Levi’s Rod with Aaron’s Name Written on It

Levi’s Rod with Aaron’s Name Written on It

Numbers 17:1-13 "1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of every one of them a rod according to the house of their fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods: write thou every man’s name upon his rod. 3And thou shalt write Aaron’s name upon the rod of Levi: for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers. 4And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, where I will meet with you. 5And it shall come to pass, that the man’s rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you. 6And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, and every one of their princes gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, according to their fathers’ houses, even twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron was among their rods. 7And Moses laid up the rods before the LORD in the tabernacle of witness. 8And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds. 9And Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD unto all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod. 10And the LORD said unto Moses, Bring Aaron’s rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not..."

At that time, Israel was divided into twelve tribes according to the twelve sons of Jacob. In order to put an end to the dispute within the nation of Israel (Numbers 16), God commanded that one rod be taken from each of the twelve tribes and that the twelve rods be placed before the ark of the testimony inside the tabernacle of meeting. Among those twelve rods, the rod that budded, brought forth shoots, blossomed, and bore almonds was to be the one through which the office of the priesthood would be carried out.

God commanded that the name of the leader of each tribe be written on that tribe’s rod. For example, the name of Reuben was to be written on the rod of the tribe of Reuben, and the name of Judah on the rod of the tribe of Judah. But for the tribe of Levi alone, God commanded that the name written on the rod should not be Levi, but Aaron, who was the high priest at that time (Numbers 3:10, Exodus 28:1-3).

We should pay attention to this point. A rod is already dead wood. The miracle of resurrection, in which this dead wood budded again, brought forth shoots, blossomed, and bore almonds, could take place only in "the rod of the one whom God chose," that is, only in "the rod of Levi with the name of Aaron, the high priest, written on it."

Through this astonishing miracle, God clearly entrusted the office of the priesthood to Aaron and his sons, leaving no room for further dispute. He also made with them an everlasting covenant of salt. Moreover, God even promised that He Himself would be their inheritance (Numbers 18). In order to accomplish all these things, God commanded that the rod of the tribe of Levi should not have the name "Levi" written on it, but the name "Aaron."

In the same way, the covenant that God once made with Aaron can also be received by us today. Although by bloodline we are not descendants of Levi, just as Jesus became the High Priest though He was from the tribe of Judah, now anyone who lives by relying on the name of Jesus can become a priest of the gospel (Romans 15:16). Therefore, if we live in the name of Jesus, who is our High Priest, God will also make with us an everlasting covenant of salt.

Our High Priest is "Jesus Christ"!

In the Bible, there were many high priests throughout many generations. This was because even a high priest was a man, and when his years came to an end, he died (Hebrews 7:23), and another high priest had to be appointed repeatedly. Also, in carrying out the office of the high priest, because he was a man with sin, he first had to be cleansed from his own sins, and he also had weaknesses (Hebrews 7:27-28). Therefore, God appointed Jesus, who is perfect, as High Priest, rather than another imperfect man. And because Jesus continues forever, God confirmed that His priesthood will never be changed. Therefore, our High Priest is only one Person: Jesus alone.

Hebrews 7:24-25 "24But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. 25Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them."

If, through this word, we have come to know that Jesus is our High Priest, then we must no longer live in our own name. This is because, according to the word in Numbers 17:5, where God said that the rod of the one He chose would bud, the rod written not with the name of Levi but with the name of Aaron, the new life of resurrection will be given to those who live not in their own name, but in the name of Jesus.

Also, among many kinds of fruit, the rod with Aaron’s name written on it bore almonds because the meaning of the almond tree is "God accomplishing what He has spoken" (Jeremiah 1:11-12). In other words, through the almond fruit, God made known to all the people of Israel that Aaron and his sons were to carry out the office of the priesthood throughout their generations because "God Himself had spoken it and accomplished it." Thus, God caused Aaron’s name to be written on the rod of Levi in order to fulfill His own word, and this becomes the very reason why we must live in the name of Jesus. Therefore, to all who now live in the name of Jesus (Colossians 3:17), that is, to those who have become priests of the gospel (Romans 15:16), Jesus will surely fulfill the covenant He spoke below!

Matthew 19:27-29 "27Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? 28And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life."

Amen.