Numbers 17:5, 8
[5]And it shall come to pass, that the man’s rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you.
[8]And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.
The unregenerate soul is dead in all his obstinacy. Dead to righteousness but alive unto sin. He is subject to the law of sin and death. Though his flesh may be alive, he still remains a walking dead. Such is the lot of all men who share in the fallen nature of the first Adam- of whose seed we all are; and that which is dead is bereft of life; at least the kind of life that bears fruit unto righteousness. A dead soul is contrary to the Spirit and has no part with him. He is separated and thus removed. The lack of life means a lacking in spiritual productivity because only growth ensures productivity; and where there is no growth one cannot produce.
When that soul comes to Christ Jesus, he receives new life through the regeneration by the Spirit. He is rebirthed and made alive again. No longer subject to and enslaved by the law of sin and death. He now owes allegiance to another. The low of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, which sets him free. He is now alive unto righteousness but dead to sin. As he remains in this new relationship, the newness of life causes growth to manifest. A manifestation which leads to spiritual productivity. All this happens because he is chosen of God.
John 15:16
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
God rather chooses us because we cannot choose him, since we are alienated from him in our fallen state. Only life can give life. Only the way can show the way. Only truth can give truth. Jesus is the the Way, the Truth, and the Life. John 14:6. It is impossible to see God until he chooses to reveal himself to us. His steps can never be traced by the spiritually dead to whom the Light of Truth has not been shown.
In Numbers 17:5,8, God chooses Aaron’s rod from the midst of other rods and effects his work of regeneration upon it, such that that rod from a dead almond branch bursts forth with newness of life, as it lays in front of the Ark of the testimony, in the midst of the others. Just overnight, a branch that was dead, dry and withered becomes alive again even to the extent of bearing fruit. Such is the nature of every man or woman who has no fellowship or relationship with the Giver of Life. We are dead, dry, withered and barren. Sin dries us up, withers us and makes us barren with respect to the fruits of Righteousness. However, the moment grace leads us into the presence of Christ and we are chosen of him, the Spirit gives us new birth instantaneously and sets us on the path of growth and productivity. We are called to be saved and we are saved to bear fruit and that our fruits must remain to be a testimony to those who may doubt or contradict.
From the foregoing text, one realizes that, not only was Aaron’s rod given new life, it encountered also the three stages of fruitbearing that validate the presence of true Life and growth/maturity. It budded, it blossomed and it bore fruit. All three stages are very necessary and hold symbolic meanings for us. What we need to understand first off is that a life that is unproductive is not a life worth living. In farming, whether crops or livestock, the farmers expectation is always that whatever he is committing his time and resources to would yield. He expects to see an increase and so he provides whatever is necessary to ensure this is the case. No farmer puts a seed in the ground, works it, nourishes it, water it, prune it and by the end of the day hopes it just remains as it is. If after all his labour things do not pay off, he cuts is down and it is fed to the flames to be burned. If men do not expect any less, God doesn’t either. His Word ignites the fire of regeneration, transforming the nonliving into living, leading to maturity marked by our ability to bear fruit or to bring forth spiritual yield. (John 6:63).
We shall now consider the three stages of fruit bearing which is a mark of maturity. Before then, we must understand that fruit bearing in the Lord ought to be instantaneous and purposeful, just like the budding rod of Aaron’s almond branch. It was an overnight success, picturesque of the transformative power of the Holy Spirit. . The quality and quantum develops over time as the new believer experiences more growth. The quality in this regard has to do with the fact that with time, this becomes fully a new nature to us because by means of continually exercising ourselves unto godliness, we no longer have to struggle with it. Fruit bearing comes natural to us without a forethought. Verse 8 of Numbers 17 says:
And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.
By the way, the biblical significance of the almond plant is RESURRECTION, because it is the first plant to bloom.
THE BIDDING STAGE
Budding is the first stage of fruit production. Without it, a plant has no hope of bearing fruit. It is that which gives the farmer reasons to believe his toil is yielding results. It is never enough that the leaves are green, fresh and alive. That indeed shows signs of life but hardly a readiness to bear fruit. Though God is interested in the believer possessing his life within him, his delight actually emanates from his preparedness to bear fruit. Not just any fruit. Worthy fruit. Fruit befitting the true life he has received of the Lord. Anything apart from that and the tree(believer) is deserving of nothing save a curse and a death as we read in Mark 11:12-14, 20-21. The fig tree was green, lush and alive, possessing every quality of a fruit bearing tree, even though it wasn’t yet its time. However, Christ was not moved by those superficial appearances of maturity that only served as a veneer of fruitfulness veiling of the actual state emptiness and barrenness. He cursed it because its outward show of pomp and glory was nothing but deceptive. It only had a form of godliness but denied the power thereof. (2Timothy 3:5). After regeneration, or new birth, the believer has to be transformed. This transformation, like the budding of a plant, is what testifies of his readiness to conform and live by the dictates of the new life he has received. You can see it in the light of repentance and renunciation. Out with the old, in with the new. In 2Corinthians 4:2 Paul writes:
But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.
In Ephesians he writes:
Ephesians 5:7-11
[7]Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
[8]For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
[9](For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
[10]Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
[11]And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
If budding in a plant proves the plant has a chance and readiness to be fruitful, then transformation in a believer is also a sign that he is ready to live a productive life. Buds are not only seen by the farmer but also to all around who will have a cause to rejoice with the farmer for his hard work. In the same vein, a believer’s transformation, though worked by God is a confirmation of a new birth to God and a testimony to to all around which results in praises to him on his account.
THE BLOSSOMING STAGE
The second stage of fruit bearing is the blossoming stage . It symbolizes another important part of maturity. It is the time when plants produce flowers. Flowers are significant for many reasons. Most importantly are their ability to appeal to the senses of sight and smell. As their bright petals dazzle the eyes with natures physical beauty, their sweet smells fills the air working their wonders over our senses of smell. These two qualities of flowers attracts both insects, other animals and humans to advance the process of pollination. To humans, flowers are very useful for ornamentation, to show affection, for medicinal and cosmetic use as well us to freshen up the air. As the believer buds, which is a more or less an internalization of the transformative work of the Holy Spirit, the blossoming externalizes the change which has taken place within for the rest of the world to see. As they see its beauty, and get the sweet smell of its righteous and holy aroma, they are attracted to it.
In 2Corinthians 2:15-16 we read:
For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?
The old adage has it that, actions speak louder than words. As much as it is important to reach the World with the gospel message, we can reach them better through our good works, which actually validate whatever message we preach. Jesus said. let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16). Paul in 2Corinthians 3 writes;
2 Corinthians 3:2-3
Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
The believer’s life is not unto him alone but to all men. It should be lived like a city set on a hill which cannot be hidden.
THE FRUIT STAGE
This is where there is a true manifestation of the original purpose is seen. An evidence of the actual expected results. Reminding ourselves of Jesus’ words in John 15:16 where he tells that he has both chosen and ordained us such that we should bear fruit and the fruit we bear should remain. This is the ultimate end. The two previous stages, necessary as they are are but means to this end. Since fruits are for nourishment, likewise the believer’s fruits that he brings should nourish(edify) others just as he himself is nourished by them. His fruits of righteousness ought to bless all those who come into contact with him. The fruits should be good enough to strengthen, comfort, encourage, guide, nurture etc etc. Jesus was famished, and seeing the fig tree with its boughs sought for some nourishment thereon, but finding none cursed it such that it died, so also are we to bear fruit to nourish the spiritually and physically famished.
Jesus said to Peter, if thou lovest me, feed my sheep. How do you feed without having nothing to feed them with?
Just as God chose Aaron’s rod and caused it to burst forth with life, to Bud, blossom and bear fruit to be a testimony. By this he vindicated Aaron and authenticated his office. We, each and everyone of us, can be used by God to that same effect. The life we have received must be utilized to a profitable end for the sake of the kingdom. Once we were dead to sin. Now have we been made alive unto righteousness so that we can bear fruit onto the same. Fruits that arise out of a holy seed and untainted by the corruption of this world.