Numbers 17:1,2,5 “The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and get twelve staffs from them, one from the leader of each of their ancestral tribes. Write the name of each man on his staff. The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelites.”

The Lord is clearly troubled by the constant grumbling against spiritual leadership and plans a ‘creative reset’ for His People.

Numbers 17:8  “The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaron’s staff, which represented the tribe of Levi, had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds.”

The Lord graciously intervened and made it abundantly clear to all that Aaron’s staff was different.

Numbers 17:10-11 “And the Lord said to Moses: “Place Aaron’s staff permanently before the Ark of the Covenant to serve as a warning to rebels. This should put an end to their grumbling against me and prevent any further deaths.” So Moses did as the Lord commanded him.”

There will always be some people who tend to grumble and rebel against ‘spiritual leaders’. Sometimes it’s their nature and other times it is a result of less than stellar leadership. Either way, because God is Gracious, He provided a visible memory in this one of a kind staff as a visual reminder to all.

What is a visible memory that encourages me to obey spiritual authority?