Di Stick Wey Flower

Twelve dry sticks lie side by side for darkness. No soil. No water. No sunlight. Na only old wood, wey dem cut long time ago. By morning, one of dem go don flower.

Di camp of Israel still dey shake. Korah and im people don challenge Moses and Aaron, dem talk say anybody fit be priest. God answer with fire and judgement, and many people die. But di questions still dey hang for air. Who really dey talk for God? Why na Aaron family go serve as priests and no be another family? Di complain never stop. E just quiet small. And God decide to settle di matter for way wey nobody fit argue. No be with fire dis time. With flower.

God tell Moses, Talk to di people of Israel and collect one stick from each of dem, one for di leader of each tribe. Twelve sticks. Write each man name on top im stick. And write Aaron name on top di stick of Levi. For dat time, leader stick pass ordinary walking stick. Na sign of who e be and di authority wey e carry. Everybody know whose stick be whose. Then God talk, Put dem inside di tent of meeting, for di front of di ark. Di stick of di man wey I choose go sprout. And I go end di complain of di people against una. So Moses collect dem. Di leader of Judah give im stick. Di leader of Reuben. Di leader of Ephraim. One by one, twelve sticks, each one with name wey dem carve on am. Moses carry dem enter di tent and lay dem before di Lord. And e leave dem there for di night.

Imagine dat night. Some people sleep. Some no fit sleep. Twelve families dey wonder whose name God go choose. Early di next morning, Moses enter di tent. E look down di line of sticks. Eleven of dem still be as dem be. Dry. Bare. Dead wood. But Aaron stick, di stick of Levi, don come alive. E don bring out buds. E don burst into flowers. And ripe almonds dey hang for am. All for one night. Buds, flowers and fruit at di same time, for stick wey dem don cut from im tree long ago.

Moses carry all twelve sticks go out to di people. Each leader step forward and look. Each one take back im own stick, dry, e no change. And there, for Moses hand, na Aaron own, wey pale flowers and almonds cover. Nobody argue. Nothing dey to argue about. Then God tell Moses, Put Aaron stick back for di front of di ark. Keep am there as sign for anybody wey want rebel, so that their complain against me go end, and dem no go die. Moses do exactly as di Lord command. But fear catch di people. We go die! dem cry. We don lost, all of us don lost! Anybody wey even come near di Lord tent go die! Dem don see God holiness, and e make dem fear. For di next chapter, God answer dat fear. E give Aaron and di Levites di work to guard im tent, so that im anger no go fall on di people again. Di priesthood no be prize to fight for. Na gift, wey God give to keep everybody safe.

Why almonds? For di land of Israel, almond tree na one of di first trees to flower, e dey flower for late cold season while other trees still look like dead. Im Hebrew name, shaqed, sound like di word for to watch or to wake up. Di prophet Jeremiah later play on exactly dat: God show am almond branch and talk say, I dey watch over my word to do am. Almond flowers also be part of di design of di gold lampstand wey stand for di same holy tent, with cups wey dem shape like almond flowers. And di New Testament book of Hebrews remember Aaron stick wey bud as one of di treasures wey dem keep with di ark.

Di stick wey flower dey for Numbers, chapter seventeen. God no answer di complain with argument. E answer am with life wey comot from dead wood. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Where for your life something dey feel dry and finish, and how e go be to bring am to God and wait?