The people would have witnessed the anointing of the Lord that was on Aaron as he interceded and atoned for the people during the plague that came after the rebellion, but God wanted to provide an even greater sign that Aaron was accepted as the High Priest.

In ancient times, a man’s rod or staff was a sign of his position as head of the household. Jacob leaned on his staff as he blessed Joseph’s sons (Hebrews 11:21) and Moses held his staff up in the air as the people crossed the Red Sea. When a man became a prince or a king, his staff became a sceptre and a sign of authority. These were not random sticks, but important symbols of headship.

So, when the leaders of the tribes were told to bring their staffs to Moses, they were not just bringing a stick of wood, they were bringing a sign of their authority. Only Aaron’s staff burst out in leaves, flowers and fruits by the hand of God, demonstrating that God had ordained that his family’s priestly ministry would be fruitful.

God imparted divine life to Aaron and his line by his Holy Spirit and made them fruitful. All the leaders had staffs – authority - but only Aaron’s was fruitful. All the staffs were the same in the beginning, but God made the difference.

Today, we don’t carry rods and staffs, but we do have our own gifts, talents and strengths. Will we bring these before the Lord and hand them over to his care so that he can fill them with his life and his fruitfulness?

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NEWBOLD COMMUNITY CHURCH