Today started with Korah’s rebellion. Earlier there had been a rebellion against Moses’ leadership led by Miriam and Aaron. Now Korah and his allies were attacking the leadership of Moses and Aaron. Korah was descended from Levi through Kohath. As a Kohathite, he had high duties in the service of the Lord at the tabernacle, but he desired more. His passion was to take on the role of priest, and he used deception to try to advance himself.
Korah was joined by the Reubenites, Datham, Abiram, and On, and about 250 other leaders of Israel who had their own issues and complaints. Their charge was that Moses had “gone too far” in taking the role of spiritual leadership of the people. To this charge, Moses replied with saying that, the “Levites had gone too far!”
Dathan and Abiram’s charge against Moses was that he had not led them into the land of promise. They claimed that Moses had in fact led the people “out of a land flowing with milk and honey.” In their screwed up perception now, they had convinced themselves that Egypt had transformed from prison to paradise.
The trial would be by fire, to determine which men the Lord would accept as his priests in the holy tabernacle. The 250 men allied with Korah came to meet Moses and Aaron at the entrance of the tent of meeting. The revelation of the Lord’s glory was sure and sudden, with words of impending doom for the rebellious people.
Ironically, the 250 men who dared present themselves as priests before the Lord with fire in their censers were themselves put to death by fire, perhaps lightning, from the Lord. God’s judgement was going to be severe, but he didn’t want to harm any of the bystanders. It appeared that Korah had left the 250 false priests and was standing with Dathan and Abiram to continue their opposition to Moses.
Moses tried to explain to them that it was the Lord who sent him to do all the works, and was not of his own accord. As soon as he finished speaking, “the ground under them split apart, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up…and the earth closed over them and they perished.”
Then the censers of the 250 deceased impostors, were taken and hammered down into bronze sheets for the altar as a memorial of the folly of a self-proclaimed priest.
The next day all the people still grumbled against Moses, charging him with the death of the Lord’s people. The Lord told Moses and Aaron to get away from the crowd, so he could consume them. Moses was told to take his censer and and lay incense on it to quickly make atonement for the people; because the wrath of God had gone out and a plague was upon them.
Those who died in the plague were 14,700 people, besides those who died in the affair of Korah. When the plague had stopped, Moses and Aaron returned to the tent of meeting.
Then the Lord spoke to Moses and told him to have the people of Israel bring a staff from each of their tribes, and write their names on them. Aaron’s name was on the staff of Levi. They would be deposited into the tent of meeting, and whoever was chosen by the Lord, their staff would sprout. Moses did everything he was commanded, and placed the twelve, labeled staffs in the tent.
On the next day, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and had buds and blossoms on it, and bore ripe almonds. Aaron’s staff was used as a symbol for the rebels, to stop their grumbling. At last the people realized the sin of their arrogance in challenging Aaron’s role.
Lastly, it went on to discuss the duties of the priests and Levites. This part had been partially covered previously, but added much detail to it today.