Numbers 17:1-8 (KJV) 1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak 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. 3 And 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. 4 And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, where I will meet with you. 5 And 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. 6 And 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. 7 And Moses laid up the rods before the LORD in the tabernacle of witness. 8 And 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.
In all of the Old covenant there is not a better example of Easter than that which we have read in our text. Some would say that the story of Jonah is a more fitting one and while that portrays His ultimate victory over death, it doesn’t show the resurrection as beautifully as this. In the story of Aaron’s Rod we see a mighty tool that has been instrumental in so many miracles. Aaron is more than just the Brother of Moses, representing the Law and the Prophets, he is the embodiment of the Priesthood. Remember, the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. It is a revelation of types and shadows, Hebrews chapter 9. I don’t have time to get into this but Exodus 7 tells us that Aaron was older than Moses! The Priesthood was older than the Law!
Before Abraham was, I am!
Whereas Moses brought the revelation of the Law, Aaron carried the power of the Priesthood. While it was the Law that showed us our inability to please God, Galatians 3:24 says: Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. We would have died in our sins had their not been a deeper revelation and that was the revelation of the Priesthood. The word that is used is pedagogue, is not simply the schoolmaster, but also the servant who had the care of the children to lead them to and bring them back from school, and had the care of them out of school hours. Thus the law did not teach us the living, saving knowledge; but, by its rites and ceremonies, and especially by its sacrifices, it directed us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Let me say it this way, The Law was the book , the instruction and the instructor, but without the Priesthood all that is written therein is unattainable. This is a beautiful metaphor. Paul goes on to say in verse 25, But, after that faith is come—When Christ was manifested in the flesh, and the Gospel was preached, we were no longer under the pedagogue; we came to Christ, learned of him, became wise unto salvation, had our fruit unto holiness, and the end eternal life. It is worthy of remark that, as the Law, is used by Paul to signify the whole of the Mosaic economy, so the Faith, is used by him to express, not merely the act of believing in Christ, but the whole of the Gospel.
It is the Priesthood of Christ whereby we gain access into the presence of God. (Hebrews 4:14,15). Under the Law of Moses, when a priest entered the Holy of Holies on the day of atonement he became detached from everything that was happening outside of that holy place. He literally could not be touched, but we have a high priest who can be touched. Praise God!
The Law made God unapproachable, but the Priesthood gives man access to this thrice holy God! The throne of the Law was condemnation but we have a high priest who is aware of what is going on outside the Holy Place because He was tempted in all points like as we are yet without sin, one who now says in verse 16, Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
While we could spend a few weeks here and not scratch the surface, today I want to deal with Aaron’s rod as a type and shadow of our resurrection. The first mention of the Aaron’s rod is in Exodus 7, Moses comes before Pharaoh and is told, when Pharaoh says, “Show me a miracle”, tell Aaron to cast his rod upon the ground. When he did it became a serpent. Let me pause here to show you something. The serpent represents more than just the enemy the devil; it represents the whole embodiment of the curse. (Gen. 3:14) Look at 2 Corinthians 5:21; he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
When the rod touched the ground it became a serpent, so pharaohs magicians threw theirs upon the ground and they all became serpents. Now the cursed rod is on the same level as all others, but there is a difference! Aaron’s rod swallows all others! John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Go ahead, throw this rod to the ground! Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Isaiah 53:1-3
Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. Galatians 4:3-5 (KJV)
He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: John 1:11-12
Like Aaron’s Rod, Christ made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Philippians 2:7-8
Look at this, Moses representing the Law of God, stands before Pharaoh representing the devil, and when everything is on the line, literally laid on the ground, the rod of Aaron representing the power of the Priesthood simply swallows up all of the representation of the enemies ability. Jesus destroyed the works of the devil. He went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil!
Each time the devil threw another snake at Jesus, He simply swallowed the enemy.
Ultimately this Rod was cast to the ground for the final time, He was brought in and thrown before Pilate, beaten, smitten, rejected. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Isaiah 53:6-9
Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Isaiah 53:10
He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. Isaiah 53:11-12
He poured out His soul unto death. The last vestige of life flowed from Him as the spear pierced deep into His side. They took Him down from the cross and laid him on the ground. A battle to end all battles had been accomplished. It was finished. The Rod was lifeless.
In His death he accomplished two great tasks according to Colossians 2:14-15:
1. Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
The whole law of Moses was against us and contrary to us and had to be taken out of the way or redemption could never have been experienced. The law made no provision for redemption. It only cursed and killed all men because all broke the law and could not possibly keep it. He took the law of Moses out of the way (out of the midst), so we do not have to remain under its curse and eternal death penalty. Since it is out of our way, let us not stumble over it again. Keep it out of our way.
2. And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
To spoil means to strip off clothes of another. Translated spoil Here it means Satan and his forces were stripped of their power to condemn and kill the race. The law was blotted out and they had no further claim to hold man in sin and bondage, as they did by means of the law (Rom. 7:5-25).
He did more than strip the robe off of the enemy and take from him the condemnation that he used on men, He made a show of them openly. The allusion is to the custom of conquerors making a public demonstration of conquered enemies. Satan and his religious mob made a public shame out of Christ by crucifying Him. By that they thought they would triumph over Him, putting an end to His new religion, but the cross turned out to be their public defeat and shame
What did Aaron’s rod do to all of the other Rods? It swallowed them!
Swallow-to make away with (specifically by swallowing); generally to destroy :- cover, destroy, devour, eat up, be at end, spend up, swallow up.
Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:55
Go with me to Numbers 17:1-7 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak 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. And 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. And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, where I will meet with you. And 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. And 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. And Moses laid up the rods before the LORD in the tabernacle of witness.
The Rod of Aaron was laid on the ground and God was about to settle the score once and for all. The murmuring, the complaining was about to stop. The enemy would no longer be able to use the Law to beat mankind. God was about to reveal the power of the priesthood to the devil. Jn. 3:8 …For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, (to make apparent) that He might destroy the works of the devil.
Though the rod of Aaron was laid on the ground, God was about to demonstrate what He did in Numbers 17:8 And 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.
Note four things about that rod:
1. It sprouted
2. It brought forth buds.
3. It produced blossoms.
4. It yielded almonds
The Rod was alive again!
And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great. And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him. Mark 16:2-6
Christ the Lord is Risen today Hallelujah!
additional note *Aaron's Name means "Light Bringer" or "Light Carrier"
