Numbers 16

Numbers 16:1

F. Korah’s Rebellion (Chaps. 16, 17)16:1-3 Korah, a cousin of Aaron (Exo_6:18-21), was a Levite but not a priest. He apparently resented the fact that the family of Aaron should have exclusive right to the priesthood. Dathan, Abiram, and On were of the tribe of Reuben, and they resented Moses’ leadership over them. On is not mentioned after verse 1, and it is impossible to know if he shared the doom of the others. Two hundred and fifty of the princes leaders of Israeljoined in the rebellion against the priesthood and the civil authority (v. 2). They argued that all the people were holy and should not be excluded from offering sacrifices (v. 3). 16:4-11 To settle the matter, Moses ordered Korah and his rebels to appear the following day with censers (vv. 6, 7). The burning of incense was a priestly function; if God did not recognize them as priests, He would show His displeasure. 16:12-15 Dathan and Abiram refused to leave their tents when called by Moses but scolded him for his leadership. These men were referring to the earlier promise (Exo_3:8) that God would bring them into a “a land flowing with milk and honey,” and they were complaining here (with sarcasm) that Moses had instead brought them out of a land flowing with milk and honey (Egypt) and had brought them into a land not flowing with milk and honey (the desert). The thought of verse 14 may be that, having failed to fulfill his promise, Moses was now trying to blind the people to his failure or to his true intentions. Moses reminded the Lord that he had not demanded tribute from the people, as rulers usually do. 16:16-22 The following day, Korah, Aaron, and the two hundred and fifty rebels appeared before the tabernacle with censers. The congregation of Israel also assembled, perhaps in sympathy with Korah. Then the glory of the LORD appeared to the whole congregation. And the LORD told Moses and Aaron to separate themselves from the congregation before He destroyed them. Because Moses and Aaron interceded, the judgment was not executed. 16:23-35 The scene now changes to the tents where Korah, Dathan, and Abiram lived (v. 24). Moses warned the rest of the people to move away from the vicinity of those tents. Then Moses announced that if these men died a natural death, or were visited by the common fate of all men, then Moses himself would be discredited. But if the LORD miraculously caused the earth to swallow them up, then the people would know that these men had been guilty of rebellion (v. 30). No sooner had he uttered these words than the earth opened up and swallowed Dathan and Abiram and their families [households], who must have joined in their rebellion (vv. 32, 33). There is considerable question as to when Korah died.

Some believe that he was swallowed by the earth with Dathan and Abiram (vv. 32, 33). Others suggest that he was destroyed by the same fire that killed the two hundred and fifty rebels (v. 35). It seems from Num_26:10 that he was swallowed up along with Dathan and Abiram. Verse 11 of the same chapter shows that his sons were spared. Israel’s next great prophet, Samuel, was a descendant of Korah (1Ch_6:22-23, 1Ch_6:28). . . . In verse 30 Sheol means the grave, but it can also mean the disembodied state. At certain times in history, God has shown His extreme displeasure at certain sins by judging them instantly. He judged Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen_19:24-25); Nadab and Abihu (Lev_10:1-2); Miriam (Num_12:10); Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, plus 250 leaders (this chapter); Ananias and Sapphira (Act_5:5, Act_5:10). Clearly He does not do this every time these sins are committed, but He does break in on history on selected occasions as a warning to future generations. The men with Korah (v. 32) might mean his servants or his followers. 16:36-40 The holy . . . censers used by the sinners were converted into hammered plates to cover the altar of burnt offering. These were a reminder that only the family of Aaron had priestly privileges. The fire in the censers was scattered abroad. 16:41-50 On the day following these solemn events, the people accused Moses and Aaron of killing God’s people. The Lord, in wrath, threatened to destroy them, but Moses and Aaron went before the tabernacle of meeting, no doubt to intercede for them. The Lord then struck the people with a dreadful plague. Only when Aaron rushed into the midst of the congregation with incense and made atonement for the people was the plague . . . stopped. But even by then, fourteen thousand seven hundred had perished. The leaders, along with the congregation, had challenged the priesthood of Aaron. Now it was the priestly intercession of Aaron which stopped the plague. Moses and Aaron were not the ones who killed the Lord’s people, but the ones who saved them!