Numbers 17 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Numbers 17

Aaron’s Staff Buds

17:1 ¹ The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel, and get from them staffs, one for each fathers’ house, from all their chiefs according to their fathers’ houses, twelve staffs. Write each man’s name on his staff, 3 and write Aaron’s name on the staff of Levi. For there shall be one staff for the head of each fathers’ house. 4 Then you shall deposit them in the tent of meeting before the testimony, where I meet with you. 5 And the staff of the man whom I choose shall sprout. Thus I will make to cease from me the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against you.” 6 Moses spoke to the people of Israel. And all their chiefs gave him staffs, one for each chief, according to their fathers’ houses, twelve staffs. And the staff of Aaron was among their staffs. 7 And Moses deposited the staffs before the LORD in the tent of the testimony.

8 On the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony, and behold, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds. 9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from before the LORD to all the people of Israel. And they looked, and each man took his staff. 10 And the LORD said to Moses, “Put back the staff of Aaron before the testimony, to be kept as a sign for the rebels, that you may make an end of their grumblings against me, lest they die.” 11 Thus did Moses; as the LORD commanded him, so he did.

12 And the people of Israel said to Moses, “Behold, we perish, we are undone, we are all undone. 13 Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of the LORD, shall die. Are we all to perish?”

Footnotes

[1] 17:1 Ch 17:16 in Hebrew

Commentary

v1-5: The Lord took the initiative to deal with the "constant grumbling" of the people. Those who were called and chosen by God to lead were to be vindicated directly by Him. In ch 16, there was judgment upon the grumbling, and many lost their lives, but presumably there remained rebellious attitudes in many.

v2: The staffs represented authority and leadership. Moses and Aaron had used their staff during the period of the plagues in Egypt.

v5 The Lord’s intention, to “rid myself of this constant grumbling.” This is not exaggeration, but real and accurate diagnosis of the situation.

v6: Moses spoke to the leaders of the tribes, so we assume that they accepted the terms of the sign.

v7 The staffs were placed in the Tent of Meeting, the tabernacle. There could be no human intervention in what followed

v8: The staff was something that had been cut off from its life; compare John 12.24.

v9: All the Israelites saw that the Lord had chosen the staff of Aaron.

v10-11: Aaron's staff was placed in the Holy of Holies; see 16.40. This was kept as a reminder of the people's rebellion, so that they might learn, and not die.

The grumbling was both against God, as here, and His appointed leaders, as in v5. We dare not underestimate the seriousness of disloyalty against leaders. See also ch 21.7.

v12-13: The Israelites feared going to the Tabernacle. This was not a bad thing, as the Levites had to bear the responsibility of the people before the Lord.