February Ninth.
AARON'S BUDDING ROD.
"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."—Numb. xvii. 8.
THE preceding chapter gives the awful account of the rebellion of Korah. Dathan, and Abiram, with the general murmuring of the Israelites against Moses and Aaron. To quell these unholy murmurings of the people. Moses was commanded to take a rod from the head of each tribe, twelve in the whole, and to write each man's name upon his own rod, except upon the rod of Levi, upon which was to be written the name of Aaron. These were all placed in the tabernacle of witness before the testimony, where was the ark containing the Divine Law, which was the testimony or witness. It was here that the Lord promised to meet Moses, and said, "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." The rods were all laid up according to the Divine command, and on the morrow, when Moses went into the tabernacle of witness, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and fruitful. This was done to shew that the Lord had chosen the tribe of Levi for the priesthood, and that the true priest, bearing an office grounded in pure love and charity, was to be fruitful and luxuriant in all that is holy, good, and true. The Jews, to commemorate this miracle, struck the blossoming rod on several of their coins.
