民十七8　第二天，摩西进见证的会幕去；看哪，利未家亚伦的杖已经发了芽，甚至生了花苞，开了花，结了熟杏。

　　十六5　〔摩西〕对可拉和可拉一党的人说，到了早晨，耶和华必指示谁是属祂的，谁是圣别的，就叫谁亲近祂……。

　　杖是一根枯木，不仅被砍下，也枯槁了。然而〔在民数记十七章〕这样一根枯槁的死木竟然发了芽！芽乃是生机的东西，生命的东西。亚伦发芽的杖不是预表死了的基督，乃是预表复活的基督，发芽的基督；祂不只发芽，并且开花，结出熟果。这样一位基督把生命分赐给人（约十二24，彼前一3）。今天祂仍在发芽，我们就是祂发芽所产生的果子—熟杏（圣经恢复本，民十七8注1）。

　　〔在民数记十六章，神子民中间〕这次背叛的根乃是野心，要争夺权力和更高的地位。野心暗中破坏神的计划，并败坏神的子民。历世纪以来，基督徒中间的许多难处都是由野心引起的（参太二十20~28，约叁9~11）（民十六3注1）。

　　Num. 17:8 And on the next day Moses went into the Tent of the Testimony, and there was the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi: it had budded; it even put forth buds and produced blossoms and bore ripe almonds.

　　16:5 And he spoke to Korah and to all his company, saying, In the morning Jehovah will make known who is His and who is holy, and will bring him near to Himself...

　　A rod is a piece of dead wood that has not only been cut but is also dried up. Yet [in Numbers 17] such a dead and dried-up piece of wood budded! A bud is something organic, something of life. The budding rod of Aaron typifies not a dead Christ but the resurrected Christ, the budding Christ, who not only buds but also blossoms and bears fruit to maturity. Such a Christ imparts life to others (John 12:24; 1 Pet. 1:3). Today He is still budding, and we are the fruit, the almonds, of His budding. (Num. 17:8, footnote 1)

　　The root of this rebellion [in Numbers 16] was ambition, the struggle for power and for a higher position. Ambition undermines God's plan and damages His people. Throughout the centuries many problems among Christians have been caused by ambition (cf. Matt. 20:20-28; 3 John 9-11). (Num. 16:3, footnote 1)

　　摩西虽然谦卑地面伏于地（民十六4），却没有放弃他蒙神所赐，作神代表权柄的地位（5~11、16~18）。摩西没有反击，反倒将背叛者和他们所背叛的人带到神面前。摩西是神代表的权柄，是神所委派的权柄，他将这案件交给神这最高的权柄，让神说话、暴露并审判。在争夺权力的事上，唯一能审判并暴露真实光景的，乃是神自己（圣经恢复本，民十六5注1）。

　　可拉和其他人活活地坠落阴间。他们直接下到那里，不需要先经过死（参启十九20）。这是耶和华所创作的一件新事（民十六29~30）（民十六33注1）。

　　神对〔那些与可拉、大坍、亚比兰一同背叛之〕二百五十人的审判，表征人对神一切的事奉，若是照着人的意见、凭人的肉体并与别人争竞，都要受十字架的审判（民十六35注1）。

　　民数记十六章里可拉和他一党的背叛，与祭司职分有关（3、8~10），所以亚伦的杖发芽乃是个表白，指明亚伦蒙神悦纳，在神所赐的祭司职分上有权柄（民十七8注1）。

　　一切事奉的原则乃在于发芽的杖。神把其他的十一根杖都发还，只把亚伦那根发芽的杖留在约柜里，作永远的记念。这个意思就是说，复活乃是我们事奉神的永远原则。事奉神的人，乃是一个死了的人，再复活了。神一直向自己并向祂的子民见证，事奉神的权柄，乃是根据复活，不是根据人自己。事奉神的事非经过死而复活，就不能摆在神面前蒙悦纳。复活就是神，不是我们；复活就是神能，我不能；复活就是神作的，不是我作的。凡自己以为不错的，凡对自己有错误估价的，这人永远不知道复活是什么。……如果有人一直自以为了不得，以为自己行，以为自己有用，这就是不认识复活的人。你也许认识复活的道理、复活的理由、复活的结果，但你不认识复活。所有认识复活的人，都是对自己绝望的人；所有认识复活的人，都是知道自己不能的人。天然的力量还存在时，复活的能力就无法彰显。撒拉自己能生时，以撒就不会生出来。凡是你能的，乃是天然的；你不能的，才是复活的（倪柝声文集第三辑第一册，二七五至二七六页）。

　　参读：倪柝声文集第三辑第一册，权柄与顺服（下编），第四篇。

　　Although Moses was humble in falling on his face (Num. 16:4), he did not give up his God-given position as God's deputy authority (vv. 5-11, 16-18). Moses did not fight back; rather, he brought the rebels and the ones against whom they rebelled to God. As God's deputy, or delegated, authority, Moses referred this case to God as the highest authority, for His speaking, exposing, and judging. In a struggle for power the only One who can judge and expose the real situation is God Himself. (Num. 16:5, footnote 1)

　　Korah and the others went down to Sheol alive. They went there directly; they did not need to die first (cf. Rev. 19:20). This was something new that Jehovah brought about (Num. 16:29-30). (Num. 16:33, footnote 1)

　　God's judgment of these two hundred fifty men signifies the judgment of the cross on all of man's service to God that is according to man's opinions, by his flesh, and in rivalry with others. (Num. 16:35, footnote 1)

　　Since the rebellion of Korah and his company in Numbers 16 was related to the priesthood (vv. 3, 8-10), the budding of Aaron's rod was a vindication indicating that Aaron was the one accepted by God as having authority in the God-given ministry of the priesthood. (Num. 17:8, footnote 1)

　　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. A servant of the Lord is one who has died and resurrected. God testifies again and again to His people that authority to serve God lies in resurrection, not in a person himself. 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. All those who think highly of themselves and who hold a misguided judgment of themselves have never realized what resurrection is....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. He may know the doctrine of resurrection, the reason for resurrection, or the result of resurrection, but 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. As long as Sarah could beget a child, Isaac would not come. 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. 248-249)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1960, vol. 1, "Synopsis of Numbers," chs. 21-22; CWWN, vol. 47, "Authority and Submission," ch. 15