While in Africa I developed problems with sleeping. Sometimes I would wake up a 1 a.m. Or 2:30 or 3, and be awake for 2 or more hours. Sometimes I could get back to sleep.
At times, I would just lay in bed, thinking, praying, planning. Other times I would get up, go out in the sitting room and study. Then, if I got tired, I would go back to bed.
One night I woke up, decided to get up and went out into the sitting room. What should I read? I looked over the Spirit of Prophecy books in the bookcase. I wasn't sure what to read. Early Writings caught my eye. I pulled it out. What should I read in it? I had read Ellen White's first vision many times so I went on. Then I came to one vision where Jesus took her into the Most Holy Place in heaven. There she saw the ark of the covenant. Jesus lifted the lid to the ark and as she looked inside she saw the golden pot of manna, Aaron’s rod that budded and the ten commandments. The major point of the vision was the halo of light around the 4th commandment. Advent believers were just discovering the truths of the seventh-day Sabbath, and this vision confirmed their discoveries.
But that night I did not think so much about the 4th commandment. Instead, my mind was exercised about the golden pot of manna and Aaron’s rod that budded. This vision was after 1844. Why were the pot of manna and Aaron’s rod portrayed as up in heaven? Was there some lesson God wanted us to discover?
As I thought about the golden pot of manna, I wondered, Does this portray the importance of the health message to God’s remnant people? As I thought about it, I said in my mind, “I could buy that!”
But what about Aaron’s rod that budded? I thought for some time, but didn’t come up with anything, I spent the rest of my waking time that night studying again the giving of the manna, and the rebellion of Korah, Dathan and Abiram that led up to Aaron’s rod that budded.
The next day I shared my discoveries and inquired if others had ideas about Aaron’s rod. No one had any additional ideas. Time passed. The incident was all but forgotten.
Then the time of the 1995 General Conference session in Utrecht, the Netherlands, came. Zambia had sent several delegates, some of whom were women. We knew that Women’s Ordination was to be a hot issue in the session. I invited staff members to join me for prayer four days a week after assembly to pray for the General Conference in session, and especially that the Lord’s will be done in the Women’s Ordination issue. Usually 10-15 would join me for prayer before the busy day began.
Some time during the prayer sessions, as we were bowed in prayer, a voice (the Holy Spirit) said in my mind, “This is Aaron’s rod that budded.” I was surprised.
Moses’ authority had been challenged. How did God respond? How will we respond?
That was thirty years ago. The issue isn’t over. Imagine trying to raise the issue again at another General Conference.
Here is what I had learned that first night when I questioned: Why are the golden pot of manna and Aaron’s rod that budded portrayed as being in the ark of the covenant in the heavenly sanctuary after 1844? I felt a peace with the idea that the golden pot of manna represented the health message, especially a plant-based diet, given to God’s remnant people. But what about Aaron’s rod that budded? I turned in my Bible to Numbers 13, 16 and 17.
Israel had come to the border of Canaan at Kadesh-barnea. They had proposed to send spies in to ascertain what the land and inhabitants were like [Deut. 1:22, 23; Num. 13:1-3]. Ten of the spies brought back an evil report which discouraged all the Children of Israel. The majority of the camp decided it was impossible to possess the land and chose a captain to take them back to Egypt. As a result, God said they would not inherit the land until all had died in the wilderness, ages 20 years and upward (except Caleb and Joshua, the faithful spies).
But Israel had not reconciled to the sentence given by God. Korah, a Levite, felt he was just as qualified to lead as was Aaron, and his near neighbors, Dathan and Abiram, descendents of Reuben, Jacob’s first-born, were also dissatisfied with Moses’ leadership. The Lord signally revealed their rebellion by opening up the earth and swallowing all three families. Two hundred fifty princes of Israel who felt they were as qualified to lead in worship as Aaron’s two sons were also consumed.
But the congregation weren’t reconciled to the judgments on their hopeful leaders. They came with the accusation that Moses had killed the people of God. Under God’s direction, Moses asked a rod from each tribe be brought to the tabernacle and laid before the Lord overnight. The next morning only Aaron’s rod budded, blossomed and bore fruit. The people realized their sentence would be carried out and that they were not going to inherit the promised land, and that their children, whom they claimed would perish by the inhabitants of the land, would be the ones who would actually inherit the land.
This incident was significant enough to have Aaron’s rod be a testimony to all succeeding generations as to the importance of following God’s directions implicitly and to his directions in leadership.
We have wandered much longer than 40 years in this world, waiting for entrance into the heavenly Canaan. Are we going to continue to rebel against the Lord’s directives? Might there be any connection to their lusting after the flesh pots of Egypt and their gluttony of eating mounds of quail for 30 days (Kadesh-barnea was only 11 days journey from Sinai—Deut. 1:2) and their rejection of the two spies report? We are told that had there been only two spies who brought back an evil report, they would have still listened to the evil report. Are we any less guilty of listening to those who would flatter us and call us holy, when we are poor and blind and naked.
In the controversy of 1888, some of those who rejected the messages of Jones and Waggoner had not given up their fleshpots either.
I pray that we all learn the lessons from ancient Israel that are being repeated in our modern history.
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I am a Biochemist by training, a mother by choice, a teacher of my own children and in Zambia, Africa and India/Nepal. I am currently retired and live in Tennessee. I share a lesson the Lord taught me in Africa concerning Women's Ordination.