Korah Numbers 16 part 1

Numbers 16: 1-2 "Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men: And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown v3 And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said unto, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, everyone of them, and the Lord is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the Lord?"

I see two flaws in Korah's statement: 1) the people have proven they are not all holy, 2) The Lord put Moses in his position, Moses did not raise himself up.

It was not Korah who went to the Lord and listened for instructions nor was it he who had pleaded for the lives of the people previously. It would be good for those who are not aware of the big picture to stay in their place. I'm sure Korah and his co-conspirators were respected in their positions as princes but they have here overstepped themselves.

Moses gave back the words to Korah in verse 6 "...ye take too much upon you ye sons of Levi."

v13 "Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, except thou make thyself altogether a prince over us?"

How soon men forget! Only Caleb and Joshua stood with Moses and declared that they could possess the land. Only after they had angered the Lord and he had turned them to the wilderness, did the others make an attempt to fight but were defeated because the Lord was not with them. c14.

Korah perhaps thought he was speaking against Moses but was speaking against the very commandments of the Lord. So in verse 28 - 30 Moses tells the people to get away from these men and that the Lord would do a new thing to show that Moses was indeed appointed to do his job.

v30 "But if the Lord make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit: then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the Lord."

v32 "And the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up and their homes, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods."

So that was the end of Korah, a prince who would challenge Moses.

Psalm 9:19-20 Arise, O Lord; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight. Put them in fear, O Lord that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah."

keyword: bible study