BEFORE we begin to talk about the pleasant happy story of Aaron's Rod,
and how it came out into buds and flowers, there is a very dark and
sorrowful story which we must think of first.
The Lord told Moses to make a beautiful Tabernacle or Tent, where He
would speak to him face to face; and He appointed the different Tribes
to pitch their tents round it.
God choose Aaron, the elder brother of Moses, to be the High Priest.
Aaron was the head of the tribe of Levi, and his family were the only
ones who were allowed to approach God in the offerings which were to be
presented for sin; and to offer the sweet Incense on the Golden Altar
of Incense, which was in the Holy Place in the Tabernacle.
God said this Incense was to be made in a special way, and no one was
to make any like it. And the Lord warns the people that "the stranger
that cometh nigh shall be put to death."
Even Aaron's two elder sons, Nadab and Abihu, died before the Lord in
the wilderness of Sinai, when they took their censers, "and put fire
therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the
Lord, which he commanded them not."
These things were well known, and understood by the Israelites; but
so evil are men's hearts and so easily excited to jealousy, that
three men named Korah, Dathan and Abiram, gathered together a number
of the Princes of the Congregation, and came to Moses and Aaron with
complaints, that Moses and Aaron were taking too much upon themselves,
and that all the Congregation were equally fit to draw near to God, and
to do those parts of the Holy Service, which God had appointed that
only Aaron and his sons should do.
Moses was dreadfully grieved, and he fell on his face in bitter sorrow.
Then he told Korah and the Princes that they were to present themselves
at the door of the Tabernacle on the following day.
[Illustration: The earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up Dathan and
Abiram.]
He said to them, "This do: Take you censers, Korah and all his
company, and put fire therein, and put incense in them before the Lord
to-morrow."
But Moses warned them that the Lord would choose who was holy, and who
should draw near to Him.
Korah and his company would not heed the warning. They had time to
think over and repent of their sin, for the Lord is a God ready to
pardon. But they went on in their proud arrogance, and oh! to what a
dreadful end it led them.
So the next day Korah gathered all the Congregation together against
Moses and Aaron, at the door of the Tabernacle. But Dathan and Abiram,
who specially strove against the authority of Moses, would not come up,
but remained in their tents.
Then the Lord told Moses and Aaron to separate themselves quickly from
the Congregation that He might consume them all in His anger.
But once more Moses and Aaron fell on their faces, and interceded with
the Lord for those people who had not joined in the rebellion; and
the Lord heard their prayer, and told Moses to send the people to a
distance, lest they should be consumed in the sins of these rebellious
men.
So the people fled from round about the tents of Korah, Dathan, and
Abiram.
And then God sent an earthquake, and the Earth opened her mouth, and
swallowed up Dathan and Abiram, and their families and their tents.
And as the Congregation fled still further from the awful cry of them,
a fire came out from the Lord, and destroyed Korah, and the two hundred
and fifty Princes, who had offered Incense.
It is an awful thing to risk God's punishment.
This is a very, very sad story; but it is written down in the Bible, to
show that we must obey God's commands, and seek Him in the way He has
provided.
In the Old Testament times, the way to approach God was by the Priests
whom God had appointed to present the Offerings for sin, and to burn
the Incense; but now, since God sent His dear Son, Jesus Christ, to
make atonement for our sins, Jesus is the Way to God. He is "the Lamb
of God which taketh away the sin of the world."
After all these dreadful things happened, the Lord spoke to Moses
again. God told him that each of the Princes at the head of the Twelve
Tribes, was to bring a rod, with his name clearly marked on it, and
Moses was to take the twelve rods and place them in the Tabernacle
before the Ark of the Testimony.
Aaron the High Priest was the head of the Tribe of Levi, and his rod,
with his name on it, was to be sent in with the others.
And God said, "The man's rod whom I shall choose, shall blossom; and I
will make to cease the murmurings of the Children of Israel, whereby
they murmur against you."
Moses did this, and went in on the morrow to look at the rods; and
"behold the rod of Aaron, for the house of Levi, was budded, and
brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded Almonds."
[Illustration: AARON'S ROD THAT BUDDED.]
Then Moses carried all the rods out for the children of Israel to see,
and the Lord said, "Bring Aaron's rod again before the Testimony, to
be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away
their murmurings from me, that they die not."
[Illustration]