Thy Strong Word — Numbers 17:1-18:7: Aaron’s Staff Buds and God Protects His People

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“The staff of the man whom I choose shall sprout.” After Korah’s rebellion, God confirms Aaron’s priesthood through a miraculous sign. Twelve staffs are placed before the ark, and Aaron’s alone buds, blossoms, and produces almonds overnight. Dead wood comes to life by God’s power. In this chapter and the opening of the next, we see God establishing the priesthood that would serve until a greater Priest came, one whose resurrection from the dead confirmed His eternal priesthood forever.

The Rev. Timothy Barkett, pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Kingman, AZ joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Numbers 17:1-18:7.

To learn more about Good Shepherd Lutheran, visit goodshepherdlckingman.org.

The Book of Numbers is far more than an ancient census report. It is the story of a people learning to trust God in the wilderness, and failing, and finding grace anyway.

In this series, host Pastor Phil Booe and guest pastors walk through the Old Testament book of Numbers chapter by chapter. We follow Israel from Sinai toward the Promised Land, through grumbling and rebellion, fiery serpents and a talking donkey, faithless spies and faithful priests. The journey is hard, the failures are many, and God remains faithful to a faithless people.

These ancient accounts point us to Christ. The bronze serpent lifted on a pole points to the cross. The rock struck for water points to the one struck for us. The high priest whose death frees the manslayer points to the Great High Priest whose death sets us free forever. Join us as we discover that the wilderness has more to teach us than we ever expected.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org.

Thy Strong Word is graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Through the mission gifts of people like you, LHF translates, publishes, distributes and introduces books that are Bible-based, Christ-centered and Reformation-driven. Learn more at lhfmissions.org.

Numbers 17:1-18:7

Aaron’s Staff Buds

[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?”

Duties of Priests and Levites

18 [1] So the LORD said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your father’s house with you shall bear iniquity connected with the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear iniquity connected with your priesthood. [2] And with you bring your brothers also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may join you and minister to you while you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony. [3] They shall keep guard over you and over the whole tent, but shall not come near to the vessels of the sanctuary or to the altar lest they, and you, die. [4] They shall join you and keep guard over the tent of meeting for all the service of the tent, and no outsider shall come near you. [5] And you shall keep guard over the sanctuary and over the altar, that there may never again be wrath on the people of Israel. [6] And behold, I have taken your brothers the Levites from among the people of Israel. They are a gift to you, given to the LORD, to do the service of the tent of meeting. [7] And you and your sons with you shall guard your priesthood for all that concerns the altar and that is within the veil; and you shall serve. I give your priesthood as a gift, and any outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved.