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“The Foundation of Your Temple” No. 13 by Rev. Toru Asai
On the staff of Levi write Aaron's name, for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe (Num 17:3).
While each of the twelve tribes of Israel was to bring its own staff, and write its own name on it, Aaron’s name, for the tribe of Levi, was to be written on their staff. In other words, Levi’s staff was exceptional, and in a sense, it already indicated that the tribe of Levi was separated from the rest of the tribes for the priestly work. It was by Aaron’s name that the whole tribe was chosen. Obviously, Aaron’s name can be seen as the type of Jesus’ name.
The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelites (v. 5).
What matters most is this act of God’s choosing. Through one man that God chooses, the rest of the people that belong to him will come to receive the same benefits and privileges as that man has. The same truth regarding priesthood is revealed in the vision that Zechariah saw in ch. 3 of his book. There, Joshua the high priest represents not only the entire nation of Israel, but also the whole community of Christians today. The filthy clothes he was wearing was removed from him, and a holy turban was given to him. Having declared as righteous, he was appointed as the high priest.
Listen, O high priest Joshua and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch (v. 8).
It is important to note that not only Joshua was chosen, but also his associates were chosen with him as priests. And they were to be “men symbolic of things to come”— symbolic of the truth in which all believers will become priests in Christ who is “my servant, the Branch.”
“See, the stone I have set in front of Joshua! There are seven eyes on that one stone, and I will engrave an inscription on it,” says the Lord Almighty, “and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day (v. 9).
The word for “eye” also means “spring,” and to “engrave an inscription” can mean to “open an opening” in Hebrew. Thus, besides the above translation, the whole sentence can be translated as “There are seven springs on that one stone, and I will open (them) up.” The result of this opening will be the gushing of the water from the stone. It will make a river, and on each side of the river, the tree of life will yield its fruit (different kinds of fruit) so that people will come to eat from them (cf. Rev 22:1-2).
And this two-fold theme continues in the vision of ch. 4.
He asked me, "What do you see?" I answered, "I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lights on it, with seven channels to the lights (4:2).
From v. 10, we know what these “seven lights” are: they are “the eyes of the Lord, which range throughout the earth.” If they are “eyes,” they are also “springs,” and it can be accordingly assumed that the “seven eyes” on the stone placed before Joshua in 3:9 are connected with the “seven lights” on the gold lampstand in 4:2. It can, then, be surmised that the vision in ch. 4 further reveals what was already revealed in the previous chapter by adding another dimension to it.
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By Davar Kingdom of GodOn the staff of Levi write Aaron's name, for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe (Num 17:3).
While each of the twelve tribes of Israel was to bring its own staff, and write its own name on it, Aaron’s name, for the tribe of Levi, was to be written on their staff. In other words, Levi’s staff was exceptional, and in a sense, it already indicated that the tribe of Levi was separated from the rest of the tribes for the priestly work. It was by Aaron’s name that the whole tribe was chosen. Obviously, Aaron’s name can be seen as the type of Jesus’ name.
The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelites (v. 5).
What matters most is this act of God’s choosing. Through one man that God chooses, the rest of the people that belong to him will come to receive the same benefits and privileges as that man has. The same truth regarding priesthood is revealed in the vision that Zechariah saw in ch. 3 of his book. There, Joshua the high priest represents not only the entire nation of Israel, but also the whole community of Christians today. The filthy clothes he was wearing was removed from him, and a holy turban was given to him. Having declared as righteous, he was appointed as the high priest.
Listen, O high priest Joshua and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch (v. 8).
It is important to note that not only Joshua was chosen, but also his associates were chosen with him as priests. And they were to be “men symbolic of things to come”— symbolic of the truth in which all believers will become priests in Christ who is “my servant, the Branch.”
“See, the stone I have set in front of Joshua! There are seven eyes on that one stone, and I will engrave an inscription on it,” says the Lord Almighty, “and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day (v. 9).
The word for “eye” also means “spring,” and to “engrave an inscription” can mean to “open an opening” in Hebrew. Thus, besides the above translation, the whole sentence can be translated as “There are seven springs on that one stone, and I will open (them) up.” The result of this opening will be the gushing of the water from the stone. It will make a river, and on each side of the river, the tree of life will yield its fruit (different kinds of fruit) so that people will come to eat from them (cf. Rev 22:1-2).
And this two-fold theme continues in the vision of ch. 4.
He asked me, "What do you see?" I answered, "I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lights on it, with seven channels to the lights (4:2).
From v. 10, we know what these “seven lights” are: they are “the eyes of the Lord, which range throughout the earth.” If they are “eyes,” they are also “springs,” and it can be accordingly assumed that the “seven eyes” on the stone placed before Joshua in 3:9 are connected with the “seven lights” on the gold lampstand in 4:2. It can, then, be surmised that the vision in ch. 4 further reveals what was already revealed in the previous chapter by adding another dimension to it.