Korah’s Rebellion | Numbers part 18

As we continue our look at the Book of Numbers, we have come to the second major crossroads for Israel. The first, of course, was their decision to not enter the land God gave them. This time, an insurrection grows in their midsts. Korah, a Levite serving in the tabernacle, will lead a rebellion against Moses. This rebellion will start with just a handful of Levites, but will culminate with all of Israel. It is a moment that could wreck the nation before they are able to leave the wilderness.

Korah’s Accusation | Numbers 16:1-3

Now Korah the son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, and 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 a number of the people of Israel, 250 chiefs of the congregation, chosen from the assembly, well-known men. They assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! For all in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?”

Numbers 16:1-3

It is worth pausing here to dissect Korah’s accusation against Moses. Korah argues the whole congregation is holy, and the Lord is among them. Moses has exalted himself above the congregation unjustly. Now, this accusation seems foolish for us because, obviously, Moses is the leader. He is the one whom God called through the burning bush. He is the one who led them out of Egypt. He is the one played by Charlton Heston. Obviously, he is the good guy!

And yet, consider the parallels with our own age. Are not all opinions equal? Shouldn’t we all be in charge? Now, we certainly wouldn’t want anarchy nor would we want a dictator, but has the Lord not established an order to this world? And does that order not include leaders over the masses?

Korah’s rebellion is against the order the Lord established for Israel.

His rebellion is also in retaliation for their failure to enter the Promised Land. It is very common for those who have failed in their faith and obedience to lash out against another. When we cannot cope with our own problems, we seek out a way to project our faults on another. Korah accuses Moses of exalting himself over Israel, and yet, Korah is exalting himself over Moses who has already been proven to be God’s chosen leader for Israel. After all, what was Korah doing while Moses spoke with Pharaoh or while Moses stood at the Red Sea?

Korah’s Pride | Numbers 16:4-11

When Moses heard it, he fell on his face, and he said to Korah and all his company, “In the morning the Lord will show who is his, and who is holy, and will bring him near to him. The one whom he chooses he will bring near to him. Do this: take censers, Korah and all his company; put fire in them and put incense on them before the Lord tomorrow, and the man whom the Lord chooses shall be the holy one. You have gone too far, sons of Levi!” And Moses said to Korah, “Hear now, you sons of Levi: is it too small a thing for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself, to do service in the tabernacle of the Lord and to stand before the congregation to minister to them, and that he has brought you near him, and all your brothers the sons of Levi with you? And would you seek the priesthood also? Therefore it is against the Lord that you and all your company have gathered together. What is Aaron that you grumble against him?”

Numbers 16:4-11

In response, Moses offers two points. First, Moses does not defend his right to lead. Instead, he offers a trial. Everyone is to take censers and offer burning incense before the Lord. The Lord will choose who will be the holy one—the High Priest. Second, he tells Korah, along with the rest of the Levites, they have gone too far. He reminds them they were chosen to serve near the Lord in the tabernacle—a place of position the rest of Israel could not hold. They were a chosen few to serve in the tabernacle. But now, they want the whole priesthood.

Moses bases his defense on the Word of the Lord, not on his own merits.

This principle is good for us today, as well. Sometimes we will find ourselves facing accusations or opponents that are unjust. When we try to defend ourselves based on ourselves, it becomes a battle of pride and wills. Instead, it is better to point the person back to the Word of the Lord. What does the Bible say about the situation? If they are willing to listen, then you have a teaching opportunity. If not, remember, the Lord says several times through Scripture, “Vengeance is mine says the Lord.” Let the Lord deal with them. Of course, there is also the possibility when you go to the Word, you will discover you are wrong. Either way, it is best to go to the Word so the situation can be resolved.

Now, there is one more layer of this text that is worth taking a look.

We have already seen the tabernacle was built based on a heavenly design. Hebrews confirms this, as well. The Lord gave Moses the design of the tabernacle and camp to establish the process by which humanity would be able to come back to the presence of the Lord. It was a reversal of the Fall in the Garden that was ultimately fulfilled by Christ who went to the Heavenly Temple for us.

This quick review helps to support another interesting parallel, but this one is between Korah and the character of the Old Testament known as “the Accuser” or “Satan”. Though Satan’s origin story is not exactly in the Bible, scholars and the ancients have pieced together the story based on several passages and extra-biblical tradition. One of those passages is Ezekiel 28 in which Ezekiel records an oracle against the King of Tyre using language that suggests he isn’t talking about just a human king.

The first 10 verses of Ezekiel 28 appear to be about the human king, and there isn’t anything particularly curious there. It is in verse 11 where another section of this prophecy occurs, and there is a shift in tone. There, the king is said to have been in the Garden of Eden, is adorned with all kinds of precious stones, but most importantly, Ezekiel writes,

You were an anointed guardian cherub.
    I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God;
    in the midst of the stones of fire you walked.

You were blameless in your ways
    from the day you were created,
    till unrighteousness was found in you.

In the abundance of your trade
    you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned;
so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God,
    and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub,
    from the midst of the stones of fire.

Your heart was proud because of your beauty;
    you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.
I cast you to the ground;
    I exposed you before kings,
    to feast their eyes on you.

Ezekiel 28:14-17

If this passage does refer to Satan, as well as the king of Tyre (and I argue it does), then we see a pattern of evil and sin that began with the first sinner, Satan. The Lord created a good creature, a blameless one, that was adorned with beauty. The creature became prideful of its beauty and place in God’s kingdom desiring more than what God ordained for it. Because of its pride, it became corrupted in its wisdom and chose unrighteousness. In the case of Satan, he is cast to the earth where he continues to destroy God’s handiwork corrupting humans. In the case of Adam and Eve, they chose to follow the serpent seeking false wisdom finding exile and death. In the case of the king of Tyre, his kingdom was removed from him. In the case of Korah, he desires a place higher than Moses and God’s design. We will see his fate in a moment. For now, my point is simply:

Korah’s rebellion is an example of the long line of rebellion against God caused by Satan, sin, and pride.

Korah’s Test | Numbers 16:12-24

And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and 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 must also make yourself 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.” And Moses was very angry and said to the Lord, “Do not respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, and I have not harmed one of them.”

And Moses said to Korah, “Be present, you and all your company, before the Lord, you and they, and Aaron, tomorrow. And let every one of you take his censer and put incense on it, and every one of you bring before the Lord his censer, 250 censers; you also, and Aaron, each his censer.” So every man took his censer and put fire in them and laid incense on them and stood at the entrance of the tent of meeting with Moses and Aaron. Then Korah assembled all the congregation against them at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And the glory of the Lord appeared to all the congregation.

And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, “Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.” And they fell on their faces and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will you be angry with all the congregation?” And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Say to the congregation, Get away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”

Numbers 16:12-24

Moses tells Korah and his companions to test whether the Lord agrees with them. The two men’s response is telling. Dathan and Abiram call Egypt “land flowing with milk and honey,” and proceed to blame Moses for why they are not in the new land. It is a complete denial of the reality of the previous chapters we read. Moses told them to take the new land. Caleb said to take the land. Joshua said to take the land. The 10 spies and the larger congregation were the ones who refused to go into the new land. So, how could they blame Moses for wandering in the wilderness?

Sin clouds the mind and convinces us lies are the truth.

Paul says it this way:

For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.

Romans 8:7

Moses vents his frustration to the Lord and continues with testing Korah. Again, he puts his and Korah’s fate into the Lord’s hands. They all bring censers before the Lord to see who will be the man in charge. Korah decides to bring all the congregation with him. His rebellion has stirred up the entire nation against Moses.

When the Lord appears, He tells Moses and Aaron to separate from the people because they are about to be consumed. Once again, Moses and Aaron intercede on behalf of the people. The Lord tells Moses to have the people move away from Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.

Because Moses and Aaron intercede for the people, they have an opportunity to repent from this rebellion.

Korah’s Doom | Numbers 16:25-35

Then Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. And he spoke to the congregation, saying, “Depart, please, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be swept away with all their sins.” So they got away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. And Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the door of their tents, together with their wives, their sons, and their little ones. And Moses said, “Hereby you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, and that it has not been of my own accord. If these men die as all men die, or if they are visited by the fate of all mankind, then the Lord has not sent me. But if the Lord creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you shall know that these men have despised the Lord.”

And as soon as he had finished speaking all these words, the ground under them split apart. And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the people who belonged to Korah and all their goods. So they and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol, and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. And all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up!” And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men offering the incense.

Numbers 16:25-35

Judgement for this rebellion comes swiftly. Dathan, Abiram, and Korah’s households are swallowed up by the earth sending whole families to Sheol—the grave. The 250 men who offered incense are burned up by fire from the Lord.

Our Scripture Reading this week is from James 1 in which James reminds us sin comes when we are lured away by temptation of our own selfish desires. This sin, if left unchecked, will eventually lead to death. James also says in chapter 3,

For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.

James 3:16

Jealousy, selfish ambition, and selfish desires are all connected. And in the story of Korah, we see how these attitudes lead to destruction when left unchecked. Jealousy and selfishness seem like trivial sins. In fact, many times we joke about them, and we have tv shows that incorporate these attitudes as a way of entertaining. But the reality is, these attitudes can and will lead to destruction if left unchecked. They are destructive because of their source. Backing up a bit in James 3, we read:

But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.

James 3:14-15

Korah followed earthly, unspiritual, and demonic wisdom in his rebellion against Moses. He also led the people to follow the same false wisdom and the same destruction. Earlier, I pointed out the parallel between Korah and Satan. Here, we see another layer of this parallelism. Satan influences others to follow in the same destruction that is fated for him.

Sinful actions and attitudes will only lead to destruction for those who cannot get rid of them.

Next week, we will see how Moses and Aaron are able to clean up the mess of this rebellion and begin restoring peace in Israel’s camp. For today, we are left with this cautionary tale of Korah about jealousy and selfish ambition. It is worth asking ourselves “where are we jealous?” Have we traded contentment with God’s blessings for selfishness of things that would only be a curse for us?