "Rebuke Satan, Father; I gave My life. This is a brand plucked from the burning." The Devil has no answer for that.