CHAPTER 16

(1454 B.C.)

KORAHS REBELLION

¹Now 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: (This Chapter reveals the incurable evil of the human heart. It is naturally opposed to God, and all that pertains to God, as evidenced by the rebellion of Korah. Korah was first cousin, it seems, to Moses and Aaron. He was camped close to the Tribe of Reuben, hence their association in this rebellion.

The phrase took men emphasizes the fact that he persuaded them as to his cause. And what was that cause?)

²And 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: (Is it possible that Jethros unspiritual and unscriptural advice to Moses had a part in this? [Ex. Chpts. 18, 21-22]. God chose Aaron to be High Priest. Korah gainsayed that, which means that he disputed Gods choice of Aaron as High Priest [Jude, Vs. 11]. As well, the Princes of Reuben attacked the kingship given to Moses by God. The spirit, therefore, of this rebellion was to cast down the Blessed One Christ Whom God has appointed both King and Priest.)

³And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, You take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift you up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD? (Korah and those who followed him attempted to change the Government of God, which has always been the crowning sin of the Church, whether the Church before the Cross, or the Church after the Cross. Gods Word is His Government. To stray from that Word at all, which Korah did, is to instigate rebellion against the Lord, which God cannot countenance in any form.)

⁴And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face (that is, he stepped aside so the rebels should stand face-to-face with God; he did not attempt to defend himself and Aaron; he left all to the Judgment of God and, to be sure, that Judgment was terrible):

⁵And he spoke unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, Even tomorrow the LORD will shew who are His, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto Him: even him whom He has chosen will He cause to come near unto Him. (Their sin was not only rebellion against God in the normal sense of the word, but, in actuality, they were opposing the Headship of Christ. They were, in a sense, saying that there were many men in Israel who could fill the shoes of Moses, and many who could fill the shoes of Aaron as the High Priest. So, in a sense, they were not only denying the Headship of Christ, but, as well, His High Priestly Ministry. We should read these words carefully, because, in essence, we are reading here the sin of the modern Church.)

⁶This do; Take you censers, Korah, and all his company (the censers were used by the Priests, and especially the High Priest, as it regarded the Holy Place, where the Table, the Lampstand, and the Altar of Incense were; they spoke of the Intercession of Christ, all on behalf of Believers; so, in effect, these individuals were claiming they could serve in this capacity the same as Aaron);

⁷And put fire therein (this fire was supposed to come from the Brazen Altar), and put incense in them before the LORD tomorrow: and it shall be that the man whom the LORD does choose, he shall be holy: you take too much upon you, you sons of Levi. (They should have remembered what happened to Nadab and Abihu [Lev. 10:1-2]. To be sure, their sin was even worse than that of these two Priests, who had been stricken dead by the Lord. Rebellious man, however, always seeks to put a religious face on his erroneous direction.)

⁸And Moses said unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, you sons of Levi (evidently, others in the Tribe of Levi, the Priestly Tribe, had sided with Korah):

⁹Seems it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel has 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? (Moses is addressing this to the Tribe of Levi, in effect telling them that they were usurping that which God had called them to do. They were rebelling against Gods order.)

¹⁰And He has brought you near to Him, and all your brethren the sons of Levi with you: and seek ye the Priesthood also? (The Priesthood of Israel of old was a Type of Christ. Everything they did symbolized Christ in His Mediatorial, Intercessory, or Atoning Work. The Lord had given specific instructions as to how the entirety of the Sacrificial System was to be carried out, and who was to carry it out. So, in effect, these rebels were pushing Christ aside. That is the sin of the modern Church. While the unredeemed world attempts to create another god, the Church, sadly, attempts to create another Sacrifice. Only the Sacrifice of Christ is acceptable. Anyone or anything else, no matter how religious it might be, can never be accepted by God.)

¹¹For which cause both you and all your company are gathered together against the LORD (Let it ever be known, when we pervert the Word of the Lord, this puts us against the Lord): and what is Aaron, that you murmur against him? (Moses is saying that Aaron is just a poor, weak human being, attempting to carry out the Work of the Lord. While they thought they were opposed to Aaron, in truth, they were opposed to the Lord. When we oppose that which is of God, we have, in essence, opposed God.)

¹²And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab: which said, We will not come up (meaning that they would not obey what Moses said; evidently they were in league with Korah):

¹³Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land that flows with milk and honey (they were referring to Egypt), to kill us in the wilderness, except you make yourself altogether a prince over us? (In the first place, Moses didnt put himself in this position, God did!)

¹⁴Moreover you have not brought us into a land that flows with milk and honey, or given us inheritance of fields and vineyards: will you put out the eyes of these men? we will not come up. (They refused to recognize that they were still in the wilderness because of their unbelief. Being condemned to 38 years of wandering in that wilderness was their fault, and not the fault of Moses and Aaron. Men forever attempt to blame their circumstances on others, instead of where it rightfully belongs themselves.)

JUDGMENT

¹⁵And 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 (he had not enriched himself one iota as a result of his position; as well, he is asking the Lord that their sacrifices not be accepted, which means that unless the situation was rectified, they would be eternally lost).

¹⁶And Moses said unto Korah, Be thou and all your company before the LORD, thou, and they, and Aaron, tomorrow:

¹⁷And 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; you also, and Aaron, each of you his censer (they were demanding that they serve in some capacity in the Priesthood, so their claims would now be put to the test).

¹⁸And they took every man his censer, and put fire in them (whether it was fire from the Brazen Altar or not, we arent told), and laid incense thereon, and stood in the door of the Tabernacle of the congregation with Moses and Aaron (the door of the Tabernacle probably referred here to the opening, or gate, that led into the Court; so, they stood in that opening, or else immediately outside, where they could be observed by all the people).

¹⁹And 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. (There seemed to have been quite a number who sided with Korah against Moses and Aaron. In answer to this, the Lord appeared. What exactly that means, we arent told. At any rate, the entirety of the congregation of Israel knew that it was the Lord.)

SEPARATION

²⁰And the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

²¹Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment. (The situation was different before the Cross, and for many reasons; however, to be sure, although in a different way, the Lord is still consuming those who rebel against Christ and the Cross. While it may take a different form, the end result is the same [Rom. 1:18].)

²²And they (Moses and Aaron) fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh (Who made man), shall one man sin (Korah), and will You be wroth with all the congregation? (Moses intercedes for Israel that they not be judged for Korahs sin. It was this man who had misled all the rest. Deceiving spirits were at work then, even as now.)

JUDGMENT

²³And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,

²⁴Speak unto the congregation, saying, Get you up from about the Tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.

²⁵And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram; and the Elders of Israel followed him.

²⁶And he spoke unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed in all their sins. (Evidently, Moses and the Elders of Israel were standing near the tents of these individuals. The Lord has already told him that Judgment was soon to come.)

²⁷So they got 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 (regrettably, the Judgment would include the entirety of the families).

²⁸And Moses said, Hereby you shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of my own mind.

²⁹If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then the LORD has not sent me (the die is now cast!).

³⁰But 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 you shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD. (Knowing of all the miracles that Moses had seen, and that the Lord had worked through the hand of this man to do mighty things, one would think that these men would have repented; however, deception is a powerful force. Even though proof is offered, deception cannot see the reality, because deception doesnt want to see the reality; therefore, it believes a lie, which is the condition of most of the world, and even most of the Church.)

³¹And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them (this must have been a very fearful sight and, to be sure, many observed it).

³²And the Earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods (this speaks of the entirety of these three families of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram).

³³They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit (into Hell itself), and the Earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation.

³⁴And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them: for they said, Lest the Earth swallow us up also.

³⁵And there came out a fire from the LORD (from the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies), and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who offered incense (exactly as it did Nadab and Abihu [Lev. 10:1-2]).

THE ALTAR

³⁶And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,

³⁷Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the Priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning (from among the charred and smouldering corpses), and scatter thou the fire yonder; for they are hallowed (the censers had been made holy by their proposed use, even though sacrilegiously; they pointed to Christ in His Intercessory Work).

³⁸The censers of these sinners against their own souls (the people attempting to use them were woefully wrong, and their use in this manner was wrong; however, the censers were still hallowed, because of what they represented), let them make them broad plates for a covering of the Altar (the Brazen Altar: everything used in the rituals and ceremonies of the Tabernacle was, in some way, attached to the Altar, as everything presently, as it pertains to the Lord, is attached to the Cross, of which the Altar was a Type): for they offered them before the LORD, therefore they are hallowed: and they shall be a sign unto the Children of Israel. (In other words, every time they brought their Sacrifices to be offered, they would see the Altar, and the plates of the censers that covered the Altar, in effect stating, Dont blaspheme this Altar.)

³⁹And 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:

⁴⁰To 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. (Unfortunately, under the New Covenant, many are presently committing the sin of Korah. They are substituting a government of their own making; however, they must remember, as the Cross is the means of all blessings, at the same time, it is also the means of all judgment.)

MURMURINGS

⁴¹But on the morrow all the congregation of the Children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, You have killed the people of the LORD. (They had, in truth, forfeited their own lives, and Moses and Aaron had no more part in their deaths than Peter had in the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira. They didnt seem to realize that their own immunity from judgment was due to the intercession of those whom they were now falsely charging. An evil heart that refuses to change cannot change.)

⁴²And 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 (once again, they were angering the Lord, and greatly so!).

⁴³And Moses and Aaron came before the Tabernacle of the congregation.

ANOTHER PLAGUE

⁴⁴And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,

⁴⁵Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces (once again, Moses intercedes on behalf of the people, even though they are murmuring constantly against him; we should learn here as to what the Lord thinks of such).

⁴⁶And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer (typical of the Intercession of Christ), and put fire therein from off the Altar (typical of the Cross), 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. (There is no intimation in Scripture that this had ever been done before, and I speak of going among the people with Incense. As it had no precedent, so it never seems to have been repeated. No Sacrifice was offered; however, there could well have been a Sacrifice on the Altar at that time, with the blood poured out at the base. At any rate, the fire came from the Altar, where Sacrifices were offered repeatedly, with the blood poured out at the base of the Altar. So, in a sense, as should be obvious, there had been shedding of blood.)

⁴⁷And 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 (this is a portrayal, in Type, of the Gospel being taken to dying humanity; against the plague of sin there is no other hope).

⁴⁸And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed (the only thing that stands between dying, lost humanity and eternal judgment is the Cross of Christ [I Cor. 1:23; 2:2; Eph. 2:13-18; Col. 2:14-15]).

⁴⁹Now they who died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them who died about the matter of Korah (exactly what the plague was, we arent told; evidently, those who murmured against Moses and Aaron were stricken).

⁵⁰And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the Tabernacle of the congregation: and the plague was stayed. (As stated, there is only one thing that will stop the plague of sin and all of its effects, and that is the Cross. When the modern Church proposes humanistic psychology, or any other supposed solution, it is tantamount to blasphemy against the Lord. The answer is the Cross, and the Cross alone!)