Numbers 16

Verses 1-3

1. “Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men:
2. And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown:
3. And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?”

Now ALL the Levite tribal chiefs gathered to object to Moses and Aaron! It was as if the previous deaths and warnings from God were somehow lost. Yet, they occurred just days beforehand. It is what human beings are really like. Though descended from Levi, Korah (an Edomite name) went to argue with Moses, accompanied by some of his men. Another 250 princes (chiefs) also attended. Korah proudly said that all the tribe of Levi were holy - “every one of them” – so who did Moses think he was, having only the sons of Aaron as priests?

Though every step of the way Moses kept all the people informed, he was now accused of being filled with pride, and choosing favourites to help him rule. Even today, when a man speaks from God, he is often accused of being filled with pride, for openly stating the truth… which offends many. Moses was only passing-on what God told him to say and do. Evidently, the Levite chieftains thought he was making it up and trying to have all the glory and power for himself and Aaron!

Verses 4-11

4. “And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face:
5. And he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, Even to morrow the LORD will shew who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him.
6. This do; Take you censers, Korah, and all his company;
7. And put fire therein, and put incense in them before the LORD to morrow: and it shall be that the man whom the LORD doth choose, he shall be holy: ye take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi.
8. And Moses said unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi:
9. 9 Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them?
10. And he hath brought thee near to him, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee: and seek ye the priesthood also?
11. For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the LORD: and what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him?”

Moses was, humanly speaking, now in a dangerous position, one that could possibly become murderous. He was as shocked with the behaviour of men as we are to read about it. Surrounded by over 250 fighting men, Moses fell to the ground in both humility and fear. Aaron stood by not knowing what would happen. Moses then spoke to the crowd. It is clear that Moses had already been given what to say by Jehovah, for his response was blunt – tomorrow we will know who is holy or not, and who really belongs to Jehovah. He, the Lord, will call those who are really holy to Himself.

Moses then commanded Korah and the others to get hold of censers, fill them with suitable incense and light them. Moses then rebuked Korah for thinking too highly of himself. The same applied to the other ‘sons of Levi’, for they wanted some kind of higher status, being Levites. Moses told them they must have viewed the command of God to be separate from all the other tribes very lightly. He told them that they were in error, because they ALL wanted to be named as priests, thus revealing their jealousy, that only the descendants of Aaron were to be priests.

Today, a lot of Christians think they ‘ought’ to be preachers, or pastors, or teachers, even when they have not been distinctly called to those roles. They think that the roles offer some kind of romantic status, so they desire them. This proves they know nothing of the awful responsibilities of being such men – the roles are not romantic in any way, but can often be dreaded, because God chose the men to commit to them and so demands their obedience. Here Korah and the princes wanted the perceived status for themselves – they all wanted to be priests. That is, men wanted to choose other men to roles they themselves invent. They thereby rejected God’s path.

Verses 12-17

12. “And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab: which said, We will not come up:
13. Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, except thou make thyself altogether a prince over us?
14. Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land that floweth with milk and honey, or given us inheritance of fields and vineyards: wilt thou put out the eyes of these men? we will not come up.
15. And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the LORD, Respect not thou their offering: I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.
16. And Moses said unto Korah, Be thou and all thy company before the LORD, thou, and they, and Aaron, to morrow:
17. And take every man his censer, and put incense in them, and bring ye before the LORD every man his censer, two hundred and fifty censers; thou also, and Aaron, each of you his censer.”

Two men were summoned to meet with Moses, because they did not accompany the others. These were Dathan and his brother, Abirim, of the tribe of Reuben, who conspired with Korah. They refused the call to meet with Moses and sent him a message. They said that Moses took them out of Egypt (calling it full of milk and honey) just to cause them to die in the wilderness, so he could take on the kingship of the people… it was a complaint that was always simmering under the surface. They said that right now they had no milk and honey, and owned no land, so will Moses put their eyes out as a punishment? No, Moses – we will NOT come to you!

Moses was filled with anger at their reply, and called to Jehovah. He told God what He already knew – that Moses had never taken anything from the people, nor did he hurt any of them. Moses then turned to Korah and told him and those with him to come to the Tabernacle next day, to stand with Aaron. Each man was to bring his lit censer. Something was afoot, and everyone knew an answer would come the next day. Thus far, Moses has said what God said, so it is possible he did not know what the outcome would be the next day.

Verses 18&19

18. “And they took every man his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation with Moses and Aaron.
19. And Korah gathered all the congregation against them unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the congregation.”

Next day the crowd arrived back at the Tabernacle with their censers filled with incense and lit. They all stood around the Tabernacle itself with Moses and Aaron. Then, the “glory of the Lord” appeared to them all. Probably this was in the cloud. Even though those gathered had witnessed many miracles, their human sin led them against God and Moses. We see this today after two millennia of knowing the truth of Christ and salvation! And even though we all know our lives are as grass, here today and gone tomorrow. It is how the Pharisees lived in Jesus’ time, and as a result they wait until Christ comes again to deny them entry to His abode. All for the sake of insisting on having their own way. What happened after this verbal rebellion should show us why we ought to always fear God.

Verses 20-27

20. “And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
21. Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.
22. And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation?
23. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
24. Speak unto the congregation, saying, Get you up from about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.
25. And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him.
26. And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all their sins.
27. So they gat up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side: and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood in the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little children.”

God again spoke to Moses and Aaron. He warned them to keep away from the crowd, because He was about to kill them all. The two men fell to the ground on their faces and pleaded with God. ‘Please don’t kill them all because one or two are rebellious!’ Jehovah told them to go and find the two men who refused to come to Moses. Korah and other chiefs followed. When they reached the tents of Dathan and Abirim, Moses stopped and called out loudly to those who had followed and to all who were near – ‘Do not remain here with these two men, and do not retrieve anything that belongs to them, otherwise you will all receive the same judgment’.

Everyone stood a distance away from the two tents, and the brothers finally came out to face Moses. They were accompanied by wives, children, and other family. It is to be remembered that one who disobeys God can easily corrupt others around them. And so whole families or friends can come under God’s wrath.

Verses 28-35

28. “And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the LORD hath sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own mind.
29. If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then the LORD hath not sent me.
30. But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD.
31. And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them:
32. And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods.
33. They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation.
34. And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them: for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also.
35. And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.”

When all were assembled, Moses told them that he did not say and do what he does because of his own wishes and desires; he was saying and doing only what Jehovah had instructed him to say and do. In our churches very few understand this fact, that genuine preachers/pastors/teachers are commanded to speak and act. And when there is no such leading, they must stay silent. Moses told the crowds around him that something was about to happen that would prove God was in control, and not him. (“hereby ye shall know”).

Moses then spoke in chilling tones: ‘If these men die ordinarily as do all men, then I will be proved to be a liar. But, if the earth opens up and swallows them into the pit, you will see that they have angered the Lord’.

Everyone was standing well away from the tents of the brothers, and as soon as Moses finished speaking, the ground opened up and the tents and people disappeared, along with Korah and his men, plus their goods and tents. All died in an instant, and the earth closed up again. This was a dire miracle, a spectacle for all to see. Some think it was an earthquake, but no – it was a special event to prove God was speaking through Moses; Moses was not saying things from his own head. As the tents and people disappeared underground, onlookers fled in terror, not wanting to be victims. The 250 followers of Korah were enveloped in a fire. Did they burn as well as plummet into the earth? I cannot tell (though there is an indication that they died above ground), but they died, such was God’s wrath, leaving their censers on the ground.

Verses 36-40

36. “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
37. Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter thou the fire yonder; for they are hallowed.
38. The censers of these sinners against their own souls, let them make them broad plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before the LORD, therefore they are hallowed: and they shall be a sign unto the children of Israel.
39. And Eleazar the priest took the brasen censers, wherewith they that were burnt had offered; and they were made broad plates for a covering of the altar:
40. 40 To be a memorial unto the children of Israel, that no stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to offer incense before the LORD; that he be not as Korah, and as his company: as the LORD said to him by the hand of Moses.”

God again spoke to the shocked Moses: he was to instruct Eleazar the priest, to walk amongst the burning princes and pick up all their censers because they were holy to God. He was to scatter their fire all around displaying the sin of their owners for all to see. The men were evil but their censers were holy (because offered to God) and were to be beaten into large plates as a covering for the altar. The priest obeyed and plates were made, a constant reminder that things of men are unholy, but things of God are holy. In this way the people had another visual reminder of God’s power and commands. They were to understand that no ‘stranger’ – in this text meaning Levites who were not Aaron’s male descendants – could bring censers to the Lord in His Tabernacle. Only the descendants of Aaron could be priests and high-priests.

In a similar way, modern men are reminded that only men called by God to their roles may speak on His behalf… all others would be liars and false. Sadly, this describes the majority of men who fill the churches with their own rhetoric and so fail to bring the true Gospel to Christians and others.

Verses 41-50

41. “But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the LORD.
42. And it came to pass, when the congregation was gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tabernacle of the congregation: and, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared.
43. And Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of the congregation.
44. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
45. Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces.
46. And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun.
47. And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people.
48. And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.
49. Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah.
50. And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the plague was stayed.”

Remarkably (though we are not that different today) the people spoke against Moses, because God killed the disobedient Levites. Time and again they experienced God’s will first-hand, yet they continued to speak out in rebellion! God does not kill without purpose, yet the people STILL complained about Moses! The people, with amazing ignorance, blamed Moses for the deaths, when all Moses did was to warn and describe what would happen. In modern terms, they wanted to ‘kill the messenger’.

Would we be any different today? I doubt it. As the people complained in hostile manner they gathered around the tents of Moses and Aaron, just outside the Tabernacle. Suddenly, the people saw the cloud of God covering the entire Tabernacle, which contained the glory of the Lord. As they watched in fear, Moses and Aaron went and stood by the Tabernacle. God then spoke to Moses, warning him to step aside, away from the complainants, so He could kill them also. The people all fell down on their faces in awe and fear, because they must have heard the judgment.

Moses saw what was about to happen and urged Aaron to fill a censer with incense, and to rush urgently to the collected people to save them from death by plague, which, he said “is begun”. Aaron complied and rushed to be with the people, in the hope of saving some. He thus stood amongst the dead and the living, and God stayed His wondrous power. Many had died of some kind of pestilence, magēp̄â. It was not a normal plague, for it appeared suddenly without prior symptoms and stopped just as suddenly. In similar fashion, in the 1980s, HIV-AIDS suddenly appeared and killed many homosexuals whose vile activities defied God’s word and morality. And yet, neither the Hebrews nor homosexuals stopped their foul sins, such is Satan’s hold on all who are unsaved.

In the time it took Aaron to put fire and incense into the censer, and to run amongst the crowds, 14,700 Hebrews died of the plague. Just hours or days after Korah and his followers were swallowed by the ground!  It is a warning to us all, to obey God. Aaron walked back to Moses, the plague being instantly stopped.

© 08 September 2024

---oOo---