8Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses went into the tabernacle of witness, and behold, the rod of Aaron, of the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds. (Numbers 17:1-11)
God will always prove those He has set in authority by their fruit. Throughout His time on earth, Jesus proved His authority came from God not only because of all the signs, wonders, and miracles He performed but by the multitudes who followed Him and whose lives were dramatically changed by His teaching.
The religious Jews never accepted and submitted to the authority Jesus carried, but lack of respect for authority has always been one of the most common problems in our world. Today we see it in the home, in the church, and in the attitudes people have toward government. In this story in Numbers, the people of Israel questioned Moses’ and Aaron’s authority to govern the nation of Israel.
In Numbers 16, Korah slandered Moses’ character and authority, and the earth immediately swallowed him and all those associated with him. Then another fourteen thousand Israelites criticized Moses for the way he handled Korah and died by a plague of the Lord. Moses’ authority was under attack, and God was supernaturally proving him, but the people were still not accepting him.
To resolve the issue, the Lord had Moses command the leaders of each tribe to take their rods, which symbolized authority, and write their names on them. Then all the rods were placed in the Holy Place overnight. The next morning Aaron’s rod had budded, blossomed, and produced almonds. The other rods were still bare sticks. This forever settled the issue of whom God had chosen to rule the nation. The fruit made the difference!
You can always tell those who have God-given authority by the fruit they produce (Matt. 7:20). Although you must always honor and respect those in authority over you, some may not be producing fruit for the kingdom of God. Instead of judging them like Korah, pray for them. Be humble like Moses, and your own fruit will just naturally come forth.
