SEE the flowers and ripe almonds growing from this rod, or stick. This is the rod of Aaron. These flowers and the ripe fruit grew out of Aaron’s rod in just one night! Let’s see why.

The Israelites have been wandering in the wilderness for a while now. Some of the people don’t think Moses should be the leader, or that Aaron should be the high priest. Koʹrah is one who thinks this way, and so are Daʹthan, A·biʹram and 250 leaders of the people. These all come and say to Moses: ‘Why is it that you put yourself above the rest of us?’

Moses tells Koʹrah and his followers: ‘Tomorrow morning take fire holders and put incense in them. Then come to Jehovah’s tabernacle. We will see whom Jehovah will choose.’

The next day Koʹrah and his 250 followers come to the tabernacle. Many others come along to support these men. Jehovah is very angry. ‘Get away from the tents of these bad men,’ Moses says. ‘Don’t touch anything that belongs to them.’ The people listen, and move away from the tents of Koʹrah, Daʹthan and A·biʹram.

Then Moses says: ‘By this you will know whom Jehovah has chosen. The ground will open and swallow up these bad men.’

As soon as Moses stops talking, the ground opens. Koʹrah’s tent and belongings and Daʹthan and A·biʹram and those with them go down, and the ground closes over them. When the people hear the cries of those falling into the ground, they shout: ‘Run! The earth might swallow us too!’

Koʹrah and his 250 followers are still near the tabernacle. So Jehovah sends fire, and all of them are burned up. Then Jehovah tells Aaron’s son E·le·aʹzar to take the fire holders of the dead men and to make a thin covering for the altar with them. This altar covering is to serve as a warning to the Israelites that no one besides Aaron and his sons should act as priests for Jehovah.

But Jehovah wants to make very clear that it is Aaron and his sons whom he has chosen to be priests. So he tells Moses: ‘Have a leader of each tribe of Israel bring his rod. For the tribe of Levi, have Aaron bring his rod. Then put each of these rods in the tabernacle in front of the ark of the covenant. The rod of the man that I have chosen as priest will grow flowers.’

When Moses looks the next morning, why, Aaron’s rod has these flowers and ripe almonds growing out of it! So do you see now why Jehovah caused Aaron’s rod to grow flowers?

YEAR after year passes—10 years, 20 years, 30 years, 39 years! And the Israelites are still in the wilderness. But all these years Jehovah takes care of his people. He feeds them with manna. He leads them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and by night with a pillar of fire. And all during these years their clothes don’t wear out and their feet don’t get sore.

It is now the first month of the 40th year since leaving Egypt. The Israelites again camp at Kaʹdesh. This is where they were when the 12 spies were sent to spy out the land of Caʹnaan nearly 40 years before. Moses’ sister Mirʹi·am dies at Kaʹdesh. And as before, there is trouble here.

The people can’t find any water. So they complain to Moses: ‘It would have been better if we had died. Why did you bring us out of Egypt into this terrible place where nothing will grow? There are no grain, no figs, no grapes, no pomegranates. There isn’t even any water to drink.’

When Moses and Aaron go to the tabernacle to pray, Jehovah tells Moses: ‘Gather the people together. Then in front of them all speak to that rock over there. Enough water will come out of it for the people and all their animals.’

So Moses gathers the people, and says: ‘Listen, you who have no trust in God! Do Aaron and I have to get water out of this rock for you?’ Then Moses strikes the rock twice with a stick, and a great stream of water comes pouring out of the rock. There is enough water for all the people and animals to drink.

But Jehovah is angry with Moses and Aaron. Do you know why? It is because Moses and Aaron said that they were going to bring water from the rock. But really Jehovah did it. And because Moses and Aaron didn’t tell the truth about this, Jehovah says that he is going to punish them. ‘You will not lead my people into Caʹnaan,’ he says.

Soon the Israelites leave Kaʹdesh. After a short while they come to Mount Hor. Here, up on top of the mountain, Aaron dies. He is 123 years of age at the time of his death. The Israelites are very sad, and so for 30 days all the people weep for Aaron. His son E·le·aʹzar becomes the next high priest of the nation of Israel.

DOES that look like a real snake wrapped around the pole? It isn’t. The snake is made of copper. Jehovah told Moses to put it up on the pole so that the people could look at it and keep alive. But the other snakes on the ground are real. They have bitten the people and made them sick. Do you know why?

It is because the Israelites have spoken against God and Moses. They complain: ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in this wilderness? There is no food or water here. And we can’t stand to eat this manna anymore.’

But the manna is good food. By a miracle Jehovah has given it to them. And by a miracle he has given them water too. But the people aren’t thankful for the way God has taken care of them. So Jehovah sends these poisonous snakes to punish the Israelites. The snakes bite them, and many of them die.

Finally the people come to Moses and say: ‘We have sinned, because we have spoken against Jehovah and you. Now pray to Jehovah to take these snakes away.’

So Moses prays for the people. And Jehovah tells Moses to make this copper snake. He says to put it on a pole, and that anyone who is bitten should look at it. Moses does just what God says. And the people who were bitten look at the copper snake and they get well again.

There is a lesson to learn from this. All of us are, in a way, like those Israelites who were bitten by those snakes. We are all in a dying condition. Look around, and you will see that people grow old, get sick, and die. This is because the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, turned away from Jehovah, and we are all their children. But Jehovah has made a way so we can live forever.

Jehovah sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to earth. Jesus was hung on a stake, because many people thought he was bad. But Jehovah gave Jesus to save us. If we look to him, if we follow him, then we can have everlasting life. But we will learn more about this later.