When God Confirms His Will

​“It will come about that the rod of the man whom I choose will sprout. Thus I will lessen from upon Myself the grumblings of the sons of Israel, who are grumbling against you.” Numbers 17:5

Throughout Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, the Israelites constantly grumbled and complained against the Lord and the leadership of Moses and Aaron. Because of the Israelites’ grumbling and complaining, 14,700 died from a plague as a result of the Lord’s judgment. The Lord desired to put an end to the Israelites’ grumbling and rebellion against His will. The Lord instructed Moses to tell the sons of Israel to each provide a rod, which in total would represent the twelve tribes of Israel. Each household was to provide a rod so that their specific tribal leader’s name could be written on their rod. The twelve inscribed rods were to be placed in the tent of meeting in front of the Testimony where the Lord met with Moses. To demonstrate whom the Lord had chosen among the twelve tribes of Israel, the Lord would cause the rod of the leader He’d chosen to sprout.

The following day, Moses entered the tent of meeting and saw Aaron’s staff, which had sprouted, budded, blossomed, and produced ripe almonds. Moses brought out all of the rods from the presence of the Lord in the tent of meeting and showed all the sons of Israel Aaron’s rod. This was very significant because a dead rod was revived and not only sprouted, but also produced! After seeing Aaron’s rod, each took their rod, with the exception of Aaron. Aaron’s rod was to remain in front of the Testimony as a sign against the rebellious and to put an end to complaining against the Lord, which in turn would spare them of the judgment that would result from grumbling.

God clearly confirmed His will and His choice for the priesthood to put an end to grumbling, complaining, and rebellion against Him, as well as to spare the Israelites from death. In the Scripture, God clearly shows His will to His children. Because of His great love and holiness, He has set standards and requirements according to His will, in addition to order and obedience that comes from a genuine love for and a relationship with Him.

Think about areas in your life that you currently don’t understand. Although you may have chosen a different way, a different solution, or a different plan, God’s word has clear instruction for how we are to think and to live. If you find yourself complaining about God's plan, what God has allowed, and as a result, you’ve decided to follow your own plans, begin today to put an end to grumbling against the Lord and put an end to rebelling against His leadership. He has shown you His will so that you would not experience the judgment that results from rebelling against Him. Just as the sons of Israel were clearly shown God's confirmed will and choice for priesthood when Aaron's rod sprouted and produced, remember that the Lord's perfect and divine will is confirmed and clearly shown to us in His word. Establish in your mind today that following God's will and His way, is His confirmed will and plan for your life.