Justin Matthew Reid

Bible Teachings - Manna, Aaron's Rod and ... Your Faith?

Hebrews 9:4

...and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;

Inside of the ark of covenant we have 3 items: the golden pot of manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant. The tables of the covenant contained the 10 commandments, which God wrote in tables of stone. The tables of the covenant represent and contain the written Word of God.

God says in Psalm 89:34, "my covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips". He says in Judges 2:1, "I will never break my covenant with you". Numbers 23:19 says, "...hath He said, and shall He not do it? hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?". When God says something, it's equal to it being done, for He watches over His Word to perform it! (Jeremiah 1:12)

Exodus 34:1

And the Lord said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest.

Moses smashed the first copy of the 10 commandments that God had written into stone. God didn't have any trouble remembering what He had said or written the first time. He simply wrote them again.

In the Old Testament, the ark of the covenant is also known as the testimony. God's Word/Covenant is a testimony to Himself, that He is always faithful. Of course, He cannot be faithful to His Word in our lives IF we choose to disobey. The Word of God can be made of none effect to us by our unbelief. God is not obligated to keep his covenant/contract with people that despise His Word by not obeying it. The covenant blessings are for those that keep covenant with Him!

The ark of the covenant, God's testimony, contains God's Word, the tables of the covenant. What other 2 things did God see fit to put into the ark? The golden pot of manna and Aaron's rod that budded. Let's take a look at why those 2 items were put into the ark.

Exodus 16:12

I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God.

Exodus 16:32-33

And Moses said, This is the thing which the Lord commandeth, Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt. And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the Lord, to be kept for your generations.

The pot of manna was to be kept as an everlasting memorial to the Lord's faithfulness to His Word. The actual, physical manna is used as evidence that God's Word is sure. The pot of manna is put into the same ark of testimony/covenant as God's Word. God esteems His Word carried out/performed as equal in value to His written Word. There's no difference to Him (it's all His Word). He gives His written Word because He wants to bless us and perform His Word to us. He gives His written Word so that we have something in which to put our faith. He performs His Word because He's magnified His Word above His Name and must do what He's said if He's to be a God of justice and judgment. God is not double minded.

Notice that God sent the manna to Israel in the face of their murmurings/unbelief against Him! It wasn't because of any obedience on their part. It was done as a testimony FOR God and AGAINST the rebellious children of Israel. God proved that His written/spoken Word is all that Israel needed, if only they would believe it! He had the manna put into the testimony, as even more evidence that God is faithful to His Word. He had it put into a golden pot, showing that His performed Word is a valuable thing.

Numbers 17:8

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.

Numbers 17:10

And the Lord said unto Moses, Bring Aaron's rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not.

Again, God brings His Word to pass by causing Aaron's rod to bud. He does this in direct answer to Israel again murmuring against Him and the high priest that He had chosen, Aaron. Once again, the Lord physically manifests His Word in answer to the disobedient nation of Israel.

The Lord has the budded rod put into the testimony, as evidence to His faithfulness. Notice that the Lord is unable to put faith into the ark, for faith is a decision to believe what God has said. God's Word and God's performed Word testify to His faithfulness to us. Our faith testifies to our faithfulness to Him! These 3 parts MUST be there for us to have a living relationship with the living God. God created us so that He might have a relationship with us.

Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

We might say that God's Word + faith in God's Word = a resulting manifestation of God's Word. Parts 1 and 3 of that equation are sure in that God cannot lie or deny Himself. God requires us to supply part 2. He's dealt the capacity of faith to those made in His image, us! God simply cannot perform His Word in blessing the unbelieving, murmuring and disobedient. He called such people rebels! God puts a difference between righteous and unrighteous, holy and unholy, believing and faithless. He performs His Word in the lives of those that meet His condition: faith!

Note that the Scripture says: Faith = evidence of things not seen. Faith is evidence that we have what God says we can have, before we see a manifestation/physical appearance of that thing! Faith in God's Word is equal to receiving the promises of God. If you've been standing in faith for some promise out of God's Word, don't worry. You've got something that God esteems equal to His performed Word: your faith! If you've got faith in the Word of God, you've got more than you know.

Your faith is evidence. The golden pot of manna and Aaron's rod that budded is evidence to God's performed Word. God performs His Word in our lives BECAUSE we have faith in His Word. Once God brings something to pass in answer to your faith, you no longer need to have faith for it to come to pass.

1 John 5:4

..this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

God shows Himself faithful in the lives of them that believe what He has said, Amen. This is God's testimony to Himself and that testimony is sure, proven and forever settled in heaven.

-Justin

September 26th, 2007