Day 77 – Aaron’s Rod

We’ve had some tough passages these last few weeks, so I hope you enjoy these shorter, clearer passages today.

• This passage leads on from what we were thinking about yesterday. Remember – the people, led by some rabble-rousers, had  been questioning Moses’ and Aaron’s leadership. As today’s reading from Number 17 opens, they have been continuing their complaints. Similarly to before, they are asking why the Levi tribe (remember, the people were split into twelve tribes based upon the twelve sons of Jacob) had the special role of looking after the tabernacle.
• What did God ask each of the tribal leaders to bring to the Tent of Meeting? How did God use what they brought to show which tribe was set apart to serve God in the tabernacle and be the priests?
• Aaron’s rod (which means staff, or stick) didn’t just blossom, as we can read about in Numbers 18:8. What did it do?
• What were some of the roles that the Levite tribe had to do? Where did they camp? The verses in chapter 1 will help you, as well as the readings and notes from over the last days.
• Can you think of any comparisons between Levites and Christians now? What jobs do they both have?
• Aaron’s rod bearing fruit reminds us of the passage in Luke 6. In it, we are called to be “known by our fruit”. What does that mean, do you think?

Fruit – the things we do, and say – is a reflection of our heart. If our heart is focused towards Jesus, our actions and our conversations will be too.

So then, what are you known for? Would people see you as especially thoughtful, or kind, or generous, or loving, or encouraging? Are any of these things because of your faith and trust in Jesus?

Alternatively, you may think that your fruit needs tending a little! Where does your heart need to change, perhaps from one like those of the complaining Israelites, to one like that of Jesus?

On an unrelated note, you may be finding that you’re losing track of what’s happening and when. I’ve dropped in a little image below which I’ve found online. It gives a very brief overview of the first five books of the bible and the timeline of the period in the wilderness. You can see clearly, for example, that the bulk of the time in the wilderness that we’re reading about at the moment takes place within the book we’re currently reading – Numbers. I hope it’s helpful to you to give you some context about the dates and structure of the passages we’re currently reading.00