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The budding rod signifies that Christ, the resurrected One, should be our life, our living, and the resurrection life within us and that this life should bud, blossom, and bear fruit to maturity—Num. 17:8:
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After the children of Israel rebelled, as recorded in Numbers 16, God commanded the twelve leaders to take twelve rods according to the twelve tribes of Israel and put them in the Tent of Meeting before the Testimony (17:4); then He said, “The rod of the man whom I choose shall bud” (v. 5).
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All twelve rods were leafless, rootless, dry, and dead; whichever one budded was the one chosen by God; here we see that resurrection is the basis of God’s selection and that the basis of service is something apart from our natural life; thus, the budding rod signifies our experience of Christ in His resurrection as our acceptance by God for authority in the God-given ministry.
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The principle to every service lies in the budding rod; God returned all the eleven rods to the leaders but kept Aaron’s rod inside the Ark as an eternal memorial; this means that resurrection is an eternal principle in our service to God—vv. 9-10.
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After Aaron’s rod budded, there was no ground whatsoever for him to be proud; his experience shows that everything depends upon God’s grace and mercy, and we can do nothing in ourselves—2 Cor. 12:7-9; Rom. 9:15-16, 21, 23; Luke 1:78-79.
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Because our sufficiency is from God, there is no ground whatsoever for us to be proud; only a foolish person would say that he is better than others (2 Cor. 3:5; Matt. 26:33; John 21:15; cf. Mark 11:9); humility saves us from all kinds of destruction and invites God’s grace (2 Cor. 12:7-9; James 4:6; cf. Rom. 12:3; Gal. 5:26; Matt. 18:3-4; 20:20-28; 2 Cor. 4:5).
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Resurrection is everything that is not out of our natural life, not out of ourselves, and not based on our ability; resurrection speaks of the things that are beyond us, which we cannot do in ourselves—1:8-9; 4:7.
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Resurrection means that everything is of God and not of us; it means that God alone is able and that we are not able; resurrection means that everything is done by God, not by ourselves—1:12; Phil. 3:10-11.
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What we can do belongs to the natural realm, and what is impossible for us to do belongs to the realm of resurrection; a man must come to the end of himself before he will be convinced of his utter uselessness—Matt. 19:26; Mark 10:27; Luke 18:27.
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We need to see that to be a Christian and an overcomer is not merely difficult—it is impossible; only the processed and consummated Triune God living in us as the all-inclusive Spirit can be a Christian and an overcomer; when we have a need, a disability, or when we are facing a difficult situation, we can talk to Him about it; then He, the One who lives in us, will come in to face the situation and to do whatever is needed, and we will spontaneously live Christ—Phil. 4:5-7, 12; 1:21a.
Morning Nourishment
2 Cor. 1:8-9 …We were excessively burdened, beyond our power, so that we despaired even of living. Indeed we ourselves had the response of death in ourselves, that we should not base our confidence on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.Matt. 19:26 And looking upon them, Jesus said to them, With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.
God commanded the twelve leaders to take twelve rods according to the twelve tribes of Israel, and put them in the Tent of Meeting before the Ark. Then He said, “And the rod of the man whom I choose shall bud” (Num. 17:5)…. All twelve rods were leafless, rootless, dry, and dead. Whichever one budded was the one that was chosen by God. Here we see that resurrection is the basis of God’s selection. It is also the basis of authority. (CWWN, vol. 47, “Authority and Submission,” p. 243)
Today’s Reading
Resurrection is everything that is not out of our natural life, not out of ourselves, and not based on our ability. Resurrection speaks of the things that are beyond us, which we cannot do in ourselves. Any rod can be engraved with flowers or painted with colors, but no one can make it bud….This is God’s work. No woman in the world has ever given birth after her womb has been closed, but Sarah bore Isaac (Rom. 4:19). This was God’s doing. Hence, Sarah typifies resurrection…. Resurrection means that one cannot do anything by himself, that he can only do it through God…. Resurrection means that one ignores what he is and trusts only in what God is.God returned all the eleven rods to the leaders, but kept Aaron’s rod inside the Ark as an eternal memorial. This means that resurrection is an eternal principle in our service to God…. All services to the Lord must pass through death and resurrection before they will be acceptable to God. Resurrection means that everything is of God and not of us. It means that God alone is able and that we are not able. Resurrection means that everything is done by God, not by ourselves…. No one should be mistaken to think that he can do anything by himself. If a man continues to think that he is able, that he can do something, and that he is useful, he does not know resurrection…. All those who know resurrection have given up hope in themselves; they know that they cannot make it. As long as the natural strength remains, the power of resurrection has no ground for manifestation….What we can do belongs to the natural realm, and what is impossible for us to do belongs to the realm of resurrection. (CWWN, vol. 47, “Authority and Submission,” pp. 247-249)
To be a Christian is not merely difficult—it is impossible. Only the processed and consummated Triune God living in us as the all-inclusive Spirit can be a Christian. What the New Testament requires of us is too high….We praise the Lord that it is not we who need to fulfill the New Testament requirements but the Spirit in us who fulfills them. Instead of doing things in ourselves, we should simply enjoy His living and His working. Only the Spirit can be a Christian, and only the Spirit can be an overcomer. Remember, the Spirit is our God, our Father, our Lord, our Redeemer, our Savior, our Shepherd, and our life and life supply.
The Christian life is altogether the processed and consummated Triune God as the all-inclusive Spirit. In this Spirit we have the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. In this Spirit we are in the Father, the Son, and the Spirit (Matt. 28:19)….Our God is the processed and consummated Triune God, who is the consummated, all-inclusive Spirit as everything for our Christian life. When we have a need or a disability, we can remind Him of it. When we are facing a difficult situation, we can talk to Him about it. Then He, the One who lives in us, will come in to face the situation and to do whatever is needed. (Life-study of Job, pp. 109-110)
Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 47, “Authority and Submission,” ch. 15; Life-study of Job, msg. 19