Numbers 17 & 18: Will Your Rod Yields Almond?
Verse of the Day: (17:8) 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.

1. Almond (17:1-13)
And the LORD said unto Moses, 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. (17:10)

Time and again, there shall always be challenges for those who are in leadership or with special appointments. This was the case when the people murmured against Aaron and his descendants as they were appointed as the priests of Israel to serve God at His tabernacle. God then commanded Moses to have every prince of the twelve tribes of Israel to take a rod and laid it at the tabernacle. The next day, only Aaron’s rod miraculously budded, bloomed and yielded almonds, confirming that God had appointed Aaron and his descendants to be His priests. Indeed, Aaron’s rod yielding almonds symbolises resurrection, in other words, when we truly believe in Jesus Christ, we shall never die, but live forever, because He is the Resurrection and the Life. (John 11:25-26)
 
2. Altar (18:1-7)
And they shall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the tabernacle: only they shall not come nigh the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, that neither they, nor ye also, die. (18:3)

While the tribe of Levi served at God’s tabernacle, only Aaron and his descendants, God’s priests, had the privilege to minister at God’s altar and vessels. Beside Aaron and his descendants, whoever would come near the altar, God shall judge and destroy them including Aaron and his descendants. Indeed, this is the high calling of the priests, as Jesus Christ, the High Priest, died for the sins of the world, and the third day, He rose again, and is now at the right hand of God’s throne interceding for us. (Hebrews 7:25-28)  
 
3. Aaron (18:8-32)
Thus ye also shall offer an heave offering unto the LORD of all your tithes, which ye receive of the children of Israel; and ye shall give thereof the LORD’s heave offering to Aaron the priest. (18:28)

God through Moses commanded Israel to give their tithes or the tenth of all their harvests to the tribe of Levi, including Aaron and his descendants, the priests, because they had no inheritance of land, and were unable to provide for themselves and their families. Let us therefore financially support our full-time preachers and staff as they give their lives to serve God in peaching and ministering to the people in the church. (1 Corinthians 9:9-13)

Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, like the rod that yields almonds, I trust in You and I shall live forever.