Korah's Rebellion

Remember I said we would soon be coming upon some major wrath from God? Here is the first installment! Korah's rebellion was rooted in pride. This group of Levites, though set apart for the task of transporting the most Holy objects from the Tabernacle (a position second only to the priesthood), felt cheated out of the the highest position. They reasoned that as Levites, they had as much claim to the role of priests as Moses and Aaron, which of course ignores the fact that God had appointed those two men (and Aaron's lineage) for the job. They esteemed themselves very highly and sought greater prestige and position. There is no evidence that this revolt was rooted in anything but self-love. There is certainly nothing new about this story of envy and slander. It goes on today and is as old as Satan falling from Heaven. Satan was once a beautiful angel of very high ranking in heaven, who sought to advance his own position. He was able to incite a rebellion against God that included one third of the angels (they evidently have free will also). When His actions were discovered, he was cast down onto earth as punishment. And then we have Korah, of high ranking among the Levites but wanting more, inciting a rebellion of 250 leaders from the tribes of Israel. When his actions were discovered, he was cast down into the earth as punishment. In very disturbing imagery, the three leaders of the rebellion were swallowed up by an opening in the earth (earthquake?) and fire consumed the remaining followers. We will learn in Numbers 26, that not all of the children of Korah died, but it seems clear that some did perish. It is certainly disconcerting to think of children suffering for the sins of their parents, which absolutely continues on in our day. I think Matthew 5:45 says it best..."He causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous". Innocent people undeservedly get caught up in the sins of others just as "guilty" people undeservedly get caught up in the blessings of others.

Immediately following this very visible display of God's wrath, the people started to grumble about Moses and Aaron once again! First there was the complaining about the lack of meat, blaming Moses for their plight, and resulting in a plague (food poisoning) that killed thousands. Then Miriam and Aaron complained about Moses which brought on leprosy as punishment. Then Korah rebels, ending in destruction for he and 250 others. And yet, complaints are lodged against Moses again, this time culminating in some sort of instantaneous death plague that claimed the lives of 14,700 people! The bitterness was spreading like a cancer, and God saw fit to destroy it before resentment had infiltrated the entire camp.

God was definitely letting his people know of His uncompromising standards of holiness and requirements for obedience. And the result, as would be natural, was a terrifying fear of God. Not necessarily terrifying enough to keep them on the straight and narrow, but terrifying enough to fear communion with Him. In verse 17:12, they say to Moses "Look, we are doomed! We are dead! We are ruined! Everyone who even comes close to the Tabernacle of the Lord dies. Are we all doomed to die?" Knowing the nature of the Old Testament believers' relationship with and access to God, should make us appreciate the significance of Jesus' work on the cross. When He died, the veil was torn (literally and figuratively) that separated the Most Holy Place from the rest of the Tabernacle. No longer was God unapproachable and man unworthy to approach Him! No longer was there a need for priests, who had special access to God. Every one who had been cleansed of their sins by the blood sacrifice of the perfect, unblemished atonement offering (Jesus) was able to have direct communion with God. Truly, everything in the Old Testament lays the groundwork for the new and it is very cool to see how it all fits together!

Tomorrow's reading: Numbers 19-21