Read Numbers 16
Korah, Dathan and Abiram
16 Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—became insolent 2 and rose up against Moses. With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council. 3 They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?”
4 When Moses heard this, he fell facedown. 5 Then he said to Korah and all his followers: “In the morning the Lord will show who belongs to him and who is holy, and he will have that person come near him. The man he chooses he will cause to come near him. 6 You, Korah, and all your followersare to do this: Take censers 7 and tomorrow put burning coals and incense in them before the Lord. The man the Lord chooses will be the one who is holy. You Levites have gone too far!”
8 Moses also said to Korah, “Now listen, you Levites! 9 Isn’t it enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the Israelite community and brought you near himself to do the work at the Lord’s tabernacle and to stand before the community and minister to them? 10 He has brought you and all your fellow Levites near himself, but now you are trying to get the priesthood too. 11 It is against the Lord that you and all your followers have banded together. Who is Aaron that you should grumbleagainst him?”
12 Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab. But they said, “We will not come! 13 Isn’t it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness? And now you also want to lord it over us! 14 Moreover, you haven’t brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Do you want to treat these men like slaves? No, we will not come!”
15 Then Moses became very angry and said to the Lord, “Do not accept their offering. I have not taken so much as a donkey from them, nor have I wronged any of them.”
16 Moses said to Korah, “You and all your followers are to appear before the Lord tomorrow—you and they and Aaron. 17 Each man is to take his censer and put incense in it—250 censers in all—and present it before the Lord. You and Aaron are to present your censers also.” 18 So each of them took his censer, put burning coals and incense in it, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 19 When Korah had gathered all his followers in opposition to them at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the glory of the Lord appeared to the entire assembly. 20 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 21 “Separate yourselves from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once.”
22 But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and cried out, “O God, the God who gives breath to all living things, will you be angry with the entire assemblywhen only one man sins?”
23 Then the Lord said to Moses, 24 “Say to the assembly, ‘Move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.’”
25 Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israelfollowed him. 26 He warned the assembly, “Move back from the tents of these wicked men! Do not touch anything belonging to them, or you will be swept away because of all their sins.” 27 So they moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing with their wives, children and little ones at the entrances to their tents.
28 Then Moses said, “This is how you will know that the Lord has sent me to do all these things and that it was not my idea: 29 If these men die a natural death and suffer the fate of all mankind, then the Lord has not sent me.30 But if the Lord brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the realm of the dead, then you will know that these men have treated the Lord with contempt.”
31 As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, and all those associated with Korah, together with their possessions. 33 They went down alive into the realm of the dead, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community. 34 At their cries, all the Israelites around them fled, shouting, “The earth is going to swallow us too!”
35 And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.
36 The Lord said to Moses, 37 “Tell Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, to remove the censers from the charred remains and scatter the coals some distance away, for the censers are holy— 38 the censers of the men who sinned at the cost of their lives. Hammer the censers into sheets to overlay the altar, for they were presented before the Lord and have become holy. Let them be a sign to the Israelites.”
39 So Eleazar the priest collected the bronze censers brought by those who had been burned to death, and he had them hammered out to overlay the altar, 40 as the Lord directed him through Moses. This was to remind the Israelites that no one except a descendant of Aaron should come to burn incense before the Lord, or he would become like Korah and his followers.
41 The next day the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. “You have killed the Lord’s people,” they said.
42 But when the assembly gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron and turned toward the tent of meeting, suddenly the cloud covered it and the glory of the Lord appeared. 43 Then Moses and Aaron went to the front of the tent of meeting, 44 and the Lord said to Moses, 45 “Get away from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once.” And they fell facedown.
46 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer and put incense in it, along with burning coals from the altar, and hurry to the assembly to make atonement for them. Wrath has come out from the Lord; the plague has started.” 47 So Aaron did as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the assembly. The plague had already started among the people, but Aaron offered the incense and made atonement for them. 48 He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped. 49 But 14,700 people died from the plague, in addition to those who had died because of Korah. 50 Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance to the tent of meeting, for the plague had stopped.
Go Deeper
Numbers 16 is loaded with action. As you read it, you might be thinking What just happened?! Ground that opens and swallows people, fire from heaven, and plagues? This all seems so intense! Right now we may be asking ourselves, “Why did God respond this way?” If we trace the story back to the very beginning, hidden behind all the action and the yelling and the fire, we see a man choose to operate in the sin every single one of us today are so prone to choose. It’s the sin of pride.
C.S Lewis once said, “The Christians are right: it is Pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began.” And this sin is the sin in which the Bible strictly warns us in James 4:6, that “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” We see Korah and his men approach Moses and Aaron and say in verse 3, “You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?” In other words, “We are just as great as you Moses! We are holy and deserve more.”
For further context, Korah and his followers were already set apart from the rest of Israel. They were Levites, God’s chosen tribe out of the 12 tribes to minister unto the Lord and attend His dealings and His presence. And instead of operating in gratitude, entitlement is the song they sing. The pride in their rebellion is great against a God who has already shown them so much grace and favor and love to get to be with Him.
As much as we hate to admit it, we’ve all had our “Korah” moments in life. Maybe it wasn’t to a leader that you shouted against, but what about shouting against God? Have you ever told God, “I deserve more. I want more!”? As Christians, it’s very tempting to lose sight of what God has already given to us and done for us in Jesus. He has made a way for us to be with Him forever in Heaven. That is worth celebrating! Today, take a moment to preach the Gospel to yourself. As Charles Spurgeon famously said, “Pride cannot live beneath the cross.”
Questions
- Where do you see pride creeping up in your life? If it’s there, and James 4:6 tells us “God opposes the prideful,” what do you need to do to get rid of it?
- What was a time in your life, that if written down, would title: “_______’s Rebellion.” Insert your name. What did you learn from that experience?
- What can you do today to be marked by humility and not pride? Once you find one or two ways, think about them and do them!
Keep Digging
For more information on Korah, check out this article. See how God uses the line of Korah for redemption and restoration.
Leave a Comment below
Join the Team
Interested in writing for the Bible Reading Plan? Email hello@biblereadingplan.org.
12 thoughts on “Numbers 16”
Not sure about ya’ll but watching a large group of leaders and their families being swallowed up in the ground seems like people all around would be saying Holy, Holy, Holy to God. But NO!! they still rebel. Wow, how we do not learn!! The evil one is out to steal, kill and destroy. He has been about his business for a long time. He is still out there, tempting us just like he did Korah. But the first thing Moses did was fall on his face, to God, in prayer for guidance. Col 3:1-11 verse 1. If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 2 cor 10:4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We are fighting a battle constantly. JP sermon and book is a helpful tool to fight what is happening. Pray, Pray, Pray some more. Seek God, hear to listen, have your sword, the Word of God ready. And pray.
God help me to not be in discontentment, ingratitude, and prideful. God, my grumbling and complaining are never harmless. Being prideful in life is not from You, God nor does it honor You. God help me to be what You have called me to as Your chosen one. Help me to have a compassionate heart, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. God as Your word says to bear with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven me, so I also must forgive. God help me to, above all put on love which binds every thing together in perfect harmony. God I desire that the peace of Christ rules in my heart. God help me be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in me richly, teaching and admonishing others in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in my heart to God. And whatever I do, in word or deed, that I do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him today in these minutes of this day in Jesus name amen
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So, I usually go down some rabbit trail that interests me when certain verses pop out to me; and usually they are more theologically grounded.
This one, a bit mundane, but when I read this in the Got Questions link: And, during the time of King David, the sons of Korah became the leaders in choral and orchestral music in the tabernacle. Among the biblical psalms, eleven are attributed to the sons of Korah: Psalms 42, 44—49, 84—85, and 87—88.
So, I wondered if the word Chorale Music came from the name Korah…well, it did not: https://www.perplexity.ai/search/did-the-musical-term-choral-co-9kNuR5T1RkKKAFmzrnT1Sg
3 “They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them,”
During my business career, I led a team of 400 investment professionals. They were smart, hard-working, well compensated, AND opinionated. The challenge for me as their leader was to ensure that their views were heard and considered, but at the end of the day come to a decision about the direction of our unit. We all had to be rowing in the same direction.
When I read this passage, I empathize with Moses’ leadership challenges! However, it is a good thing that I never had the option to have people swallowed up by the earth as I may have been tempted to use it!
Lord help me with my pride. Lord help not to think I am more than I am.
Insolence, entitlement and pride will take us down a path with dire consequences. We see the opposite of these traits in Moses & Aaron as they operate in humility, bowing and begging God not to give the rebellious people what they deserve. It’s a wake-up call to reflect on where pride has quietly crept into my heart waiting to destroy me, then confess it and turn instead to humility. How desperately I need his mercy!
Inappropriate ambition is greed in disguise. Rebellion against God begins with dissatisfaction and skepticism, then moves onto grumbling about both God and present circumstances. Beware! These attitudes lead to rebellion and separation from God. (taken from Life Application Bible)
Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18
“Inappropriate ambition is greed in disguise.”
So true! Thank you for sharing.
Dissatisfaction Leads to Division
Does righteousness = responsibility?
In Numbers 16, it sure sounds like Korah and crew think so. At least, that’s their argument. Korah and his followers start with a foolish comparison that leads to a disastrous conclusion:
“You have something we do not.
We are just as good as you.
We should have what you have.”
#AndThat’sWhenTheFightStarted
Korah led his followers all right … through the sin progression of envy, pride, contention, and rebellion … all the way to their ultimate destruction.
BUT GOD has always had a way of turning rank and privilege upside-down. And His perfect design for the body of Christ allows for both the unity and diversity of His people:
“But God has carefully designed each member and placed it in the body to function as he desires. A diversity is required, for if the body consisted of one single part, there wouldn’t be a body at all! So now we see that there are many differing parts and functions, but one body.”
-1 Corinthians 12:18-20 TPT
What would happen if we, like Korah, insisted that “equal righteousness before God” equates to “identical responsibilities on God’s behalf?”
Imagine what that might look like in our church today!
I’m picturing a ludicrous scenario in which essential servants like the parking team or the quiet but faithful fellow who empties the trash every Sunday … demanded they lead worship from the stage instead!
The truly righteous leader will never grab for power and privilege. Instead, like Moses and Aaron, we are called to be humble, prayerful, merciful and surrendered.
We let God do all the leading!
The “Enduring Word” online commentary offers a deeply thoughtful takeaway I wanted to share here:
Verses 46-50:
“Aaron’s intercession stops the plague of judgment upon the children of Israel.Aaron and his high priestly work here form a picture of our High Priest Jesus Christ, and His work on our behalf. We were guilty sinners deserving judgment and we were rightly plagued.”
• Our Savior was sent on a mission to save.
• Our Savior was unjustly accused and attacked.
• Our Savior rescued those who wanted Him dead.
• Our Savior prayed on our behalf.
• Our Savior “ran” to save us.
• Our Savior did this work alone – Moses the lawgiver did not help Him. All the law could do is say, “Something must be done,” but the law was powerless to rescue. Only the High Priest could stop this deathly plague.
• Our Savior stood between death and life for us.
• Our Savior is the only chance of salvation.
• Our Savior is the dividing line between death and life.
what has helped me is confession. this is an antidote for pride. it never gets easier. to humble urself in front of others and admit where u went wrong but it is necessary.
❤ so true.
C.S Lewis once said, “The Christians are right: it is Pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began.”
This quote could not be more true and is a great reminder to evaluate our heart posture and the why behind what we are doing and how we respond to situations.
it’s very tempting to lose sight of what God has already given to us and done for us in Jesus, but he IS ENOUGH! We don’t need any other thing to satisfy us but Jesus!
Today with gratitude, I thank God for his grace and mercy he has shown me and pray that I do the same for others in humility.