Then Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord to all the children of Israel; and they looked, and each man took his rod. And the Lord said to Moses, “Bring Aaron’s rod back before the Testimony, to be kept as a sign against the rebels.” (Numbers 17:9-10)
To clearly show that Aaron had been appointed, by God to serve as High Priest, God allowed the people to see the evidence of his selection — the fruit produced by the rod that represented the tribe of Levi. And that it might be a reminder and warning to future generations, that rod was placed in the Sanctuary, before the Ark of the Covenant, as a “sign” not to murmur against God or His chosen vessels. The message was (and is) “Look at the fruit.”
A fundamental and critical principle is amplified by this event and that is, everything can be defined and identified by its fruit. In the very beginning, God determined that every herb and every tree produces fruit “according to its kind,” meaning that an apple tree produces apples; olive trees produce olives. It doesn’t matter if someone calls the olive tree an apple tree; its’ fruit identifies it for all to see and, according to this universal law, it will reproduce according to the seed in the fruit. In short, apple seeds won’t, all of a sudden, start producing olives.
The same principle applies to people; if they are a “good tree” they will produce good fruit, and likewise, if they are a “bad tree” they will produce bad fruit. That is why Messiah told us, when determining the nature of people, “You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16). If they are of God, it will be evident by the fruit they produce not necessarily by what they say or claim. In short, the fruit is the sign we are looking for in order to identify who and what we are dealing with. So then, as each of us strive to produce good fruit in our own lives, don’t be led astray by smooth words, charisma and someone’s lofty position — examine their fruit.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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