God's plan to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and into the Promised Land depended on Aaron's rod, or staff. A rod was a sign of power in ancient Israelite culture. Shepherds led and corrected their flocks with rods (Psalm 23:4). When God told Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, He did miracles with Moses' rod to show how powerful He was (Exodus 4:1–5; Numbers 20:11). Aaron, Moses's brother, was also chosen by God to do miracles with his own rod (Exodus 7:19; 8:5, 16).
Aaron's rod was the one that turned into a snake in Pharaoh's court. When the Egyptian magicians also turned their staffs into snakes, the snake that had been Aaron's rod ate up theirs (Exodus 7:8–10). God turned the water in Egypt into blood by using Aaron's rod (Exodus 7:19–21). And Aaron's rod was what made the frogs and gnats come (Exodus 8:5–6). (verses 16–17). After Moses and Aaron led the Israelites out of captivity, God chose Aaron and his sons to be priests (Exodus 28:1; Numbers 18:1). The rest of the Levites were to serve the Lord in the tabernacle by making sacrifices and listening to what God had to say. This was for the benefit of the whole nation.
The most well-known story about Aaron's rod starts with some of the Levites being upset that Moses and Aaron were given more power. In Numbers 16, Korah, who was also a Levite, joined with Dathan and Abiram to start a rebellion against Moses and Aaron. Korah tells Moses in verse 3, "You've gone too far! The Lord has set apart the whole nation of Israel, and he is with all of us. What gives you the right to act like you're better than the rest of the Lord's people?" God made the earth open up and swallow these three men and their families because they did not obey the Lord (verses 28–33).
But the other tribal leaders didn't listen to the Lord. Instead, they joined the revolt. Numbers 16:41 says, "But the next morning, all of Israel started to talk badly about Moses and Aaron again, saying, "You killed the Lord's people!" Lord wanted to kill everyone in the group, but Moses and Aaron fell on their faces and begged Him not to. God gave in and instead sent a plague to kill 14,700 of the rebellious Israelites (verse 49).
God did another miracle with Aaron's rod to stop the trouble. God told Moses to have the leader of each tribe in Israel bring his rod or staff to the tent of meeting. Aaron's rod stood for the tribe of Levi. The name of each of the twelve leaders was to be written on his rod. The Lord told Moses, "The person I choose will have buds grow on his staff. Then I will finally stop the people from talking about you and complaining about you (Numbers 17:5). They left their rods in front of the Lord, and in the morning, "Aaron's staff, which stood for the tribe of Levi, had sprouted, budged, flowered, and produced ripe almonds" (verse 8). Aaron's staff didn't just grow buds; it also grew flowers and fruit, showing how powerful the One who gives life is. In verse 10, the Bible says, "The Lord told Moses, 'Always put Aaron's staff in front of the Ark of the Covenant as a warning to rebels. This should stop them from saying bad things about me and stop any more people from dying.'"
Hebrews 9:4 says that Aaron's rod stayed in the Ark of the Covenant as a sign that God chose Aaron and Moses to lead His people. Aaron's rod was also a reminder that God doesn't like it when His chosen leaders on earth rebel against Him (1 Corinthians 10:10). Those who talk, complain, and cause trouble in the Body of Christ should be told to stop (James 5:9; 1 Timothy 5:20; 2 Timothy 2:23). God's plans for this world are much bigger than any one person. He wants us to work together as one to obey Him and show how great He is.
