← Back to sermon library

All right, you can turn to Numbers 
chapter 16 as we continue to work our way through the Pentateuch. We are in Numbers. Remember the 
progression. God made a promise to the patriarchs, 
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the book of Genesis. He delivers 
Israel from bondage in Egypt and Exodus. Leviticus, he gives 
them a multitude of commands and legislation on how to approach 
him. in terms of worship, they depart 
from that locale, Sinai, and then they come through the wilderness 
on their way to the promised land. And of course, Numbers 
records the specific promise of God to guide his people as 
the pillar and cloud, but it shows us as well their proneness 
to wander and their proneness to leave the God that they love. 
And so we see that Egypt is still somewhat rooted in their hearts, 
And that same sort of a theme takes place in Numbers chapter 
16. So it's a long chapter. We're going to break off the 
reading at verse 40 and just consider verses 1 to 40, not 
in an exhaustive detail, but just to try to get the sense 
of what's happening in this rebellion of Korah and company. So, beginning 
in Numbers 16 at verse 1, Now Korah the son of Itzar, the son 
of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram the sons of 
Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men. And 
they rose up before Moses with some of the children of Israel, 
two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, representatives 
of the congregation, men of renown. They gathered together against 
Moses and Aaron and said to them, you take too much upon yourselves 
for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the Lord 
is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves 
above the assembly of the Lord? So when Moses heard it, he fell 
on his face and he spoke to Korah and all his company saying, tomorrow 
morning the Lord will show who is his and who is holy and will 
cause him to come near to him. That one whom he chooses, he 
will cause to come near to him. Do this, take censers, Korah 
and all your company, put fire in them and put incense in them 
before the Lord tomorrow. And it shall be that the man 
whom the Lord chooses is the Holy One. You take too much upon 
yourselves, you sons of Levi. "'Then Moses said to Korah, "'Hear 
now, you sons of Levi, "'is it a small thing to you "'that the 
God of Israel has separated you "'from the congregation of Israel 
"'to bring you near to himself, "'to do the work of the tabernacle 
of the Lord, "'and to stand before the congregation to serve them, 
"'and that he has brought you near to himself, "'you and all 
your brethren, the sons of Levi, with you? "'And are you seeking 
the priesthood also? Therefore, you and all your company 
are gathered together against the Lord. And what is Aaron that 
you complain against him? And Moses sent to call Dathan 
and to Byron, the sons of Eliab. But they said, We will not come 
up. Is it a small thing that you 
have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, 
to kill us in the wilderness, that you should keep acting like 
a prince over us? "'Moreover, you have not brought 
us into a land "'flowing with milk and honey, "'nor given us 
inheritance of fields and vineyards. "'Will you put out the eyes of 
these men? "'We will not come up.' "'Then 
Moses was very angry and said to the Lord, "'Do not respect 
their offering. "'I have not taken one donkey 
from them, "'nor have I hurt one of them. And Moses said to 
Korah, tomorrow you and all your company be present before the 
Lord, you and they, as well as Aaron. Let each take his censer 
and put incense in it, and each of you bring his censer before 
the Lord, 250 censers, both you and Aaron, each with his censer. 
So every man took his censer, put fire in it, laid incense 
on it, and stood at the door of the tabernacle of meeting 
with Moses and Aaron. "'And Korah gathered all the 
congregation against them "'at the door of the tabernacle of 
meeting. "'Then the glory of the Lord appeared "'to all the 
congregation. "'And the Lord spoke to Moses 
and Aaron saying, "'Separate yourselves from among this congregation, 
"'that I may consume them in a moment. "'Then they fell on 
their faces and said, "'O God, the God of the spirits of all 
flesh, "'shall one man sin and you be angry "'with all the congregation?' 
So the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the congregation, saying, 
Get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Then Moses 
rose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed 
him. And he spoke to the congregation, saying, Depart now from the tents 
of these wicked men. Touch nothing of theirs, lest 
you be consumed in all their sins. So they got away from around 
the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. And Dathan and Abiram 
came out and stood at the door of their tents with their wives, 
their sons, and their little children. And Moses said, by 
this you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these 
works, for I have not done them of my own will. If these men 
die naturally like all men, or if they are visited by the common 
fate of all men, then the Lord has not sent me. But if the Lord 
creates a new thing, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows 
them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive 
into the pit, then you will understand that these men have rejected 
the Lord. Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these 
words, that the ground split apart under them, and the earth 
opened its mouth and swallowed them up. with their households 
and all the men with Korah, with all their goods. So they and 
all those with them went down alive into the pit. The earth 
closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly. Then 
all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, 
lest the earth swallow us up also. And a fire came out from 
the Lord and consumed the 250 men who were offering incense. 
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Tell Eleazar, the son 
of Aaron the priest, to pick up the censers out of the blaze, 
for they are holy, and scatter the fire some distance away. 
The censers of these men who sinned against their own souls 
let them be made into hammered plates as a covering for the 
altar, because they presented them before the Lord. Therefore, 
they are holy, and they shall be assigned to the children of 
Israel." So Eleazar, the priest, took the bronze censers, which 
those who were burned up had presented, and they were hammered 
out as a covering on the altar. To be a memorial to the children 
of Israel that no outsider, who is not a descendant of Aaron, 
should come near to offer incense before the Lord, that he might 
not become like Korah and his companions, just as the Lord 
had said to him through Moses. Amen. Well, we see here a particular 
challenge concerning the leadership of Moses and Aaron. And this 
isn't Moses' first rodeo. If you go back to chapter 12, 
remember that Moses was challenged by his own family members, specifically 
Miriam and Aaron. The essence of it is in verse 
two. So they said, has the Lord indeed 
spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us 
also? And the Lord heard it. So there 
was this grumbling already against Moses' authority and leadership. 
We see that replicated or duplicated here, specifically in this rebellion 
of Korah and these other men called Dathan and Abiram. So 
I want to look at the rebellion of Korah and company in verses 
1 to 19a. And again, we won't look at every 
jot and tittle. And then secondly, the affirmation of Moses and 
Aaron in verses 19b to 40. So the affirmation basically 
being that these men and their challenge to Moses and Aaron's 
authority was simply rebellion against the living God. The fact 
that Moses and Aaron come out on top in this particular exchange 
evidences that and demonstrates that, as we shall see. But note first, with reference 
to the rebellion of Korah and company, the accusation in verses 
1 to 3. Now, the particular men, Korah, 
Dathan, and Abiram, and another fellow called On, and then 250 
leaders of the congregation, they are described as men of 
renown. Now, Korah seems to be the ringleader. I think there's 
a couple of different things going on here in terms of a challenge 
against Moses and Aaron. But something to observe along 
the way is that Korah may be a rebel, but he's not dumb. He's 
not a stupid man. He wants to get those renowned 
men on his side. And in terms of the nature of 
the complaint, I think there's two particular things going on. 
Some commentators look at numbers 16, and they believe that an 
editor basically fused two stories together in sort of a random 
or haphazard fashion. I don't think that's what's happening. 
I don't think an editor, not that there hasn't been editorial 
work, I think Numbers 12 verse 3 specifically is the work of 
an editor, again, guided by the Spirit. Moses was very humble, 
more than all men who were on the face of the earth. I can't 
imagine the most humble man on the face of the earth writing 
that verse about himself. are used by the Spirit. We see 
editing in the Book of Psalms. I think that the Book of Psalms 
is categorized or put into the five books of Psalms in a specific 
way or manner. So editorship isn't necessarily 
evil. It doesn't do anything or any 
injustice to inerrancy or inspiration or infallibility. But here I 
don't think it is a mixed up editor mingling two stories together. I mean, just the basic assumption 
is if we could see mixed up editing, I'd like to think the editor 
who did it could have seen mixed up editing and wouldn't have 
done it. But I think it's one chapter that tells one story 
in all its multifaceted, chaotic nature as a combined attack. It's basically a mutiny against 
Moses and against Aaron. I think the emphasis falls on 
Aaron, and I'll show you that in just a moment. But there is 
this ecclesiastical challenge where Aaron seems to be in the 
crosshairs, and that's what Korah is leading. And then you've got 
a political challenge, and Moses is in the crosshairs. And that's 
what Dathan and Abiram are leading. So the reason why I would suggest 
that is Korah is a cousin of Moses and Aaron. He's obviously 
not content with the duties of the Kohathites, and he himself 
wants to be involved in priestly activity in terms of sacrifice 
and offering. Well, that's excluded to any 
beyond the family of Aaron. And so there is this craving 
in Korah. And again, he's going to use 
some pretty wise reasoning as he tries to make his case so 
that he can serve in the priesthood. So the ecclesiastical challenge 
is specifically Korah against Aaron. And the political challenge, 
Dathan, Abiram, and On were sons of Reuben. Reuben was the firstborn. But Reuben isn't getting sort 
of preeminent status among the tribes. The Levites are. Judah is. There's other tribes 
preeminent to Reuben. So there might have been some 
of that going on amongst Dathan and Abiram. So we see an ecclesiastical 
challenge and a political challenge. And in terms of the ecclesiastical, 
I think that's the overarching concern. Notice specifically 
that we have this trial or this contest or this challenge in 
terms of the priestly activity. Take your censer, present it 
before the Lord. Who is it that the Lord accepts? So we see that Aaron is confirmed 
as the legitimate priest of God when those men are consumed by 
fire or swallowed up by the earth. At the end of the chapter in 
the English Bible, the end of the chapter, we see that Aaron 
effectively engages in priestly activity. When he intercedes, 
when he seeks to make atonement for the people such that God 
doesn't destroy every one of them. And then in chapter 17, 
which I think connects very intimately with chapter 16, not just numerically, 
but thematically, we have the budding of Aaron's rod to show 
that it was, in fact, Aaron that was sanctioned by God in terms 
of ecclesiastical leadership. So going back to chapter 16, 
specifically at verse 1, we see that Korah most likely is challenging 
the priestly function of Aaron, and then Dathan and Abiram are 
challenging the kingly function or the political function of 
Moses in terms of leadership. Now, note the accusation. So 
the men are named in verse 1. We see that they've got these 
other fellows in solidarity with them, 250 leaders according to 
verse 2 of the congregation, representatives of the congregation, 
men of renown. Now note first the accusation 
in verse 3. They gathered together against 
Moses and Aaron and said to them, you take too much upon yourselves. That's the accusation you take 
too much upon yourselves. You're doing too much. You're 
not sharing the load. You're not giving equal play 
to those in your own country. In other words, you're trying 
to seek the glory, you're trying to have a monopoly, you're trying 
to consolidate power as Moses and Aaron, Inc., and that simply 
was unacceptable. Again, there's similarity here 
with the challenge of Moses' leadership in chapter 12 at verse 
2, but ultimately it's a challenge of God's ordained leadership. We know all along that Moses 
was chosen by God. You see it back in Exodus chapter 
3, and you see the reluctance of Moses in Exodus chapter 4. Remember Moses' prayer in Numbers 
chapter 11, after the children of Israel are giving in to intense 
craving for meat. Moses basically says, kill me 
Lord, just take me out, if I have found favor in your sight. He's 
not the fellow they're portraying him to be. Moses wanted assistance, 
according to that prayer, in Numbers chapter 11. So God gives 
it to him in the means of 70 elders. So Moses is not the fellow 
that they're portraying. But again, Korah's smart. He's 
got to get the people of Israel on his side to launch an effective 
challenge against Moses and Aaron. Then notice his argument. So 
not only does he make this accusation, you take too much upon yourselves, 
here comes the argument, for all the congregation is holy, 
every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Now, of course, 
there's precedence for this. In Exodus chapter 19, verse 6, 
you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. 
Notice in chapter 15 of Numbers in verse 40, and that you may 
remember and do all my commandments and be holy for your God. So 
essentially what Korah is doing is he's pleading for democracy. Let's have a democracy when it 
comes to priesthood. I really don't think that Korah, 
at least as he presents in the pages of Numbers 16, is really 
concerned that all the people of Israel get a kick at the can 
at priesthood. I think it's Korah that wants 
a kick at the can at priesthood. I really don't think that he 
cares that, you know, Joe Blow or Sophie the Wash Woman gets 
to be the priest for the day. He's making an appeal. If he 
can't get the entirety of the congregation, he can get enough 
on his side to usurp and challenge Moses and Aaron's leadership. 
It's quite cunning the way that he goes about this. Notice then 
this assumption, and he's poisoning the well with everybody who listens. 
Look at the end of verse 3. Why then do you exalt yourselves 
above the assembly of the Lord? This is a democratic nation. 
We're a kingdom of praise. Why is it, Moses and Aaron, that 
you are parading yourselves above all the rank and file? This is 
wicked, it is rebellious, and you need to be knocked off your 
throne. That is the essence of Korah's rebellion or challenge 
at this particular instance. And again, it makes no sense 
for those of us who have hung out with Moses throughout the 
rest of the Pentateuch, which is, as well, the congregation 
of Israel. He's not the kind of guy that's 
after power. He's not the kind of guy that 
wants to exploit people. He's not the sort of fellow that 
walks around with his head held high as the servant of the Lord. Aaron seems to be even much in 
the same vein. I mean, he had that bit of usurpation 
in chapter 12, but hey, the best of men are men at best. Miriam 
was more in charge of that one, so we'll cut him a little slack. 
These are not what these men are making them out to be. So 
then notice the response by Moses to this particular challenge. 
Now, we have to remember what's happening here. This isn't a 
group of people about our size. where we might have a little 
disagreement. This is a massive amount of people 
in military array that have very strict regulation and organization 
in terms of location around the tabernacle when they're stopped, 
how they're supposed to proceed, how they're supposed to march. 
Remember, there's going to be skirmishes along the way, they're 
going to have to beat those enemies, and then ultimately end up in 
the promised land, that they may go in and conquer the land 
for God Most High. And so, to usurp authority along 
the way is akin to mutiny on a ship. When the mutiny on the 
ship occurs and you throw the captain overboard, you may just 
find out later that we shouldn't have thrown the captain overboard. 
We should have thought through this a little bit better. If 
Moses and Aaron truly are God's ordained leaders in the authority 
structure over the people, then to challenge that authority is 
to throw a wrench in the entirety of the situation. And that is 
precisely what they're doing. So note the response by Moses. First, prostration. As we see in chapter 14, it's 
a demonstration of humility. and dependence upon God. So when 
Moses heard it, he fell on his face. Again, not the kinds of 
actions of a man who's trying to exalt himself over the assembly. 
Shut up, Korah, get back in line and knuckle under. That's not 
what he does. He does what he does. When the 
congregation turns against him in Numbers 14, he falls on his 
face, and he seeks divine aid, divine direction, and divine 
guidance. Notice then, he instructs them, 
he gives them this contest, or this challenge. Contest sounds 
a little bit trivial, almost sounds like winning a stuffed 
animal at the county fair, but it is a contest, or it is a challenge, 
and that's specifically what is designed. So note the purpose 
of this in verse 5. He says, He spoke to Korah and 
all his company, saying, Tomorrow morning the Lord will show who 
is His and who is holy, and will cause him to come near to Him, 
that one whom He chooses He will cause to come near to Him." It's 
a pretty simple challenge, just like Elijah on Mount Carmel. 
Prophets of Baal, take your sacrifice, I'll bring the sacrifice to Yahweh, 
whosoever God answers by fire, well, that's the true and living 
God. He's worthy of our worship and praise and adoration. You 
don't have to overcomplicate this, very simple. You bring 
your censors, lay it before the Lord. If the Lord receives it, 
then you're vindicated. If the Lord doesn't receive it 
and he receives Aaron's, then Aaron is vindicated. So it's 
a very simple process in order to show who is the real deal 
and who isn't. And then notice, after having 
given the directions, the reproof by Moses in verse 7b. Notice. You take too much upon 
yourselves, you sons of Levi. This is why I think the chapter 
is unified. You see the same phraseology 
used and turned against others. Notice in verse 3, that was the 
charge against Moses. You take too much upon yourselves. And now Moses is throwing it 
right back in their face. So the most humble man in the 
world can give back. He can reprove, he can rebuke, 
and he can also be angry, as we see in this particular passage. So being the most humble man 
in the world doesn't mean he's a doormat, it doesn't mean he's 
going to lay down and play dead for Korah and his rebels, but 
rather he is going to rebuke them and reprove them and show 
them that the true and living God has put him into this position. Notice he goes on to rebuke him 
in verses 8 to 11. Moses said to Korah, Here now, 
you sons of Levi, is it a small thing to you that the God of 
Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to 
bring you near to himself, to do the work of the tabernacle 
of the Lord, to stand before the congregation to serve him, 
and that he has brought you near to himself, you and all your 
brethren, the sons of Levi, with you? And are you seeking the priesthood 
also? So you have a specific duty. You have a very good duty. Just because you want more doesn't 
mean that we should stop the presses and give you what you 
want. This ain't cancel culture in the 21st century in North 
America, Cora. You're going to have to knuckle 
under and embrace the reality that you're a Kohathite, and 
you need to submit to the will and rule of God when it comes 
to dealing with temple furniture. The sons of Aaron are the men 
that bring the sacrifice. The sons of Aaron are the one 
who offers up. And so then notice verse 11, 
therefore you and all your company, notice the interpretation that 
Moses places on it, are gathered together against the Lord. This 
isn't just an intramural debate about who's going to lead the 
sacrificial service tonight, Moses. Is it going to be you 
lording yourself over the rest of the congregation? No, Moses 
understands exactly what's happening. You are rejecting and resisting 
and rebelling against the Lord Most High. And then verse 11b, 
and what is Aaron that you complain against him? It's not Aaron that 
made it exclusive to the sons of Aaron that they function as 
the priests. It's God. The problem of Korah 
and his companions, and we'll see that in the next subsection, 
is that they've got a problem with the Lord. They're rejecting 
and rebelling, and I think the evidence is that they still have 
Egypt in their heart. They're still not committed to 
the Lord God Almighty. They don't like their lot presently. They think they should have better 
jobs, they think they should have better position, they think 
they should be in a better locale, and that brings us then to the 
accusation by Dathan and Debirah in verses 12 to 14. And you need 
to notice as you move through the chapter that God speaks to 
Moses, God speaks to Moses, God speaks to Moses, God speaks to 
Moses. The text doesn't want to let 
you forget that Moses isn't the one that's wrong here. It's all 
Korah, it's all Dathan, it's all Abiram. It's all the meatheads 
that want to arrogate to themselves some additional authority that 
Yahweh hasn't invested in them. And I think verse 12 is suggestive 
of this as well. Moses sent to call Dathan and 
Abiram. I don't think Moses went looking 
for Dathan and Abiram. Moses had attendants. Moses had 
Joshua usually right at his side. Go get me Dathan and Abiram. 
Moses isn't knocking on tent doors. Hey, fellas, can we chat 
about this? Let's have a coffee and just 
make peace and broker a deal. No, go get these men and bring 
them to me. Now, note their attitude, the 
response of these rebels. And again, I think this is the 
political challenge against Moses' leadership. Korah represents 
the ecclesiastical challenge against the priesthood of Aaron. So notice in verse 12, Moses 
sent to call Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, but they said, 
we will not come up. Bad, bad, bad. We will not come up? You're not 
supposed to say that to God's representative. You're not supposed 
to say that to Moses. You're not supposed to reject 
and resist the leadership of Yahweh as he has laid it upon 
this man Moses. Now notice, not only do they 
engage in outright refusal, now they twist and misrepresent the 
facts of their situation in such a way that they explain it exactly 
opposite to what's actually happened. Notice in verse 13, here's that 
language, is it a small thing? We see that in verse 9 as well. 
But notice in verse 13, is it a small thing, this is their 
complaint against Moses, that you have brought us up out of 
a land flowing with milk and honey? That's how they're describing 
Egypt. Egypt wasn't described as a land 
flowing with milk and honey. The promised land is. They're taking the word of God 
as it's applied to the land of promise and reading their bondage 
in Egyptian slavery as being that blessing. It is a complete 
exact reversal of the facts as we know them. So they identify 
Egypt as the land flowing with milk and honey. Morales says 
they perversely twist Israel's deliverance from bitter bondage 
and death into a forced migration out of paradise, and this by 
a vicious motive. See what happens when rebellion 
gets into the heart? See what happens when mutiny 
takes over? It causes you to misread and 
misrepresent and misinterpret what is obviously not the case. This was not a good experience 
in Egypt. That they continued to describe 
the experience as good reflects that Egypt is still in their 
hearts. It reflects that they've still 
got an idol problem. They want the gods of Egypt that 
made sure they had leeks and melons and garlic and all sorts 
of foods. It didn't matter if they got 
beaten by the master occasionally, as far as they were concerned, 
they had it a whole lot better out there, or back there, than 
they do out in this wilderness. They still had it in their hearts. 
Notice the character of Moses they impugned. To kill us in 
the wilderness? Now here's the challenge to the 
leadership, that you should keep acting like a prince over us, 
These guys are upset. You took us from a land flowing 
with milk and honey. You brought us out into this 
wilderness, and it was to kill us, Moses. They're trying to 
legitimize, and they're trying to rationalize, and they're trying 
to characterize their rebellion as a lawful pursuit and something 
that is absolutely legitimate. Typically, that's the way it 
functions, brethren. Remember John 16? Jesus says they'll put you out 
of the synagogues, and then they'll kill you, and all the while, 
they will think they're doing service to their God. Men get 
twisted and warped and messed up when mutiny sets in and when 
this contention starts where we want something that God hasn't 
given us. And then notice the nature of 
their journey. Verse 14, moreover, You have 
not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given 
us inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you put out the 
eyes of these men? We will not come up." So I think 
their complaint is, you have not brought us into a land. Yeah, 
because you people keep sitting. You keep doing things that angers 
and provokes God. We're never going to make A to 
Z while you continue to reject and rebel the law of the living 
and true God. So they're right. They're not 
yet in that land flowing with milk and honey, but they're heading 
there. And if they would just stop and submit to the rulership 
of God through His ordained servants, they'd get there a whole lot 
quicker. And this whole concept of, well, you put out the eyes 
of these men, it's difficult to know, but some suggest that 
it means slavery. There's that act of gouging out 
your opponent's eye, and that brings him into subjugation. 
And so that might be what the reference is. You're the prince, 
you're the lord, you're the king, and you start stabbing people's 
eyes out so that they can be your servants along this wilderness 
track while you kill us one by one. These men are filled with 
rage and enmity, but ultimately it's against the living and true 
God. They once again outright refuse. We will not come up. That brings us then to the challenge 
of Moses in verses 15 to 19a. Note the petition. Again, this is not inconsistent, 
therefore it's consistent, with the humblest man on the earth. 
Then Moses was very angry and said to the Lord, Jesus was humble, 
meek, lowly, but he flipped over the tables of the money changers. 
He looked at the Pharisees, according to Mark chapter 3, when they 
were violating and transgressing and trying to catch him in the 
Sabbath command. He looked at them with anger 
in his heart. Anger and humility are consistent. Now, I realize 
that most of the times our anger tends toward the sinful bent, 
but in principle, it is possible, we see it in Jesus and we see 
it in Moses, to be angry and humble all at the same time. 
So that's your, that's my instruction for tomorrow, be angry and humble 
all at the same time. So note the anger of Moses, and 
then his petition, do not respect their offering. In other words, 
shut this rebellion down, God. That's what he's saying, and 
I think he's absolutely right to say it. Do not respect their 
offering. Do not sanction this movement. Do not give truck to these rebels 
in the form of Korah and Dathan and Abiram. Shut them down. And 
then notice, Moses invokes his own character. And this is the 
Moses, obviously, that the Pentateuch shows us or teaches us. He says, 
I've not taken one donkey from them, nor have I hurt one of 
them. This taking of the donkey, it'd be something that a prince 
who's bent on power, exalting himself over the congregation, 
would do. Come on, you knave, give me your 
donkey. I need to get to the end of the 
road here. He hasn't done that. Also, he 
hasn't taken any bribes. He's the High Court in Israel, 
which he is. He's the Supreme Court. He hasn't 
taken bribes. He can't be bought. You can't 
manipulate Moses. And he says, nor have I hurt 
one of them. In other words, this is his argument for the 
petition to shut these men down. They have no basis. They are 
challenging the living and the true God when they come after 
Moses and Aaron. The contest is restipulated or 
restated in verses 16 to 19. Instructions, verses 16 and 17, 
and then compliance. Notice the gathering together 
according to verses 18 and 19. So every man took his censer, 
put fire in it, laid incense on it, and stood at the door 
of the tabernacle of meeting with Moses and Aaron. And Korah 
gathered all the congregation against them at the door of the 
tabernacle of meeting. Then the glory of the Lord appeared 
to all the congregation." That probably doesn't mean that every 
single one of all the congregation was on the side of Korah, Dathan, 
and Abiram, but they were wanting to see the outcome. They all 
wanted to know what was going to happen. Who is the Lord going 
to answer by way of acceptance in terms of the priestly sacrifice? 
So that brings us then to the affirmation of Moses and Aaron. 
Note the announcement of judgment, verse 19b. The glory of the Lord 
appeared to all the congregation. That's the promise of God according 
to Exodus 40 and Numbers 9 is that He will be with them. That's 
for blessing. That's for encouragement. That's 
for help and comfort. It's also for judgment. It's 
also for the expression of His righteousness and His holiness. 
And that's the specific reason here. In other words, there's 
going to be a verdict rendered. It's gonna be a judgment given. 
And so note, God speaks to Moses and Aaron. Once again in verse 
20, separate yourselves from among this congregation that 
I may consume them in a moment. In other words, it's done. This 
is spoken in the manner of men. Remember, God doesn't have emotional 
outrage. He doesn't move from one state 
to another. This is spoken in the manner 
of men, or it's an analogical predication to teach us something 
true of God in terms of His holiness and His righteousness, and something 
true of man in terms of our wickedness and rebellion. God says what 
he says, and then note Moses' response. Again, not characteristic 
of the sort of a prince or lord that exalts himself above the 
congregation. These guys are liars. Notice in verse 22, then they 
fell on their faces and said, O God, the God of the spirits 
of all flesh, shall one man sin and you be angry with all the 
congregation? I think what in What, in essence, 
they are saying is deal with the lawbreakers, deal with Korah, 
deal with Dathan, deal with Abiram, deal with those 250 that have 
saddled up with that, but don't deal with the congregation according 
to your wrath. Spare them, Lord God. Again, 
not the kind of a guy that's in it for himself. This is just 
a beautiful contrast between the wicked men that try to affect 
the people of God negatively and the righteous men that really 
just want to lead the congregation. So then notice in verse 23, the 
Lord spoke to Moses saying, speak to the congregation saying, get 
away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and of Biram. So initially 
Moses, you and Aaron get away from the congregation of Israel. 
I'm going to kill them all. Moses and Aaron get on their 
faces and pray to God, no, please be merciful, verse 22. Okay, 
Moses, Aaron, go tell the congregation to get away from Dathan and Abiram 
and Korah. So notice in verse 26, and he 
spoke to the congregation saying, depart now from the tents of 
these wicked men, touch nothing of theirs lest you be consumed 
in all their sins. So they got away from around 
the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. And Dathan and Abiram 
came out and stood at the door of their tents with their wives, 
their sons, and their little children. It's a sad state of 
affairs when a woman marries a man like a Dathan and Abiram 
and a Korah. It is intriguing that the sons 
of Korah were not consumed here. Later in Numbers, you see reference 
to the sons of Korah, Numbers 26, 11, I think. Yeah, 10 and 
11, the sons of Korah were spared, but there was judgment upon the 
entirety of these families. So then Moses comes to speak 
specifically concerning the judgment. Notice in verses 28 to 35. Basically, 
he says, if these men die a natural death, then we'll know that they 
were okay. But if the earth opens up and 
swallows them, we know they were fakes and frauds. Who would say 
that but one that has communion with God? Like in any possible 
way that I could think of evil men leaving this world, opening 
up the earth and swallowing them probably wouldn't be my first 
thought. Obviously there's divine revelation 
from the Lord to Moses with reference to their demise. Moses isn't 
just sort of throwing out this Hail Mary pass hoping that it 
lands. Moses is God's servant. Moses 
is functioning now to bring that judgment to bear upon these rebels 
and these traitors who have engaged in treason and should be executed 
accordingly. So notice in verse 28, By this 
you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, 
for I have not done them of my own will. If these men die naturally 
like all men, or if they are visited by the common fate of 
all men, then the Lord has not sent me. But if the Lord creates 
a new thing, say for instance, how does he say this? And the 
earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs 
to them, and they go down alive into the pit, then you will understand 
that these men have rejected the Lord. You know, there are 
scenes in scripture where you just wonder, what did people 
think? I've often thought about Pharaoh's armies when they were 
giving chase to the children of Israel on the dry ground of 
the Red Sea, and the children of Israel make it to the other 
side, and then the wagon wheels of the chariot wheels fall off, 
those charioteers. Sorry, brethren, if I'm an Egyptian 
soldier at that point, I'm gonna start to worry. You know, we've 
gone on many an excursion and our wagon wheels, our chariot 
wheels, they don't usually fall off. We don't usually have this 
kind of distress when we're sitting between two walls of water. I 
mean, it is absolutely glorious the way that God dispatches his 
enemies. You've got to wonder if they're 
sweat beads now on Korah, Dathan, and Abiram as they're hearing 
the unsavory details as to how they may exit this world and 
literally descend down to Sheol. If the earth opens up, they're 
going to be descending right down into the pit itself. I don't 
know. Again, that's white space. I 
don't know. But based on what these men are 
engaged in, realizing that along the way, Moses has been, you 
know, 10 for 10. Every time he's made a prediction, 
every time he has said that the Lord has spoken. I mean, we saw 
the plagues in Egypt. We saw the signs and wonders 
in Egypt. You're really really trusting in you know some bad 
odds if you're Korah Dathan and the Byron or those other 250 
men of renown good way to weed those guys out because they were 
pretty foolish when When you stop and think about it So then 
notice in verse 31 now it came to pass as he finished speaking 
all these words That the ground split apart under them and the 
earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up With their households 
and all the men with Korah with all their goods So they and all 
those with them went down alive into the pit, the earth closed 
over them, and they perished from among the assembly. Then 
all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, 
lest the earth swallow us up also. And a fire came out from 
the Lord and consumed the 250 men who were offering incense. So the inner sanctum, they got 
to descend into Sheol directly by the ground opening up and 
swallowing them. The 250 men of renown got to 
taste the fire of God when it consumed them for their rebellion. And then this section ends with 
a specific reminder or a sign that would serve or function 
as a reminder for the ongoing generations in Israel. Notice 
in verse 36, then the Lord spoke to Moses saying, tell Eleazar, 
the son of Aaron the priest, perhaps to protect Aaron, the 
high priest, from any defilement. Get Eleazar to do this. Pick 
up the censers out of the blaze, for they are holy. Scatter the 
fire some distance away, because it's not. The censers of these 
men who sinned against their own souls, let them be made into 
hammered plates as a covering for the altar, because they presented 
them before the Lord. Therefore they are holy, and 
they shall be assigned to the children of Israel. So you see, 
in this, God wants to remind the nation of Israel that the 
only acceptable priesthood is the acceptable priesthood that 
God Himself ordained. God says it's the Aaronic family 
of Aaron. It's the family of Aaron. that 
there's no other priesthood involved here. So Eleazar, verse 39, the 
priest, took the bronze censers, which those who were burned up 
had presented, and they were hammered out as a covering on 
the altar. Here's the specific design according to verse 40, 
to be a memorial to the children of Israel that no outsider vis-à-vis 
Korah, who is not a descendant of Aaron, should come near to 
offer incense before the Lord, that he might not become like 
Korah and his companions, just as the Lord had said to him through 
Moses." So God acts on behalf of his righteous servants to 
vindicate them and to demonstrate yet again they are his God or 
his ordained leaders for that time. And to challenge Moses 
and Aaron is to challenge the living and true God himself. 
In terms of the rebellion, notice, again, there's something consistent 
with the rebellion that you find here, and at least hints that 
we find in the New Testament, when there are those sort of 
machinations leveled against leadership in the church. Brethren, 
I'm not here saying, I'm a pastor in this church, so therefore 
you can't ask me any questions. That's not the point. The point 
is, is that God ordained leadership. In this particular instance, 
God ordains, according to Ephesians 4, Christ gives gifts to churches. And unless they're violating 
scripture, unless they're transgressing, then go to them with the two 
or three witnesses. But rebellion and mutiny? God's not about that. He just 
isn't. And you'll find that malcontents 
often find each other. They find each other. You know, 
Korah and Dathan and Abiram, like, were three peas in a pod. 
They had different intentions. You know, perhaps Korah said, 
oh, it really bugs me that only Aaron can serve as priest. Dathan 
and Abiram are like, oh, OK. What really bugs us is that Moses 
walks around here like he's the prince of the place. But they 
find each other, these malcontents. As well, the malcontents stir 
up others. They got to get, if not a majority, 
at least a good enough showing, like 250 men, men of renown. These weren't, you know, the 
250 guys that weren't of renown. They went after to pick off the 
best and the brightest so that all the rest of the nation will 
fall in line. The malcontents appeal to true 
things, but distort them and twist that. Typically, you know, 
even the devil, right? He quotes scripture in his attack 
upon Jesus in Matthew 4, but he doesn't interpret scripture 
properly. When Korah says that these people 
are holy, there is sense to that. That's true. There is that kingdom 
of praise motif, but that doesn't obliterate God's design for the 
sons of Aaron to function in terms of sacrifice. The malcontents 
assume they are correct They just assume it. Verse 3c, why 
then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord? 
Wait a minute, what happened to due process? Can you give 
me instances where I've done this? You're just going to assume 
it, publicize it, so that the rest of the congregation hears 
it? They know the power of rhetoric, and they know that people will 
hear that and say, yeah, why do they exalt themselves? Why? This is classic textbook spreading 
a mutiny. This is, you know, the rebellion 
of Korah. Jude mentions the rebellion of 
Korah in Jude 11. Psalm 106 highlights this particular 
instance in verses 16 to 18. This is notorious mutiny. The malcontents misrepresent 
the truth. Verses 12 to 14. They turn the 
whole narrative completely upside down. Just completely obliterate. You took us from a land flowing 
with milk and honey to kill us out in the wilderness. Really? 
That's how you've read this? That's how you've interpreted 
this? That's what you got from this? Talk about, you know, lack 
of charity. Talk about a lack of understanding 
providence. Talk about, you know, impugning 
the most amount of evil one could ever impugn upon a Moses or an 
Aaron. And the malcontents ultimately reap the judgment of God. Brethren, 
Moses lays down the gauntlet. He lays down a very simple, very 
fair contest. If you're the priest, he'll accept 
it. If you're not, he's not going 
to accept it. And if you die the death of other 
men, well then, you were right. But if this earth opens up and 
swallows you alive right down in the pit of Sheol, then you 
were wrong. So this is a textbook example 
or illustration of mutiny. Secondly, the faithfulness of 
Moses and Aaron. These guys weren't perfect men. 
They did not shine halos around their heads. They had their weaknesses. We see Aaron in chapter 12. We see Moses. you know, pleading 
to God to take him, to kill him in chapter 11. They were faithful 
men. Moreover, brethren, it is required 
of stewards that one be found faithful, and that's what you 
have there. And then the terrifying judgment of God. I mean, that 
Lord does not, I speak colloquially, play games. Like, you challenge 
God's authority? You rebuff His ordained means? That's a bad place to put oneself. So hopefully we learn the lesson 
with reference to Korah and Dathan and to Biram, and that we don't 
mock God and we don't reject God and we don't resist God to 
our own demise. Well, let's close in a word of 
prayer. Our Father in heaven, thank you for your word. Thank 
you for the declaration of your your glory that we find in the 
pages of the book of Numbers. And we know that this is righteous 
judgment for vicious, wicked sin that would have derailed 
the whole project. We ask God that you would cause 
us to reflect upon these things and to walk in a careful way 
to let our conduct be worthy of the gospel by which we have 
been called. We thank you for our Lord Jesus, 
similar to what we find here, the rejection of Moses, It was 
ultimately a rejection of the God of Israel. We see John 15, 
Jesus say the same thing, a rejection of the son is a rejection of 
the one who sent the son. In so many ways, Moses typifies 
that Lord Jesus Christ, that prophet, priest, and king who 
came to save his people from their sins. We thank you for 
him. We thank you for his priesthood. We thank you for that sacrifice 
that he offered on the cross, even himself. And we pray in 
his most blessed name, amen. Well, any questions or comments? 
Yes, sir.