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。

　　约十一25　耶稣对她说，我是复活，我是生命；信入我的人，虽然死了，也必复活。

　　神吩咐十二个首领按着支派，共取十二根杖，放在会幕内见证的柜前。神说，“我拣选的那人，他的杖必发芽。”（民十七5）杖是一根木头，是一根树枝，上下都砍断了，上离叶，下离根。曾有一次它是活的，现在是死了；原来能从树上得汁液，能开花结果，现在是死了。十二根杖都没有叶子、没有根，都是死枯的。神说，若有哪一根能发芽，那一根就是神所拣选的。在这里，就说明复活乃是神拣选的根据；复活乃是权柄的根据（倪柝声文集第三辑第一册，二六八至二六九页）。

　　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.

　　John 11:25 Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes into Me, even if he should die, shall live.

　　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). Arod is a piece of wood. It is a branch that has been stripped of its leaves and roots. It once was living but now has become dead. It once derived its sap from the tree, being able to blossom and bear fruit, but now has become dead. 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)

　　民数记十六章说到人背叛神的代表权柄，以及人如何抵挡神所设立的权柄。十七章说到神表白祂所设立的权柄。神表白祂设立人作权柄的根据乃是复活，祂用此来止息人的怨言。人本来没有权柄向神问理由，神在这里乃是降卑祂自己，来告诉人，祂设立权柄的理由和根据。神说，祂设立权柄的根据就是复活，为要叫以色列人无可非议。

　　亚伦和以色列人，同样是属乎亚当的，属乎血气的。在天然上、在天性上都是可怒之子，没有分别。十二根杖都是一样的，同样是没有叶、没有根的杖，同样是死的，是没有生命的。这给我们看见，事奉的根据，乃是在我们的天然之外的。乃是神另给我们复活的生命，我们才能有权柄。权柄不在于人如何，乃在于他身上有复活。亚伦和其他人本来没有任何分别；他与别人有分别，乃在于神肯挑选他，肯把复活的生命赐给他。所以权柄的根据乃是复活。

　　杖乃是指人的地位，而发芽是指复活的生命。论到地位，十二支派的那十二个人都有首领的地位；亚伦只代表利未支派，与其他人代表其他支派无异。亚伦不能根据他的地位事奉神，因他的地位和其他人的地位一样，这就是其他支派表示异议的。……死而复活才是神所承认的，神只承认那些经过死而进入复活的人，作为事奉祂的仆人。所以职事的标记乃是复活。人不能凭他自己的地位来事奉神，必须靠神的拣选。神叫亚伦的杖发芽、开花、结果子以后，其他支派的人有目共睹，就无话可说了。

　　我们身上若有权柄，乃是神的，不是我们的。……何时我们靠主，何时就看见权柄；何时我们一有天然，就立刻和任何其他人一样，没有丝毫的权柄。一切出于复活的才有权柄，权柄是在复活的上面，不是在你自己身上。不是任何的杖都摆在神面前，乃是复活的杖才摆在神面前。并且，复活在发芽的杖上，不是随便的，乃是完全的复活；不只是一点复活生命的彰显即了，乃是发了芽、开了花、结了果，这乃是成熟的复活生命。只有成熟的复活生命，才能作神代表的权柄。你身上复活的生命越彰显，你的权柄就越大（倪柝声文集第三辑第一册，二六九、二七一、二七八至二七九页）。

　　参读：如何作神代表的权柄，第四篇。

　　Numbers 16 speaks of man's rebellion against God's deputy authority and how man opposed God's appointed authority. Chapter 17 speaks of God's vindication of His appointed authority. The basis of God's vindication of His appointed authority is resurrection. By resurrection He stopped man's murmuring. Man, of course, has no right to question God in the first place, but God condescended Himself to tell man the reason and basis for His appointment of authority. The basis for His appointment of authority is resurrection. This shut the mouth of the Israelites.

　　Both Aaron and the Israelites were descendants of Adam and both were fleshly. By nature and according to their natural disposition, they were both sons of wrath; there was no difference between them. All twelve rods were the same. They were all leafless and rootless rods, dead and lifeless. This shows us that the basis of service is something apart from our natural life. It is the resurrection life we receive from God that gives us authority. Authority has nothing to do with man but with the resurrection that is manifested through man. Aaron was no different than all the other persons. His distinction was in God's choosing and the resurrection life which God granted him. From this we see that the basis of authority is resurrection.

　　Arod signifies human position, while budding signifies the resurrection life. As far as position is concerned, the twelve leaders of the twelve tribes occupied a position of leadership. Aaron represented the tribe of Levi and was no different than the others in his representation of his own tribe. Aaron could not serve God based on his position, because his position was the same as all the others. In fact, this was why the other tribes objected to his leadership….Resurrection is the mark that God recognizes. He only recognizes those who have passed through death and resurrection as His servants. Hence, the mark of ministry is resurrection. A man cannot base his service to God on his position. He must base it on God's selection. After God caused Aaron's rod to bud, blossom, and bear fruit, the tribes saw it, and they had nothing more to say.

　　If there is any authority in us, this authority comes from God, not from us….Whenever we trust in the Lord, we see authority. Whenever we express the natural life, we become the same as everyone else, and there is no authority in us whatsoever. Only that which issues from resurrection results in authority. Authority is based on resurrection, not on ourselves. No ordinary rod can be placed before God. Only a rod of resurrection can be placed before Him. Furthermore, resurrection is found in the budding rod. It is not a general resurrection but a full resurrection. It is not just a faint expression of the resurrection life but a life that has budded, blossomed, and brought forth fruit. This is resurrection life in maturity. Only one matured in resurrection life can act as God's deputy authority. The more resurrection life is expressed through us, the more authority we will have. (CWWN, vol. 47,”Authority and Submission,” pp. 243-245, 251-252)

　　Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 47,”Authority and Submission,” ch. 15