“Day 16 (Numbers 16)”

Thursday, February 16, 2017

Poor Moses. How did he do it? No sooner t is the issue with Miriam and Aaron settled. Now comes the challenge to his leadership by Korah and company. Unbelievable! Korah and company accuse Moses of “taking too much on himself” (Numbers 16:3). God responds to Moses, that their rebellion was not against him but against the Lord (Numbers 16:11). The rejection of Moses was a rejection of the Lord who appointed him.
 
The solution is that Korah and company are to take their censers, put fire and incense in them and come before the Lord. The one the Lord chooses will be the one He causes to come near. However, Dathan and Eliab did not a want to do that. They complained that it was a set up to put out the eyes of the men who complained.  Dathan and Abiram accuse Moses of bring them out into the wilderness but failing to usher them into the promise land. Moses is angered at them. He had taken noting from any of them, nor hurt any of them. Oh, how soon they forget. The reason they had not entered the land was because of their own unbelief. It was not Moses fault. It was their own. Isn’t that true today. We want to blame our failings on someone else. 
 
God consumed Korah are destroyed when the earth opens up and swallows them. Fire also consumed two hundred and fifty who were part of the rebellion when fire form the incense they were offering consumed them. Shouldn’t that have taught all who survived a lesson about rebelling against God? Well, evidently not. The next day came the complaint that Moses had f killed the people of the Lord. To those who complained the wrath of the Lord came out and they were afflicted with a plague. Those who died were 14,700.
 
One further little tid bit in all this. For those who perished  with Korah, Eleazar was to take  the censors and hammer them into  plates as a covering for the altar., This was to be a memorial to the children of Israel that no outsider, who did not descend from Aaron,  was to come near  to offer incense to the Lord. If they did they would be consumed like Korah and company. Second, even though there was further rebellion, Aaron  took the censer and put fire in it from the alter and put incense in to and  ran into the midst of the assembly to make atonement for the people.
 
No matter how much God di for Israel they still complained and blamed their situation on Moses and Aaron, making plans to return to Egypt. Further, Korah had a cherished place as Levites. The Korathites carried the tabernacle furniture when Israel moved to a new  location. Korah complained that Moss and Aaron were running things and  not giving the people enough “input.”  Who were Moses and Aaron to elevate themselves above all the others. The real reason for Korah’s complaint was that he was not a satisfied assisting the priests; he wanted to be the priest.  The selfish desire to be in chare runs all through the Bible. Then, what is there about the human heart that makes it so easy to follow the crowd  and disobey the Lord?
 
The Lord gave Israel three reminders to encourage them to obey His Law and submit to His will: the tassels on their garments, the brass plates on the altar, Aaron’s rod in the holy of holies.  Today we have the Lord’s Supper as a reminder of the death of Christ and the promises of God. Will we remember? 
 

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