#DailyDevotion Jesus Has Chosen Who Will Lead His People
Easter Week 7 Thursday
Read Num 16:41—17:13
Num 17:5 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.”…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…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?”
The plague having been stopped on account of Moses and Aaron, the Lord decides a course of action that the people may see and know that the Lord has chosen Aaron and his family to be the priest of Israel and to stand before him at the tabernacle. He has had mercy upon the people so far, though not without discipline, in all their grumblings. This sign he is preparing is so the Israelites would quite grumbling against Moses and Aaron.
So the Lord has the heads of all the tribes write their names on staves and they are placed in the tabernacle. The next morning Aaron’s staff had budded and not only budded but has blossoms and ripe almonds. This was done in sight of the people that they may know the Lord has chosen Aaron and his family for the service in the tabernacle. The staff is placed at the tabernacle for all to see as a witness against the rebels.
People are prone to be jealous of what someone else has, even if what the other person has is a burden. While there were perks to being the priest of the Lord God, there was the burden of the sacrifices, intercessions, and bearing the sins of the people of Israel. But people only see the perks and desire them without the burdens.
It is not unusual for similar things to occur in the Church today. Some people see the pastor in front of the Church in bright clothing, leading worship, reading the lessons, giving the sermon, administering the sacraments and blessing the people and they may think, why can’t I do all that? Yet no valid person who occupies the office of pastor has simply chosen to place himself in that position. He has been chosen by Jesus and been given to the Church. Different denomination may have different processes which the Lord put a man in the office but no man can validly place himself there. He is chosen by the congregation, elected, called and installed by the congregation before everyone that they may know who the Lord Jesus has chosen and not grumble against him. The stole placed upon him represents the burden of the office. Like Aaron and his sons, he is given to the people to do the public acts of the congregation so that they may not perish but be fed with God’s Word, strengthened by his intercessions and bear their burdens. He is a gift from God.
Heavenly Father, grant us your grace that we may always rightly see and give thanks for all those who you chose through our congregations to represent your Son to do the work of ministry that we may be strengthened in every way by your word and sacraments you give us through these men. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.