Numbers 17 The Lord gives another sign.. to prove to all the people of Israel that He chose  Aaron and his sons to be the priests and the Levites to serve Him in the tent of meeting.. And not anyone else! He had each tribe bring a rod.. the rod of that belonged to the leader of each tribe.  Each rod was inscribed with their name.  Aaron also had a rod with his name inscribed on it.  These rods were placed in the tent of meeting over night. 

"And it will come about that the rod of the man whom I choose will sprout. Thus I shall lessen from upon Myself the grumblings of the sons of Israel, who are grumbling against you."   So, this is what they did and the next morning Moses brought the rods out.. "and behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds, and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds."  There could be no doubt that God chose Aaron and the Levites.  Not just a bud.. but the whole cycle of growth was evident.  Buds, blossoms, and fully ripe almonds from a rod that had long ago been cut from a tree. A miracle that was far beyond their imagination or understanding. 

This rod was placed back in the tabernacle.. it was a sign that should always remind the rest of Israel that God decided who would serve Him and they should stop grumbling! 

It is only then that the rest of the sons of Israel realized that they were wrong.. "Behold, we perish, we are dying, we are all dying!"  They could not come near the tabernacle of the Lord.. what could they do?

Way back in the days of Cain and Abel there was a similar problem.. Abel's offering was accepted and Cain's was not..  for he had chosen to do things his own way and not according to God's way.  We know what happened next.  The tribes of Israel wanted to control the Tent and tabernacle their own way.. but that was not acceptable to God.  It was not open to debate or compromise. It was determined by God and would be His way! He chose Aaron and his sons to be priests and the Levites to serve as they had been directed. 

Likewise, we are called to come before the Lord Almighty according to His Word and that Word is Jesus Christ. "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved." ( Acts 4:12)  Some want to come to the Lord in their own ways.. works.. other religions.. or self-righteousness.  But, the Lord has made it clear by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that He is the only Way.. the complete Truth.. and the giver of Life. The Father chose His own Son to be the High Priest of heaven.. and there can be no debate or argument that will stand against Him. Hallelujah!

Father, hide us in the Rock of Ages.. in Jesus Christ the Son of God who came to seek and save the lost.. to make atonement for us who have no righteousness of our own..  We must have Jesus as our Savior for He is our only hope and life.  Draw us nearer to our precious Lord we pray. We cling to You Jesus. Thank You for this great salvation found in Your Name.. the Name above all names. Amen and Hallelujah!