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The previous chapter made the point emphatically that Aaron’s priestly ministry was not something he stumbled into or manipulated his way into, but rather something for which he was chosen by God. This chapter continues and affirms that divine election.
A representative from each tribe presents a staff to Moses on which he writes the name of that representative. Then the staffs are placed in front of the ark. The one God chooses will sprout. In this way God will, Moses hopes, stop his people’s grumbling (v.5).
It was Aaron’s staff that sprouted, budded, blossomed, and bore almonds (v.8). That staff was then placed permanently in front of the ark as a warning to Israel.
As a result, the laypeople panicked and refused to have anything to do with the tabernacle (vv.12-13), a classic case of overreaction. How can there be vital worship of God if God’s house is viewed as a lion’s den that devours those who ever enter it? Ch. 18 will address this phobia.