Numbers (Part 8)
Bible Study Time 3-2-08
(From James Roberts 3-21-99)
Bible Study Time 3-2-08
(From James Roberts 3-21-99)
Last week in our journey through the scripture we looked at the book of Numbers, chapters 14 and 15. We saw in these chapters that the people of Israel were right at the gateway to the land of Canaan at Kadesh Barnea. This was the Promised Land and God would have taken them right on into the land, but instead of believing God, they believed the report of the ten spies. These spies went into the land for 40 days and reported back that the giants of the land were too great for the children of Israel to overcome.
The people became discouraged and plotted to stone Moses and Aaron as well as Joshua and Caleb, but God overruled. Instead, He told them that they would have to go back into the wilderness where they would wonder one year for every day that the spies had been in the land of Canaan. God said that all of those who were twenty years old and older would die in the wilderness but that He would then take the next generation into the Promised Land.
We saw also in the 15th chapter that God told the people to put tassels as a border on their garments, and they were to run a blue thread through this border. This blue thread was to be a constant reminder of the fact that God had called them unto Himself as a holy people. God had set them apart, and they were not to take part in all of the idolatrous worship of the nations round about them.
Now, in the 16th chapter of the book of Numbers, we see a very sad situation. Here we see a great rebellion against the appointed leaders of Israel. Numbers 16:1 says:
Numbers 16:1-2 NKJV
1 Now Korah the son of Izhar, 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;
2 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.
Korah and certain others went around stirring up the leaders of Israel, and they found 250 men who were willing to join them in a rebellion against Moses and Aaron. These are men of renown. They are respected men in the congregation and notice what they did:
Numbers 16:3 NKJV
3 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?"
These men said that Moses and Aaron were full of pride and were exalting themselves as princes over the whole congregation. They said that Moses and Aaron were making themselves out to be holy when, in fact, the whole congregation was holy in the sight of God.
This argument had some validity. God had indeed called the whole nation of Israel to be a holy nation, but God had further separated out certain people for different areas of leadership. Korah and his followers were actually complaining about the position of authority that God had given to them. They were simply jealous of Moses and Aaron.
Certainly, Korah should have known better than to complain against Moses. Previously, Miriam and Aaron had complained that Moses was too proud and that he was assuming too much authority among the people. However, at that time God set the record straight by stating that Moses was the meekest man on the face of the earth. And certainly, Moses was a very humble person.
When God called Moses at the burning bush, God told Moses to go and speak to the children of Israel and to Pharaoh, but Moses said, I’m not able to do that; I’m a man of stammering lips. So God said, OK Moses, I’ll give you Aaron to be your spokesman.
You see, Moses was very humble, and when Miriam and Aaron complained against Moses, God gave Miriam leprosy, and she had to stay outside the camp for seven days. In this way God made a public example out of Miriam, and Korah and his fellow rebels should have known better that to complain against Moses.
Nevertheless, they started complaining that Moses and Aaron were exalting themselves as princes over the people, and Numbers 16:4 says:
Numbers 16:4-7 NKJV
4 So when Moses heard it, he fell on his face;
5 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.
6 Do this: Take censers, Korah and all your company;
7 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!"
Korah said that Moses was taking too much authority, but Moses came back and said that Korah and his followers were assuming too much authority by rebelling against God’s appointed leaders. In verse 8, Moses said:
Numbers 16:8-10 NKJV
8 . . . "Hear now, you sons of Levi:
9 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;
10 and that He has brought you near to Himself, you and all your brethren, the sons of Levi, with you? . . .
The fact is that Korah, as a Levite, has been chosen to serve the Lord in a special way in the tabernacle, and he should have known the significance of such a calling. However, he was not content with that which God had called him to do. So Moses reminded Korah and his followers of the great privilege of their calling, but then Moses asked:
Numbers 16:10 NKJV
10 . . . are you seeking the priesthood also?
God had called the tribe of Levi to serve the Lord in the tabernacle, but He had further separated out Aaron and his family as the priests of Israel. While the priests offered up the sacrifices and offerings of the people, the Levites were to do the various other duties that related to the service of the tabernacle. Now, verse 11 says:
Numbers 16:11 NKJV
11 Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the LORD. And what is Aaron that you complain against him?"
Notice that in the sight of the Lord this was no small thing that Korah was doing. Korah was the ringleader of this rebellion, and certainly, this rebellion was different from that of Miriam and Aaron. While Miriam and Aaron had complained about Moses among themselves, Korah had complained to the leaders of the all the tribes of Israel. This was a serious offense against the Lord. In fact, the book of Jude mentions Korah’s rebellion. In verse 10 of that book we read that false teachers:
Jude 10-11 NKJV
10 . . . speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves.
11 Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.
Notice that Korah is placed right in the same company with Cain and Balaam. Cain had refused to offer the required sacrifice before the Lord, and he then he killed his brother. Balaam was tempted to place a curse upon the children of Israel in exchange for money. Clearly, Korah’s rebellion is presented as one of the great rebellions of the Old Testament. So how did Moses respond to Korah’s challenge? Numbers 16:12 says:
Numbers 16:12 NKJV
12 And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, but they said, "We will not come up!
These men were coconspirators with Korah, but it may be that they were actually led astray by Korah. When Moses called for them, they said:
Numbers 16:12-13 NKJV
12 . . . "We will not come up!
13 Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey . . .
Just think about what they were saying. They had been in Egypt under terrible hardship, and yet they said that Egypt was a land that was flowing with milk and honey. Well, that might have been the case for the Egyptians, but it certainly was not the case for the children of Israel.
These men went on to say, is it a small thing that:
Numbers 16:13-14 NKJV
13 . . . you have brought us up . . . to kill us in the wilderness, that you should keep acting like a prince over us?
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!"
These men were now blaming Moses for the fact that they had not been allowed to go into the land of Canaan. When the children of Israel refused to go into the land, Moses pronounced the judgment of God. But then, there were certain Jews who refused to accept the judgment of God. They decided to go in and take the land in their own strength, but they were killed by the Canaanites.
Now, these men were saying that Moses had failed to take them into the Promised Land. They were unwilling to accept that it was their own rebellion against the Lord that had prevented them from entering into the land. Now, notice in verse 15:
Numbers 16:15 NKJV
15 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."
At this point, God physically separated Moses and Aaron from Korah and his followers, and Moses instructed the children of Israel to physically separate themselves from those who had rebelled. Then Moses said:
Numbers 16:29-32 NKJV
29 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.
30 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."
31 Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them,
32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods.
May I just say this to you? This may seem to be a small thing that Korah and his followers did. They simply questioned the authority of Moses, but when you look in the book of Jude, you see that this was a great rebellion against God. Obviously, those who rebelled against the Lord under the Law died without mercy, but today we live in the age of God’s grace.
Today, people openly express their hostility to the word of God and to the gospel of Jesus Christ, and they seem to experience no adverse consequence. However, the Day of Judgment is coming. It is a terrible thing to trample underfoot the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. So, when the Day of Judgment comes, all those who have rejected Jesus Christ will be eternally condemned to the lake of fire.
Do you know Christ today? Those who put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ have no reason to fear the judgment of God for there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.
I see that our time it gone for this morning. Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning.
Church links:
The people became discouraged and plotted to stone Moses and Aaron as well as Joshua and Caleb, but God overruled. Instead, He told them that they would have to go back into the wilderness where they would wonder one year for every day that the spies had been in the land of Canaan. God said that all of those who were twenty years old and older would die in the wilderness but that He would then take the next generation into the Promised Land.
We saw also in the 15th chapter that God told the people to put tassels as a border on their garments, and they were to run a blue thread through this border. This blue thread was to be a constant reminder of the fact that God had called them unto Himself as a holy people. God had set them apart, and they were not to take part in all of the idolatrous worship of the nations round about them.
Now, in the 16th chapter of the book of Numbers, we see a very sad situation. Here we see a great rebellion against the appointed leaders of Israel. Numbers 16:1 says:
Numbers 16:1-2 NKJV
1 Now Korah the son of Izhar, 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;
2 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.
Korah and certain others went around stirring up the leaders of Israel, and they found 250 men who were willing to join them in a rebellion against Moses and Aaron. These are men of renown. They are respected men in the congregation and notice what they did:
Numbers 16:3 NKJV
3 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?"
These men said that Moses and Aaron were full of pride and were exalting themselves as princes over the whole congregation. They said that Moses and Aaron were making themselves out to be holy when, in fact, the whole congregation was holy in the sight of God.
This argument had some validity. God had indeed called the whole nation of Israel to be a holy nation, but God had further separated out certain people for different areas of leadership. Korah and his followers were actually complaining about the position of authority that God had given to them. They were simply jealous of Moses and Aaron.
Certainly, Korah should have known better than to complain against Moses. Previously, Miriam and Aaron had complained that Moses was too proud and that he was assuming too much authority among the people. However, at that time God set the record straight by stating that Moses was the meekest man on the face of the earth. And certainly, Moses was a very humble person.
When God called Moses at the burning bush, God told Moses to go and speak to the children of Israel and to Pharaoh, but Moses said, I’m not able to do that; I’m a man of stammering lips. So God said, OK Moses, I’ll give you Aaron to be your spokesman.
You see, Moses was very humble, and when Miriam and Aaron complained against Moses, God gave Miriam leprosy, and she had to stay outside the camp for seven days. In this way God made a public example out of Miriam, and Korah and his fellow rebels should have known better that to complain against Moses.
Nevertheless, they started complaining that Moses and Aaron were exalting themselves as princes over the people, and Numbers 16:4 says:
Numbers 16:4-7 NKJV
4 So when Moses heard it, he fell on his face;
5 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.
6 Do this: Take censers, Korah and all your company;
7 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!"
Korah said that Moses was taking too much authority, but Moses came back and said that Korah and his followers were assuming too much authority by rebelling against God’s appointed leaders. In verse 8, Moses said:
Numbers 16:8-10 NKJV
8 . . . "Hear now, you sons of Levi:
9 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;
10 and that He has brought you near to Himself, you and all your brethren, the sons of Levi, with you? . . .
The fact is that Korah, as a Levite, has been chosen to serve the Lord in a special way in the tabernacle, and he should have known the significance of such a calling. However, he was not content with that which God had called him to do. So Moses reminded Korah and his followers of the great privilege of their calling, but then Moses asked:
Numbers 16:10 NKJV
10 . . . are you seeking the priesthood also?
God had called the tribe of Levi to serve the Lord in the tabernacle, but He had further separated out Aaron and his family as the priests of Israel. While the priests offered up the sacrifices and offerings of the people, the Levites were to do the various other duties that related to the service of the tabernacle. Now, verse 11 says:
Numbers 16:11 NKJV
11 Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the LORD. And what is Aaron that you complain against him?"
Notice that in the sight of the Lord this was no small thing that Korah was doing. Korah was the ringleader of this rebellion, and certainly, this rebellion was different from that of Miriam and Aaron. While Miriam and Aaron had complained about Moses among themselves, Korah had complained to the leaders of the all the tribes of Israel. This was a serious offense against the Lord. In fact, the book of Jude mentions Korah’s rebellion. In verse 10 of that book we read that false teachers:
Jude 10-11 NKJV
10 . . . speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves.
11 Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.
Notice that Korah is placed right in the same company with Cain and Balaam. Cain had refused to offer the required sacrifice before the Lord, and he then he killed his brother. Balaam was tempted to place a curse upon the children of Israel in exchange for money. Clearly, Korah’s rebellion is presented as one of the great rebellions of the Old Testament. So how did Moses respond to Korah’s challenge? Numbers 16:12 says:
Numbers 16:12 NKJV
12 And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, but they said, "We will not come up!
These men were coconspirators with Korah, but it may be that they were actually led astray by Korah. When Moses called for them, they said:
Numbers 16:12-13 NKJV
12 . . . "We will not come up!
13 Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey . . .
Just think about what they were saying. They had been in Egypt under terrible hardship, and yet they said that Egypt was a land that was flowing with milk and honey. Well, that might have been the case for the Egyptians, but it certainly was not the case for the children of Israel.
These men went on to say, is it a small thing that:
Numbers 16:13-14 NKJV
13 . . . you have brought us up . . . to kill us in the wilderness, that you should keep acting like a prince over us?
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!"
These men were now blaming Moses for the fact that they had not been allowed to go into the land of Canaan. When the children of Israel refused to go into the land, Moses pronounced the judgment of God. But then, there were certain Jews who refused to accept the judgment of God. They decided to go in and take the land in their own strength, but they were killed by the Canaanites.
Now, these men were saying that Moses had failed to take them into the Promised Land. They were unwilling to accept that it was their own rebellion against the Lord that had prevented them from entering into the land. Now, notice in verse 15:
Numbers 16:15 NKJV
15 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."
At this point, God physically separated Moses and Aaron from Korah and his followers, and Moses instructed the children of Israel to physically separate themselves from those who had rebelled. Then Moses said:
Numbers 16:29-32 NKJV
29 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.
30 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."
31 Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them,
32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods.
May I just say this to you? This may seem to be a small thing that Korah and his followers did. They simply questioned the authority of Moses, but when you look in the book of Jude, you see that this was a great rebellion against God. Obviously, those who rebelled against the Lord under the Law died without mercy, but today we live in the age of God’s grace.
Today, people openly express their hostility to the word of God and to the gospel of Jesus Christ, and they seem to experience no adverse consequence. However, the Day of Judgment is coming. It is a terrible thing to trample underfoot the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. So, when the Day of Judgment comes, all those who have rejected Jesus Christ will be eternally condemned to the lake of fire.
Do you know Christ today? Those who put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ have no reason to fear the judgment of God for there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.
I see that our time it gone for this morning. Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning.
Church links:
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